Greg, the Master Technika, Master Technika Classic, Master Technika 2000 and the Master Technika 3000 are identical in bellows draw, operating controls, body construction, bellows material except for the following:
1 the name of the Master Technika was changed to the Classic after the 2000 was introduced, save for the shape and placement of some knobs for the back movement and, during the original production of the Master there was a small, rectangular block with 2 small holes that would allow the use of a special cable release to be placed next to the focusing wheel on the right side of the bed. That cable release is no longer manufactured so on all later versions of the Master the block is still there but the holes are no longer there.
2 the difference between a 2000 and 3000 and the other Master Technikas is that the rangefinder and it’s mechanism in the body have been removed and, in their place, an extreme wide angle focusing rail has been placed inside the camera body.
3 the difference between the 2000 and 3000 are:
The 2000 has a small lever in front of the lens standard that moves left to right to move that track for extreme wide angle focusing. On the 3000 that function is done with a knob on the bottom right side of the camera housing.
The 2000 has the same drop bed drops as the Master Technika so it can be possible to have the edge of the drop bed caught with lenses wider then 75mm. The 3000 has an extra drop bed position that drops the bed 90° from the body to eliminate that possibility. Later versions of the 2000 can have that function added by the service center.
The 3000 also has bed stops on the inside extreme wide angle rails.
John Sexton has the 2000. If you know him you might ask him. I don’t believe he has seen or used the 3000.
Thanks Bob, your outline really simplifies things for me.
Greg
fotografie.ist ...
Greg, I share your admiration for Linhofs. I have a 5x7 Tech III. It's not much to look at (I stripped all the old, peeling leatherette off and haven't yet replaced it), but it's built like a tank and a pleasure to use. For my Last Camera, though, and based strictly on looks, I'd like to have an Ebony. Never used or held one, but they certainly are beautiful.
I'm in the fortunate position to own both a Linhof Master Technika 2000 and an Ebony SV45TE.
The Linhof has it for the engineering and precision, but the Ebony is a VERY flexible (in the right way) camera and is drop-dead gorgeous.
If the weather is questionable, then it's the Linhof I grab, but there's something very satisfying about using a wooden camera.
Mike
I agree, Mike. I have a Wista DX in rosewood that I like, but Ebonys really call to me. But like you say, you can't beat the engineering and precision of a Linhof.
Follow Up to when I started this thread expressing interest in acquiring a Technika:
So finally I was able to borrow a 4x5 Technika outfit to try out. I actually took out a temporary insurance policy on the Technika outfit for a short period of time. Cost little but was a pain to write up by my insurance company. Probably more because my insurance agent had retired last year, and the current agent was wary of the high replacement costs.
I must say the Technika is one lovely and precise (actually more precise than I had thought it would be) piece of equipment to use. Weight difference between the Technika and the Chamonix is 2 1/2 pounds (1,130 grams). The Technika was 1 inch thicker than my Chamonix when folded up and so the Technika wouldn't fit inside my sectioned backpack in which the Chamonix is already a tight fit. So ended up going to a couple of places that I have shot before "from the back of my car".
In the end decided not to go the Technika route. Justification for switching to a Technika just isn't there now for me... Find myself shooting a lot more whole plate, 8x10, and 11x14 and contact printing the negatives. Still shoot a bit of 4x5 on occasions, but seemingly less and less lately, and no more chromes.
But if I were to have started off with using a Technika in the late 1970s, all bets are that I would have still been using one now. The Technika that I borrowed and used was certainly a pleasure to use.
And thanks for all the posts and comments...
And thank you for letting us know how this turned out.
David
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