Linhof Technika - Are they worth the money?

yelmarb · Aug 30, 2018

I have an Ebony RSW45 camera, which is a beautiful camera but I can't help but look at the Linhof Master Technika and wonder what it could do better... apart from having longer bellows and being able to fold up.

Has anyone used both Ebony and a Linhof Technika? Is the Linhof more stable? Is the ground glass focussing more accurate?

RalphLambrecht · Aug 30, 2018

yelmarb said:
I have an Ebony RSW45 camera, which is a beautiful camera but I can't help but look at the Linhof Master Technika and wonder what it could do better... apart from having longer bellows and being able to fold up.

Has anyone used both Ebony and a Linhof Technika? Is the Linhof more stable? Is the ground glass focussing more accurate?

I think, you will find that the Linhof cameras are part of the reason for the reputation of German quality; very fine mechanics with gives you fine and smooth adjustments' masterpiece and showcase of German engineering but it won't make your photos any better unless you do.

Ian Grant · Aug 30, 2018

While I don't use a Linhof I do use an MPP MkVII which is derived from the Linhof Technika and has similar functionality (but not Linhof/Wista style lens boards). I also use a Graflex Super Graphic.

A Lihnof will be much more stable (rigid) than your Ebony and definitely has more extension like the MPPs they are what's termed Triple extension, that's approx 18"/450mm extension. my Super Graphic is douple extension as is my Wista 45DX that's 12"/300mm extension.

I mention the Wista and Super Graphic because I was doing some close up work recently and had wanted to use my 240mm Nikon W and 12" extension is insufficient, it was only just feasible with a 210 Symmar. So the MPP or a Technika would be far orev practical. Also I have a 300mm f9 Nikon M and that's almost unusable with my Wista as it needs full extension and is too unstable unless it's a very still bright day where I can use a fast shutter speed,also it's limited for closer focus. It's fine with the MPP or a Technika where the camera is rigid so stable.

I doubt you can use a lens like the 360mm Tele Xenar (or Arton) with the Ebony despite it being a Telephoto, thta's fine with the Wista or the MPP/Technika. Fine someone who has one and have a look at a Technika or an MPP. I made an adapter to use Linhof/Wista boards with my PP's.

Ian

railwayman3 · Aug 30, 2018

FWIW, I had a acquaintance back in the 1990's who had his own studio for quality advertising and catalogue product photography for some big names. He used a couple of Linhof cameras plus all the kit, and "didn't need anything else to do everything needed".

mpirie · Aug 30, 2018

I use both an Ebony SV45TE and a Master Technika 2000.

I constantly find myself switching between the two of them. They each have pro's and con's.

The Ebony is beautifully made, is extremely flexible (in as much as the things it can do), the MT2k less so, but the mechanics and smoothness of the focussing are superb.

Sometimes i worry about the Ebony......Hiromi has retired and getting anything fixed would be a nightmare. The metal construction of the MT2k means it can take a bit more mishandling.

Using wides on the MT2k is a bit of a pain, having to drop the focussing rails etc.....the Ebony doesn't need such a change. The MT2k's rotating back is useful, compared to taking the back off of the Ebony to rotate the frame.

At the end of the day, like the others have said, neither camera will make much of a difference to the photographs. The difference comes from the user experience.....but there's a lot to be said for that experience....in that if you are comfortable with the camera, then it fades into the background leaving you to concentrate on the subject.

I think if I only had one of these cameras, i'd miss nothing......i suspect that's the reason i swap between the two regularly.

Mike

PS I should add (before Bob jumps in) that i have a Technikardan too which is too heavy for field use, but is brilliant when it comes to wide lenses and architectural work.

Ian Grant · Aug 30, 2018

I didn't answer your question - Linhof Technikas -are they worth the money?

That's a subjective question, I did contemplate buying one and I couldn't justify the expense, there are other Technical camera options from Toyo and Wista etc and they can be found for a lot less money than a Technika.

