linhof technikardon 45

[bicycletricycle]

nay body had one of these. they seem really nice. some problems with the bellows when folding. id be using it as a field camera. does any body know how old this model is? is there many versions of this camera? i think the linhof website has it listed as a technikardon s. cant seem to find any used on the net. how much do these cost used?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Check the forum and the reviews at lfphoto.info, and you can find some information about the Technikardan as well as the difference between the Technikardan and the Technikardan S. I believe the main difference is in the way the standards are constructed, and not in the way the camera functions. It's a great camera, if you want a compact folding monorail.

 

[PeterDendrinos]

I have a 45s, and I like it very much. I don’t fold it however, because I want faster access to it when traveling. I too have read complaints about folding it frequently and bellows ware. I have been using this camera for 2 years now perhaps every other day in the field on average. In 20f below to 110f, and it has preformed very well.

Pete

 

[jp80874]

According to the Linhof Camera Story, p 34, the Technikardan was introduced in 6cm x 9cm and 4 x 5 sizes in 1985. The Technikardan S in both sizes 1992. (page 129).

I have had the earlier version for about two years and like it very much. I bought it on eBay knowing it needed a bellows. Camera Bellows in England http://www.camerabellows.com/ made a new bellows for a little over ½ B&H’s price. I asked them about the “bellows problem”. They recommended that I take the bellows off (four release levers) any time I wanted to pack the camera flat and the bellows would last.

It is fine after two years of rough work. I leave it on the tripod and carry it in the back of an SUV or in a baby jogger with a back pack of gear. I'm 65 and a few years beyond hiking with a back pack.

I am told the S is a bit more rigid. I use mine mostly on the macro/telephoto rail, also purchased on eBay for ¼ retail. It is VERY solid.

Technikardans come on eBay frequently. Use all the normal eBay cautions. Good luck.

John Powers

 

[jl]

Yep, great camera - a little on the heavy side but not bad for the incredible flexibility it offers. The folding takes a little practice, but now I do it without even thinking about it or looking at the camera. The main thing is to keep the standards between both hands so they can't shift relative to each other and stress the bellows. Similarly, I find that as I'm unfolding the camera, I'm already looking around at the scene and light (usually in a hurry!). I would qualify this, however, by saying that it's really a matter of individual preference. I got mine on ebay and I guess I'm lucky that I liked the camera.

The bellows crunching is most likely to happen if you forget to return the shift or tilt to the 0 position, or when you're just learning the camera. Even though there's the folding to deal with, one advantage over the field cameras is that you can keep pretty much any lens on the body in the folded position. On the other hand everything's less protected. Also, the click-stops on the S speed up the set-up or returning the swing and tilt to 0.

 

[Michael Kadillak]

Linhof TK45S

After seeing three of these cameras that have had the bellows wrinkled miserably, I had Camera Bellows make me a straight taper bellows from a set of Linhof standards (I leave the unused original double taper bellows home) and I flip two levers on each standard and take the bellows off (or put on)and simply store the camera with a piece of foam in between the standards. A no-brainer.

I can do this faster than folding the original and I have no chance I will screw them up. You do not need the double taper to shoot with this camera as the bellows design affords keeping the bellow on with the camera folded.

Great camera. I purchased a Canham padded camera case for their 5x7 camera (made by Tenba) to house the TK45S and it works great.

For landscape it is overkill. For architecture it is mandatory.

 

[MichaelBriggs]

I have a Technikardan 45S and like the camera very much. Precise and very capable. With the bag bellows it can use very short lenses on flat boards. I have no difficulty folding the camera and fold the camera up with whichever bellows I last used. Both bellows are in fine shape after years of use.

The camera folds different from any other model. The first few timres you have to follow the directions carefully, e.g., lock the green levers and unlock the red levers. After that it becomes natural. Like jj says, cup both standards between your hands. It takes both hands, so it is best to fold the camera while it is still on the tripod. The first few times it helps to view the camera from above, to see how both standards rotate about the pivot of the rear standard.

The original, non-S model has somewhat different standards that are made by bending one piece of metal. The front standard is lighter than the rear. Bob Salomon says that Linhof had difficulty manufacturering the part this way. One or two users have reported that the front standard would bend. The S model has the same standards front and rear, assembled from several pieces of metal. The S model also adds some additional detents. The detents can be disengaged so that the don't force the movement to the neutral position wnen you want a small adjustment.