A slightly different Linhof Technika III cam question

[cps]

Hi all,

I have a Tech III-5 that I have been using successfully for a little while now, and have been thinking about trying to get the coupled rangefinder into action. My camera did not come with cammed lenses, but the body does have a cam for a 150mm lens already in it.

I have read all the threads about the need for to have body/lens-specific cam cut for the Tech III rangefinder.

The question I have is whether picking up an older linhof-badged Schneider 150mm lens would increase my chances of getting reasonably accurate rangefinding with the cam I have, or should I not waste my money?

Thanks,
Chris

[grahamcase]

Ideally, you want to find the 150mm lens that has the same serial number as your cam - then they will work perfectly together. You may as well ask around, and see what you can come up with. If you find the matching lens it will increase the selling price of your Technika if you ever choose to do such a thing.

As for your actual question, I have no idea. It may get you in the ballpark, but what good is that? I wouldn't waste your money unless you can match it perfectly. You could, instead, spend your money to have a cam made that will work with your existing lens!

[Len Middleton]

Actually for the Technika III, the cam needs to be matched to both body and lens, and thus will have two serial numbers on it, one for the body, and the other the lens.

Probably easier to get a later version of Technika, as the Technika III cams are no longer available. Do not forget how old that camera is...

[grahamcase]

Actually for the Technika III, the cam needs to be matched to both body and lens, and thus will have two serial numbers on it, one for the body, and the other the lens.

Could we assume it's a given that the cam he has is for his camera (and I guess this is easy enough to check)?

If it is, it's still worth seeing if he can find the matching lens for his cam. It's better to ask and find nothing, then to not ask and someone on here having one they can sell him.

[Len Middleton]

Could we assume it's a given that the cam he has is for his camera (and I guess this is easy enough to check)?

If it is, it's still worth seeing if he can find the matching lens for his cam. It's better to ask and find nothing, then to not ask and someone on here having one they can sell him.

Sorry, did not read the original post close enough.

They are supposed to match, but I do not know how critical it might be. Indeed on my Technika v I use cams that are not matched to the lens I use them with, but then the focus has been less critical at the distance the subject is when I use them with the cam.

[cps]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I believe that the cam I have matches the body, but I also assumed that trying to find the lens that matched the cam would probably be a lost cause some 50+ years after the camera was released into the wild.

But, I was thinking that maybe, possibly, if most of the variation that resulted in the need for custom cams was driven by the body rather than variation within the lens series used at the time (like the old symmar 150's), then maybe picking up a lens that was a close match for the type that likely was used originally could work.

I didn't have particularly high hopes, but thought it worth asking. I am also inquiring about having a cam made, but am guessing it will not come cheaply....

Chris

[RichardRitter]

I would get a 150 mm lens and try it. If it is close the cam can be reworked to match the lens and the camera.
The way to check is focus on sometime with the range finder then look on the ground glass. Depending on the amount of play in the range finders connections you may find that the focusing matching when focusing in one direction and not the other,

[Bob Salomon]

No. The cam is specific on your camera to the individual lens and the position of the ground glass. Rather then asking for a shotgun abswer from people who don't know why not call Marflex and ask? 252 652-4401. Then you could know exactly in 5 minutes.

[Bob Salomon]

Ideally, you want to find the 150mm lens that has the same serial number as your cam - then they will work perfectly together. You may as well ask around, and see what you can come up with. If you find the matching lens it will increase the selling price of your Technika if you ever choose to do such a thing.

As for your actual question, I have no idea. It may get you in the ballpark, but what good is that? I wouldn't waste your money unless you can match it perfectly. You could, instead, spend your money to have a cam made that will work with your existing lens!

Wrong! For his camera or a IV the cam also MUST have the camera's serial number stamped on the bottom of the cam and the lens serial number on the top. Your answer is correct for the V and master versions only.

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I believe that the cam I have matches the body, but I also assumed that trying to find the lens that matched the cam would probably be a lost cause some 50+ years after the camera was released into the wild.

But, I was thinking that maybe, possibly, if most of the variation that resulted in the need for custom cams was driven by the body rather than variation within the lens series used at the time (like the old symmar 150's), then maybe picking up a lens that was a close match for the type that likely was used originally could work.

I didn't have particularly high hopes, but thought it worth asking. I am also inquiring about having a cam made, but am guessing it will not come cheaply....

Chris

It is driven by both the camera and the specific lens for a III and a IV.

[Bob Salomon]

I would get a 150 mm lens and try it. If it is close the cam can be reworked to match the lens and the camera.
The way to check is focus on sometime with the range finder then look on the ground glass. Depending on the amount of play in the range finders connections you may find that the focusing matching when focusing in one direction and not the other,

Reworked if metal needs to be removed. But not if metal needs to be added. Get the right answer and just ask Marflex, the USA factory service center for Linhof. These answers are all wishful thinking or just a guess.