I only bought my first MPP MicroTechnical a MkIII because it was a real bargain £70 along with most of the parts of a second MkIII (back was missing but I've since acquired one). MkIII's often look tatty due to the condition of the covering material which can easily be replaced. Since then I acquired a MkVII which is regarded as the best MPP MicroTechnical with a lens (in excellent condition)and quite a few spare lens boards. The camera was £120 with the lens, now this is a camera with similar specifications to a Technika at a fraction of the cost. One downside is a 90mm f5.6 Super Angulon won't fit, but my 90mm f6.8 Grandagon N does.

There's a wanted advert on another Forum from someone in Australia after an MPP

Ian

Richard Man · Aug 30, 2018

..and many people are asking"Ebony, are they worth the money..." ;-)

KenS · Aug 30, 2018

I invested in one some 20-odd years ago.. it was a really good camera. I was 'easily' persuaded to swap it for a Linhof monorail after realizing I rarely ever used it hand held. The monorail is far more versatile when mounted on a good wooden tripod
My lenses on the monorail uses the same lensboards..... and.. I can use longer FL lenses. While it IS heavier and a bit more cumberson to hump around,I have never regretted my decision, and would never now 'go back" to using a hand held LF camera

Ken

Ian Grant · Aug 30, 2018

KenS said:
I invested in one some 20-odd years ago.. it was a really good camera. I was 'easily' persuaded to swap it for a Linhof monorail after realizing I rarely ever used it hand held. The monorail is far more versatile when mounted on a good wooden tripod
My lenses on the monorail uses the same lensboards..... and.. I can use longer FL lenses. While it IS heavier and a bit more cumberson to hump around,I have never regretted my decision, and would never now 'go back" to using a hand held LF camera

Ken

I had a couple of monorail cameras, I bought the first in 1976 and the second in the late 1990's, great for studio work but not for backpacking. I have used a Linhof Technikardan, a wonderful camera but too slow to set up. Often I need to work fast and on a on some occasions where tripods are not permitted so having the option to work hand held is critical for me but I'd suggest it's qa's a useful option anyway.

The Linhof Technika and other technical cameras like the MPP, Toyo, Horseman, Wista etc are designed for versatile all round use on a tripod or hand held. I sold both my monorail cameras because my Wista and later Super Graphic did everything I needed and I just never used them any longer.

Ian

DREW WILEY · Aug 30, 2018

I don't own a Technika, but my late brother sold and used em, so I'm familiar. I chose the Sinar system instead for its much greater versatility, esp with long lenses. I've backpacked thousands of miles with Sinar gear. But as I got into my 50's I also wanted something lighter and more compact, so turned to an Ebony folder. For speed of use and variety of applications, esp architecture, monorails like the Sinar are great, but obviously also the bulkiest. Parts and acessories are also easy to get. Technikas are nearly as heavy and don't balance as well on a tripod. Used ones aren't as expensive as they once were, but it's still a pricey option. They're rugged but hard to get repaired if you do have an accident. Are they worth it? Just depends. Get ahold of one and see if you like the system. Ebony cameras are even more expensive now that they're out of production. Probably the best built wooden cameras ever, though with a few idiosyncrasies of their own. You could ask the same question about them... are they worth it? Just like cars. Had a neighbor that stared with disgust whenever I came back from a trip with dents, scratches, and mud on my Toyota 4WD truck. He had an immaculate Land Cruiser as well as an immaculate Benz SUV in his driveway, and never ever drove either anywhere but on paved streets (but did complain about having a hard time making his house payments). So it's all relative.

Eric Rose · Aug 30, 2018

I used a Technika 4 for many years. It could have been used to stop a car from rolling down a hill, just put it behind the tire lol. Beyond that it was rock solid, produced very sharp images and was a PITA when trying to use WA lenses. I finally got tired of the weight and sold it. Went back to a woody.

E. von Hoegh · Sep 6, 2018

yelmarb said:
I have an Ebony RSW45 camera, which is a beautiful camera but I can't help but look at the Linhof Master Technika and wonder what it could do better... apart from having longer bellows and being able to fold up.

Has anyone used both Ebony and a Linhof Technika? Is the Linhof more stable? Is the ground glass focussing more accurate?

I've been using a Linhof Super Tech IV since 1988, when I purchased it used (made in 1959) for $ 1500, complete outfit 3 lenses, Super Rollex back, many other goodies. At the time the price equalled six weeks wages, it was and is worth eve
ry cent.

