04-02-2017, 06:26 PM
I must admit the Nikon is a little gem of a camera, first off the shutter wouldn't fire, nothing, I downloaded the PDF, nothing there which pointed to something I was doing wrong. Then I turned the motor-wind coupling on the base plate by hand and it fired, the coupling showed signs of corrosion and I applied some WD40 and some thin oil and kept firing, that loosened it up and then it was fine. Everything works now metering, shutter speeds and all.... it's a goodie.
The 4X5" Linhoff is just the most "fabulously constructed camera" I've ever seen....point!
The whole thing is made in diecast aluminum 3mm thick and more, it weighs 2.8 Kgs and feels heavier than that. It's the point where photography crosses over to German precision engineering beauty, nothing is compromised, there's not a micron of play anywhere. It's built like a quality lathe!
Everything is adjustable, it's as if the goal was to have no limitations anywhere, nothing to hold you back...you want to focus to 4mm...no problem. You need tilt, shift at any angle...you got it!.... To be honest I enjoy the time spent just holding it, it's a bit like looking at a work of art....it's what i have said here before about my favourite camera the Voigtlander Bessa II...mechanical perfection!
Optically there is little fungus and I mean a little, in the center elements, no fogging though, I was in there in five minutes and removed and cleaned the rear and front elements, the remaining requires the lens to be disassembled to access between the elements in amongst the shutter mechanism, full of zillions of springs and you know what.......there I go not!
I've never tried repairing shutter mechanisms, the shutter works fine and doesn't hesitate at longer exposure times;.
Frankly there is little to cause image degradation and I'm sure it will make fantastic quality photos. I haven't the film plate carrier for the sheet film, that was the only missing item.
I will do what I can in terms of cleaning and lubricating this camera like I've done the Nikon, it's come up quite well. Many of these cameras go from flea market to flea market chucked in a box getting scuffed and damaged so just saving them from more degradation is something, many are already too far gone already with scratched lenses and looking beaten up, there are at least twenty or thirty cameras on sale every week.
I guess I'll put the Linhoff on the bon coin when it's looking nice, the Nikon tempts me to at least run a few rolls of B+W through it, the 55mm F1.2 has already found it's way on to the mount and looks "just the ticket on board"!
Like I say shooting silver halide is a "retirement dream" mainly for the pleasure of these old superbly constructed cameras, probably a lot lore than the silver halide itself, somebody with the space time and wherewithal will put this camera to better use than I could living on a small boat!
The 4X5" Linhoff is just the most "fabulously constructed camera" I've ever seen....point!
The whole thing is made in diecast aluminum 3mm thick and more, it weighs 2.8 Kgs and feels heavier than that. It's the point where photography crosses over to German precision engineering beauty, nothing is compromised, there's not a micron of play anywhere. It's built like a quality lathe!
Everything is adjustable, it's as if the goal was to have no limitations anywhere, nothing to hold you back...you want to focus to 4mm...no problem. You need tilt, shift at any angle...you got it!.... To be honest I enjoy the time spent just holding it, it's a bit like looking at a work of art....it's what i have said here before about my favourite camera the Voigtlander Bessa II...mechanical perfection!
Optically there is little fungus and I mean a little, in the center elements, no fogging though, I was in there in five minutes and removed and cleaned the rear and front elements, the remaining requires the lens to be disassembled to access between the elements in amongst the shutter mechanism, full of zillions of springs and you know what.......there I go not!
I've never tried repairing shutter mechanisms, the shutter works fine and doesn't hesitate at longer exposure times;.
Frankly there is little to cause image degradation and I'm sure it will make fantastic quality photos. I haven't the film plate carrier for the sheet film, that was the only missing item.
I will do what I can in terms of cleaning and lubricating this camera like I've done the Nikon, it's come up quite well. Many of these cameras go from flea market to flea market chucked in a box getting scuffed and damaged so just saving them from more degradation is something, many are already too far gone already with scratched lenses and looking beaten up, there are at least twenty or thirty cameras on sale every week.
I guess I'll put the Linhoff on the bon coin when it's looking nice, the Nikon tempts me to at least run a few rolls of B+W through it, the 55mm F1.2 has already found it's way on to the mount and looks "just the ticket on board"!
Like I say shooting silver halide is a "retirement dream" mainly for the pleasure of these old superbly constructed cameras, probably a lot lore than the silver halide itself, somebody with the space time and wherewithal will put this camera to better use than I could living on a small boat!