[LargeFormat] Linhof

[rstein]

Dear Nephew Dan,

    Is it wise to talk about our secret on this list?

    I mean the secret of the Kardan M or E. If you or I tell people what a
good camera it is and how well built it is then they will rush out and buy
one and Linhof will be swamped with orders. And then we will be forced to
wait for months when we want to buy the simplest of parts. And the price of
the parts will rise. And I will be forced into a life of crime to pay for my
next lensboard. Do you want this on your conscience?

    I took a look again at the Technika in the camera store. That chrome
corrosion is definitely general - there is no handling pattern to it. I also
got a reply from another enthusiast that suggested the plating was erupting
from the inside rather than the outside. His explanation was that to chrome
aluminium you must first coat the metal with copper - then plate the copper.
And he seems to think that at some stage Linhof got a batch of copper that
had impurities in it. Some areas are now reacting in a Cu AL Cr mess. I am
unsure of this - I've seen other corrosion on other cameras that I think was
due to tropical sevice.

    As it is I think I will pass on this camera. The asking price is
attractive until you add up all the faults of all the components. If the
works are slowly gumming up due to service in Darwin or somesuch I do not
want to be the one who has to pay for complete overhauls. I shall put my
next Linhof money into a 240mm lens for portraits in the studio.

    Speaking of Linhof money - I have a Cine Rollex 45 back in very good
condition - the black version - going for cheap. I would even consider horse
trading, provided there was something useful on offer and providing I can
talk to the front end of the horse. Are you - or anyone else - interested?

     Uncle Dick