Linhof Technika 4x5 Timeline...

[Embdude]

Trying to piece together the 4x5 Technika timeline. Any help nailing down the dates would be appreciated.

I am starting Post-War with the III

These are now updated dates of production (Thank you Mr Salomon):

Technika III Oct 1946 to Oct 1960
The III seems to have been continually improved across the 10 year span. In addition to incremental improvements there were also certainly variations for the intended market as well.

Technika IV Oct 1956 to May 1963
(complete redesign from the III) Seems little variation over time compared to the III, the rangefinder housing changed somewhere in the middle of production but little else did.

Technika V Apr 1963 to start 1976
The ratchet jack on the front standard seems to have evolved but like the IV little else changed over production.

Master Technika 1972-Present (The Classic is the MT, Rebranded the MT Classic about Y2K)
Little change, strap lugs, and Fresnel placement are all that come to mind

Master Technika 2000 1995-2005

Master Technika 3000 2005 - Today

[Mark Sampson]

The lens boards changed from the III's simple rectangle to the complex shape used since- now used by many cameras and generally known as the "Technika-style" board.
Cameraquest.com has a couple of articles about early versus later Technikas. Of course our Mr. Salomon will have all the info at his fingertips.

[Bob Salomon]

Trying to piece together the 4x5 Technika timeline. Any help nailing down the dates would be appreciated.

I am starting Post-War with the III

These are the tentative dates I have determined from advertisements... It also appears from price-lists that previous models were sold concurrent with the new models for up to a couple of years, of course I can't tell if they were still in production or just stockpile...

Technika III 1947-1957
The III seems to have been continually improved across the 10 year span. In addition to incremental improvements there were also certainly variations for the intended market as well.

Technika IV 1957-1963
(complete redesign from the III) Seems little variation over time compared to the III, the rangefinder housing changed somewhere in the middle of production but little else did.

Technika V 1963-1976
The ratchet jack on the front standard seems to have evolved but like the IV little else changed over production.

Master Technika 1972-2000
Little change, strap lugs, and Fresnel placement are all that come to mind

Master Technika Classic 2000 - Today

Master Technika 2000 1995-2005

Master Technika 3000 2005 - Today

lll Oct 46 to Oct 60
lV Oct 56 to May 63
V Apr 63 to start 76
Master 72 to present. The Classic is the MT.

[Embdude]

Thanks Mark, Yes cameraquest is full of good info. Yes the 4x5 has 2 styles with quite a few interesting variations within them. The 2x3 has even more styles and seems to be an even more complex timeline than the 4x5... maybe I will get to the 2x3's after I nail down the 4x5...

[Embdude]

Thanks M. Salomon! That is very precise and great info! I have updated the original dates above I had guessed at. Very interesting that the III continued for so long after the IV was released. 14 years is a very good run! It makes me wonder about the final version III with the geometrically shaped front. I had assumed it pre-dated the IV but perhaps it was released at the same time.

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks M. Salomon! That is very precise and great info! I have updated the original dates above I had guessed at. Very interesting that the III continued for so long after the IV was released. 14 years is a very good run! It makes me wonder about the final version III with the geometrically shaped front. I had assumed it pre-dated the IV but perhaps it was released at the same time.

Or the factory had inventory that took a while to sell. Rather then continue production after later models were introduced.

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks M. Salomon! That is very precise and great info! I have updated the original dates above I had guessed at. Very interesting that the III continued for so long after the IV was released. 14 years is a very good run! It makes me wonder about the final version III with the geometrically shaped front. I had assumed it pre-dated the IV but perhaps it was released at the same time.
14 years is a drop in the bucket. The Master is the run to look at. 1972 to today!

[Embdude]

The smaller 2x3 / 6x9's seem to have a less straightforward or obvious timeline... Here is what I have so far from the Post-War period

Super Technika 23 or Super Technika III 1952-1957
Mostly Black Leather

Super Technika 23 or Super Technika IV 1956-1964
Tan Leather, minor redesign, single point back attachment lever

Wide-Angle 65 1966-?

