Technika GG Protector

[Scott Rosenberg]

if i were so inclined to permanently remove the folding focusing hood from my technika, what then would make an adequate GG protector? there's no way to secure a flat one like the ebony or arca, and i don't think the 'u' shaped ones like canham would fit.

any ideas?

[robc]

uh? the folding focussing hood serves as a GG protector. Why would would you want to replace it with something else? Weight saving would be minimal.

[Bob McCarthy]

I tend to agree with Scott. I find the tunnel effect of the hood doesn't give me the full overview and tends to focus me on the frame center. It's tough to step back a little and see the whole composition at once. I'm new to the camera, but taking the protector on and off is wearing the gg frame. I've thought about removing the leather portion.

Bob

[Frank Petronio]

The flip horizontal hinge on the Linhof hood is so nice that I wouldn't change it. But on my old Tech IV I had a Crown Graphic metal hood installed and it was the best of all worlds - a good solid metal hood that could easily be flipped out of the way. Boy I was dumb to sell that camera...

http://frankpetronio.com/archive/love_of_linhof.html

[Ted Harris]

But why permanently remove it, tunnel effect or not. I can't speak for the TEchnika but I can for the Horseman FA and the Toyo AII. I actually like the folding hood. I have a loupe that is longenough to work inside it and it is so easy to take off when I want to use a regular darkcloth. When I want to travel with as little photo gear as possible then the hood is terrific. They all come off with a spring loaded pivot as far as I know.

[Scott Rosenberg]

i am considering this for two reasons mainly...
1. like bob, I find that the hood limits my ability to see the entire gg
2. I use a relatively short sylvestri 6x loupe

To the second point, I know I could buy a longer loupe, like the toyo, but I really like the 6x mag and the optical quality of my loupe. So, if there was a way to remove the hood and still protect the gg, I’d rather go that route. Failing that, I guess I will leave it on and simply swing it out of the way when I’m viewing the gg.

[David Karp]

I have that Toyo loupe. It is nice because it is long, but it quickly became my backup loupe. I also have a nice no-name adjustable loupe with a black skirt and more magnification that is much more useful to me. I use the Toyo with my Crown Graphic, and much prefer the shorter, but (for me) better no-name.

[Brian Ellis]

"like bob, I find that the hood limits my ability to see the entire gg. . . . So, if there was a way to remove the hood and still protect the gg, I’d rather go that route. Failing that, I guess I will leave it on and simply swing it out of the way when I’m viewing the gg.."

You don't swing it out of the way, you just remove it. It takes about two seconds to do, it's designed to be removed and replaced. The hood has minimal to no value as a focusing hood but it's a great ground glass protector (for $500 it should be), much better than the plexiglass protector that Canham sells and much better than the ABS protector that Calumet sells (I've used both). So just take it off the camera when you're making a photograph and put it back on when you're through, just as you would do with any ground glass protector.

"I'm new to the camera, but taking the protector on and off is wearing the gg frame."

How can it possibly be "wearing the gg frame?" It's designed to be removed and replaced, that's why it has that little retracting peg and those two little holes that the pegs fit into. I've owned two Technikas for a combined total of about seven years, I've removed and replaced the hood hundreds, maybe thousands, of times without any wear or damage to the frame.

[Frank Petronio]

Wouldn't a custom made loupe be cheaper? ;-)

[Ted Harris]

You don't even need a custom made loupe. Both Wista and Horseman make higher magnification lupoes with topnotch optical quality. I use the Horseman 6x long loupe as my standard loupe all the time.

[Scott Rosenberg]

You don't swing it out of the way, you just remove it.

to remove it, you swing it open and then disengage the pegs. rather than removing it altogether and having to deal with finding a clean, dry place to put it down, i was suggesting simply swinging it open and leaving it attached to the camera when i want to view the gg.

ted, thanks for the horseman 6x suggestion... i'll check into them.

[Bob McCarthy]

"I'm new to the camera, but taking the protector on and off is wearing the gg frame."

How can it possibly be "wearing the gg frame?" It's designed to be removed and replaced, that's why it has that little retracting peg and those two little holes that the pegs fit into. I've owned two Technikas for a combined total of about seven years, I've removed and replaced the hood hundreds, maybe thousands, of times without any wear or damage to the frame.

This camera was bought used, but the holes are chipped around the opening. Perhaps the previous owner wasn't very careful. The leather is wrinkled and gathers the opening to be smaller than it should be. Other than that the camera is perfect. Finding a place to store the cover is a nusance. I had NO idea a replacement costs so much.

