Linhof: problem with a cammed Lens

Hi, I finally bought myself a little jewel: a Linhof Super Technika IV 2x3, Used

it seems in pretty good condition and I choose it because it has 3 cammed lenses

and the serial numbers match. I gave it a good cleaning and tried the various cams.

 

First, I experience that changing the cam is pretty cumbersome, it seems to me

that I need to completely remove the lock, put the lens inside the body so that

the cam follower gets detached and then change the cam and put everything in. I

imagine it can get pretty tricky doing this on the field... Am I doing something

wrong?

 

Secondly, which worries me more is that two cams and their lenses seem to work

perfectly: I put the lens standard in the "click" of the correct color on the

rails and the distance meter of the RF tells infinity, a check in the GG

confirms this, focusing closer effectively works and gives reasonable results.

But for one lens, the wide-angle 65mm Angulon, I have the problem that by

putting the lens in the click-stop it already seems to be out of focus! both gg

and the range finder confirms this, even by pulling the focus all back, it shows

5 meter... This is strange and I ask if maybe there is a special procedure to

use the wide-angle? It already has a slightly recessed lens-board.

riccardo,

 

i do not have a 2x3, but a 4x5 technika with cammed lenses.

a 65mm should be a moderate wide angle on your camera, more or less close to 90mm on

4x5.

what i have to do to get the infinity stop to work correctly for my 90mm is to push the top

focussing rail

back until it nearly meets the track in the camera housing while the middle and bottom

rails are still in their original position. i could imagine this would also have to be done

using a 2x3. so give it a try: there should be some kind of release button or knob enabling

you to push only the top bed rail backwards towards the housing track. on a 4x5 these are

two spring like buttons that need to be pushed down one after the other to give way to the

rail. as soon as the rail pushed back settles in this position, try to draw the 65mm to its

infinity stop and check for focus accuracy.

this may bring the solution ;-)

best regards

 

douglas

Try dropping the bed and tilting the lens back to vertical for cammed focus to infinity.

When was your camera last properly serviced and adjusted? The shorter the lens the more

critical it becomes for the camera to be properly factory aligned and in factory

specifications as the shorter the lens the shallower the depth of focus of the lens (not the

depth of field).

 

Your camera, if it was the last Tech 23 IV made is 43+ years old! If it was the first one it

is 51 years old.

 

As the Angulon is equally ancient there are a couple of possibilities:

 

1: Your camera is out of factory spec.

2: Your cam has a lobe that has been worn to a point that it no longer focuses true.

3: Your cam follower on the body is worn.

4: Infinity stops are out of position. Do you see small pock marks on the rail beds where

the stops are located? That is a sure sign that the stops have been moved.

 

Do the camera a tremendous favor and get it properly CLA by a factory trained Linhof

service center. It should have many more years of useful life ahead of it. But you would

see a tremendous improvement optically with a modern set of lenses.

Antonio,

you were right, the inner rail has a click that when at infinity can be clicked and I can

push the rail back towards the inner of the camera, where a stop will limit the travel.

With this trick, the click stop corresponds to correct infinity on the GG. The

Rangefinder is still completely crazy since the cam and follower are unaffected by this

operation, but at least I can use the lens.

 

I expect the camera to be in fair condition, it has been little used and was the

personal camera of a passionate amateur who was also a repair man, who died a

couple of years ago. Shutters of course are in the need of an overhaul since they were

unused for too much.

 

Since both the 105 as well as the 240 mm seem to focus pretty much accurately, I

think the cam follower is fine. We are not speaking of a small error, but about 5

meters instead of infinity! But probably it will need need to be checked by a

competent Linhof technician.

 

The rangefinder is not critical, but I hope to use this baby technika both as a "small"

large format camera when I need it, but also be able to use it with the rangefinder

when I need some more operation speed but want more size than my Leica.

riccardo,

 

why don't you try getting a manual for your camera?

if you can read and understand german: http://www.lindemanns.de/4DCGI/1118369583/

SubNavigation/

276.

if not, i am sure you will be able to find english versions available on the net.

enjoy your camera!

 

douglas