Is it possible to rent a Linhof Technorama?

kurt765

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I am wondering if it is possible to rent a Linhof 6x17 camera? I've looked through all the major LA shops and I have not found one for rent. Seems that sadly few places rent film cameras anymore.

-K
 

2F/2F

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Have you tried Pix?
 
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kurt765

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Looks like they have the Fuji 6x17. I was hoping to find maybe the 72mm lens Linhof somewhere.

Though, I was just reading that very small apertures are recommended with 6x17 cameras, and I have been thinking of star trail shots which require wide open 5.6 aperture to get enough light to the film to read the stars. Many stars won't even register with smaller apertures. Hmm. I will have to test I guess.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Wide open with a 72mm lens you'll probably have around 2-1/2 stops of falloff from the center to the edges of the frame on 617. Ideally you want to be at f:22 and use a center filter to correct that, and the center filter will cost you another 1-1/2 stops or so. Is there film fast enough in medium format to make it work?
 
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kurt765

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I haven't tried yet, but there is Provia 400. I don't know how well that extra two stops would compensate for two less stops in aperture. I'll have to add that to my testing list. My original thoughts have been using LF for which there is no Provia 400 sadly. Next time I head out to the desert I'll try and do some Provia 400 at f/11 and see what happens compared to Provia 100 at f 5/.6 and the same scene.

-K
 

David A. Goldfarb

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I'd bet you could push Provia 400X one or even two stops with out too much of a penalty in terms of contrast. I haven't tried that myself, but my understanding from those who have tested it is that 400X is more pushable than 400F or Fuji RMS.
 

jp80874

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Beautiful pictures in your blog.

You might contact:
Bob Salomon, HP Marketing; tel: 800 735 4373 Gepe, Linhof, Rodenstock, Wista, Heliopan, Braun http://www.hpmarketingcorp.com/about-us.html
PO Box 715 Pine Brook NJ 07058 USA

He is the US distributor for Linhof and the other products listed. I am guessing he would know if any of his dealers offer a rental. He is very active on the Large Format Forum, but you can probably reach him by phone, his site or mail.

John Powers
 

thegman

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How about shoot Portra 400 in 120, that can be shot at 1600 easy enough. Maybe not suitable for your star trails, but maybe worth a look.
 
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kurt765

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I'm pretty set on color slide film for this project.

I looked everywhere for the Linhof. Samy's here in LA has the Fuji 6x17 for rent. Calumet and Bel Air don't even really have film cameras for rent anymore - certainly not panoramic ones. I'm asking here because I haven't been able to find one locally, so maybe there is an online place?
 

David A. Goldfarb

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You could try Lens and Repro in NYC.
 

Sparky

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'Star trail' shots actually are FINE with smaller apertures... if it's just the stars you need... keep it around f/11-f/16 and you'll be fine. It's wide field and other astro work you need to be wide open for (5.6 won't cut it - and you need to use hypersensitized film which is a custom setup these days). Flatness of field is ultra critical for that work - but for star trails - don't worry - your min exposure to see any significant trails are going to be at LEAST one hour (will cover 1/12th of the distance across the night sky)...
 

2F/2F

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Sparky is correct. You don't need large apertures to get star trails. You just get more stars that way, and more of any ambient light. As you stop down, the dimmer stars are "removed" from the picture, and only the brightest ones will appear. This usually makes the pic look much better, in my opinion. Shoot too wide open, and there are a zillion trails clogging up the sky.

Those shooting star fields alone sometimes use fancy tripod heads that track the stars, eliminating the need for hypersensitization and/or pushing.
 
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kurt765

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Except I was thinking of trying out the 72mm. The Fuji goes no wider than 90mm. I can rent the Fuji locally, but was wondering if the Linhof was available anywhere. So far, I've found a few other places that rent Fuji's but no one rents Linhofs.
Lens and Repro has the Horseman 6x12 with 45mm option which maybe a possibility. I won't know for sure how wide of an angle I need until I get to the location on a scouting trip in July. I'm planning ahead.

-K
 

2F/2F

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72mm on 6x17 is WIIIIIIIIDE. So is 90mm. IME, ultra wide lenses sound really cool on paper, but aren't as useful in the real world as moderate wides, especially in landscape situations. I would just try a Fuji with the 90mm and see what you get first.
 

Hikari

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I was an owner of a Horseman SW612. You are not going to like the 45mm as the image circle barely covers the format at f/11, which is where mechanical vignetting ends. The 55mm is better, but needs to be stopped down to f/11 to eliminate mechanical vignetting and then a center filter is need to eliminate natural vignetting. Panoramic cameras sound really interesting for astrophotography on paper. The reality is very different. Wide open is not just a matter of vignetting, there are a lot of abberations at those apertures--not attractive with point sources. You will need a lot of testing to figure this out.

If you are looking for an all-sky camera, fisheye lenses work better.
 
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kurt765

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Thanks for the info!
Star trails are only one component of the photo I'm planning. The idea of using a 6x17 camera as the primary capture device is a recent one. The original idea is 4x5, hence the ISO 100 slide film as the only option. I'm trying to figure out what to use exactly.

-K
 

Sparky

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my one bit of advice for doing your star trail project is to follow the advice of astrophotographers and take your equipment out and first let it chill in the night air... you don't want condensation all over your film nor do you want your film shifting and buckling due to the film holder contracting while exposing! This is probably especially true with 4x5 - though it depends partly on the tolerances of your film holder...
 
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