[RichardRitter]

I have a degree in Tool design and worked as a tool and die maker in a shop that did R & D work for Bell Labs before working at Zone VI and what I currently do now. The cam linkage system in the Linhof camera is a simple cam arrangement that was commonly use in the making of custom machines and is still in use today. If you know what you doing it is a cake walk to work on then and repair then. Only problem no part are available and some parts do wear out and can cause focusing problems. I have been working on the Teck III camera for 10 years and have made dozens of cams for this camera.

First finding a matching lens is out of the question.

Second as far as I know Linhof is not supplying cams or parts for the Teck III camera.

Third you probably want to use a newer lens here is where the matching of an older cam may not work the newer lens may have a different focusing arc then the older lens made at the time your camera was made.I have seem this on a number of different focal length lens and makes. I had a camera in for cams and the owner had three 90mm lenses of different ages and lens makes they all had thier own cam arc.


So what do you do?

Get lens and try it.
Or
Get the lens and just use the ground glass depending on what you are photographing this is the better choice.

[E. von Hoegh]

Reworked if metal needs to be removed. But not if metal needs to be added.......

One can always peen the edge. Worked for me with a 6" lens on a STIV.

[Brian Ellis]

While it might be nice if you had the matching lens it may not be necessary as a practical matter. I bought a cam for a 150mm lens on ebay and attached a 150mm lens (G Claron I think) lens. Then checked it out with the rangefinder and ground glass and it seemed to be spot on or at least certainly good enough to use. I've read of others having the same experience.

Even if you somehow could find the matching lens, the matching would have been done when the lens and camera were at the factory 50 or 60 years ago. By now the camera and/or lens or both are almost certainly not precisely as they were when they left the factory so it perhaps wouldn't matter anyhow.

[Farside]

While it might be nice if you had the matching lens it may not be necessary as a practical matter. I bought a cam for a 150mm lens on ebay and attached a 150mm lens (G Claron I think) lens. Then checked it out with the rangefinder and ground glass and it seemed to be spot on or at least certainly good enough to use. I've read of others having the same experience.

Even if you somehow could find the matching lens, the matching would have been done when the lens and camera were at the factory 50 or 60 years ago. By now the camera and/or lens or both are almost certainly not precisely as they were when they left the factory so it perhaps wouldn't matter anyhow.

Just to throw a bone into the pot, years afterwards...
I found my 1953 Tech III has three infinity notches for different 150mm lenses on the top rail, and four dots punched underneath the scale channel for various lenses. Presumably various owners over the years had cause to use different lenses and simply zeroed them in by infinity only - the cam matches the camera, but the lens number on it belongs to a long-gone 1950 S-K (presumably Xenar), so not much chance of finding it now, anyway.
However, I find that a 1929 Xenar is perfectly matched to one of the notches, and when the scale channel is slid forward to its foremost dib mark (those who have one will know), it's a perfect match for GG and scale, just the RF needs a tweak. I'm not going to bother with it for the moment, as I intend to use the camera with another lens fitted as the base-line, so will do some proper matching with that installed.

[jbenedict]

One can always peen the edge. Worked for me with a 6" lens on a STIV.

Or have metal added by a welder. It's done all the time. I imagine you would want to deal with a jewelry maker for that. I'd give Marflex a call before doing anything.

[Oren Grad]

I'd give Marflex a call before doing anything.

Marflex is out of business - Martin passed away some time back. Bob Watkins (Precision Camera Works) has done Linhof factory training and is now equipped to deal with IV/V/Master camming.

[jbenedict]

Marflex is out of business - Martin passed away some time back. Bob Watkins (Precision Camera Works) has done Linhof factory training and is now equipped to deal with IV/V/Master camming.

Good to know. I just pulled the name from Bob S's post.

[Neal Chaves]

If you have a 150mm cam for the body, someone with a little skill, a file and a hammer can match that old cam up to any appropriate 150mm lens.

[Farside]

If you have a 150mm cam for the body, someone with a little skill, a file and a hammer can match that old cam up to any appropriate 150mm lens.

That's exactly what I'll be doing. A bench vice, a file, and some nous. Well, 40 years of manufacturing engineering should do it. :)
Before I do that, I'll acquire another old cam for practice, though. The second attempt is always better.
The 15cm S-K tracks the RF very closely, in fact so closely I'd keep it, if the front threads on it didn't preclude fitting later filters and hoods. It's 20 years older than the one fitted by the factory, but almost identical in behaviour. However, I do have another home for that one, in the 1937 Tech II which I believe was fitted with that exact model.