SK Grimes improves the Linhof Technikardan

A common complaint with the otherwise noteworthy Linhof Technikardan is the fact the the front and rear standards are “L” shaped and as such there can be a tendency for movement during long exposures or sagging when using heavy backs. As shown in the illustration below, the rear standard (as ingenious and well-engineered as it is) allows quite a bit of movement both forward/backward as well as up/down.

This of course is not a problem for most ordinary photographs where the exposure is measured in fractions of a second. However, this behavior is particularly troublesome when using a heavy scan back like the BetterLight which requires a rock-solid platform during its typical 3-7 minute exposures.

Rather than sell my beloved TK 45 for the likes of an Arca Swiss, I contacted S.K Grimes in Woonsocket RI to modify my camera so that it would be rock-solid, yet allow full control, and also be removable on those rare cases when I needed 100% movements.

Based on a design sketch I provided them, they worked diligently to improve my camera as shown in the photograph at left.

To test the mod, I took my camera with me on a trip to Ireland last year to see how it would behave when creating large-format, digital panoramas. It took some getting used to remembering to unscrew the RIGHT side of the rear standard, but after a few tries it became second nature to me. The mod performed flawlessly providing a very stable platform to shoot in the windy Irish weather.

The result is a camera that is as solid as ANY other field camera, yet offers complete movements and no downsides. To say I’m happy with the result is an understatement!

Shown at left is the camera with the support removed for those rare times when I require full movements. It takes nothing more than an allen wrench and about 1 minute to remove it.

All in all, a simple, elegant solution that I’ll bet the Linhof engineers wish they had thought of!

J Michael Sullivan


You can contact S.K Grimes at
www.skgrimes.com

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Modifying a Mamiya Tele-Converter 1.4xRZ to fit an RB67

By J Michael Sullivan




We RB67 owners are second-class citizens when it comes to comparing our beloved beast of a camera to its electronic brother the RZ67. Perhaps one of the most obvious examples is that Mamiya never offered a 1.4x teleconverter for the RB67 — something in my opinion is a glaring omission. Fortunately, the RZ67 and RB67 share the same mounting ring. I wondered: could I modify the RZ67 teleconverter to work with an RB67? I figured I'd give it a try.

First thing was to procure a Mamiya 1.4x tele-converter. Lucky for me there was one in exc+ condition on eBay that with some counter-bidding I was able to purchase for only $142. Upon inspecting it, it was clear that the primary problem with mounting it to the RB67 was two obnoxious studs that got in the way of the tele-converter from being mounted properly on the otherwise identical RB67 lens mount. Amazingly, I could find NOTHING on the internet regarding whether these two studs had any purpose other than preventing RZ lenses from mounting on RB bodies. I decided that they must serve no other purpose and herein document the steps I took to modify the 1.4x tele-converter for use with my RB67.

Equipment needed:
- a small "jewelers" philips screw driver
- a 1/16" drill

Estimated time:
- 5 minutes


STEP 1: Note the two offending studs — these prevent RZ lenses from being mounted onto an RB body.


STEP 2: Remove the plate by unscrewing the 4 mounting screws with your jeweler's philips screwdriver. Be careful not to lose the Shutter Release Lock Pin (see previous image).


STEP 3: Flip the plate over and using the 1/16" drill, drill out the soft bronze studs BY HAND (do not use a power drill).




STEP 4: Dust it off, and align it back on the teleconverter, being sure to locate the Shutter Release Lock Pin back in its proper location. Re-attach the 4 mounting screws

STEP 5: Verify that you can manually move the shutter cocking pins


STEP 6: Mount the teleconverter on your RB67


STEP 7: Mount your lens on the teleconverter (Note: the teleconverter is optimized for 90mm to 180mm lenses)

STEP 8: Verify that you can cock the shutter

STEP 9: Take your picture! (Note that you will need to add exactly 1 stop more exposure to compensate for the 1.4x longer lens)












And that's about it. Here is a sample photo using a Mamiya RB67 + 250mm + 1.4x teleconverter:

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