I guess its just as much hassle to fold the kardan as it is to fold the DLC - but - is it more stable then a DLC?
I guess its just as much hassle to fold the kardan as it is to fold the DLC - but - is it more stable then a DLC?
Having a larger bellows makes it easier to keep from intruding into the image area.Originally Posted by Ed Bray
If the OP doesn't mind an older camera, a Burke and James Commercial View is quite solid, and offers as much movement as your conscience thinks the bellows can handle, front and rear.
"I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."
As long as you have sufficient front and rear swing you can get a ton of shift by employing what shift you have and the swings. IMHE the Canhams are not the most rigid of cameras though they are certainly fine cameras. The most rigid folder I have ever used or owned is a Phillips in whatever way you want to employ the movements.
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
Beat me to it.
+2 - The Technikardan 45S folds compact, is rigid and lightweight. The movements are fantastic - except shift and rise/fall everything comes with zero detents.
I prefer the folding of my MT 3000 (it can be set up extremely fast due to the infinity stops and the rock-solid mechanism), but the TK is also very fast. I always remove the bellows.
For architecture, the direct movements are extremely convenient. For landscape work, I prefer my MT. It feels even more solid.
I would like to add that folding a TK isn't a hassle. It's done in less than 10 seconds if the bellows are removed (costs another 5 seconds), including setting all movements to zero.
I'd also recommend the Technikardan. Just because a few online reviewers couldn't fold it properly doesn't mean it's hard to fold. It actually folds and unfolds very fast, even with the bellows. I usually remove the bellows, but mostly because my usage of the regular and bag bellows is split about 50/50 so I never know what I'll use next.
The TK isn't as rock-solid as a Technika, but from my experience it's more rigid than the Canham. And it's much more precise. It is worth the price premium to go for the newer "S" version, which has beefier standards and center detents on swings and tilts, which makes setup even faster. I think it's much easier to set up than the Canham. To be fair, I've only played with the DLC briefly, but I owned an 8x10 JMC for a few years and the design is similar.
The TK isn't as fast to unfold as the Technika, but the TK is faster to use once it's set up due to the easy, direct movements.
The other logical option would be an Arca-Swiss. A while back I planned to trade my TK45S and MT2000 for an Arca F-Metric. I wanted to downsize to one camera that could do it all. But the F-Metric came new from the factory with a few serious problems. Those could have been fixed, but I also found that it's not as solid or fast as the Technika and not as small as either the Technika or the Technikardan. So I sent it back. They're great cameras though, I just prefer the Linhofs.
The Linhofs are great cameras and the TK45S in particular is available used for a very reasonable price. I'm not sure from your post if you still have the Technika V, but if so, The Technika and the TK make a great set because they complement each other very well.
Like Jan, I use my TK45S for architectural work as well as studio work and some portraits since the movements are faster, mostly because I can get direct lens fall. I use the Technika for traveling light, landscapes, long-exposure night work, etc.
Noah exactly describes how I feel about the combination of a MT and a TK. It is true that the direct movements (fall is great!) allow an extremely fast and reliable setup of the TK. I do prefer the MT anyhow because of its ultimate rigidity and the feel of its movements. It is somehow more fun to work with the MT, but the TK is in general the faster (and perhaps better) allround camera.
I bought mine used (definitely not in mint condition), and it needs some service now. There is some slight left/right play on the focus track, and the standards are not 100% parallel. Anyway, that's the great thing about Linhof: Really everything can be re-adjusted. I should also mention that the spirit levels on the TK are very helpful and very precise.
... and it can be just as fast as using shift. I've made a mark on my front standard where it is parallel to the back when the back is at maximum swing. When I have a subject that I see will need a lot of shift, I simply set up the camera with the back at max swing and the front swing positioned at the parallel mark (takes no more time than setting up the camera in zero position). Then I can use the shift to fine-tune the framing; sometimes I even have to shift the opposite direction a bit
Best,
Doremus
To fold a Linhof Kardan you just unclip the bellows from either the front or rear standard (not both), release the fraont nd rear swing controls and swing the standards so they are parallel to the monorail. Nothing is faster and they are very stable cameras.
To fold a TechniKardan you slide the rails together, set all movements on the front and rear standardws to 0, unlock all the red levers (4), lock all green locks (4) and rotate the focusing knob in the direction of the arrow on the focusing scale. Takes about 10 seconds, or less to do this. To unfold the camera make sure that all 4 green locks are unlocked and rotate the focusing knob opposite the arrow on the focusing scale. This is even faster then closing the camera.
Movements:
Front
360° of swing and tilt on the optical axis limited only by the bellows
shift (total) 2.35"
rise (total) 2.75"
Rear
360° of swing and tilt on the optical axis limited only by the bellows
shift (total) 2.35"
rise (total) 2.75"
Maximum extension 20"
Shortest lens 35mm Apo Grandagon on 001035 lens board
Size 10 x 8 x 4"
Weight 6.5 lbs
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