Linhof Tech V: Syncing modern flash via right-side flashmount?

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks.

yeah at 20 feet, GG and rangefinder seem to agree on focus (as far as I can tell; like I said, I dont have a loupe).

But the fujiroids Ive shot that have been out of focus were when focusing just a few (3 or 4) feet away. Theyve all been near-focused approximately 4 inches.

Is the Tech V rangefinder even designed to be accurate at 4 feet? Perhaps that's the problem? What's the closest it can accurately focus?

I could shoot a fujiroid of something 20 feet away, but the focused area will be so small in the frame that I'm not sure I'd be able to tell from the fujiroid (not 4x5...I'm not rich) just how sharp it really is, especially as (with the 150mm lens) were talking about just a few inches of error, which at twenty feet is negligible. hence why I've been shooting tests with focus on something much closer.

Dont have a hex key here, and not sure I'd want to start messing with Linhof's adjustments just yet anyway: it wasnt exactly cheap to have the camera serviced so I dont want to undo all their hard work only to discover I just hadnt pulled the bed out to the correct point or somethign stupid like that.

The minimum focus distance for a Technika varies with the focal length of the lens. When you have a lens dammed the camping package includes the cam, cutting the cam, the Infinity Stops, installation of the Infinity Stops and the Focus Scale for that lens and installation of the Focusing Scale and, if necessary, a Focusing Scale Stage if you already have three lenses cammed as that is the maximum number of Focus Scales that fit on a Stage.

Of course, if you did not send the camera in to the service station with the lens when the camming was done then you still paid the same price but the service center would have sent you the Infinity Stops and the Focus Scale for you to install yourself.

So, did you send the camera in with the lens for camming. If not how do you know that you installed the Infinity Stops and Focus Scale correctly?
If you did send the camera in then you know the answer to your question as to the minimum focus distance as that is the minimum distance on the Focus Scale.

The Focus Scales are mounted to a slide-in, slide-off Scale Stage. It detents in to the correct position when you sled it in. But it can still slide if handled and you want to make sure that it is positioned at the detent. Otherwise the distance pointer will not indicate the correct distance.

Lastly instant film does not position at the exact same position as sheet film. Have you tried checking with regular sheet film to make sure that the problem isn't your instant film or holder?

Why don't you have a loupe? Used good ones are cheap today.

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks.

yeah at 20 feet, GG and rangefinder seem to agree on focus (as far as I can tell; like I said, I dont have a loupe).

But the fujiroids Ive shot that have been out of focus were when focusing just a few (3 or 4) feet away. Theyve all been near-focused approximately 4 inches.

Is the Tech V rangefinder even designed to be accurate at 4 feet? Perhaps that's the problem? What's the closest it can accurately focus?

I could shoot a fujiroid of something 20 feet away, but the focused area will be so small in the frame that I'm not sure I'd be able to tell from the fujiroid (not 4x5...I'm not rich) just how sharp it really is, especially as (with the 150mm lens) were talking about just a few inches of error, which at twenty feet is negligible. hence why I've been shooting tests with focus on something much closer.

Dont have a hex key here, and not sure I'd want to start messing with Linhof's adjustments just yet anyway: it wasnt exactly cheap to have the camera serviced so I dont want to undo all their hard work only to discover I just hadnt pulled the bed out to the correct point or somethign stupid like that.

You have a V. Do you have the fresnel installed? If so, where is it, inside the ground glass or on the back of the gg? Was the position of the Fresnel ever changed since your camera was new? If so by a service center who re-set the gg position?

When your lens was cammed was the camera sent in with it or was just the lens sent in?
If the camera was sent with the lens then the service center also installed the Infinity Stops and the Focus Scale. If the camera was not sent in with the camera then someone other then the service center had to install them. Who did that?
Which service center did the camming?

Is your Focus Scale Stage that holds the Focus Scales in the proper detent position? If not the distance indicated on the scale is wrong.

Your camera is very old. The last V was made in May of 1972. Is it still in factory spec? If you did not send your camera in with your lens then the service center cammed to factory spec while your camera could be out of spec.

Instant film does not sit at exactly the same position as regular film. Have you tried regular film so you can eliminate the instant film or the holder being the problem?

Your Focus Scale will tell you the minimum focus distance for rangefinder focusing with that focal length lens. Are you trying to shoot at a closer distance?

Are you focusing at taking aperture or wide open?

And why wouldn't you have a good loupe? A good, focusing loupe is available used at very low prices and is an essential part of a view camera.

[MonkeyBrain]

So, did you send the camera in with the lens for camming.

I did.

If you did send the camera in then you know the answer to your question as to the minimum focus distance as that is the minimum distance on the Focus Scale.

Ok. Although I'm still not 100% sure, as there's no indication as to what measurement the scales are in. I'm assuming it's meters, as 1.2 feet would be an incredibly close minimum focus distance, but the rangefinder does indeed allow me to focus that close (whereas the graflex rangenfinder did not, even though the camera and lens itself was capable of focusing that close) so who knows...

The Focus Scales are mounted to a slide-in, slide-off Scale Stage. It detents in to the correct position when you sled it in. But it can still slide if handled and you want to make sure that it is positioned at the detent. Otherwise the distance pointer will not indicate the correct distance.

yep, there's a position which is logically where it should go, as sliding it any less or any further means the scale sticks out over the end of the camera-bed and probably wouldnt allow me to close the camera. My doubt springs from the fact that, when placed in this "logical" position, the scale for the 240 and 300 mm lenses does not appear to correspond with anything on the camera at all.

