Thoughts About Linhof 4x5 Technikardan 45s ?

[Bob Salomon]

One option to avoid bellows damage is to actually remove the bellows before packing it away.

It's only 4 small locking levers, 2 each on the top of the front and rear standards.

Mike

Not necessary and time consuming if you know how to open and close the camera. After all, the bellows is already installed on the camera when you buy it.

[Arne Croell]

Arne, off the top of your head do you recall what the maximum extension is for the WA bellows? Neither the instruction manual nor the promotional brochure for the Technikardans has that specification.

From memory, the 150mm stretches it out, even though it is still physically possible at infinity. 120mm is no problem, and I assume
135mm would work, unless you wanT to do closeups. But I’d have to check to be sure.

[Oren Grad]

Thanks, Arne. Sounds like a user who does general scenic work exclusively with lenses in the wide to semi-wide range could get by with just the WA bellows. Good to know!

[Pere Casals]

The S version? The front. And rear standards are different and stiffer then the original TK.

Bob, yes, the S.

I'm not speaking about the standards, but about the telescoping rails.

Understand me, these are the perfection in telescoping rails, sporting top convenience, but you may agree that at top 500mm extension the telecoping rails are not as stiff as (say) a SINAR tube, no problem because there are not many 4x5" shots at 500mm and still those telescoping rails are pretty useable at top extension.

For studio the accessory bar delivers a totally stiff rail, for the field that would be less convenient, I guess.

Let me reiterate that it's the most refined camera I ever had in my hands. I'll never replace my Norma because it's exactly what I love, but let me say that the TK S impressed me.

[mpirie]

Not necessary and time consuming if you know how to open and close the camera. After all, the bellows is already installed on the camera when you buy it.

Arne's point was to be careful with the camera folded since the bellows corners are exposed to damage from placing and removing from the backpack.

Removing the bellows removes this risk.

BTW, i was under the impression that only the red levers were unlocked for storage and locked when in use? The greens can be left locked (assuming they're centred)?

Mike

[Bob Salomon]

Arne's point was to be careful with the camera folded since the bellows corners are exposed to damage from placing and removing from the backpack.

Removing the bellows removes this risk.

BTW, i was under the impression that only the red levers were unlocked for storage and locked when in use? The greens can be left locked (assuming they're centred)?

Mike

That is why we used the wrap. In fact, when the TK was originally introduced, we showed it to Ken Hansen and they mentioned the same thing. We went to Jim Domke to make a larger Lens Wrap that could be sold as the Linhof Large Lens Wrap. That solved any chance of the corners chafing.

After a few years Jim asked us if we would have any objection to his adding it to his product line. We didn’t and he did.

When Novoflex introduced their neoprene, stretchable wrap we switched to their large size as it added even more protection.

Red levers lock the shift, swing and focus locks. Red lock rise and tilt. To open or close the camera all movements are set to 0 and all red locks are locked and all green ones are unlocked.

[mpirie]

Red levers lock the shift, swing and focus locks. Red lock rise and tilt. To open or close the camera all movements are set to 0 and all red locks are locked and all green ones are unlocked.

I must have a variant then, because my red levers lock/unlock shift, focus and swing.

Green levers lock/unlock rise and tilt.

Anyway OP, you can't go wrong with a TK45

Mike

[Bob Salomon]

I must have a variant then, because my red levers lock/unlock shift, focus and swing.

Green levers lock/unlock rise and tilt.

Anyway OP, you can't go wrong with a TK45

Mike

Not a variant, I mixed them up. I usually do without a TK in front of me!

[Arne Croell]

Thanks, Arne. Sounds like a user who does general scenic work exclusively with lenses in the wide to semi-wide range could get by with just the WA bellows. Good to know!

Oren, fully stretched out as shown the distance between the film plane and the front of the front standard is about 195mm, about 205 mm to the center of the shutter. Not that one should do that, since the bellows no longer acts as much of a stray light baffle. 150mm at infinity is actually just fine.

[Oren Grad]

Oren, fully stretched out as shown the distance between the film plane and the front of the front standard is about 195mm, about 205 mm to the center of the shutter. Not that one should do that, since the bellows no longer acts as much of a stray light baffle. 150mm at infinity is actually just fine.

Sounds like it was tailor-made for me, then! Something to think about... Thanks for going to the trouble to check this, very helpful!