carstenw
Active member
I recently bought a Linhof Master Technika, but for a while I lacked various things to be able to take it out and use it in earnest. Yesterday I finally took the opportunity to use it to further my current long-term project on Berlin Cemetaries. I am still missing a darkcloth, so I grabbed a stretchy black t-shirt and headed out.
I was recently in the Friedhof der Dorotheenstädtischen und Friedrichswerderschen Gemeinden (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedhof_der_Dorotheenstädtischen_und_Friedrichswerderschen_Gemeinden) with my Hasselblad 2000FC/M and found that the square format, however much I love using it in other situations, was not well suited to this project. Furthermore, the NC-2 prism did not give me a low enough angle to be able to raise my tripod, and finally, it seems not to work quite right on Bulb, causing me to massively overexpose the final shot on the roll, probably also the best shot, so I was determined to return and continue where I left off.
I took the Linhof Master Technika, the Schneider 90mm f/5.6 Super-Angulon Linhof Select and 210mm f/5.6 APO-Symmar, my Pentax Digital Spotmeter and 5 Fidelity film holders, as well as the Gitzo GT3541XLS with Burzynski Ball Head II. Omitting the camera which is described in detail below, all of this worked flawlessly.
I had fooled around with the movements in my apartment, but not really used them in anger, so this was a test of fire for both the camera and myself. I would have to see if all I had been reading had stuck well enough for me to use it in the field.
I started straight back at the spot where the Hasselblad failed, but a woman was sitting next to the grave, arguing on her cellphone, so rather than interrupt, I went to look for my second shot, to do that first.
I found a small mausoleum and started setting up. In fact the shot was dead straight-forward, and didn't even require rise, so I was done within a quick 15 minutes or so... This time was to drop throughout the day, the longer setup times being reserved for the more complicated shots with lots of movements, and shots with no movements being done in just 2-3 minutes or so.
Working with the Linhof Master Technika takes a bit of practice, but is then quite straight-forward, although it does require the occasional hoop-jump to get around its limited shift with wide-angle lenses, for example. I would typically drop the gear on the ground where I was considering a shot, and then walk around, trying to visualize the shot first. I don't yet have a frame, nor do I have the Linhof Multifocus Viewfinder, for obvious reasons: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...focus_Viewfinder_with.html/BI/1239/kw/LIFMF45
Hence I was just working with my naked eyes, but visualizing this way with a new camera and two focal lengths you are not familiar with is not easy. Still, apart from one shot, I pretty much always ended up setting up where I initially thought it the best.
Here is an early shot with the 210mm. In the photo are just the statue and the grave next to it covered with ivy, tightly framed. I used swing to get both in focus and shot at perhaps f/22 to get sufficient DoF.
View attachment 29521
At the start of the day, I played around a bit, and then put the camera on the tripod, opened it, and removed the folding viewer (which is useless). Between shots I just collapsed the tripod a little, loosened the pan lock, picked up the lot and schlepped it on my shoulder. For each shot, I then followed the following procedure:
- Set tripod to roughly the right height.
- If I was using the 90mm, push the rail back to the rear position, and flip up its infinity stops.
- Place the front standard at the correct infinity stops, and mount the lens, if not already done.
- Put the T-shirt neck around camera, and while looking through, get the camera aimed right.
- Decide if I need movements, and if so, perform them.
- Check framing and iterate if necessary.
- Check critical focus.
- Measure light and set up lens.
- Shoot.
It sounds more involved than it was. The only part which was not smooth and fast was setting movements, which on the Master Technika, while not a complete afterthought, was not the primary motivating factor in the design the way it is on an Ebony 45SU, for example.
If I used movements on a shot, it was typically a combination of rear tilt/swing and front tilt/swing. I used no front rise this time (the MT has no fall, although I could have used it), and the only time I could have used shift, I had the 90mm on the camera, and the rise arm hit the camera lid's brace, so I had to improvise with rear/front swing.
Front rise and tilt are easy to set, but shift and swing are a bit stiff. Rear tilt and swing are quite stiff, and it is somewhat difficult to get the back unlocked. I hope that the camera loosens up a bit with use, especially the rear "standard" locks, which could be quite frustrating to operate. On the bright side of things, all movements zero positively.
