Linhof- who is in charge in Munich?

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Who owns and who manages Linhof in Munich? How big is the company, and how many employees does it have?

Who do I have to lobby to make just one more Technar?

In other words, on whose desk does the buck stop?

-- Mark Nowaczynski (archivalprints@home.com), November 06, 2001

Answers

Peter Bauernschmid is the man who made the decision to discontinue product or reintroduce product (tripods).

He is the owner who decided to stop making a camera when parts ran out as it had not sold well for 20 yeras.

You don;t make one more when parts run out. You make parts for a production run, if the tools still exist.

Linhof has a more verstile choice for a Technar in the 2000.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmarketingcorp.com), November 07, 2001.


I guess the next best thing to the Technar as far as hand holdable wide angle cameras are concerned would be the Technorama 612 with a 58mm SA XL lens, not the Technika 2000 (which is bulkier and heavier and more suited to tripod use).

-- Mark Nowaczynski (archivalprints@home.com), November 07, 2001.

Not really. Like all cameras of it's basic design, Technika, Graphic, etc. the 2000 is very hand holdable with the grip and viewfinder added.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmarketingcorp.com), November 08, 2001.

The whole point of this discussion is very specific: hand held WIDE ANGLE 4X5 shooting. The Technar is specifically designed for this purpose and is far more suitable FOR THIS SPECIFIC PURPOSE than the Technika 2000. The Technika 2000 is designed to accomodate everything from very wide to long lenses. Moreover the optical viewfinder for the Technika cameras does not go wider than 75mm, whereas that for the Technar is specifically matched to the 65mm lens on the camera. The Technika 2000 also has alot of extra metal in the way when shooting with ultrawide lenses. The thicker body, dropped bed, bellows, tracks etc. are adding to the akwardness (and weight) of hand held wide angle use in addition to the viewfinder limitation. Sorry, but for the specific purpose of wide angle hand held shooting, the Technika 2000 is NOT the answer.

I use a Master Technika, mostly hand held, with 90/135/210 cammed lenses. I am very familiar with the suitability of the Technika for hand held photography with these focal lengths as well as with the disadvantages regarding its use with lenses wider than 75mm. The Technar with a 65mm lens would be an ideal addition to my system for the specific purpose of 4X5 WIDE ANGLE shooting hand held. I really see no point in owning the two versions of the Master Technika.

The Technika 2000 may be a more versatile camera than the Technar, but the Technar is a far better choice for the specific purpose of hand held wide angle shooting.

So what alternatives are there to the Technar for wide angle hand held shooting? The 612 Technorama with a 58mm lens and matching viewfinder would be a far more compact and lighter choice for rapid hand held wide angle use that the Technika. There is however a significant reduction in film area.

Life is full of compromises...

-- Mark Nowaczynski (archivalprints@home.com), November 08, 2001.


If one were to compromise with film area there is a MF equivalent to the Technar, namely the ALPA. It even comes with Linhof rollfilm backs...

-- Mark Nowaczynski (archivalprints@home.com), November 08, 2001.


Mark,

As I have told you as well as Mike from Canada. Custom masks are available from us, through Linhof, to use the 2000 with the Multifocus finder on all focal lengths down to 35mm.

Of course at 35mm the masks are only available for roll film up to 612.

40 45mm to 65mm masks can be supplied for any format from 67cm to 45".

This is far more versatile then the Technar that offered lenses from 65 to 90mm as catalog items and 47, 58 and 135 as special order items only.

Also don't you already own a Master technika?

If so all of your existing lenses and your finder and grip would instantly fit the 2000. With the Technar you would have to buy lenses taht only would function on a Technar and at a faar higher per lens cost.

Lastly, if necessary, a Technar finder could be used on a 2000. Of course it would not cover the range of lenses possible on the 2000.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmarketingcorp.com), November 08, 2001.


Mark,

Rather than try to use a sledger hammer to install screws (as others seem to suggest), I recommend getting the right tool for the job. If you are specifically looking for a 4x5 camera for hand held wide angle shooting, why not one of the Cambo Wide models from Calumet - either the originnal Cambo Wide or the new Cambo Wide DS? That is exactly what these cameras are designed for. Details at www.calumetphoto.com - just do a search on Cambo Wide. The new DS model supports lenses from 38mm - 72mm and the original Wide model 35mm - 150mm. Both models provide rise/fall and shift movements and use lenses in helical focusing mounts, have viewfinders with masks available for 6x12 and other roll film formats. The cameras themselves are very reasonably priced ($899.00 for the Wide DS and $369.99 for the Wide). The lenses in focusing helicals are a bit spendy, but you'd encounter the same situation with lenses for the Alpa or the Technar (if they were available). Both are also available as kits that include the body and your choice of lens. This sounds like exactly the sort of thing you're looking for.

There are a couple of other options. The Sinar Handy. I THINK (but am not sure) that it has been discontinued (at least I couldn't find any info at www.sinarbron.com. Some guy had one listed on eBay a couple days ago, but canceled the auction due to an error in his listing. If you got to www.ebay.com and do a search on "sinar handy" you can find his listing and send him an email. At the very least, his auction listing is still accessible for 30 days, so you can look at the pictures he posted (if you're not familar with the Handy). Also check other used dealeras like Midewest Photo Exchange (www.mpex.com) and KEH (www.keh.com), etc. for used Sinar Handys.

Finally, there is the Granview (www.granview.com). Certainly less elegant than a Linhof or Sinar, but also certainly more affordable. Like the others, this is a 4x5 camera that is specifically designed for hand held use. Claims to support lenses from 35mm - 210mm. See the web site for more details.

So, plenty of options without giving up any film area. If you do decide you can live with the smaller roll film formats, you might want to also check out the Horseman SW612, SW69 and SW612 Pro models. Sylvestri also make similar cameras (and I think they may even have a 4x5 version as well).

With all these choices in a very low volume niche market, it's no wonder Linhof decided to discontinue the Technar. Given the specialized application, the number of options is amazingly diverse.

Kerry

-- Kerry Thalmann (largeformat@thalmann.com), November 08, 2001.


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