Genuine versus generic lensboard for Linhof

[Wattie]

A simple question: given that genuine Linhof lensboards cost about twice as much as generic unbranded ones is there a real superiority to them? Are they made to tighter tolerances and thus a better fit on Linhof cameras? In short: is it worth paying the extra or is it just a case of Linhof being, as always, very pricey? Afterall it's a lot extra to pay just for that nice little badge in the top corner. I use a Technikardan 45 so I am interested in their fit on a Linhof, not on other cameras that take Linhof size boards.

[Greg Lockrey]

Only to collectors. A board is aboard is a board.

[Archphoto]

Not all Chinese made ones seem fit as well, so you will have to watch it a bit.
The ones from Wista are good and have a badge....
Wista actualy bought a Linhof once and started to copy it, they did a pretty good job at it too.

Peter

[Brian Ellis]

I mostly used Linhof boards on my Technikardan and Technikas. But I did use other boards occasionally - Wista, Horseman Woodfield, Adorama, the generic board that Midwest Photo sells, and a few others. They all worked fine. I just liked using Linhof boards on Linhof cameras but I can't say there was any difference in ease of use, fit, or anything else between them and the others except that the Adorama board had a cheap, flimsy feel to it.

[Bill_1856]

Many of my "generic" boards are slightly THINNER than the real Linhof boards. It doesn't make any difference on the Technika or Kardon, which holds them in place with a spring clip, but on some of the other cameras, such as my Nagaoka, they have to be shimmed with paper to snug them in place so they don't rattle around.

[svlindbe]

I have made several lensboards of aluminium plate. The material is fairly easy to cut, bore and file with simple tools. I cut lensholes with an electric jigsaw with blade for metal plates. The smaller holes may be a little tricky due to "sharper curve". One solution is to cut straight cuts within the circle first, make parts of the curves with the jigsaw and smoothen the edges with a file. One can also bore many holes inside the circle and cut the material between them before the fine work with a rounded file.

I never made the kind of lighttrap that you find in Linhof and some of the other boards. So far I haven't had any light leaks between the fronts of my cameras and the lensboards. My Shen Hao HZX-IIA has felt on the front face, whilst Linhof seems to rely on the light trap. Still the flat boards have worked fine so far. Each board could have a thin felt glued to the back, or a ring of felt, rubber, metal or other matrial of the same thickness as the light trap of the Linhof boards.

I found some flat black paint in spray can that works well, it is heat resistant, not the shiny hobbypaint.

If you have access to materials and simple tools (and basic skills), selfmade lensboards are an alternative. ;-)

Svein Lindberg

[BradS]

Other than the obvious cosmetic differences, the only difference I have ever noticed is that the generics are thinner than the genuine article.


(EDIT: oh...I see Bill already noted this above :) )

[Aender Brepsom]

Not all Chinese made ones seem fit as well, so you will have to watch it a bit.
The ones from Wista are good and have a badge....
Wista actualy bought a Linhof once and started to copy it, they did a pretty good job at it too.

Peter

Correct. Some of the chinese lens boards sold on eBay don't always fit the Chamonix. I have generic lens boards sold by Robert White in the UK and they are a bit thinner than those chinese boards, so they fit easily. Other than the fit on certain cameras, there is no real advantage in buying the expensive genuine Linhof boards.

[rdenney]

I have made several lensboards of aluminium plate. The material is fairly easy to cut, bore and file with simple tools. I cut lensholes with an electric jigsaw with blade for metal plates.

Hole saws require little more in terms of tools, but they make cutting lens holes a LOT easier.

Rick "who has had to add flocking material to some cheapie lens boards that are too shiny on the backsides" Denney

[Archphoto]

There is one diference between the original Linhof boards and the chinese ones: the Linhof boards are made of expensive and tough aircraft grade aluminium.
They are a pain ot saw into, but are very stiff and best suited for the heavier lenses.
At least the ones I made fit to two of my lenses......

Peter

[GPS]

A simple question: given that genuine Linhof lensboards cost about twice as much as generic unbranded ones is there a real superiority to them? Are they made to tighter tolerances and thus a better fit on Linhof cameras? In short: is it worth paying the extra or is it just a case of Linhof being, as always, very pricey? Afterall it's a lot extra to pay just for that nice little badge in the top corner. I use a Technikardan 45 so I am interested in their fit on a Linhof, not on other cameras that take Linhof size boards.

