Show off your Large Format camera!

[neil poulsen]

Ever since I purchased my Classic F 4x5 in about 1996 for $450, I’ve had a love affair with Arca Swiss equipment.

But with thanks to Kumar, a new love has entered my life. It’s my Japanese style, Linhof Technikarden. Of course, I’ve always been aware of Technikardan cameras. But the collapsing rail of a Technikardan 45 or a 45S has always appeared to me as more of a negative than a positive. So, I’ve never been particularly interested.

But, the Japanese version of a Technikardan replaces the collapsing rail with a very solid, sturdy, single expanding rail. I was indeed interested, and the camera still being available, I purchased it on the spot.

It’s truly an elegant camera. The first photo shows the camera with it’s bag bellows. I’m death on flare, so I also purchased a wide-angle compendium bellows hood from a seller in the UK. (Photo 2.) As Kumar had warned in the listing, the double-pleated bellows supplied with the camera was full of pinholes. So, off they went to Custom Bellows in the UK for replacement. (Photos 3, 4 & 5.) Photo 6 shows the camera at it’s full, 19 inch expanded length. That’s plenty for me, since both my 360mm and 500mm lenses are Nikon telephotos. What’s neat is how easily the two sets of bellows can be removed and switched.

The camera offers full front and back movements. Front rise extends from 20mm fall to 50mm rise. Front axis tilt and swing are limited only by the bellows. Front shift extends from 25mm left to 40mm right. Rear axis tile and swing are bellows limited. The rear standard has 50mm rise (no fall), and shift extends to 50mm in either the left or right directions.

While the expanding, solid rail has an adjustable tripod hole for a plate, I really like the fact that the rail itself attaches directly to my Arca head without any kind of quick release plate. To stow the camera, I make minimal adjustments to slant the bellows, and it then goes directly from the tripod head into my backpack. (Photo 6.) This can be accomplished without any negative impact to either the pleated or the bag bellows.

[Kino]

Very hansom camera!

[Daniel Unkefer]

18x24 8x10 Norma 360 Symmar Norma Auto Iris by Nokton48, on Flickr

Sinar 18x24cm 8x10" Norma 300mm f5.6 chrome Schneider Symmar Sinar Norma Automatic Iris mount. 8x10" Norma Bag Bellows and Norma Monocular in the back. Sweet to look through. Norma Pan Tilt Head and Manfrotto tripod. A good Traveling Norma I used to use in the field. This is a super speedy camera to operate, no need to go back and forth when operating, all controls are fully seen and set from behind the camera. I've had to shoot fast and this does the job best IMO. This is a later version Norma as it does not have not have locking levers front or back. I guess they figured the camera was tight and smooth enough that it doesn't need locking levers. This one is as smooth operating as possible. This one has some venerable scars.

[John Layton]

Neil that Linhof TK "variant" looks great! (I'd owned the "standard" version for awhile a few years back).

...but the rear centerline (visible in final photo) I'm finding a bit confusing. Looks like rotation might be truly axial, but several things just don't seem to line up. Hmmm...

[neil poulsen]

Thanks. What really makes this camera for me is the very sturdy, extendable rail and the advantages that it offers. This camera's probably a little heavier than the original 45 or 45s; but, my backpack is attached to a cart that I pull along behind me. So, no real perceptible difference to me.

Plus, all the adjustments are so smooth and elegant. Very nice.

I had never seen this camera anywhere until Kumar's listing.

John, I see what you mean. I think it's a little bit of an optical illusion. For example, I wasn't pointing my 35mm digital straight at the back; the back was a little rotated. That, plus the fact that, even with the rear standard all the way back on the rail, there's still about a 2" distance between the round center-post that supports the rear standard and the back of the rail.

But in fact, both swing and tilt front and back are exactly axial.

Very hansom camera!

Neil that Linhof TK "variant" looks great! (I'd owned the "standard" version for awhile a few years back).

...but the rear centerline (visible in final photo) I'm finding a bit confusing. Looks like rotation might be truly axial, but several things just don't seem to line up. Hmmm...

[igzabeher]

New-ish to me Pacemaker. The 127 is borrowed, the 178 is mine.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

My new to me Phillips Explorer. I picked this camera up from a dear friend of mine who sadly can no longer use it due to the effects of agent orange when he was in the war in Vietnam. The money I paid him will help him. I was so glad that I could come up with the money to do this and keep his memory alive by using his camera. I'll be taking his camera to Yosemite this coming Sunday and using it during our Carbon Transfer Workshop.

[Drew Wiley]

Well, have a nice time, Jim. I'll be slightly lower down in the canyons and back roads of the hill country instead.