linhof technorama 612:pro's and con's??

I'd like to get a bit wiser from anyone who used this camera

especially with the 65/5.6 super angulon set-up, hwat the pro's are,

what the con's; why did you buy it for or why did you sell it?is it

really hand-houldable?what about the smaller apertures, are they

useable?is a center filter a must(I do mostly color-work)?is the

viewfinder nice(I carry glasses and therefore I like more a

rangefinder type camera, by the way do you think this camera would be

overlapping the work I do with my XPAN or let me rephrase where do

you position this camera?I love to do street work with 3 different

types of format:6x6 (pentacon six 4/50 or 2.8/180),xpan24x65,and

24x36(leicaR SA 21/4 or 4/180),I enjoy the mix of these formats very

much; could this linhof take a place in "my picture"?or would this be

to much of the same?thanks already for answering me..

Rik,

 

I used the camera 3-4 years ago with the 58mm lens. It's a meticulously crafted instrument in its own right, and the viewfinder with spirit level is perhaps the best in the industry. The problem with this camera, if you intend to use it for purposes other than typical landscapes, is the fixed 8mm lens rise--a lack of flexibility compared to the Horseman 612 (with variable lens rise, fall and lateral shift)and for that matter, small view and field cameras. The Linhof 612 requires a sizable investment, new or used, after which the photographer should be sure they are not left wanting alternate shift capabilities. As to the need for a center filter, well, it never hurt, and often helped! With regard to using it for street work, offhand I'd say the camera may be comparatively awkward and unwieldy to use quickly. Good luck in your decision.

I can't specifically comment on the Linhof, but as a manufacturer of 612, 617 and 6x24

cameras (Fotoman Camera Limited) I can comment on several aspects of your inquiry. 612

is very hand-holdable, and while not speedy street work is certainly possible. I have used

the 58XL and 65 Grandagon on 6x12 without a CF shooting transparency materials and

they work quite well. A liitle bit of light fall-off that can be easily fixed in PS using

TheImageFactory plug-in "Vignette". The benefit of 6x12 over your Xpan will only be

appreciated when viewed as large prints. Scanned at 3200dpi, the 6x12 will produce a

24x48 inch print (without rezzing up) that will be utterly sharp, even viewed at a few

inches away... I think that's well beyond the Xpan's capability. In my gallery are a few 6X

photo's, all of which were taken hand held (http://www.photo.net/photodb/member-

photos?user_id=790439). Lastly a little plug... our 6x12 camera is vastly cheaper than the

Linhof, and you can use anybody's LF lenses (also much cheaper). Take a look at

www.fotomancamera.com

I have the 612 PC II, with the 65mm and 135mm lens. Can it be hand held? Yes. Would I ever do it? No. The idea of using all that film is to get a really sharp photograph. That means a tripod. Use your Xpan for street work. The negatives this camera produces are wonderful. I strongly diagree about the viewfinder. Mine developed haze and a touch of fungus while the lenses are pristine Jim from Midwest said that it was a commen problem with the Linhof. H P Marketing says no such thing. Nope, never happen. I dropped my finder off at Marflex for repair. Next thing I know it's in Germany. I did get it back in three months in quite nice condition.

 

If you like the format the camera is very well made. The finder...

When the sale is made the service is over. I have a 50 year old finder from a graphic. It's perfect. I would expect no less from a $1,200. dollar finder.

 

Oh, and the 65mm lens is no longer made, nor is the finder.

I used a Linhof 6x12 and was happy with the handheld results. But I was shooting buildings and landscapes, not in the street. It would be a real handful to try to shoot rapidly.

 

IMHO it is too expensive for its limited use unless you have a guaranteed income flow from it. The Fotoman sounds like both a more practical and a more reasonably priced alternative (I have not used one).

thanks for all your answers and experience, I have a lot to think about...

