Best writeup of Linhof Techno yet!

[Landscapelover]

Congratulations Torger for the article! It is the best review I've read for the Linhof Techno.
Anyone uses Arca Swiss M2? What are the advantages/disadvantages compared to the Techno?
Thanks.

 

[torger]

Thanks for the kind words.

I have not used the Arca Swiss MF-two, but it was one of the candidates I had so I have investigated it as good as I can from a purely theoretical perspective.

Based on that, the advantages of MF-2 compared to Techno is lower price, better macro capability thanks to larger tilts/swings, and more flexibility concerning expansion into other view camera solutions (using a DSLR as back, putting there a 4x5" film frame etc).

The disadvantages are a bit harder to pack when hiking, and slower to set up (since you're probably packing it in separate pieces), probably a bit less rigid and therefore less precise due to the larger movements (my guess is that it has little or no practical implication though).

I like the Techno's bellows wide/standard better than the Arca-Swiss, both the look and the concerning packing. Arca's wide angle bellows works up to 135mm though, slightly longer than Techno's 120mm. But then Arca's WA bellows looks like a bag and Techno's actually have a shape

This is a good read: Christopher Barrett - Photographer: Blog : Arca Swiss M Line Two

If I would not have got a Techno I think it is likely that it would have been an MF-two.

I hope someone that has actually used the camera can reply too... like the Techno it's hard to find user-provided information about it.

 

[tjv]

The Arca M Line Two looks cool but seems a lot slower to set up and pack down than the Techno. Obviously, it has it's strengths over the Techno too, especially with regard to movements, it just isn't what I'd personally want in a field camera. Then again, I'm coming from using a Technika, so my working habits are biased to start with. Looks like a sweet system, though, especially for those working both in and out of a studio.

 

[Landscapelover]

Torger & tiv....Thanks very much for your thoughtful comments.

 

[tjv]

I'm still waiting for my Techno to arrive...
Thought I'd post an update regarding the newly announced bright GG. While putting my kit together I asked Paula at Linhof & Studio if she'd used / seen the screen. She said it is AMAZING, at least three stops brighter and sharper than the standard GG. It does, however, come at an amazing price to match. From memory, something like 550GBP. Because I'm starting by shooting 6x7cm film I opted for the Silvestri GG. When I got digital I'll certainly get the new screen to replace it.

 

[neil]

Has anyone used the little metal Infinity Stops/ Parallel Stops which are added to the techno rail. Wondering if they work well for setting infinity for a specific lens.

Quote from Linhif studio website
Infinity Stops/ Parallel Stops -
( Whilst on a Technika Infinity Stops are used to ensure the front standard is set to a true infinity for rangefinder coupling purposes , on the Techno - we use then purely as a parallel point for the front standard to ensure ultimate parallelism as demanded by the digital lenses of today.
318827 £46.00 )

Neil

 

[torger]

Has anyone used the little metal Infinity Stops/ Parallel Stops which are added to the techno rail. Wondering if they work well for setting infinity for a specific lens.

Quote from Linhif studio website
Infinity Stops/ Parallel Stops -
( Whilst on a Technika Infinity Stops are used to ensure the front standard is set to a true infinity for rangefinder coupling purposes , on the Techno - we use then purely as a parallel point for the front standard to ensure ultimate parallelism as demanded by the digital lenses of today.
318827 £46.00 )

Neil

I'm curious about that as well. I think I've read on a forum or article somewhere a user that did use it successfully as infinity/hyperfocal stops, but I don't remember where. I have no stops myself and from reading or looking at photographs I have not really understood how these infinity stops are used, and limitations when you have many on the rail etc.

Using the infinity stops as described on linhofstudio web site seems a bit strange. The Techno does not need parallel point support. It is true though that you need to make sure that the front standard has snapped into place properly after moving it on the rail (by applying a small bit of pulling force on the standard), as the springs are not strong enough to guarantee automatic snapping in place (I describe this in the review).

 

[greygrad]

I have two pairs installed, both behind the front 'standard' - one pair for when the wide bellows are installed (furthest back), and one pair for when the normal bellows are installed. Before shooting, I push the front standard against one pair (depending on which bellows are installed) in order to make sure it's parallel with the DB. Initially I used 'zig-align' to correctly position the stops, and once in a while I check everything is ok. Never needed to adjust them yet.

What this also means is that focussing a lens is always done from the same initial 'starting point' (one of the pairs of stops) - so it's easy to mark (e.g. with pencil) where a particular focus point is for a lens - e.g. 5m with the 43mm - which means I can focus (on this marked distance) without having to use the gg/sliding back.

 

[torger]

Is it possible to have several pairs of these stops? So instead of that pencil mark you could have a pair of stops instead? Or is it just a simple stop, i e impossible to bypass so you can just have one at the start and at the end in some range?

 

[wentbackward]

They flip up and down so the standard can pass over the ones not in use, you can have many pairs, if you like. Generally they're used to mark infinity for a lens and usually you'd make markings from there, however it is possible to do what you suggest. For Wide lenses where the stops need to be closer together you'd be limited by the width of the stop.

 

[greygrad]

Even though the stops are small, there's only so much room to fit them. Some of the older Technika stops that you can pick up on eBay are narrower than the present ones, so you can use more of them. They're easily bypassed (if I understand your question correctly) by raising/lowering them.

