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Former Member 8144
4-Feb-2010, 13:09
Hi everyone,

In the past I've shot with ebony sw45's, early mpp, tachihara's, sinar monorails, shen hao folders and a few others in between.

After a short while away I'm moving back to lf from my medium format and in looking for a camera I've come across a few options that I have not used before.

Within the budget I have for the camera, I have now sorted most of my lenses, I have the a Wista N, a Linhof technika III (last version with international back and I'm not bothered about rangefinder, handle, etc), a late model MPP mkVIII (and a chamonix 45N-1 from hugo.) I could add say a toyo 45 to the list but have not found one yet within the budget.
They do of course range in price slightly but all are within my camera budget (the cham only just once import duties and shipping are included).

The camera is for location work so weight is an issue but not overiding one above other things.

I'm looking at clamshell types over non folders due to strength, etc and looking at metal cameras over wooden ones for the same reason as well as stability.

To be honest, whilst I loved my experience shooting with the ebony, the tachihara and other wooden folders left me cold as I found them a bit rough and flimsy!

First and formost I use shift and rise with swing and tile on the odd occasion when shifts / rises wont do it.
Lenses used are from 90 to 210mm.
Shots are not architectural but within the landscapes shot some structures require some movement but not masses.

So from users experience how do the wista N and linhoff III mentioned above fare?
I know the MPP from experience and the chamonix is well documented already.

I'm not looking for advice on what to get, just user experience really in terms of movements, strength, reliability, etc.

Thanks,

Marc

CarstenW
10-Feb-2010, 15:23
Hello Marc,

I have no first-hand information for you, but I am also considering a Technika, as well as a Chamonix. Here are some useful pages to read about re. the Technika models. It appears that stretching to a IV would be better than getting a III:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/linhof/technika.html

http://cameraquest.com/techs.htm

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/linhof/tech-manual.html

You may have seen my thread on this topic on getdpi's LF forum as well. In summary, the Technika has a pretty impressive set of movements, but no back rise/fall/shift, so if you want that, you have to get creative with indirect movements. Also, tilting or swinging the back means refocusing, and is a straight push-pull affair, so you would probably not want to use it for focusing, just for perspective correction and such. The Technika is a bit limited with wide angle lenses, but the 90mm should be okay. You might have to twist and contort a bit to get the angle you want.

http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14160

Bob Salomon
10-Feb-2010, 15:36
"no back rise/fall/shift"

On a IV and later there certainly is some rise/shift/fall/ tilt/swing on the back, once you release the two locks on the sides of the camera and pull the back out on its' rods. Not much though.

Former Member 8144
10-Feb-2010, 15:45
Hi carsten,
yes the IVs certainly seem a better bet. I've actually ended up picking up a lovely toyo 45aii as I came across one here in the UK at an ok price. My real camera of choice is in fact a horseman 45fa as it does most of what the toyo, and technikas do, but in a lighter package.
So for now I'm using the toyo whilst still looking for the horseman. That said I certainly would not turn down the chance to use a late technika! One thing I have noticed is how much more confident in terms of srength and precision I am in the metal folder over the various wooden ones I have used, but that is of course a purely personal thing!
Marc

CarstenW
11-Feb-2010, 11:14
"no back rise/fall/shift"

On a IV and later there certainly is some rise/shift/fall/ tilt/swing on the back

Yes, there is tilt and swing, but how do you get rise, shift or fall?

Tony Lakin
11-Feb-2010, 12:38
"no back rise/fall/shift"

On a IV and later there certainly is some rise/shift/fall/ tilt/swing on the back, once you release the two locks on the sides of the camera and pull the back out on its' rods. Not much though.

The last version of the Tech III (mark 5) has the pull out rods allowing rear tilts and swings, I have had mine for over 40 years, I tried a Tech IV a few months ago and couldn't get on with it, the rising front in conjunction with a wide angle lens was a nightmare to operate compared with the Tech III.

Jfnphotography
11-Feb-2010, 13:24
I used a Linhof technika III for over 3 years as my main field 4x5 camera. It’s built like a tank; you can drive over it with your car and worry more about hurting your car tire than camera. The only thing I didn’t like about the camera was lack of movement and using a 90mm lens was almost impossible. I just purchased a chamonix 45N-1 it has a lot more movement front and rear than the Linhof, works great with my 90mm lens and is half the weight. My linhof was faster to set up and break down, especially with the small Linhof lens that will fold up inside the camera. The ground glass is another thing to think about, the 45n-1 is a lot brighter then the Linhoff, I have a lens that is f8 wide open and is real hard to check focus with the Linhof. The lens boards are also a smaller size than the standard linhof style boards. The Linhof is still a nice camera for photographs that you don't need a lot of movement.

Bob Salomon
11-Feb-2010, 14:25
The last version of the Tech III (mark 5) has the pull out rods allowing rear tilts and swings, I have had mine for over 40 years, I tried a Tech IV a few months ago and couldn't get on with it, the rising front in conjunction with a wide angle lens was a nightmare to operate compared with the Tech III.

But on a V and Master front rise is with a crank in front of the front standard rather then with the knob behind the front standard.

Bob Salomon
11-Feb-2010, 14:32
I used a Linhof technika III for over 3 years as my main field 4x5 camera. It’s built like a tank; you can drive over it with your car and worry more about hurting your car tire than camera. The only thing I didn’t like about the camera was lack of movement and using a 90mm lens was almost impossible. I just purchased a chamonix 45N-1 it has a lot more movement front and rear than the Linhof, works great with my 90mm lens and is half the weight. My linhof was faster to set up and break down, especially with the small Linhof lens that will fold up inside the camera. The ground glass is another thing to think about, the 45n-1 is a lot brighter then the Linhoff, I have a lens that is f8 wide open and is real hard to check focus with the Linhof. The lens boards are also a smaller size than the standard linhof style boards. The Linhof is still a nice camera for photographs that you don't need a lot of movement.

Why not compare the handling of a 1946 to 56 automobile to one made last year?

The current operation of a modern Technika is very different then a 50+ year old Technika. So is the brightness of a current Linhof gg and Fresnel screens vs the ones from 50+ years ago. In fact a Linhof gg and Fresnel made since 1956 won't even fit a III.

Peter K
11-Feb-2010, 16:53
The only thing I didn’t like about the camera was lack of movement and using a 90mm lens was almost impossible. I just purchased a chamonix 45N-1 it has a lot more movement front and rear than the Linhof, works great with my 90mm lens and is half the weight. My linhof was faster to set up and break down, especially with the small Linhof lens that will fold up inside the camera. The ground glass is another thing to think about, the 45n-1 is a lot brighter then the Linhoff, I have a lens that is f8 wide open and is real hard to check focus with the Linhof. The lens boards are also a smaller size than the standard linhof style boards. The Linhof is still a nice camera for photographs that you don't need a lot of movement.
No problems with a T III, late model, and a SA 90mm. The smaller ones are mounted on T III 2x3" boards so I can use it with the WA focussing gear. Of course for working with short focal-lengths I would prefer a Master Technika or a Techno.

The ground-glass is bright also with short focal-lengths if the Ektalite- (fresnell-) lens is (quick-)mounted behind the gg, also without focal-shift. ;)

A big focussing-cloth helps also.

Peter