I work with 6x12 cameras for street shooting. First I used a Cambo Wide 4x5/

Schneider 58 SA combo with a 6x12 back. As viewfinder, I used the Cosina

Voigtlander 15mm angle finder and that went quite well. Some examples can

be seen on http://www.italian-portfolio.net/thumbnails612.html

 

Now I use a Fotoman 612 - actually a Linhof clone - with a 65mm Grandagon

but I'm surprised to see it takes a bit more time to get used to than I

anticipated. I took it with me on my summer holidays in Italy and I was

confident that I could guesstimate the dof at various apertures well enough to

make up for the absence of a dof scale on the camera. I was sorry to see that

only the pictures taken at very small apertures (say, 32 onwards) were sharp

front to back. It is also possible that, despite repeated efforts (and running a

couple of test rolls) that I have not been successful at mounting and

calibrating the Rodenstock lens 100% accurately. That needs to be checked

out.

 

The advantage of the Fotoman over the Cambo is obviously weight and size.

It is a very well made camera. Its weak point is the viewfinder. It don't think I

will get used to its partially blurry view. Depending upon where you put your

eye, some parts of the field of view are hazy.

 

Personally I think 612 is very well suited to streetwork. I have never used a

tripod when working with these cameras. The negatives are sharp however. I

have printed them on 2 by 1 meter canvases without any problem. The 6x12

format is to my mind very complementary with the square 6x6. In a single

project or assignment I would hesitate to mix it with 24x65 and 24x36,

however. When I switched to 6x12, I sold my xpan. I have used quite a few

different cameras, but the xpan is probably the only one I slightly regret

selling. I can live without it, but it is a very nice tool, particularly when you can

afford the 30mm lens.

thanks philippe(are you belgian and flemish?I live in borgloon-ways back in limburg),for your very useful comment, I like the pictures of italy very much,very nice!!what filmtype did you use in italy?do you use a center filter?

I suggest to have a look at the Horseman as well; it's more versatile. Excellent viewfinder and very nice design. However, in your particular case (for street work), the Linhof may be optimum since you won't need the extensive shift of the Horseman, and the Linhof is more userfriendly than the Fotoman appears to be.

Here a GX-617 user from Holland. I can answer your question about what a center filter does, and you might make you own descision, wether you really need it, or can live without it.

 

A year ago i experimented with Sinar f, Schneider kreuznach 65mm 5.6 and a sinar 6x12 back (actually a zoom casette that can change from 4,5x6 6x6 6x7 6x9 and 6x12 in mid rol! when shooting 6x12 i noticed that there was quite a hefty amount of vignetting. Only on slide film. like provia 100F and velvia50. when using b/w negative film, still there was darker edges and bright center. The nice pictures from the poster who tried his fotoman in Italy cleary demonstrated this. Even at tight apertures.

 

Now the problem lies nog in the aperture, as some folks think. i can turn to f/45 on my 617 and i would have exactly as much dark corners, as i would when using 5.6 on the 90mm EBC fujinon.

 

Now, what causes the brighter center and darker edges? imagine you have a 300mm tele lens, wich projects a circular image on a piece of paper. almost no vignetting; a clear edge in bright projection, nothing special. now when movind the lens from 300mm tele closer to the paper, all the way until you are only 90mm from the paper, imagine that the center of the lens-paper is much, much shorter distande at 90degrees light hitting the surface of paper, and the edges of the lens-paper distance are much longer, something like 40 degrees light hitting surface of paper!

 

in the evenings it's darker, because the sun hits the surface of the earth at an angle. thus, a center filter for correcting this problem, which by the way is only significant for lenses that are 100mm and less.

 

advice: if you are using slides, there is no way you are going to be satisfied on a 65mm withour a center filter. otherwise, first try without.

 

a happy GX-617 shooter (much more convenient than linhofs WWII-style heavy german design :O)

 

Sam A. Eftegarie

http://www.eftegarie.nl

thanks to all of you for your usefull comments; i can tell you i got myself a second hand linhof 612 SA65/5.6; i plan to do street work with it, i'm looking forward to try it, since i haven't a center filter (yet), the first pictures will be taken without...hope i can try it on my trip to the castles of the loire aug 21th...thanks again!!!