I have one scale for the 240 and 300, another for the 125 and 150.

Lastly instant film does not position at the exact same position as sheet film. Have you tried checking with regular sheet film to make sure that the problem isn't your instant film or holder?

Thats a good point. No I havent, I only received the camera back from Linhof on friday.

However, it's the same instant film back I used with the graflex.

Why don't you have a loupe? Used good ones are cheap today.

Because I've never shot a single sheet of film in my life using a tripod and GG, and have no plan to start now. Having said this, it has suddenly become very apparent that the ability to check if my rangefinder is functioning properly by looking on the GG is pretty useful. So I'm going to look into getting one.

Thanks

[MonkeyBrain]

Do you have the fresnel installed? If so, where is it, inside the ground glass or on the back of the gg? Was the position of the Fresnel ever changed since your camera was new? If so by a service center who re-set the gg position?.

Although I didnt specifically ask them to do this, Linhof Munich replaced the GG last week while servicing the camera.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Loupe - since it is Sunday and you might want one right away, just go to any hardware store and buy one of the inexpensive 8X loupes. It will suffice until you can get the real deal. Or if you have a 50mm lens for a 35mm camera, try that as a loupe. (you will have to swing the GG shroud away with either.)

When you are ready to get a loupe, then get one that lets you poke far enough under the hood to use. There is a thread on loupes on this site. I have a long, collapsing discontinued Wista. Too bad it is discontinued.

I've never shot a single sheet of film in my life using a tripod and GG, and have no plan to start now.

Until I got a Linhof Super Technika, I never shot 4x5 without a loupe and ground glass. I finally found an almost unused V and after verifying that the cams were matching, I tried using it hand held with RF and was floored by the dead-on accuracy of everything.

BTW all my 12 cameras except a Hasselblad are range-finders, viewfinder or ground glass focusing cameras.

[Bob Salomon]

I did.




Ok. Although I'm still not 100% sure, as there's no indication as to what measurement the scales are in. I'm assuming it's meters, as 1.2 feet would be an incredibly close minimum focus distance, but the rangefinder does indeed allow me to focus that close (whereas the graflex rangenfinder did not, even though the camera and lens itself was capable of focusing that close) so who knows...

Thanks

1.2 would be meters.

[MonkeyBrain]

1.2 would be meters.

Ok, that clears that up then. Thanks.

I'm coming round to your suggestion that the issue might be caused by the instant film holder now, as I seem to remember having a similar (if somewhat less acute) panic attack about the graflex rangefinder becoming uncalibrated at some point in the past. A problem which mysteriously rectified itself. Could be that the polaroid back is very inaccurate at close distances, but less noticeable when focusing further away.

Will experiment further.

Still no idea what's going on with the 240 and 300 mm focus scales though.

Actually I'm not sure Ive really understood what the focus scales are for (beyond alerting me when Ive arrived at the lense's closest focusing point at 1.2 meters). If the infinity stops for each lens have been correctly positioned, then why would I ever need to look at the focus scales? I'm sure they are there for a reason, it's just it might well be for a reason that doesnt concern me, in which case I can stop worrying about the 240 and 300 scales and just get a loupe to make sure GG and rangefinder are in agreement...and get on with taking pictures.

Loupe - since it is Sunday and you might want one right away, just go to any hardware store and buy one of the inexpensive 8X loupes. It will suffice until you can get the real deal. Or if you have a 50mm lens for a 35mm camera, try that as a loupe. (you will have to swing the GG shroud away with either.)

When you are ready to get a loupe, then get one that lets you poke far enough under the hood to use. There is a thread on loupes on this site. I have a long, collapsing discontinued Wista. Too bad it is discontinued.



Until I got a Linhof Super Technika, I never shot 4x5 without a loupe and ground glass. I finally found an almost unused V and after verifying that the cams were matching, I tried using it hand held with RF and was floored by the dead-on accuracy of everything.

BTW all my 12 cameras except a Hasselblad are range-finders, viewfinder or ground glass focusing cameras.

Thanks for the loupe advice. will dig out the thread.

An almost unused V sounds amazing. I hope you swiftly set about making up for all its lost years sitting on the shelf

Your experiences with the V's rangefinder are at least encouraging...

[Jac@stafford.net]

"Actually I'm not sure Ive really understood what the focus scales are for"

Flash and bellows calculations and measuring the perimeter of my wife's garden which is invading our whole backyard.

[MonkeyBrain]

Followed your suggestion and used a Contax 80mm MF lens to check focus on the GG at about 15 feet.

RF and GG were in agreement...and fujiroid looks pretty sharp too (also checked through the contax lens). However, at that distance/resolution, I really couldnt say if the sharpest point is where I focused or not. Could just as easily be several inches in front for all i can tell on the fujiroid.

Not a particularly conclusive test in the end. I guess I'll need to shoot some film.

[MonkeyBrain]

"Actually I'm not sure Ive really understood what the focus scales are for"

Flash and bellows calculations and measuring the perimeter of my wife's garden which is invading our whole backyard.

None of which are of particular concern to me (though I can sympathize re. wife's garden)