Linhof Technika inquiry

[ron_lawrence1]

I've been out of 4X5 photography for about 7 years now. I did own a Wista 45DX until 1992 and was very pleased with this camera. Recently I have been looking at used wood field cameras and I ran across a used Linhof Super Technika III, vintage 1954 (last version before the Technika IV). Not knowing anything about Technika's, I was quite impressed with the precision and quality built into this camera. I was so impresed that I have started to question why buy a wooden field camera when I can buy this Technika at a considerably lower price. Any persons out there that can give me good advice with regard to buying this used Linhof Technika or buying a used wood field camera such as a Wista 45DX, Zone VI, etc.

 

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One last thing, I have already learned that the Technika III lens boards are expensive and hard to find. I also have learned that parts for the Technika III are also hard to find. Are these good reson not to purchase the Technika III?

[michael_kadillak1]

There is an excellent section on the Linhof camera models at the

opening section of this web page.

 

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Should answer your questions and then some.

[david_grandy1]

No front tilts on a Tech III. Could be a concern.

[triblett_lungre_thurd]

no front tilt forward....drop the bed and rack up the rise or put the

camera on it's side and use the swing...

[robert_a._zeichner]

I have used a Horseman 45FA (still a current and expensive model) and

still own and like this type of camera a lot. The problem is I do

quite a bit of work in places like Death Valley where dust and dirt

can be a problem. Wooden cameras that run dry (no lubricants to

attract sand) are much easier to clean in the field than folding metal

technical cameras. If you plan to work in fairly clean places or are

willing to forego a shot here and there when it's too dusty, the

Linhof or other cameras like it would be fine. By the way, if you're

interested, I'll sell the 45FA with 5 lensboards, right angle viewer,

90mm f8 Super Angulon and a 150 f5.6 Sironar for $2200. I have the

original box and manual for the camera and it's in excellent to mint

condition. Best of Luck in your search

[tom_meyer6]

I've used a Linhof Tech III (actually 2) for about 12 years and the

only thing I occasionally yearn for is a more precise tilt up front.

As Trib notes, the drop bed combined with the front rise and then a

fine tune with the rear standard, suits for a lot of extreme movement

in a camera that doubles well as a battle axe. Consider using the

money you save for top notch glass and you'll never regret it. Get

yerself a 90mm 4.5 Grandagon (which the Tech III handles fine) and

forget the lesser movements (the rear element slides in like... well

like it was made for this camera). If you want to use shorter lenses

you might need to go to the Tech IV. These cameras have tons of

extension, I routinely use a 210mm. The section on Linhofs at this

site (as previously noted) is really the best you can do short of

takin' it out and moving it around...t

[bob_salomon3]

"If you want to use shorter lenses you might need to go to the Tech

IV. "

 

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Let's not confuse people.

 

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The Technika IV, V and Master Technika all have the same wide angle

capability.

 

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On these cameras you can use 72mm and longer lenses with no added

accessories (other than the proper lensboard).

 

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You can add the Linhof Wide Angle Focusing Device to these cameras and

then also use 55mm to 65mm lenses on the proper lens boards.

 

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On the Master Technika 2000 you can use lenses from 35mm up as this

version, in place of the rangefinder, has a built-in wide angle

focusing system in the camera body.

 

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So the proper answer is that all modern Technikas (1956 and later)

have the same wide angle capability. The difference is the amount of

movement in the later models as well as added strength in the bed for

heavy lenses as full extension.

 

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Also, a major difference between early cameras (the III and IV) and

later cameras with wide angle is the front rise. On the III and IV the

control is behind the lens standard which makes using it with short

lenses difficult. On the V and Master the control is in front of the

standard.

[triblett_lungre_thurd]

yes and few wide angle devices for the tech 111 come up for sale from

time to time ....you may not find one that matches the color of your

tech but who cares....about the lens boards...there really is no

problem finding these boards in fact nearly every large format

specialist has some old ones sitting around some may even have a cam

or two, and if you can't find a board you can always make one! someone

out there is making new black and badged boards for the tech 111 too,

but I don't want to step on Bob's toes so I'll refrain from directing

you elsewhere. Tech 111's are pretty common you'll come to find and

I don't think you'll have a problem with parts. I've even bought some

tech IV lenses pre-mounted to tech IV boards and used them on my 111,

but it won't work the other way around. p.s. Bob go ahead and send me

one of those new tech 2000's I'll pay you later! heheee

[bob_salomon3]

".about the lens boards...there really is no problem finding these

boards in fact nearly every large format specialist has some old ones

sitting around some may even have a cam or two, and if you can't find

a board you can always make one! someone out there is making new black

and badged boards for the tech 111 "

 

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Since the factory no longer makes parts or accessories for the III we

are not very concerned about someone making lens boards for a III.

