Doubts about this Tech III

[Nadar]

Hi. This is my first post. Thanks to all for having this great source of information. I want to buy a Linhof Technika III but I have a several doubts. This gonna be mi first large format camera. It belongs to a person who don't speak either english or spanish (my lenguage), so I have problems with comunication. I'm gonna post pictures so you can see the estate of the camera wich is not to nice but is functional, he says.

1- The camera has the bellows and the back a little bit destroy. So I have to change the bellows and the ground glass. He says the back works properly. Ground glass and bellows are easy to change? I don't care if the back looks bad but is functional, but for the future: I can change the back too?

2- The seller says it is 9x12 cm not 4x5 inch. That means only the lens and the holders are diferent size? The techs III have all the same tipe of back for all models or has diferent sizes? I want to shoot on 4x5 film.

3- The serial number he gave me is 30665, but it seems like a Tech III version 4 which has knobs on the top of the camera. Can you confirm this?

4- This camera has no tilt. But, can I just mount it with the bed at right or left and use the swing as tilt?

5- Is dificult to find on the internet the real specs. I found the swing has 15 degrees in both ways. Asuming I use the swing as tilt. How do you deal with scheimpflug with 15 degrees? Any other information about scheimpflug apply to landscape with tech III is welcome
.
5- How about convert the front standard to have tilt? I heard that some where.

Thanks!



Pics:

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/731/21414884.jpg
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/2217/22173098.jpg
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/3659/23561785.jpg
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/9969/64175465.jpg

[Ole Tjugen]

That camera has the old type back for 9x12cm single-plate (or film) holders. It is very eary to change, but a "modern" back for current film holders may well cost more than that camera.

Add in the cost of a replacement bellows, and You would be better off looking for a fully useable camera in the first place.

[Steven Tribe]

Tech III is many things.
I have seen/handled the first model from 1946 and this was still only designed for 9x12. It had swing out GG and single plate/film holders which certainly couldn't be used for 4x5. I suspect "your" model is still a 9x12 type only, from the look of the holders. Bob S will come with a more precise answer!
It does look a little destroyed, Linhoffs deserve better than this!
I see Ole agrees with me!
Tech IIIs can be in excellent condition and 9x12 film is easily available. The one I mentioned from 1946 that I have had in my hands was as good as new. Careful owner = infinite life.

[Bob Salomon]

30665 is a Technika III from 1953. That is the third group of serial numbers in the Technika III series. In all the III had 5 different groups of numbers from int introduction in Oct. 1946 till it was discontinued in Oct. 1960.

[Nadar]

I found a back on ebay. This will fit the camera?


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290664152969#ht_500wt_1149

[Brian Ellis]

One reason I stopped selling internationally was the language problem in non-English-speaking countries (and Spanish-speaking in your case). Dealing with someone who doesn't speak your language can be very difficult. Not too bad if there are no problems but really bad if there's any kind of a problem that has to be discussed.

The likelihood of problems is fairly high with a camera this old. And the language differences will probably make it very hard to communicate about the problems if they do arise. Between that, the age of the camera, and some downsides to the Tech IIIs (e.g. no front forward tilt) especially before version V, plus this camera's known problems, I'd find a newer camera. Even a Tech IV would be better than this.

I've owned two Technikas but never a III. However, it was my understanding that the way to get front forward tilt on a Tech III was to mount the camera upside down on the tripod. I don't recall ever hearing about mounting it on its side and using swing but maybe that's possible, someone who's owned the camera could answer with more certainty than I can.

[Bill_1856]

Unless it is free, avoid it like the Plague.
It will cost you hundreds of $$$ to replace the bellows.

[IanG]

I found a back on ebay. This will fit the camera?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290664152969#ht_500wt_1149

I don't think this is what you need.

These older Linhofs are not ideal for someone starting with LF, getting the right parts for restoring older cameras needs time and patience, it took over a year to find a back for my Super Graphic. Having said that I'm toying with buying a pre-WWII Linhof but I have the advantage of being able to make relacement bellows if needed and already have Linhof fit 9x12 single plate/film holders as well as a Linhof fit 6x9 Rollex back, and have other German 9x12 cameras as well as film and a dev tank that's adjustable to that size..

Ian

[Ole Tjugen]

No.

That's not a back, in fact it's less than half a back. For someone who knows exactly what they need it might be of some value, but given the many different designs of the back mechanism used over the years I doubt anyone would buy this as a spare part.

Incidentally I have several backs like the one on the camera you asked about, for 9x12cm plate holders. They came in a box of parts I bought for some other parts I needed at the time.

[Bob Salomon]

Actually it is even less then that.
A Technika back for 45 consists of the revolving frame + the Ground Glass Frame + the Folding Focusing Hood + the ground glass. All of these together are catalog number 001618 and there official name is the Universal Back 45/9 x 12.

What is being sold on that site is part of the Ground Glass Frame, minus its arms, with the Folding Focusing hood. The listing does not list the ground glass so that is probably also missing.
This is a very, very old version of the Ground Glass Frame. When it was made the spring arms had a spring with a sinngle coil in it. Current arrms have a double coil in the spring and single and double coil springs and arms can not be mixed. In addition, they attach differently to the frame and would not fit this older style of back. So best stay away from it as not even the Folding Focusing Hood is useable on your camera.

[Nadar]

Thank you very much for your interest in respond my questions. The reason a thinking in a Tech III is beacuse I'm in low budget. But now I thinking maybe I can buy a monorail camera instead a folding. They are bigger but more cheep too. And being realistic is better for my economy. Now I'm looking at sinars F (+). For clear the subjets around this thread, that maybe can help other people, I have two more questions:

Bill_1856 say it will cost hundreds the bellows, but doing a search on ebay I found prices around 90 dollars like this one (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bellows-Linhof-Technika-III-3-Large-Format-Camera-/280816885078?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4161fd9d56#ht_2786wt_902)

I found several backs like this one (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Linhof-4x5-Inch-Ruckteil-komplett-Drehrahmen-Mattscheibenteil-/220961815454?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Analogkameras&hash=item337259bb9e#ht_5127wt_842) It seems like a tech IV back. This backs match the tech III too?

Thanks

[Cor]

Hi Nadar,

I happily used a Tech III for 10 years or so. The lack of front tilt can be overcome by dropping the bed, raising the front and tilting the front back to parallel. Then you'll have your modest front tilt.

I "upgraded" to a Linhof Color, basically a Tech IV on a monorail. The back was like your last Ebay link, without the hood. To my surprise the back of my old Tech III (1954) fits perfectly in my Color, (1963). The bellows of my TechIII are of leather, and still excellent. The bellows of my Color are synthetic, and during my last session in freezing conditions I literately teared it apart, I am now waiting on a Chinese replacement (from the same vendor you link above, had sme lens boards from the same vendour, they are nice, but shipping, as he mentions, is sloooow..)).

Having said that: the TechII looks like nothing but trouble, it's in very bad shape, mine almost looks as if it was made a couple of years ago.

gppd luck,

Cor