[LargeFormat] RE: Horseman or Gandolfi?

[rstein]

Dear Nephew Daniel,

     You are in luck. Uncle Dick is here. Note I did not define what KIND of
luck....

    You now have something in common with Uncle Dick. He too, owns a Linhof
monorail. In his case it is the Kardan E, but I suspect that this is the
same as the Kardan M - just a change of designation for where it is sold.

    No matter - you have made a wise choice. The Kardan E came in as the
best value of the Linhof range here in Australia as it seems to be aimed at
students and low-budget studios. As it enables you to access so much of the
Linhof range of gear it is a fabulously good buy.

    Your bellows attach on the inside of the two standards by simply lifting
up the chromed spring clip and tipping the square-section plastic frames in.
One thing to watch for on the aft standard - the clips that hold the ground
glass back on are NOT the same as those that hold the bellows in. One is
angled - the other is straight. Look on the inside of the fore standard and
match the clips on the aft one to it.

    Your new Linhof will be a little more cumbersome than a wooden folder
but ever so much more rigid. It will also wind out to a good length to
accomodate a 250mm lens at a portrait distance and any of the standard focal
lengths out to close ups - I used mine to do flower studies in the studio
this week and got out to 1:1 reproduction on the negatives. Remember that if
you do rack the lens out that far that you'll have to increase your
exposure - I added 2/3 of a stop for mine and it was perfect.

    You'll particularly like your Linhof if you start to get an itch to add
strange old lenses and even stranger old shutters. The big Kardan lensboard
vs the smaller Technika board accomodates larger diameter devices and bulky
things like Packard shutters. Now you can buy orphan process lenses from
Dagor77 or dig them out of dead photo copiers yourself. Remember  - a man
with a large format camera need never refuse another lens.

    With a bit of luck you may be able to add a compendium lens shade at the
front of the M. I have ordered one for my E but as they are hand -grown on
the sunny south slopes of the Karpf estate in Bavaria, I do not expect it
any time soon. I have a feeling that the distribution and sales network of
the Linhof firm has changed from what it once was - perhaps it is different
in America.

    Uncle Dick