I use barrel lenses too with my Speed graphic and as heavy and antiquated the shutter is, one has to marvel at the precision and reliability! It really is awesome that you can shoot slide film with the focal plane shutter with confidence.Day and night inquiries are reaching Linhof in Munich from all over the world – by e-mail, fax, phone: What’s the year of production of my camera? What’s the difference in my Linhof compared to later models of the same type? Can I use modern accessories including digital backs? These are some of the questions raised by professionals, discriminating amateurs, photo dealers and camera collectors. This is the reason that Linhof made their cams exactly for one lens only (serial number matched). For most people it will be good enough though stopping down but I like to be able to shoot wide open with them :)ĭifferent optical designs have slight differences in true focal lenght and ratio of extension to focus point (i cant recall the technical term for this). With a bit of practice you can calibrate the kalart rangefinder to lenses even if no cams are available at all for your FL! Also if you try to set up a Xenotar or Symmar with a 135mm cam made for a Ektar lens it's questionalbe how exact the calibration will be. Best camera of the 20th century I don't know (it's leica iimho), best american made camera maybe (I love my Busch Pressmann just a bit more ) Love their reliability and repairability. I have rescued four of them, the worst one had water damage and someone tried to close the camera by force and bent the rails, even this I could repair myself just fine! It's just a wood housing and a few metal parts. Good review and I absolutely agree that they are some of the most amazing cameras ever! At my age, I realized that it’s not the camera or fancy brand you should be spending your money on, it’s the modern German lenses. So if you want to get into Large Format photography, your funds are low, and you want to be able to take a camera outdoors, buy one and you won’t be disappointed. I’m not crazy about them because I don’t use old barrel lenses, and I’m not crazy about the extra weight of a focal plane shutter. Some of these cameras are called speed Graflex. That way you can choose more lenses, and have cams that corresponds to the lens. I advise you to get the one with the rangefinder mounted on top. And you can get one pretty much next to nothing. They are inexpensive and easy to operate. This was primarily designed as just a point-and-shoot camera with a rangefinder. You can use it for a little bit of architecture, or landscape, but you’ll be missing out. I use mine for street shooting, going to underground clubs, and urban exploration. It’s a great point and shoot all around town camera. The bed is designed to lower for shorter focal lenses like a 90mm lens. This camera pretty much gives you all the basic movements that you will need. If the camera gets damaged, it’s easier to buy another than fix it. I don’t have to ask people if they want to be photographed with this camera. But this camera is lightweight and you can carry it all day. Have you ever tried carrying a Linhof Master Technika around your neck on a hot summer day.? It’s like carrying 2 hot bricks around your neck. Spending a lot of money on photography gear is not gonna make you a better photographer. 85% of my large format film work was done with this inexpensive camera. I have used Linhof cameras that cost 10 times this amount, but I still go back to my old crown Graflex cameras.
The original Graflex optar or Schneider Xenar was replaced with a better, more accurate, modern copal O shutter, and better optics 6/4, Rodenstock 135mm Sironar S. That way temperature extremes such as really cold days don’t affect it. When I lubricate mine I make sure that I use synthetic oil‘s.
You can easily look up which cam will fit your lens. Because of this, each lens uses different cams. The best ones will have the rangefinder mounted on top. So the market is pretty much flooded with them. It was a go to press camera from the 1930s to the 60s. All the greatest images were shot with this camera. This is the best camera ever made in the 20th century as far as I’m concerned. I love to take these, tinker with them, collect them and restore them. I’ve owned a lot of cameras, but this is my favorite.