I found that when I applied noticeable movements with a somewhat distant subject (5-10m) while using the 90mm, I had to back the front standard away from the infinity stops to be able to focus. I am very glad I chose to have the 90mm mounted on a Linhof Comfort board, which is a recessed board with easy-to-reach controls for everything so I don't have to stick my sausages into the recessed part of the board. Having the recessed board made it easier to work with the lens and front movements from under the T-shirt.
Here is a shot with the 90mm from later in the day when I was getting used to things. The cross, plaque and leaning gravestone were all in the shot.
View attachment 29522
At the end of the day, I was working fairly fluidly with the camera, except as noted below.
The things which work well with the MT for my uses are:
- Quick initial setup.
- Good positive feedback while focusing.
- Tough clamshell design.
- Positive zeroing of all movements.
- Quick tear-down.
- Solid locks everywhere.
- Works well with 90mm-210mm lenses and beyond.
- All controls can be operated blind from under the darkcloth, although front shift and swing were a bit tricky.
- Lens apertures can be stopped down from under the cloth, for DoF checking.
- Quick release coupling for cable release on both lens boards (true Linhof).
The things which are less positive of for me are:
- Shift/rise with 90mm a bit constrained.
- No front fall (no big deal; use drop bed or point camera down and tilt).
- Stiff movements to some extent.
- No rear rise/fall/shift (no big deal, use front).
- Combined rear tilt and swing with limited angle.
- Heavy (although not different from an advanced Ebony).
Things I would change for next time:
- Bring a frame to visualize with, or get the Multifocus finder.
- Bring a proper darkcloth (I am trying to order one, unsuccessfully so far).
- Consider swapping the 90mm for a 75mm and add a middle focal length.
The things I would definitely look for in a future camera, if I keep feeling the same way as I did yesterday, are more tilt/swing front and rear, freer-moving adjustments and maybe lighter weight. The things I would miss if I moved to a different kind of camera would be strong closed state, positive zeroing and the nice, tight feeling everywhere.
There are a few parts of the camera which feel like they might cause problems if abused, such as the focus lock, the rise/fall gear mechanism and the flap. The rest of the camera is pretty much indestructible.
I will add to this thread as I think of things I missed. Feel free to comment or give me tips.
I was recently in the Friedhof der Dorotheenstädtischen und Friedrichswerderschen Gemeinden (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedhof_der_Dorotheenstädtischen_und_Friedrichswerderschen_Gemeinden) with my Hasselblad 2000FC/M and found that the square format, however much I love using it in other situations, was not well suited to this project. Furthermore, the NC-2 prism did not give me a low enough angle to be able to raise my tripod, and finally, it seems not to work quite right on Bulb, causing me to massively overexpose the final shot on the roll, probably also the best shot, so I was determined to return and continue where I left off.
I took the Linhof Master Technika, the Schneider 90mm f/5.6 Super-Angulon Linhof Select and 210mm f/5.6 APO-Symmar, my Pentax Digital Spotmeter and 5 Fidelity film holders, as well as the Gitzo GT3541XLS with Burzynski Ball Head II. Omitting the camera which is described in detail below, all of this worked flawlessly.
I had fooled around with the movements in my apartment, but not really used them in anger, so this was a test of fire for both the camera and myself. I would have to see if all I had been reading had stuck well enough for me to use it in the field.
I started straight back at the spot where the Hasselblad failed, but a woman was sitting next to the grave, arguing on her cellphone, so rather than interrupt, I went to look for my second shot, to do that first.
I found a small mausoleum and started setting up. In fact the shot was dead straight-forward, and didn't even require rise, so I was done within a quick 15 minutes or so... This time was to drop throughout the day, the longer setup times being reserved for the more complicated shots with lots of movements, and shots with no movements being done in just 2-3 minutes or so.
Working with the Linhof Master Technika takes a bit of practice, but is then quite straight-forward, although it does require the occasional hoop-jump to get around its limited shift with wide-angle lenses, for example. I would typically drop the gear on the ground where I was considering a shot, and then walk around, trying to visualize the shot first. I don't yet have a frame, nor do I have the Linhof Multifocus Viewfinder, for obvious reasons: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...focus_Viewfinder_with.html/BI/1239/kw/LIFMF45
Hence I was just working with my naked eyes, but visualizing this way with a new camera and two focal lengths you are not familiar with is not easy. Still, apart from one shot, I pretty much always ended up setting up where I initially thought it the best.
