I recently acquired an older Kardan Colour 45s monorail (sans owner's manual, of course) and need help with a couple of things. The rear standard is a little shaky on the circular monorail, and I notice that there are eight teflon screws around the edges of the clamp. Tightening them seems to reduce the play quite a bit, but is that what they are for? They might also be for levelling the clamp on the standard, and I don't want to put too much stress on them if that is their only function. (I worry about trying to replace parts on this camera.)

While the Kardan is not the most portable of cameras, I would like to make it easier to carry. The bellows snap off very quickly and the standards then can rotate parallel to the monorail, making it a lot more compact and maybe something I'd be able to haul around on my back, on my bicycle, without giving myself a hernia. Is there anything to recommend against this? Will I end up putting too much wear and tear on the bellows or the swing mechanism of the standards?

Thanks for any help you can give. The camera seems to have endured a good many years, and I don't want to be responsible for its premature demise...

s.

-- Stephen Gregory (smg@netcom.ca), January 17, 2001

Answers

Linhof in Canada is distributed by Kinderman call them and ask for Mike and he can help you.

The camera was designed to be transported with the standards swung the way you are doing.

-- Bob Salomon (bobsalomon@mindspring.com), January 17, 2001.