Press 23 1956-1963
No Bellows or movements

Student Kamera ?-?
no rangefinder

Technika 70 1962-1979
Complete redesign, new lensboard style

Press 70 1963-1969
no bellows or camera movements

Aero Press & Electric 70 no dates found sometime in 1970's
A Ariel variant of the press70, no camera movements or rangefinder

Expert 70 - ?
no rangefinder

Super Technika V 1970-1979
Like a mini 4x5 is style

23 V-B 1979-2003
a V with a flap for wide angle

I may be missing one or two... let me know what you think

[Bob Salomon]

The smaller 2x3 / 6x9's seem to have a less straightforward or obvious timeline... Here is what I have so far from the Post-War period

Super Technika 23 or Super Technika III ?-1957
Mostly Black Leather

Super Technika 23 or Super Technika IV 1956 1964
Tan Leather, minor redesign, single point back attachment lever

Wide-Angle 65 1966-?

Press 23 1956-1963
No Bellows or movements

Student Kamera ?-?
no rangefinder

Technika 70 1962-1979
Complete redesign, new lensboard style

Press 70 1963-1969
no bellows or camera movements

Aero Press & Electric 70 no dates found sometime in 1970's
A Ariel variant of the press70, no camera movements or rangefinder

Expert 70 - ?
no rangefinder

Super Technika V 1970-1979
Like a mini 4x5 is style

23 V-B 1979-2003
a V with a flap for wide angle

I may be missing one or two... let me know what you think

Why did you leave out the 45 Aero Technikas or the 69 Aerotronica? Or the 45 Technar?

[Embdude]

Well to be honest I know very little about the Aero gear. I admit to never seeing any of the Aero cameras in person. I was the pilot for a number of aerial photographers in the 1990's in San Diego and did not even know of the Linhof's back then. I saw lots of Fuji MF gear Lots of Nikon F4's and some cinema cameras that looked rather pricey. Los Angles was the big market then, and now, so perhaps the big shot aerial photographers up there had Linhof's. Also I was small fixed wing planes while I'm sure the big budget photographers were renting pricey helicopters...

[Embdude]

The Pre-War Technikas are even harder to find out much info on.

Valentin Linhof was a talented inventor who came up with various shutters from 1887 and was making the Linhof all metal camera by 1910. Linhof made folding cameras from as small as 6x45 to 10x15.
In the 20-30's Perka and Silar were also making the same cameras as Linhof in Munich. Whether partners or used for outsourcing or due to mergers is unclear to me.
By 1930 Nikolaus Karpf was at work at Linhof inventing the articulating back and the Technika was born from this invention.

Proto-Technika / Ur-Technika 1934
was it two cameras or one with two names... and was it a prototype only?

Standard 1936-
without articulating back

Technika 1936-
The first Technika that I have seen marketing material for

Technika II ???
The Technika II is not mentioned in any literature of its period of wartime Germany but it is often referenced in later later Linhof materials

Perhaps the Ur-Technika is the "I" and the Technika is the "II" and there was not really an additional model prior to the III of 1946...

Anyway lots of holes in my Technika knowledge to fill in here. Any insights are appreciated.

[Bob Salomon]

The Pre-War Technikas are even harder to find out much info on.

Valentin Linhof was a talented inventor who came up with various shutters from 1887 and was making the Linhof all metal camera by 1910. Linhof made folding cameras from as small as 6x45 to 10x15.
In the 20-30's Perka and Silar were also making the same cameras as Linhof in Munich. Whether partners or used for outsourcing or due to mergers is unclear to me.
By 1930 Nikolaus Karpf was at work at Linhof inventing the articulating back and the Technika was born from this invention.

Proto-Technika / Ur-Technika 1934
was it two cameras or one with two names... and was it a prototype only?

Standard 1936-
without articulating back

Technika 1936-
The first Technika that I have seen marketing material for

Technika II ???
The Technika II is not mentioned in any literature of its period of wartime Germany but it is often referenced in later later Linhof materials

Perhaps the Ur-Technika is the "I" and the Technika is the "II" and there was not really an additional model prior to the III of 1946...

Anyway lots of holes in my Technika knowledge to fill in here. Any insights are appreciated.
Then buy a copy of “The Linhof Camera Story” 2nd volume, by Peter Braurenschmidt, the owner of Linhof. Every camera from the prototypes to today are shown a written about.
The first version does not have all current models.

Also, some camera versions were country specific and those are not listed. For instance a non folding TechniKardan for the Japanese market.