Here is an early shot with the 210mm. In the photo are just the statue and the grave next to it covered with ivy, tightly framed. I used swing to get both in focus and shot at perhaps f/22 to get sufficient DoF.
View attachment 29521
At the start of the day, I played around a bit, and then put the camera on the tripod, opened it, and removed the folding viewer (which is useless). Between shots I just collapsed the tripod a little, loosened the pan lock, picked up the lot and schlepped it on my shoulder. For each shot, I then followed the following procedure:
- Set tripod to roughly the right height.
- If I was using the 90mm, push the rail back to the rear position, and flip up its infinity stops.
- Place the front standard at the correct infinity stops, and mount the lens, if not already done.
- Put the T-shirt neck around camera, and while looking through, get the camera aimed right.
- Decide if I need movements, and if so, perform them.
- Check framing and iterate if necessary.
- Check critical focus.
- Measure light and set up lens.
- Shoot.
It sounds more involved than it was. The only part which was not smooth and fast was setting movements, which on the Master Technika, while not a complete afterthought, was not the primary motivating factor in the design the way it is on an Ebony 45SU, for example.
If I used movements on a shot, it was typically a combination of rear tilt/swing and front tilt/swing. I used no front rise this time (the MT has no fall, although I could have used it), and the only time I could have used shift, I had the 90mm on the camera, and the rise arm hit the camera lid's brace, so I had to improvise with rear/front swing.
Front rise and tilt are easy to set, but shift and swing are a bit stiff. Rear tilt and swing are quite stiff, and it is somewhat difficult to get the back unlocked. I hope that the camera loosens up a bit with use, especially the rear "standard" locks, which could be quite frustrating to operate. On the bright side of things, all movements zero positively.
I found that when I applied noticeable movements with a somewhat distant subject (5-10m) while using the 90mm, I had to back the front standard away from the infinity stops to be able to focus. I am very glad I chose to have the 90mm mounted on a Linhof Comfort board, which is a recessed board with easy-to-reach controls for everything so I don't have to stick my sausages into the recessed part of the board. Having the recessed board made it easier to work with the lens and front movements from under the T-shirt.
Here is a shot with the 90mm from later in the day when I was getting used to things. The cross, plaque and leaning gravestone were all in the shot.
View attachment 29522
At the end of the day, I was working fairly fluidly with the camera, except as noted below.
The things which work well with the MT for my uses are:
- Quick initial setup.
- Good positive feedback while focusing.
- Tough clamshell design.
- Positive zeroing of all movements.
- Quick tear-down.
- Solid locks everywhere.
- Works well with 90mm-210mm lenses and beyond.
- All controls can be operated blind from under the darkcloth, although front shift and swing were a bit tricky.
- Lens apertures can be stopped down from under the cloth, for DoF checking.
- Quick release coupling for cable release on both lens boards (true Linhof).
The things which are less positive of for me are:
- Shift/rise with 90mm a bit constrained.
- No front fall (no big deal; use drop bed or point camera down and tilt).
- Stiff movements to some extent.
- No rear rise/fall/shift (no big deal, use front).
- Combined rear tilt and swing with limited angle.
- Heavy (although not different from an advanced Ebony).
Things I would change for next time:
- Bring a frame to visualize with, or get the Multifocus finder.
- Bring a proper darkcloth (I am trying to order one, unsuccessfully so far).
- Consider swapping the 90mm for a 75mm and add a middle focal length.
The things I would definitely look for in a future camera, if I keep feeling the same way as I did yesterday, are more tilt/swing front and rear, freer-moving adjustments and maybe lighter weight. The things I would miss if I moved to a different kind of camera would be strong closed state, positive zeroing and the nice, tight feeling everywhere.
There are a few parts of the camera which feel like they might cause problems if abused, such as the focus lock, the rise/fall gear mechanism and the flap. The rest of the camera is pretty much indestructible.
I will add to this thread as I think of things I missed. Feel free to comment or give me tips.