Your question is of the same logic as asking if there is a real difference between an Italian Gucci bag and its Chinese copy. Sure, if you walk on a street nobody will tell you a difference - up to the moment when you walk there a year after using the bag daily...
Some real difference you can already understand from the answers - paradoxically even those that claim no difference between them...:)
If Shen Hao cameras use felt (good grief!) under(?)a lens board it's the Chinese crappy solution betraying the origins of the camera. The felt will eventually get pressed more and more and unevenly under the weight of a lens (and lenses can easily have even more than 1kg...). At the end you will have a constant slight tilt on the lens standard without any control over its amount. The Chinese solution. Poor photographers who argue about infinitesimal optical qualities of one lens brand against the other and don't care about mechanical precision of their cameras using the same lenses...
There already you can see the difference. The Linhof lens boards give you the peace of mind that no problems will be present in the camera because of the lens board. The thickness and the quality of the lens board material has its important role too. It gives the lens board the capacity not to deform with heavy lenses in use and by their use.
Not to use the light trap is also risky - you can have situations where a light leak will not announce itself as such but will degrade the contrast of you pictures. You want to have such situation? If you want to avoid it, use the light traps.
Shortly - if you don't want to see the difference, you can always carry a Chinese Gucci bag pretending it's the original quality. It never will be, though...

[rdenney]

There is one diference between the original Linhof boards and the chinese ones: the Linhof boards are made of expensive and tough aircraft grade aluminium.

With no intent to create debate, from an engineering standpoint, using stronger aluminum doesn't make it any stiffer. If the cheap boards are strong enough not to "yield" (deform permanently) under the load, then they will be as stiff as boards made from stronger aluminum.

The stronger aluminum will wear more slowly, however. Wear on metal lens boards has never been an issue for me, but I suppose it could be for some who are sufficiently active with their equipment.

If the Linhof boards are thicker, then by virtue of that fact alone (and not the grade/strength of the aluminum), they will be stiffer. But if the thinner boards do not deflect critically under load, then that doesn't matter much, either.

It's a common misunderstanding that stronger aluminum is also stiffer, as a material. It isn't.

Rick "who runs into this misconception with bicycle people, too" Denney

[Peter K]

It's not only the casted aluminium alloy itself, but the light-trap works also as a strut to avoid bending the lensboard with heavy lenses and shutters. Also the Linhof boards have three grinded contact areas so the mounted lens is exactly positioned.

But of corse this isn't important if some cardboard, wood or plastic is used for other camera parts.

[Frank Petronio]

Good point, not many other field cameras are as strong or secure as a Technika. A wooden camera is going to degrade and wear quicker so the lensboard is hardly the weakest link in the chain.

I like the aesthetic and ethical point of honoring the camera's manufacturer, especially at a time that small, craft-orientated film camera companies are struggling. I'm happy that the Chinese brands are "coming up" but Linhof has been a great company with wonderful products.

Of course I am full of crap because I buy everything used -- the new prices are out of sight -- but at least I help keep the demand and value up, and maybe a wealthy hobbyist will be inspired to drop $5 to 25K on a new Linhof outfit and keep the company afloat.

It's like Leica. When there are a million used bodies out there, their biggest competition is their previous success at building rugged, un-obsolescent cameras.

[HelenOster]

I mostly used Linhof boards on my Technikardan and Technikas. But I did use other boards occasionally......I can't say there was any difference in ease of use, fit, or anything else between them and the others except that the Adorama board had a cheap, flimsy feel to it.

Dear Brian

We appreciate your feedback; I've passed your posting on to the head of our purchasing department, so that he can look into any quality issues that he might not have been aware of.

If you ever have a query or concern regarding an order from Adorama Camera - or AdoramaPix - please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adorama.com

[Bob Salomon]

Back in 2006 I posted the following after the Linhof factory notified us regarding the new precision of their recently acquired CNC machinery for the tooling of the front standards and the lensboards. This precision was added to prevent twisting or shifting of the lensboard from one board to another on the camera. No 3rd party boards are milled and machined as precisely as the later Linhof Technika boards.

"While the TK accepts boards from the 4x5 IV and later not all of these boards will always fit current Linhof MT and TK cameras as the factory has greatly reduced the tolerances for the lens standards to eliminate movement of the boards once mounted on the camera. This can result in an older board not fully seating in the standard. To make those boards fit properly take a table knife and scrape the paint off the side edges of the board. Now it will fit. Note, just the sides. Not the top and bottom edges."

[GPS]

There is no lens board like a Linhof lens board. At least to my knowledge there is no other lens board that would have its dimension ground (polished) for its precision. As Peter mentioned, it's the case of Linhof lens boards. Whoever knows where grounding is used on technical parts understands what it means...