[Embdude]

Yes I have a an edition from 1990. It was not an easy book to locate. Much of what I can determine about the Pre-War cameras came from the back pages. Also the Linhof website has some cursory information as well - http://linhof.com/en/linhof-history/?fbclid=IwAR37subOp1YNoascdTBpCCgKisdNFOoCWZvln_u-oZ57ZBqiDlpvtVk2OUM The rest of my knowledge comes from this forum and much of that directly from you Bob! Your help with the serial number dating and countless posts patiently helping fellow Linhof aficionados is invaluable!

[Tin Can]

Technika 6x9 on a stick is one I have

No idea what it's really called

Real cute, I'll take pics of it IF you start posting pics, serial # of the others

It's in deep storage and I need to find it, IF...

I have Linhof Book 1, as Bob says, I need Book 2

My thing is big Linhof Kardan Color (https://www.google.com/search?q=Linhof+Kardan+Color&tbm=isch&chips=q:linhof+kardan+color,online_chips:8x10&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS850US850&hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiHrO6tmIrqAhUB0KwKHYviDokQ4lYoBnoECAEQHA&biw=1215&bih=595) and have pics of those, one of mine is at the link

[Embdude]

Some Linhof nostalgia...204900

[Bob Salomon]

Some Linhof nostalgia...204900

Nice, but the magazines were never part of Linhof. They were published by Grosbild which was a publishing owned by Nicholas Karpf who also owned Linhof. But they were separate companies.
After Karpf died at Photokina his widow married a banker and she owned both companies but eventually sold first Grosbild to another publisher that discontinued the English language version. We had been the US distributor for Grosbild until she sold it.
She then sold Linhof to the present owner.

[Bob Salomon]

Technika 6x9 on a stick is one I have

No idea what it's really called

Real cute, I'll take pics of it IF you start posting pics, serial # of the others

It's in deep storage and I need to find it, IF...

I have Linhof Book 1, as Bob says, I need Book 2

My thing is big Linhof Kardan Color (https://www.google.com/search?q=Linhof+Kardan+Color&tbm=isch&chips=q:linhof+kardan+color,online_chips:8x10&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS850US850&hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwiHrO6tmIrqAhUB0KwKHYviDokQ4lYoBnoECAEQHA&biw=1215&bih=595) and have pics of those, one of mine is at the link

You mean that you have the Linhof 220, the one with the old Rollei pistol grip built-in?

If so, it was one of the first 67 cameras, not 69.

[Embdude]

Karpf died during the 1980 Photokina? Wow. According to Linhof's website- After Valentin Linhof's death, the daughter Clara Linhof takes over the company. Nikolaus Karpf marries Clara's daughter and joins the company in 1933.

[Embdude]

No mention of the current owner Peter Bauernschmid on the Linhof website but he is listed as Managment on the German Linhof wikipedia site

[Embdude]

Nice, but the magazines were never part of Linhof. They were published by Grosbild which was a publishing owned by Nicholas Karpf who also owned Linhof. But they were separate companies.
After Karpf died at Photokina his widow married a banker and she owned both companies but eventually sold first Grosbild to another publisher that discontinued the English language version. We had been the US distributor for Grosbild until she sold it.
She then sold Linhof to the present owner.
It is quite a fine magazine! and I believe the books are from Karpf through Grosbild (translated to Large Picture in English) as well. Bob did you attend the Photokinas' and hob-knob with Karpf and his team? As the US distributor I imagine you must have been the biggest market for Linhof.

[Bob Salomon]

It is quite a fine magazine! and I believe the books are from Karpf through Grosbild (translated to Large Picture in English) as well. Bob did you attend the Photokinas' and hob-knob with Karpf and his team? As the US distributor I imagine you must have been the biggest market for Linhof.

We,went every other year and met with all,of our suppliers,plus any possible future suppliers. Both at the exhibit hall and before the show opened for breakfast meetings, after it closed for dinner meetings or late night drinks. Each exhibitor had their own kitchen inside their booth for lunch. Kaiser had menus and order cards at each table.

