Linhof Tech V cams and convertible lenses

[jnoir]

First of all, forgive me if the information I'm looking for is elsewhere, if it is I have not managed to find it.

My Linhof Super Technika is fitted with a "convertible" S-K Symmar lens. It is a 150mm lens, but it seems that by removing some glass (the front element / group, if I understood correctly, I'm newbie to LF and English is not my mother tongue) it can work as a 265mm lens.

The lens is cammed, and the serial number on the cam matches that of the lens.

My question is: is this lens cammed for both focal lengths? That is, should there be a cam for the 150mm FL, and another for the 265mm, or just the single cam and placing the lens standard at the correct infinity stop is enough?

[Oren Grad]

You would need a separate cam for 265mm. In mathematical terms, both the slope and the intercept of the focusing action change with the focal length. Resetting the infinity stop corrects for the different intercept, but a different cam is required to achieve the different slope.

[jnoir]

Thanks for the confirmation, that's very useful information !

And I guess that, since the two different focal lenghts are marked in different colors, the cam to be used can be identified by the color of the engravings in the cam?

I only have one lens and one cam, so I have no previous experience and no way to compare, so that's just a wild guess

[E. von Hoegh]

There is no cam for the 265mm focal length. The lens couples to the rangefinder at the 150mm focal length only, there is one cam only for that lens.

[jnoir]

All clear, thank you very much !!

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks for the confirmation, that's very useful information !

And I guess that, since the two different focal lenghts are marked in different colors, the cam to be used can be identified by the color of the engravings in the cam?

I only have one lens and one cam, so I have no previous experience and no way to compare, so that's just a wild guess

Your infinity stops should be color coded for the 150mm lens. There is no infinity stop for the converted lens unless you have a service center install one. The closest cam Linhof had to a 265mm lens was the blank cam for the 270mm lens #035312.1.001. As far as I know that cam is no longer made. A qualified service center could possibly cut that 270mm cam, if you can find one. to match your 265mm lens but the expense is probably not worth it.

[Oren Grad]

A qualified service center could possibly cut that 270mm cam, if you can find one. to match your 265mm lens but the expense is probably not worth it.

It can be done. Quite a few years back I had a technician carve a pair of Horseman cams to couple two modern Rodenstock lenses to the rangefinder of my VH-R. But I'm sure it would be a lot more expensive now.