BUT!

 

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The crest on a Linhof is a Trademark that has been registered for

decades. It is a Linhof designed crest that incorporates parts of the

Bavarian and Munich crests into a unique Trademark.

 

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I hope you don't mean to imply that someone is actually putting Linhof

crests or copies of the crest on non-Linhof items and then selling

them. That opens someone to litigation. After all. It is a Trademark.

 

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But I do know who we sold a lot of crests to so we will check and see

if they would actually violate a Trademark and sell a counterfeit as a

Linhof product.

 

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As to the lensboard the Wide Angle Focusing Device takes a Linhof 2x3

lensboard not a 45 one. These may not be quite as common.

 

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As to used cams. They simply don't work. No two III or IV cameras have

the same film plane location. Each is individually calibrated. Unlike

the V and Master who all have the same film plane location. Secondly

the lenses that you buy are marked with a focal length that is not the

actual focal length. The cams must be cut for the film plane location

and the actual focal length of a specific lens. For this reason all

cams that have been cut for a III or IV have the camera's serial

number on the bottom and the lens serial number on the top.

 

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These cams will focus correctly only when they are used on the

specific camera and lens whose numbers are engraved on the cam.

 

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Now some will try to compensate for the problem of mis-matched

cams/lenses/bodies by adjusting the infinity stops to get to find a

position where the cam tracks accurately for most of its' range.

However by moving the infinity stops the set screw in them is pointed

and leaves small indentations on the track that can't be removed.

 

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On the V and Master the film plane is zeroed so the cameras all focus

at the same point. Therefore the cams for a V and Master are

interchangeable between all V and Master Technikas and do focus

correctly as long as the lens that it was cut for is used.

 

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In short old cams for III and IV Technikas and cams for V and Master

technikas become no more than scrap metal once the items they have

been cut for are no longer available! They only work properly when

they are

[triblett_lungre_thurd]

well if you guys sell the badges then you can't very well be mad or

litigious towards those who do put them on boards.....I've personally

never found it

necessary to have a badged board and wonder why linhof affixes crests

that won't stay put. On the cams...firstly a IV cam

could never be mistaken to fit in a tech 111...but by chance you may

find another 111 style cam that comes close...not a good way but I'm

not prone to rangefinding with my tech, i use mine as an

idiot-proof field camera...even so I imagine a good

machinist could cut one using the IV cam as a pattern. On moving the

infinity stops...the tech 111 has none so there are no stops to

move...some tech 111 owners file notches into the rails as a stop so

filing more notches isn't suggested but you can place the standard

wherever you want and may find this works with mismatched cams through

a certain range as bob said. This is very nitpicky stuff when you

consider just how little you'll use the rangefinder and i've found

after trying a half dozen cams a cam that works for my 240 and the #'s

don't jibe...that's why if

you can and need to be able to rangefind buy an outfit and check to

see if the serial numbers match...good luck and don't obsess about

being able to rangefind this camera....especially if you owned a

wista...you may not care for the limited back moves but how much did

you use them on your old dx?

[bob_salomon3]

"well if you guys sell the badges then you can't very well be mad or

litigious towards those who do put them on boards."

 

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There is a very big difference between selling them to someone who

wants to REPLACE missing crests on Linhof made boards and someone who

wants to paste them on counterfeit boards. I hope you can see the

difference.

 

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As a service orientated distributor we would be more than happy to see

that owners can get their missing crest. Would you suggest that we

eliminate this service so an individual can not make counterfeit

boards?