[Tin Can]

No Bob, not a 220

Below on eBay but 6X9 aka 2X3, bought on this forum in VGC mit perfect bellows

Hard to even find a picture of it!

https://www.google.com/search?q=1964:+Kardan+Color+9x12&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS850US850&hl=en&tbs=vw:l,ss:44&tbm=shop&sxsrf=ALeKk03xotA1lxsyZB-bukta0E0WcdqmUQ:1592573789599&ei=Xb_sXq6MJMyztAaL2LDoDg&start=20&sa=N&ved=0ahUKEwjurofY_43qAhXMGc0KHQssDO0Q8tMDCKEE&biw=1229&bih=608#spd=7295047561881902408





You mean that you have the Linhof 220, the one with the old Rollei pistol grip built-in?

If so, it was one of the first 67 cameras, not 69.

[Embdude]

We,went every other year and met with all,of our suppliers,plus any possible future suppliers. Both at the exhibit hall and before the show opened for breakfast meetings, after it closed for dinner meetings or late night drinks. Each exhibitor had their own kitchen inside their booth for lunch. Kaiser had menus and order cards at each table.

Man that must have been great! You must have some great stories. Did you need to brush up on your German for a Photokina or could one get by with English?

[Embdude]

Tin Can - The Linhof Color 23 from about 1958...

[Bob Salomon]

Man that must have been great! You must have some great stories. Did you need to brush up on your German for a Photokina or could one get by with English?

All exhibiters at major industry trade shows speak English. Non German exhibitors may hire translators for their booths.
Most, if not all, German business people are fluently multi lingual.

One trip I went for dinner at the home of the Linhof Export Manager in Bavaria. He had a very comfortable recliner set up in front of the TV. Next to that chair was a pile of novels that he was reading.
The various books were in German, English, French and Spanish and he was reading them all.

You would have a very hard time finding Americans that can do that. But it is common overseas.

The daughter of the owner of the Giottos factory is Taiwanese. She married a Chinese camera store owner in Vancouver, BC.
She speaks Taiwanese Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, English, Japanese, German all fluently.

[Tin Can]

Thank you!

At one time, early last decade I told myself 'stay away from Linhof' obviously I don't listen to myself...mumble...


Tin Can - The Linhof Color 23 from about 1958...

[brucetaylor]

Right, the Technika “on a stick!”- I have had my eye out for the 6x9 version, but have not come across the bargain I would need to add it to the stable. I have the early and later versions in 4x5. I know I’m shallow, but I really like the way they look. The 220 as well, but they seem the be for the collectors now.

[Embdude]

Thank you!

At one time, early last decade I told myself 'stay away from Linhof' obviously I don't listen to myself...mumble...

1961 Color 23 Manual here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B50p4jef-eUcelhuQTNDSldqVzQ/view

Generally prices kept me away from Linhof... I finally found a wreck but intact Technika III and was able to completely restore it on my own... I love these cameras and find them very enjoyable to work on...

[Tin Can]

Thank you twice! downloaded

I have used Technika Tele Xenar 360 in studio with top hat lens board and shorter

DDS not roll film

In case you missed it, below my big Linhof and 5X7 kit

and I wish I could find a Gigant (http://www.linhofstudio.com/knowledgebank/gigant-stand-2/) for it

I don't think any Gigant survived, too complected with hydraulics and wiring...


https://live.staticflickr.com/1466/26109802361_7cb443f0b7_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FMeyAe)Linhof Kodak 405 (1) (https://flic.kr/p/FMeyAe) by TIN CAN COLLEGE (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/4645/27421922399_bcbc2e20d3_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HMbwav)Linhof 5X7 Case (https://flic.kr/p/HMbwav) by TIN CAN COLLEGE (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr




1961 Color 23 Manual here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B50p4jef-eUcelhuQTNDSldqVzQ/view

Generally prices kept me away from Linhof... I finally found a wreck but intact Technika III and was able to completely restore it on my own... I love these cameras and find them very enjoyable to work on...

[Embdude]

Here is a special Linhof Technika 23... maybe it belonged to 007...204996

[David Lindquist]

Here is a special Linhof Technika 23... maybe it belonged to 007...204996

Now I really want to know the story behind this.

David

[Embdude]

It is in the Linhof museum. It was a gift for Nikolaus Karpf, made 1953
Now I really want to know the story behind this.

David

[Embdude]

I wish I could find a Gigant (http://www.linhofstudio.com/knowledgebank/gigant-stand-2/) for it

I don't think any Gigant survived, too complected with hydraulics and wiring...


You may be in luck there is a Gigant for sale on Alibaba...
https://russian.alibaba.com/product-detail/linhof-antique-camera-171122016.html