In a world where it is too expensive to machine anything, where cameras lookas though they were popped out of a mold, it is nice to own a product that isessentially unchanged since the Linhof Technika III was introduced in 1946. You can get something like 17" (435mm) of extension for macrophotography and/or telephoto lenses. One thing the Linhof does better than any other field camera Ive seen is longextension. What I especially miss from myold Sinar F2 are all the little calculator wheels that tell you (1) what apertureyou need to get enough depth of field, (2) at what angle you need to tilt thelens and/or film plane to bring a tabletop into focus via the Scheimpflug Rule.(see B&H Photoslarge format introduction if you want some diagrams and background on viewcamera movements or get hold of a copy of View Camera Technique) On about 1/10th of the pictures that you take, youll long for the flexibilityof a traditional studio monorail, e.g., Sinar X. Remember that ifthey arent, you will get subtle unsharpness and you might as well have used awooden view camera or could even have gotten better results with a 35mm SLR andPC lens. But ifyou want to shift the lens down, you have to drop the front tray and then tiltthe lens back to bring it parallel again with the rear standard (i.e., the film).You have to guess at whether the standards are in fact parallel. It is pretty fast to level the camera on a tripodand then shift the lens up to take a perspective-correct image a building.
OK, it might be a pain to set up, but once you get the thing on a tripod, itis ultimately flexible, no? No. The bottom line is that when I take a trip with my cameras, I end up coveringmost subjects with my Canon EOS system, a few with my Fuji 617camera, and hardly any with the Linhof. The Yashica T4 point-and-shoot camera islooking even better. That CanonEOS-5 is starting to look pretty good. So youre heading out of the car with a tripod, the camera, a Quickloadholder, a box of Fuji Quickload film (the Kodak stuff is really unreliable in myexperience), a loupe, a cable release, and a light meter on your belt. These have to be handled carefullyand require a holder that, though not heavy, is bulky. But the modern-day solution for the lazy tendsto be Kodak Readyload or Fuji Quickload film. I guess the old-time press photographers had Grafmatic backs and such that letthem whip off exposures quickly. At thatpoint, you really should flip open the back (with its nice folding focusing hood)and check composition and focus with a loupe. But in practice you wontget the depth of field you need unless you stop down to f/22 in which case theshutter speed will be slow enough that youll want to use a tripod. So in theory you can just aim, focus, and shoot. The Linhof has a rangefinder that can be coupledto various lenses and an accessory zooming viewfinder that fits into a shoe ontop. So why doesnt the Linhof Master Techika work as a beefypoint-and-shoot? Because there is simply too much other stuff you need to carryaround to expose 4x5 sheet film. (2.6kg), itis heavier than some field cameras, notably the Horseman FA, but only by a coupleof pounds. It is true that,folded, it isnt too large: 8 x 7 x 4.5" (20 x 18 x 11cm). Thecamera does not let me shoot large format negatives casually. If you want to pretend that youre a 1940s pressphotographer, e.g., Weegee, you can stick an anatomical grip on the side, acammed lens on the front, a big flash on the other side, and blast away. If you want view cameramovements and flexibility, the Technika has them and they are precise (unlikefolding wooden cameras). I own one because I keep thinking it will let me use a viewcamera in all kinds of new situations and places. The Linhof Master Technika is a $5000 folding camera that takes 4x5" sheetfilm negatives.