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 6, 2018

The quality of Linhof cameras -- all of them, is legendary. They are all still commanding a pretty price on the used market. German reputation counts: you pay a price for a BMW or an Audi or VW (none of which are actually exclusively made in Germany now, as our two VWs and Audi's reveal!)

The late Tasmanian photographer Peter Dombrovskis (Latvian immigrant, 1945-1996, mentored by fellow Latvian father-figure Olegus Truchanas [d.1972]) created the bulk of his outstanding wild landscape work with a Linhof Master Technika, reflex viewing attachment, 3 lenses (one of which was a 65mm) and occasional use of a $10 polariser. The camera did not make him the photographer he was: that came from his inner self -- a natural gift that many eastern European immigrants seem to have brought with them in the turbulent post-war years. To him, the camera was "just a tool to get the job done" the way he liked it, and which became his trademark (historically in the 1970s he also used 35mm and 6x6/Hasselblad). We all know the camera was heavy and required some compromise in difficult shooting conditions (he ruined several bellows through exposure to rain, and rust was beginning to take hold in the camera by 1994; after his death it has become a museum piece). Today many of these Linhofs require new bellows and a careful going-over of their operation: they are very old now and many have seen heavy (sometimes brutal) service. Another Tassie 'tog is offering his for AUD$2,000, which is a bargain, and unsurprisingly it requires new bellows and alignment.

I see something else more often now. The Ebony SV45Ti in Honduran Mahogany, is elegant, technical, exquisite and overpriced (still!), and it has many more intricate movements, but is slower to set up and loss of some precision over time has been reported -- it certainly won't take kindly to a fall like a Technika will. I don't think an old Linhof loses anything but its shine. Speed of setting the camera up was paramount in Peter's day, not spending hours fiddling with movements and extensions other than what was absolutely essential. I would say yes a Linhof is worth the money but only if it is in excellent condition and the photographer is accomplished enough to exploit the imaging precision the camera affords. Most 'togs would probably be better with a Hassie.

Arklatexian · Sep 7, 2018

yelmarb said:
I have an Ebony RSW45 camera, which is a beautiful camera but I can't help but look at the Linhof Master Technika and wonder what it could do better... apart from having longer bellows and being able to fold up.

Has anyone used both Ebony and a Linhof Technika? Is the Linhof more stable? Is the ground glass focussing more accurate?

I cannot answer your question. I can only say that, because some of my all time favorite "outdoor" film photographers used nothing but Technikas and Super Technickas and having held one, if I were younger and stronger, had the money, I would already own one with a full set of lenses, just because I wanted it and would not care who or why anyone else did not agree. Would it make me a better photographer? You and I know the answer to that question but it might make me a "happier" photographer. Buy something you want. In a few years, what you paid will be secondary...........Regards!

slackercrurster · Sep 7, 2018

LT is the best in its field...love em!

https://photographysgoldenage.wordpress.com/2018/07/21/linhof-technika-catalog/

But you can get similar results with a Calumet. In the end, most cameras do the same thing.

locutus · Sep 7, 2018

I have loaned a Super Technika once, and felt that for my purposes (i do not shoot handheld) it was a terrible device....

Heavy, front movements are limited and fiddly, wide angles are a pain, the rear movements system is impractical.

I shoot with extensive movements for both landscape, architecture and 'macro' (well closeups practically) and the Technika doesn't suffice for me.

Yes it might be 'rugged' but so what, my humble Shenhao goes from backpack to tripod to backpack and it holds up fine while on the motor.

YMMV.

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 7, 2018

locutus said:
I have loaned a Super Technika once, and felt that for my purposes (i do not shoot handheld) it was a terrible device....

Heavy, front movements are limited and fiddly, wide angles are a pain, the rear movements system is impractical.
I shoot with extensive movements for both landscape, architecture and 'macro' (well closeups practically) and the Technika doesn't suffice for me.
Yes it might be 'rugged' but so what, my humble Shenhao goes from backpack to tripod to backpack and it holds up fine while on the motor.
YMMV.

Yes. This is consistent with the experience of many people using the Linhof Master Technika for the first time and simply do not warm to it as well as other LF cameras with much more refined facilities of movement, of which there are many.

