@Christopher: Interesting how one user's experiences can be so different from another's...the ironic thing being that it was your positive feedback on using the Techno over at
GetDPI that got me interested in it in the first place
My experience with the Techno has almost all been good. The only negative was with the current sliding back, which isn't good - too much like a sail on a windy day, heavy and not that easy to use. I found that the force needed to move the DB across was enough to sometimes move the camera. Definitely not recommended. The sooner Linhof introduce the new back the better, though I believe production has been put back (no pun intended) by demand for the 3D head and the Techno itself. I absolutely agree that hitting the mark (e.g. 5m) with a bellows camera is not as easy as with a helical, although if the helical doesn't specifically have a 5m mark (for example) it's not that easy either. For wide angle lenses though I'd probably just focus at the hyperfocal distance (using a set 'infinity' stop) and stop down, making focussing a no brainer, and certainly not requiring the DB to be tethered. As greygrad mentioned above, there is also the option to mount your wide-angle lenses in helicals, perhaps with Alpa's HPF rings installed as well. This would give you the best of both worlds. In a standard Techno lensboard, the Rodenstock 40mm HR-W would cost about $3900, in an Arca-Swiss R mount that would be $5300 and in an Alpa mount a staggering $6450, so - if cost is an issue - there are significant savings to be made when it comes to lenses by using the Techno/ML2. As far as build quality is concerned, I found the Techno I used to be first class - very solid at only 100g lighter than the ML2. In particular, the rear standard and base were completely rigid, as you'd expect since they are machined from the same, single piece of alloy.
Unfortunately the Techno suffers from a lack of end user feedback and promotion. Plenty of well reknowned photographers use it - Joe Cornish in particular is one that comes to mind, and he shoots it in a lot of very demanding conditions, untethered, using the Linhof original sliding back. However, other than a review by the
British Journal of Photography, and
this guy's blog, there is virtually nothing written (in English) about the camera, and the 'ins' and 'outs' of using it on a daily basis. In comparison, there is a wealth of information available of the net about the Arca, Alpa and Cambo line of cameras - both positive and negative - so that a fully informed opinion of each system can be developed. Furthermore, in contrast to those manufacturers just mentioned, Linhof's distributor/dealer base seems to do little to promote the camera. In Canada, 'Blazes Photographic' is listed as their distributor. I'm tempted to say, 'Who the blazes are they?' They don't even have a website listing who they distribute to. Not very useful.
Just my 2c (or should that be 3c given the way the Looney is performing?)