Bob

[Scott Rosenberg]

I had NO idea a replacement costs so much.

Bob

the correct way to pronounce 'Linhof' is 'CHA-CHING!'

[Scott Rosenberg]

$125 for a Horseman 6x Long Loupe... WOW! i think i'll stick to my plan of swinging it out of the way.

[Ted Harris]

Scott, I believe you can buy them for $75 in like new condition from Jim at Midwest.

[David A. Goldfarb]

The folding hood, fresnel, and a floppy wide-brimmed hat are actually not a bad combination. I like it for working fast in the city so I can see what's happening around me, and it saves having to carry a darkcloth in wilderness settings. I use the Toyo loupe with the folding hood, and swing the hood out of the way to check the corners, using the hat to shade the focusing screen. If I'm unsure about vignetting, I'll remove the whole focusing panel to check the iris from the corners. I also have the zoom finder as an additional check for framing, when it's hard to see the edges of the groundglass.

[Scott Rosenberg]

ted, they are listed at $125 on mpex.com. maybe i'll call jim and see if he has a gently used on laying around.

[Capocheny]

$125 for a Horseman 6x Long Loupe... WOW! i think i'll stick to my plan of swinging it out of the way.


Scott,

Look on the bay... I bought mine for $46.00 in brand new condition. And, FWIW, it's a great loupe. I prefer it to the Toyo and the Sylvestri and the Fuji and the Schneider and...

It use to be that you wouldn't see this loupe all that often on the bay but, nowadays, it seems to come on more frequently.

Good luck.

Cheers

[Capocheny]

$125 for a Horseman 6x Long Loupe... WOW! i think i'll stick to my plan of swinging it out of the way.


Scott,

Look on the bay... I bought mine for $46.00 in brand new condition. And, FWIW, it's a great loupe. I prefer it to the Toyo and the Sylvestri and the Fujinon and the Schneider and...

It use to be that you wouldn't see this loupe all that often on the bay but, nowadays, it seems to come on more frequently. Just be patient... you'll get one sooner or later!

Good luck.

Cheers

[MJSfoto1956]

to protect the GG in any Linhof, just fashion a snug piece of foam core. It it light, easy to remove, and totally protects the GG during transport. If you have baggy pockets, stick the 4x5 piece of foamcore in there. Otherwise, find a slot somewhere in your camera bag to put it when you are using the GG. I did this in Ireland with my Technikardan and it worked like a charm.

Option: dry mount a neutral gray film or cardboard to one side and you'll have a handy gray card to boot.

[Brian Ellis]

"to remove it, you swing it open and then disengage the pegs. rather than removing it altogether and having to deal with finding a clean, dry place to put it down, i was suggesting simply swinging it open and leaving it attached to the camera when i want to view the gg"

It's next to impossible, at the very least cumbersome, to try to use a darkcloth with the hood/protector swung out to the side when making a horizontal photograph. It's a little easier to leave the hood/protector on the camera when making a vertical photograph because then it drops down rather than sticking out to the side but it still tends to get in the way. Take it off, set it on your backpack which presumably is at or near your feet and which hopefully is a clean and dry place.

"to protect the GG in any Linhof, just fashion a snug piece of foam core. It it light, easy to remove, and totally protects the GG during transport."

Well let's see. I own a $500 metal and leather ground glass protector that came with my camera. It fits the camera perfectly, it's simple to remove and replace, and it's strong enough to protect the ground glass against anything short of a direct hit from a gun shot. Oh yes, in bright enough light I can also use it to roughly compose a photograph and then there's the clip on it that I can use to hold my dark slide when the slide is removed from the holder. But I'm not going to use that. No, instead I'm going to cut up a piece of foam core and lay it upside the ground glass and use that as a ground glass protector. I'm sorry if I seem dense but could you explain to me what advantage you're gaining by using a piece of foam core instead of the metal and leather protector Linhof has designed for the purpose and that you already have?

[Frank Petronio]

Ahh, I agree with Brian 99% of the time but I would never bother to remove the focus panel. I am paranoid about kicking it or setting it in a cow pie.

Just leave the fancy BTZX super darkcloth at home and use an old black t-shirt or your jacket. Stretch it over the swinging focusing hood assembly. pinch the bottom the darkcloth shut with one hand, move and adjust the camera with the other...

