Tech V swing lock

[kelzo]

Hey guys,
I'm about to call Marflex to see what it might cost to have a rangefinder repaired because I'm trying to decide if I should send it back to the eBay seller or not. There's just one more thing I'm wondering about.....is the swing supposed to lock down or not? It locks into its centered position, but doesn't seem to want to lock once it is swung out. It doesn't move around unless you push it when it's swung out, but it isn't locking. Is there another lock somewhere else for this other than the lever/knob you use to unlock it from its centered position?
Thanks!
Kel

[David A. Goldfarb]

It doesn't lock down, but I haven't had a problem with it in actual use.

[kelzo]

Thanks again David (wow, that was quick!)
-Kel

[Phong]

I was surprised when I found out the swing doesn't lock on my Master Technika. I wonder why Linhof decided not to have a lock on the swing.

[kelzo]

Yeah, strange. I'd compare the lock and swing capabilities on my Super Speed Graphic, but it's one lock for swing, shift, and movement along the rails, so not exactly the greatest locking mechanism there either. And you can't have the infinity stops up when using the swing on that camera either. Once you have it all where you want it, and no easy task with everything moving around while unlocked, it locks down nice and tight. Very strange.

[David A. Goldfarb]

There seems to be enough tension in the front swing movement that it's not a problem. You can swing then shift to recompose, and as long as the shift isn't gummed up, you can shift without disturbing the swing.

I suppose if you had a heavy lens and were using the camera sideways and used the swing as tilt, this could be a problem, but it hasn't come up for me, and if it were a problem, you could always use rear movements and tilt the camera to get an indirect front tilt.

[kelzo]

Thanks David. I've pretty much decided to keep this camera--warts and all as it seems to be fixable. I spoke to Martin at Marflex today and it looks like the cost of the repairs to the rangefinder along with a CLA will be pretty reasonable. I'll just have to wait a couple of months to get it back as he says they're backed up. No biggie. I love the camera and it deserves to be kept up and working--and it will work as I love to shoot large format. Now if I can just jerry-rig my ancient 12x15 to fit on a heavy duty tripod, I'll be happy as a pig in......