THE use of ultra-wide angle lenses though shouldn't be too difficult with the drop down base and a recessed board. That arrangement has been seen many, many times, though 65mm is not ideal for many landscape applications.

btaylor · Sep 8, 2018

It’s like anything, some things you enjoy using, others you don’t. I very much enjoy my Super Technika IV. I like the way it feels so solid and folds up nicely like a Speed Graphic. I don’t use extreme movements either, so the Linhof is fine. I tried a wood field camera and just didn’t feel comfortable with it, but it wasn’t an Ebony— which has a reputation for being perhaps the finest wood field camera. YMMV, might as well try a Linhof and see if you like it.

yelmarb · Sep 8, 2018

Thank you for all the replies, I've now on the hunt for a Linhof Technika 2000 version 2.

yelmarb · Sep 8, 2018

slackercrurster said:
LT is the best in its field...love em!

https://photographysgoldenage.wordpress.com/2018/07/21/linhof-technika-catalog/

But you can get similar results with a Calumet. In the end, most cameras do the same thing.

That catalog is superb!

Dan Fromm · Sep 8, 2018

Of course they're not worth the money. That's why none have ever been sold.

KenS · Sep 8, 2018

I 'invested' in a Technika IV (with 3 'cammed' lenses) but after a significant number of years 'enjoying' the greater versatility of a monorail Sinar F2 when a 'working' Biological photographer in a research facility I ....changed over to a Linhof monorail [since I rarely (if ever) made any exposures with the Technika hand held].
Yes.... they are well precision built.... and really robust.... but have nowhere near the versatility of their monorail cameras.

Ken

Tony Egan · Sep 9, 2018

I have a Deardorff 8x10, A Shen-Hao 5x7 with a 4x5 reducing back and a Linhof Technica IV. If I had to keep only one for LF shooting it would be the Linhof. Some of the pros:
- Reflex viewfinder option is great and easy to source online
- Universal viewfinder can help with lens selection
- Rotating back
- Small profile lens can be folded inside the camera
- The grip is very handy and makes it easy to carry, setup and store
- Infinity focus stop clips for various lens focal lengths
- Very robust design and build
- Typing in "linhof" in eBay will always reveal another thing you just must have!

Some of the criticisms have been covered above. I think there is just a subtle user experience or aesthetic with a wooden view camera. The Linhof tends to "fight back" a bit if you try to do something it doesn't like. Wooden cameras just seem to be a bit more forgiving. Again, nothing to do with ability to make a great image either way.
A picture of my setup attached. Bellows are crackly but still very light tight!

Marco Gilardetti · Sep 10, 2018

yelmarb said:
Thank you for all the replies, I've now on the hunt for a Linhof Technika 2000 version 2.

I kept myself aside of the discussion as I never owned an Ebony or any other wooden camera, but I knew that this was going to end exactly this way! I desired to own a Linhof since, as a kid, I read about this brand (which was absolutely unknown among casual photographers) on a book, where it was presented as the most perfect and desirable camera set ever made, ridiculising Hasselblad and other brands that were considered as "pro"-stuff by the men-on-the-street. It was introduced as a camera that "not everybody would be able to operate", no less! Since then, I have set as peak of my career as non-professional advanced amateur photographer to own and to know how to operate technical large format cameras made by Linhof. Finally, a dozen years ago, the digital madness gave me the opportunity to afford one.

Excepting bellows draw, about which the Linhof wins hands down, you may find out that indeed there's nothing "more" than you can do with the Linhof than with the Ebony, but that owning and operating the Linhof alone gives you a physical pleasure. At least in my case, this pleasure has a great part in the game of being a non-professional photographer, and personally I have always felt that I was missing something until I finally had among my cameras a Linhof, the greatest name in photography, the Camera of all cameras, so often imitated, never surpassed nor equalled.

I see that the magic word "Linhof" has caught another soul!

Neil Poulsen · Oct 1, 2018

I think it begins w/one's individual needs.

I had a 6x9 Technika for a few years. Based on that experience, If I were to have any of the Technicas, it would have to be a Master.

Linhof Technika - Are they worth the money?

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