You're not watching the SuperBowl on the groundglass. It ain't a 44" Sony Flat Panel... the idea is that you use the focusing hood for rough composition, then switch to a dark cloth of some kind to use a loupe on the focus points and to fine tune with camera movements. You don't need to sit and study the ground glass for minutes at a time - just hold the dark cloth in place and get the shot done.

[MJSfoto1956]

I'm sorry if I seem dense but could you explain to me what advantage you're gaining by using a piece of foam core instead of the metal and leather protector Linhof has designed for the purpose and that you already have?

Advantage? None, unless the Linhof doesn't have one to begin with. I'm simply responding to the original poster's requests for ideas, nothing more. It is not my take to criticize him for his request for information. I for one don't like focusing hoods, prefering instead the old reliable dark cloth (however, if you have a spare Linhof focusing hood lying around and are in generous mood then by all means send it to me to add to my collection of Linhof cameras!). Perhaps this poster is simply obsessed with weight reduction. For me that is a legitimate enough reason.

[Scott Rosenberg]

not weight savings, fellas. this question was more because i find the 'window' afforded by the open focusing hood to be somewhat truncated. furthermore, it is tough to use my stubby loupe with it. swinging it out of the way when i need to will work just fine for me.

thanks for the inputs.

[Kirk Keyes]

to remove it, you swing it open and then disengage the pegs. rather than removing it altogether and having to deal with finding a clean, dry place to put it down, i was suggesting simply swinging it open and leaving it attached to the camera when i want to view the gg.

Scott - I just pop the cover off in about 2 seconds, and place it in the backpack when I had the camera body. Reinstallation is the reverse.

But isn't this exactly what you would do with a GG protector? Would you toss the GG protector on the ground or something and not worry about it getting dirty, or would you toss it in the backback like you can do with your Linhof cover?

I never use the hood in the Linhof cover, I always remove it and use a dark cloth.

[fotophil]

Calumet sells a universal ground glass protector which is a U shaped piece of plastic. One side slides into the film plane and the other covers the users side of the ground glass. very simple, light weight but not so cheap (around $25) but replacement ground glass isn't so cheap either; especially in the field!!.

[naturephoto1]

Scott,

As mentioned, there is also the Wista Hood Lupe. It is less expensive than the Horseman. I can not remember if I bought my Wista Hood Lupe while I had had my Linhof Super Technika IV or when I replaced it with my Linhof Technikardan 45S. By the way, I use the Canham Ground Glass protector with my Technikardan, but if I needed to lighten the load even more, I could put a piece of closed cell foam or foam core over the GG. To lighten the load of my lupe however, for much of my work, I may use the Horizon 4X Lupe which I found has exceedingly good optics for usage as a GG Lupe.

Rich

[Alan Davenport]

How did this thread go (so quickly) from groundglass protection, to loupes? :)

Scott, how about making your own? Using either 1/16" or 1/8" aircraft plywood, cut two pieces that will cover the glass while also clearing obstructions. Make these pieces long enough to extend beyond the end of the camera's back when fully inserted. Then cut a piece of hardwood, thick enough to space the two plywood bits the correct amount. Glue and tack the pieces together, and voila!

My apologies (in advance) for what follows: an attempt at ASCII artwork that (I hope) the forum engine might render as intended:

===========================================================...<--Plywood
--------------------------------------\.........-----------
...Groundglass Back of Camera ........ ----\....|.........|...<--Hardwood
--------------------------------------------....-----------
===========================================================...<--Plywood
......................................................^
.......................................................\
.........................................................---------Glue Together

[Lee Hamiel]

Scott:

I understand your desire to not deal with the viewing hood.

I used to have a Linhof Bi-Kardan with the right angle finder (still have it) & although it's easy & quick to remove the question is where to put it unless leaving it swung out of the way.

I picked up a beater viewing bellows years ago that had been redone with blue courderoy fabric that was in tatters. I removed the fabric & threw it out but still have the frame & loupe.

I no longer have a Linhof so ...

What I'm going to suggest is that I could refit the insert frame with a piece of black leather to face the groundglass for protection & on the inside of the frame place black walnut & stain or leave be & finish w/varnish/etc.

Then you could simply swing out but not have the fold out viewing hood or you could simply remove -

Let me know if interested - not looking for any money so to speak - a print would be nice as you do great work:)

[Scott Rosenberg]

lee, thanks for the compliment... pm sent.