david4

A 300 mm lens will provide a nice head and shoulder portrait but lack the depth of field of either a 240 or 210 mm lens. Since neither portrait work nor landscape work requires much lens movement apart from tilting, many photographers prefer a compact, light weight lens in these lenses, to a bulkier lens with greater coverage. The Schneider 210 G-Claron is relatively compact, lightweight, uses a Copal 1 shutter, can be used with a 49 mm filter, and is ideal for 1:1 closeups, and is widely used for landscapes at infinity focus. The Rodenstock Apo-Ronar 210 mm is virtually identical. Some people claim that the Nikkor 200 mm M-lens is contrastier and preferable for black and white, but cooler than the Schneider and Rodenstock. Others say that there is no difference in lens characteristics among these brands. These small size lenses are limited to f9 apertures and are not as bright as the bulkier f5.6 lenses. I have been able to focus a f9 lens in the shade where EVs were in the 7 and 8s, but I have found that f5.6 lenses make it much easier to see the image clearly. I once owned a f5.6 Rodentstock N 210mm lens that uses a 67 mm filter, but replaced it with a Schneider 210 mm G-Claron, because I wanted a lighter lens that could do a better job with close-ups and uses a filter that matched the filter ring size used for my Rodenstock Sironar S 135 mm. Some people claim that you should buy all of your lenses from only one manufacturer, to ensure color consistency, but I have mixed them and never seen any disadvantages in so doing.

View Camera magazine publshed an equipment review of the MT 2000 in its May/June 1996 issue, pp. 58-61. I do not know whether it ever published a review of the TK45S.

Steve: I goofed. It was not Sinar who recommended the 150 mm as the first lens to buy for a 4 x 5 camera. I do not recall where I read that recommendation.

Steve: The higher priced MT 2000 comes with an APO f5.6/150 mm cammed lens. Sinar's book on large format landscape photography favors the 150 mm as the first lens to buy. Steve Simmon's book on large format cameras reveals the author's preference for the 210 mm as the first lens to be purchased, followed by the 120 mm and 300 mm.

The Master Technika 2000 costs about $2300 more than the TK45S. Some prominent landscape photographers prefer the Master Technika: Jack Dykinga, John Fielder, and JohnSexton. Some of Master technika's features are not likely to be used for landscape photography: rangerfinder focusing, cammed lenses, folding focusing hood, and wrist loop. Absent the hand grip and rangefinder focusing unit, the folded-up Master Technika 2000 is smaller and weighs slightly less. The Master technika 2000 can be carried easily in a Xone VI 4 x 5 field camera bag, but the TK45S fits too tightly. The Master Technika 2000 better protects the bellows from abrasion when being carried in a backpack. I have not had difficulty folding and unfolding the bellows of the TK45S, but I can understand why the bellows is more prone to crimping by a careless user. The Master Technika 2000 requires focusing adapters for 58/65 mm lenses, while the TK45 does not. The maximum rear lens diameter is limited to 83 mm for the Master Technika 2000. The lens boards are identical. The comparatively small dimensions of the lens boards allow several lenses to be stored with ease in a backpack. The center axis lens tilts of the TK45S greatly eases focusing, especially with wide angle lenses. I have used only a Rodenstock 75 MM and 115 wide angle lenses with the TK45S. The TK45S requires a bag bellows for these lenses. Adjustments are needed to keep the flat bed of the MT 2000 from obstructing the image when using extra wide angle lenses. The TK45S has a longer bellows, and can handle a 450-480 lens. The Master Technika 2000 is limited to a 360 telephoto lens. It is unknown to me whether Linhof sells a compendium lens hood for the Master Technika 2000. I routinely use a Linhof compendium lens hood with the TK45S to minimize flare and loss of contrast.