Linhof Master Technika Range Finder

[Sideshow Bob]

On the Tech IV if you want to uses the range finder the lens requires a cam matched to the lens. Is a matching cam required for the Master Technika or does it just need a cam for the focal of the lens used?

Gale

[Brian Ellis]

Linhof and maybe others would tell you that you need to match the lens to the cam with the Master. However, some people have said they bought a cam of the appropriate focal length without matching and it worked fine. I bought a 150mm cam on ebay for a 150mm lens and it appeared to work fine based on looking through the rangefinder and seeing the split prism align correctly on the subject on which I was focusing. However, I never made a photograph using the rangefinder so I don't know for sure that it would have worked. But cams can be bought pretty inexpensively on ebay and elsewhere - I think I paid $30 or so for mine - so you might just give it a try and see what happens before you spend the $250 or so that Marflex charges (not suggesting it's an overcharge, they do more than just grind a cam, but it's still quite a lot of money).

As an aside, on the Tech IV the cam has to be matched not only to the lens but also to the camera. It was only with the Tech V that matching to the lens alone could be done. At least that's my recollection.