Thinking about Linhof Technikardan 45S

[yefimovich_ilia]

Hello, 4 day's ago I was shooting at the sea with my ROllei 6003 and distagon 50mm, and after 13 minutes

of 15 minute exposure the tripod fault into the sea, My camera and the lens- lets say: "total lost!!":(

 

For me today to buy a new rollei with this lens is about 4,000 dollar maybe more (second hand)

so I started thinking and I thought may be to buy 4X5 camera with 4x5 back and 6x6 back!? Linhof has a

6x6 back:):):) And every time that i was thinking of 4x5 i was looking at the Technikardan 4x5 of linhof , I

never used it It just look's great and I know that linhof is a great camera brand.

 

I know that in this way or another I will by 4x5 one day so why no to do it today??!! I will sell my Rollei

lenses and by a wide and tele for LInhof!? My question is which lenses to take,sothing good but not

something tooo expensive !? I need 50mm on 6x6 and 120mm on 6x6!?

 

I shoot in most portraits in studio,So tell me IS IT A GOOD CHOOSE?

[friedemann_pistorius]

1.

<br>Choosing a 4x5 camera is quite different from choosing a MF camera. A LF camera is usually selected by type (folding vs. monorail), i.e. by the desired application, by weight and size, by the focal lengths you're planning to use, by the time you want to spend selecting a scene and composing an image, metal vs. wood, size of the final (printed) image... just to mention a few things to consider.

 

<p>2.

<br>If you're seriously planning to step up to 4x5 as your main format, go with the Linhof or any 4x5 camera that fits your needs.

<br>If you're doing mainly 6x6, stick with a 6x6 camera.

[jim_norman2]

I completely agree with Friedemann. Shooting studio portraits is very different with LF than it is with MF. It sounds like most of your work has been MF. You might want to start with a Hasselblad, where you can get a 500 CM or 500 ELX plus a 60mm and 120 lens at a reasonable price. If you do go to 4x5, a monorail is much better in the studio, but the Linhof MasterTechnika is a joy in the field.

[yefimovich_ilia]

i shoot mostly in studio with my rollei(rip) and 120mm,50mm(rip),180mm lenses...

[michael_briggs2]

Using a roll film back on a 4x5 is useful if want to occasionally use rollfilm, but if you want to use medium format most of the time, I'd suggest buying another MF camera, as already suggested. LF is less automatic, bulkier and takes longer to setup. Some of this won't matter as much for your studio usage (e.g., bulk and weight).

 

My 4x5 camera is a Linhof Technikardan 45S. It is a precise and very versatile field camera. It combines many of the features of the studio camera and a field camera. It folds for transportation, but unfolds to a monorail configuration. But it is on the heavier than most field cameras and so wouldn't be the best for a photographer who does long hikes. But since you mostly shoot in the studio, this won't be a problem for you. But you might want to start with an inexpensive used studio monorail to see if you like LF photography. Unlike small and medium format photography, LF lenses aren't proprietary to the camera, so selecting your first camera doesn't lock you into that camera or even into that camera brand.

 

You ask about lenses based on your needs for 6x6, which is probably one reason that we are thinking that you are still more inclined to work in MF. The 120 mm plasmats (various Symmars, Sironars, Nikkor-Ws, etc.) just cover 4x5, so they will cover 6x6 with the ability to have generous movements. Recent lenses around 50 mm that cover 4x5 include the 47 and 58 mm Super-Angulon-XL and 55 mm Apo-Grandagon. If you don't need 4x5 coverage, maybe there are some less expensive options.

[yefimovich_ilia]

If i'll buy LF it's for using 4x5 most of the time:)

I had before a Cambo LF it was nice,but I want more series approach to LF.

I wan't a good lenses i want a camera for long time now. There is no where to run from the

big brother, i loved my camera, but because it's dead I thing of going higher ;)

I know that working with big format is a tuff job but because of my runnig I killed my rollei

because i'm always on the run. i need to settle down to thing and my be doing one shoot

instead of 12 or 36..

[eric_brody]

I agree that if you plan to use mostly roll film, you'll likely be better off with a MF camera. No disrespect to the Technikardan owner who commented, but many folks have had lots of problems with that camera, mostly around issues of folding the camera and damaging the bellows. Try 4x5 if you'd like but unless you're really certain you're gong to continue with it, invest in a cheap used monorail, easy to use in a studio. If you're going to spend any real money, spend it on glass. You're more likely to get your money back on glass if you decide against 4x5.

 

Have some fun.

 

Eric

[michael_briggs2]

The Technikardan folds differently from any other camera. If you don't have directions, you will likely have problems. If you follow the directions, you won't have any problem. I have used my camera for many photos over many years and the bellows are still in excellent shape. Here is a thread where I gave directions: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00FOhT. The key step is where the standards are rotated. They need to be rotated simultaneously so as not to stress the bellows. This is easily done by cupping your hands around both standards as a unit.

[friedemann_pistorius]

Ilia, apart from the camera brand, there is one more important difference between LF and MF: speed.

<br>As you probably know, composing an image on the ground glass of a LF camera can take quite a long time. Not a big problem with landscapes, still lifes or architecture, but since you're doing mainly portraits: are the people you photograph always patient (and motionless) enough? At one point you must leave the focusing cloth and attach a film holder, close the aperture and set the shutter speed. You don't have full visual control over the image (as you'd have with a MF camera) because you can't look at the ground glass in the moment you fire the shutter.

<br>Don't know your style of working, but I thought this would be something worth considering.