[triblett_lungre_thurd]

I can see the difference but it is so slight that only an American

would consider legal action.. here let me identify clearly the

difference, 2 boards 2 crests(not on the board they've

fallen off again)...crinkle black paint on both except for a little

spot where the fallen crest was... and one has the word technika in

silver and one doesn't

 

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actually I wished you wouldn't

sell the crests as they are not

important and will only fall off again and for that matter stop

mounting them altogether... all my old silver boards now have an

unsightly blue glue blob on them .... besides people wouldn't make

counterfeit boards if linhof factory boards weren't so damned

expensive...furthermore the costs of litigation would exceed the

losses due to counterfeiting and your german parent company doesn't

work in that atrociously American way....how many counterfeits were

sold last year anyway ... why don't you guys sue horseman or MPP...do

you think that the counterfeiting of lensboards on 300 dollar 50

year-old techs is causing linhof gmbh to go bankrupt? or would even be

worth their while?

[bob_salomon3]

"I can see the difference but it is so slight that only an American

would consider legal action.. here let me identify clearly the

difference, 2 boards 2 crests(not on the board they've fallen off

again)...crinkle black paint on both except for a little spot where

the fallen crest was... and one has the word technika in silver and

one doesn't "

 

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No you don't see the difference.

 

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You putting a factory crest on a board you made is your business.

 

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A dealer or manufacturer putting factory crests on boards he makes and

then selling them is implying to an unsuspecting consumer that these

are factory boards. In fact that might make them more expensive.

 

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Anyone that knowingly violates copyrights or trademarks, especially

for commercial gain, is taking a stupid risk.

 

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As for your crests falling off you are using a 50 year (give or take 5

years) old system. Yes current crests can fall off, no this isn't an

endemic proble. Yes we replace crests so the owners can feel

comfortable. No a lost crest hasen't left a blue mark on boards made

in the last quarter century as it has been longer than that since the

factory used silver boards. But the III also took black boards so that

could correct the problem if the blue mark is a problem.

 

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BTW, old boards or non Linhof boards will not fit current 45 cameras

as the factory has drastically narrowed the tolerances in the front

standard and lensboard to eliminate the boards from shifting in the

standards. This fit is so tight that on old boards you usually have to

scrape off the paint layer on the long edges of the board for the

board to fit. That means the fit is tighter than the thickness of the

paint on the board. Of course this does not apply to cameras more than

about 5 years old!

 

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Also there is no Linhof Gmbh. The old name prior to the sale of the

factory last year was Linhof Prezisions-Kamera-Werke GMBH

The new name is Linhof Systems Technik

[triblett_lungre_thurd]

so sue me!

[triblett_lungre_thurd]

I just noticed that we've made a helluva argument FOR linhof Bob! In

the last few posts if you distill away the crazy talk (my apologies)

you may find the jist. The only complaint I have about a 45 year old

system is that a silly badge won't stay put! That's not bad....not

bad at all. I expect similar complaints about my future

linhof purchases....... in 50 years!

[ron_lawrence1]

Thanks to all for your candid comments on my inquiry about the

Technika III. I thoroughly enjoyed the dialog among persons who really

get excited about Linhof cameras. I have purchased a very late model

Technika III with three Linhof lens boards. I plan to enjoy this

camera until I can save my $ for a later model camera. Thanks again!

[bob_salomon3]

"So sue me"

"someone out there is making new black and badged boards for the tech

111 too,"

 

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So now you are inplying that the someone is actually you and not a

third party?

[triblett_lungre_thurd]

oh man that is cheap! no that is the implication you wish to draw! I

helped by not saying "subpeona me" but christ are you gonna get a

bonus if you corral a counterfeiter?

Do your sales records show large numbers of badges being shipped to me

Bob? or anyone else? probably not.... I would guesstimate that you

sold 15 badges last year....are 15 counterfeit boards worth(please

remember this is a guess Bob wipe the saliva now) involving the beasts

that are international lawyers?.... please leave the detecting to

someone else! damned salesmen...

[tom_meyer6]

Rats... I was hoping for a happy ending.

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Like trib, I love my "50 year old technology" III and will <i>not</i>

complain about fallen crests, I never had a "real" lens board (rich

little poor boy)! And I never range finder focus, I wouldn't feel

like a real photographer without the darkcloth and none of my lenses

are Linhof (don't sue me!)

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I think I'll put a decal of Alfred E. Newman on the lensboard with my

135 Sironar, it'll look good over the Leica lens cap that's on it...t

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p.s. Bob, lighten up, your takin' the shine off it.

[kevin_oke]

That was entertaining. You guys should check out the BMW decals on

the knobs of my Linhof Karden Bi. I better watch what I do.