Info on Linhof wide angle adapter?

[Ed Richards]

I have a technika IV and want to use a really wide lens - 65 or 55. I am curious if anyone has experience with the wide focus adapter Linhof made, probably designed by Rube Goldberg. Does it allow any movements - realizing that there are not much in the way of movements on a 55? Does it use a regular Technika lensboard? Is it such as kludge that it would be better to just get a second camera? Would it turn my Technika into a very heavy Fotoman?

[Frank Petronio]

Well I haven't used one, since nobody else has responded I'll try. I don't think it is Rube Goldbergish at all, you must never have checked out the Leica Visoflex or some of the Hasselblad macro items

It uses smaller lensboards from the Baby Technika series and the entire contraption fits into the standard 4x5 Technika lenboard mount. No front movements allowed other than slight ones in which you must extend the front standard, guess how much to move, then slide the front back into the body cavity to see if it will fit -- although you don't need much in the way of movements. You can use the back movements of course. The big advantage over the P&S cameras is real ground glass focusing and solid Linhof engineering.

If you tell us which lens you plan to use perhaps someone can comment about the flange distance and how it relates to fitting on the track. It would be unfortunate to have a lens that falls right on the "joint" of the rails...

But you really should give me your Tech IV and get the new Tech 3000 to do it right.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I have it and use it with the 55/4.5 Apo-Grandagon and 65/8 Super-Angulon on my Tech V.

The later version uses Tech 23 lensboards. I've seen an earlier version for the III that doesn't use a separate lensboard, and I think there is something like this that was made for the IV as well, which is fine if you're only planning on having one ultrawide lens, but otherwise, look for the later version with interchangeable lensboards.

Front movements are awkward with the wideangle attachment, but you can get a little front rise (mount the camera upside down for fall), and depending on the lens, you can use rear swing and tilt. Front rise may be a bit more awkward on the IV, because you don't have the ratcheting rise/fall lever that the V and MT have, which is a bit easier to reach when the standard is pushed back into the camera body.

[Ed Richards]

Frank,

> you must never have checked out the Leica Visoflex

Actually had one in the old days.

David,

Thanks! With a 90 or shorter, all you can do on the IV for rise is grab the lens and shove it up. The little knob is butt up against the strut and useless. (Now I remember why I was thinking of a different camera for my wide lens work.) It also makes movements almost impossible.

[Frank Petronio]

Don't forget some of the Chinese gizmos on eBay, like a helical mount on a Technika board (which is also something Linhof makes for much more $).

[David A. Goldfarb]

Has anyone tried one of those Chinese gizmos? I've been thinking of getting one for a 45mm/47mm lens, which is too short for the wideangle device.

[Ed Richards]

Wonder if you could mount a Fotoman helical focus device on a Technika board and get the best of both worlds - a big heavy PS with zone focusing.:-)

[David A. Goldfarb]

Wonder if you could mount a Fotoman helical focus device on a Technika board and get the best of both worlds - a big heavy PS with zone focusing.:-)

This would be about the same as the Chinese gizmo (perhaps exactly the same), which is a helical mounted on a Technika board.

[Ed Richards]

Except that it has a focusing scale and I can buy it from Badger, rather than dealing with a PO Box in Shanghai.:-) Of course, by the time you buy the viewfinder, you are at 2/3 of the cost of a Fotoman. I am just trying to figure out if the small amount of movement available with the technika is worth something over the 0 movement with the Fotoman.