{"id":42823,"date":"2026-06-05T13:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T20:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/?p=42823"},"modified":"2026-06-05T13:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T20:05:25","slug":"linhof-twin-shank-pro-tripod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/2026\/06\/05\/linhof-twin-shank-pro-tripod\/","title":{"rendered":"Linhof Twin Shank Pro tripod"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><I>\u00dcber Alles.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>I have been a contented user of a <a href=https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/2008\/11\/18\/linhof-s168-tripod\/ target=_blank>Linhof S168 tripod<\/a> for some four decades.  A sturdy support it weighs 6lbs 5.3oz. and you can see the extension in that link.<\/p>\n<p>However, as I really need that tripod for display purposes in the home theater, when the opportunity came along to acquire a mint 1950s Linhof Twin Shank Pro for all of $125, I snapped it up. Weighting a light 7lb 2.0oz thanks to all alloy construction the dual shank cantilevered legs provide for just one extension and, with the center post extended that means a maximum of 73 3\/4 inches from the low point of 29 1\/2 inches.  That&#8217;s good enough for basketballers, and while I used to be 6 feet tall age seems to be taking me down a bit.  Anyway, it&#8217;s more than tall enough.<\/p>\n<p><center><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.pindelski.org\/Blog2\/Linhof_Twin_Shank_Pro.jpg\"  alt=\"\" \/><br \/>\n<I>Tall enough.<\/I><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>All that was needed was a very thin swipe of silicon based <a href=https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/p\/BK_7651351?cid=affiliate_conversions_Cashback+on+Bing+for+non-Edge+browsers-3624890_rakuten_brand_05\/2023&#038;ranMID=50383&#038;ranEAID=msYS1Nvjv4c&#038;ranSiteID=msYS1Nvjv4c-f6VGAER.NlWGMyaVZEm2vw target=_blank>Silglyde<\/a> on the sliding parts to remove stiction.  WD40 and related paraffin-based lubricants are probably not a good idea as they may rot the seals over time.   Luckily the retractable rubber feet are in excellent shape, no cracks showing and a coat of rubber preservative on these is just what the doctor ordered.<\/p>\n<p>The head has a 3\/8&#8243; thread and I use a heavy duty <a href=https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0DXVGC24X?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1 target=_blank>Artcise ball head<\/a> atop.   Despite the width of the Linhof&#8217;s mounting plate the controls on the head are easily accessed.  The Linhof Twin-Shank Pro, without a head, retailed for $89.95 in 1957, which figures to $1,350 today and, indeed, Linhof still makes tripods which you and Elon Musk can find <a href=https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/31647-REG\/Linhof_003317_Twin_Shank_Expert_Tripod.html\/specs target=_blank>at B&#038;H<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>These Linhofs regularly turn up on the used market &#8211; they made a vast range &#8211; and if you can find one that has not been brutalized in a pro&#8217;s studio at a good price I say &#8220;Go for it&#8221;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00dcber Alles. I have been a contented user of a Linhof S168 tripod for some four decades. A sturdy support it weighs 6lbs 5.3oz. and you can see the extension in that link. However, as I really need that tripod for display purposes in the home theater, when the opportunity came along to acquire a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/2026\/06\/05\/linhof-twin-shank-pro-tripod\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Linhof Twin Shank Pro tripod<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technique"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42823"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42828,"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42823\/revisions\/42828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pindelski.org\/Photography\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}