A pair of stops would certainly work instead of the pencil mark to establish a set focus distance for a particular lens, however I've found the pencil mark just as simple - and it allows you to use the focus knob rather than positioning the standard by hand. At the moment I've gone high tech and am using a $2 stick-on ruler, so - once I've set the starting position (by pulling the standard against one set of stops as described above) - I easily know where to focus for a particular distance (having figured it out before). Now this doesn't allow me to focus super accurately (a la an RM3d/i) - I'll use the gg for that - but it does work perfectly for a list of presets I've got written down - e.g. with the 35mm lens, 120cm off the ground @f11, with 1.7ish degrees of tilt, I need to focus no closer than 3m in order to get everything to fit in a 'typical' wedge - so here the pencil mark or distance noted on the ruler simply tells me not to move the lens any further away than that (which would focus closer). All I have to do is move the lens out to the pencil mark and then back just a tiny bit and I'm set.

 

[wentbackward]

greygrad, can I ask what technique you used to find infinity in the first place?

 

[greygrad]

To be honest I rarely focus at infinity - if I need to I'll just use the gg. The infinity stops I have fitted are there only to ensure everything is parallel. If I shot a lot at infinity, I'd definitely want to nail it - and thus save myself the 'hassle' of focussing - in which case I'd probably figure it out by shooting tethered and using a pair of infinity stops to record it's position (for each lens I wanted it set for).

To find other distances: e.g. the 3m noted above - I positioned an object 3m away and focussed on it with the gg, and then noted it on the ruler / or with a pencil mark. Not exactly high tech, but it works.

 

[torger]

Thanks for describing your technique greygrad, it's great to know how others are using their Techno.

 

[neil]

Yes thanks for explaining, it's so hard to get this type of information.
It's an important plus for this camera.
I am currently using a silvestri camera and am thinking about moving to a techno so am trying to understand the details of using a techno camera.

 

[wentbackward]

To be honest I rarely focus at infinity - if I need to I'll just use the gg. The infinity stops I have fitted are there only to ensure everything is parallel. If I shot a lot at infinity, I'd definitely want to nail it - and thus save myself the 'hassle' of focussing - in which case I'd probably figure it out by shooting tethered and using a pair of infinity stops to record it's position (for each lens I wanted it set for).

To find other distances: e.g. the 3m noted above - I positioned an object 3m away and focussed on it with the gg, and then noted it on the ruler / or with a pencil mark. Not exactly high tech, but it works.

Great tips! Many thanks!

My 4x5 had a little area to stick a strip of paper that could be marked up, so here's a tip from those days. When marking things is to get outside with something in the far far distance, using a long tape measure, set playing cards out along the ground at useful distances (e.g. 3, 5 & 10m) - hold them up with stones or stick the in the ground. Here, as you mark out the board of the Techno take a moment to stop down until you find acceptable infinity sharpness and make a note of that too so you have the hyperfocal f-stop for each mark! Use a torch or laser pointer on the cards to be more precise. Once you've done this you'll never care about a CoC again.

- Paul

 

[tjv]

The stops I think should be considered more for establishing a general position for the front standard to ensure parallelism. If you set them in a position for each lens (or a select few key lenses) for infinity when all movements are zeroed, you'll find as soon as you employ tilt you need to reposition the front standard. For people who make use of tilts in the landscape, it's best to have them positioned for slightly beyond infinity.

My Techno setup is quite simple. I have two lenses, a 55mm and a 90mm, and I have one pair of stops. This way, when the Techno's rail is set to the shortest position, it's set up for the 55mm. When I extend the rail one click it's perfect for the 90mm. Smart!

I love the Techno to pieces and in four months have run around 100 rolls of 120 film through a Horseman 6x7cm back. I know it's not digital and that film has a kind of depth and forgiveness that makes critical focusing less of a hassle that with digital, but I've never once missed a focus point, even in dim light, using the GG. I have just received the new Linhof & Studio 12x loupe with the small 1cm square base for critical focus and although I have not yet had a chance to use it in the field I can straight away see that it's going to make things easier again. I HATED my Silvestri 10x loupe. It had way too much distortion and I couldn't get to the corners, hence the new 12x replacement. I also picked up a small Schneider 8x loupe and it's WAY better. I will use it for general purpose GG assessment and for focusing in situations where being 100% precise is not so needed, e.g. shooting landscapes at f11-16.

 

[tjv]

PS: The Linhof & Studio 12x loupe is fantastically sharp, has good eye relief and has no distortion. A great investment for anyone using a GG to focus.

 

[Geoff]

FWIW, I set up infinity stops on the Techno for a good hyperfocal setting for a 55 mm lens, for f16 from about 15' to infinity. Pull out the lens, figure out the composition, shoot, adjust slightly for exposure, and done. A view camera as point and shoot?

One infinity stop seems to fit a bit different than the other, but with both set up using a right angle square, they help with parallelism. One test at f4 shooting at 8' gave me worries as one side was consistently out of focus - but it turned out to be a slightly cocked front standard. With the infinity stops, that issue went away.

Some additional notes on use of the camera and a stitching back can be found here:

http://www.gigi-photos.com/techno-report-gg-1-22-2013.pdf