Linhof Technika V Rangefinder Adjustment

[sharktooth]

I've been adjusting the rangefinder alignment on my 4x5 Linhof Technika V, and made some pictures to help me remember the procedure for next time.



Before starting, make sure the lens is pulled out to the infinity stops, and that infinity is focused properly on the ground glass. Next ensure that the back is fully in contact with the body and the rear back adustment knobs are locked. Make sure the cam is the correct one for the lens. Make sure the front focus tracks are in the normal infinity position. Once all that is done and checked, the rangefinder image should be properly lined up when looking at an object a few hundred yards or more away. If not, then the rangefinder needs to be adjusted.

The rangefinder can be adjusted both vertically and horizontally. The vertical image alignment changes as you focus, so you want the focus position to be at infinity for adjustment. The vertical adjustment screw is down at the bottom of the rangefinder housing (see photos 1 and 2). You'll have to peel back some of the leather covering, and remove a thin metal cover plate over the access hole. Sometimes the thin metal cover plate is missing, or might come off when you peel back the leather covering. Try not to lose it, but it's probably not the end of the world if you do. The screw has a blade type end, but the slot is a bit thin for most standard screwdrivers. Get a quality precision screwdriver that fits properly, since you don't want to damage the slot.

To adjust the vertical alignment at infinity, you'll need to be outside so you can view a very distant object (few hundred yards at least) through the rangefinder. This obviously needs to be done with a camera on a firm tripod. Choose a day with little or no wind, and bright conditions. The rangefinder has both a fixed and moving image that need to be aligned at infinity. If they're not aligned, determine if the moving image is above or below the fixed image. To do that, change the focus thumbwheel to determine which is the moving image, and focus back to infinity. The moving image goes down when you tighten the vertical alignment screw (clockwise). The moving image goes up when you loosen the vertical alignment screw. Once you've got alignment at infinity you put back the thin metal cover and leather with a bit of contact cement.

The horizontal alignment is done with a screw that's accessed from a small hole just above the flash mounting bracket (see photos 3 and 4). To gain access, remove the flash mounting bracket via the two screws. Next remove some of the leather covering (and thin metal plate if there). The screw is quite deep in the housing, and the hole is relatively small, so it's difficult to see once you try to get a precision screwdriver in there. For easier viewing, it should be possible to unscrew the rear rangefinder eyepiece to allow some light in from there. I don't remember which screw tightening direction moves the image left or right, so you'll have to try it out each way.

These instructions are for the 4x5 Technika V, and i'm pretty sure they're similiar for the IV and Master. The Technika III seems to be different, and I've never owned one, so don't assume this will work.

I should also add that if you're using cams for more than one lens, you should check the infinity position with all your lenses before making any rangefinder adjustments. If the rangefinder vertical alignment is out in the same way for all your lenses/cams, then the rangefinder is out of alignment and needs to be adjusted. On the other hand, if the vertical alignment is only bad for one lens/cam, then the problem may be with that cam rather than the rangefinder. Keep in mind that changing the rangefinder infinity alignment will affect all your cams, not just the one you're adjusting. Mismatched cams and lenses is not unusual, especially if you're buying used, so I wouldn't expect you could adjust for multiple cams/lenses unless they were all matched and cut by Linhof.

[Bob Salomon]

Did you know that with the proper cam the service center uses a target, taped to a window, at about 15’ to do this? The target is packaged with the cramming package if you buy it by itself.

[sharktooth]

Hi Bob,

No, I didn't know that. I assumed the Linhof service folks would be using a collimater for infinity alignment (vertical). That's something a repair shop would have, but not the average person.
A target at 15' would be great for horizontal alignment, and is probably a better choice for vertical alignment too, since it would better suit the closer distances where focus needs to be more accurate. The advantage of vertical alignment at infinity is that the lens should be at infinity at the stops, so you don't need to check it on the ground glass if that's already been done before.

I'm assuming that adjusting the vertical alignment at 15' or so requires that you focus the target on the ground glass first, and then adjust the rangefinder vertical alignment at that position. Is that correct?

This is relavent in my case since I actually started with a cam from a Technika IV for a 135mm lens. The lens and cam were not matched, and it was a cam for a IV, not a V. I was expecting to have issues, and I did. When I adjusted the rangefinder for infinity alignment, the close focusing alignment was well off. I'm guessing the cam was made for a different 135mm lens that had a slightly different focal length than the one I have. I was debating whether to align the rangefinder at a closer distance and let the focus error move to the further distances where there is greater depth of field. In the end, I tried my 150mm Symmar with another mismatched 150mm cam for a V, and it worked out nicely aligned both at infinity and at close distances. That's the one I'm going to use with that camera with the rangefinder. I can still use the 135mm lens, but I'll have to use the ground glass.

I spoke to the Canadian Linhof rep last year. He was very knowledgable, but I think he said that they aren't cutting cams there anymore. I could be wrong. Anyway, I don't really want to be sending lenses to the US or Germany for cams at this time.

[Bob Salomon]

Hi Bob,

No, I didn't know that. I assumed the Linhof service folks would be using a collimater for infinity alignment (vertical). That's something a repair shop would have, but not the average person.
A target at 15' would be great for horizontal alignment, and is probably a better choice for vertical alignment too, since it would better suit the closer distances where focus needs to be more accurate. The advantage of vertical alignment at infinity is that the lens should be at infinity at the stops, so you don't need to check it on the ground glass if that's already been done before.

I'm assuming that adjusting the vertical alignment at 15' or so requires that you focus the target on the ground glass first, and then adjust the rangefinder vertical alignment at that position. Is that correct?

This is relavent in my case since I actually started with a cam from a Technika IV for a 135mm lens. The lens and cam were not matched, and it was a cam for a IV, not a V. I was expecting to have issues, and I did. When I adjusted the rangefinder for infinity alignment, the close focusing alignment was well off. I'm guessing the cam was made for a different 135mm lens that had a slightly different focal length than the one I have. I was debating whether to align the rangefinder at a closer distance and let the focus error move to the further distances where there is greater depth of field. In the end, I tried my 150mm Symmar with another mismatched 150mm cam for a V, and it worked out nicely aligned both at infinity and at close distances. That's the one I'm going to use with that camera with the rangefinder. I can still use the 135mm lens, but I'll have to use the ground glass.

I spoke to the Canadian Linhof rep last year. He was very knowledgable, but I think he said that they aren't cutting cams there anymore. I could be wrong. Anyway, I don't really want to be sending lenses to the US or Germany for cams at this time.

That target and instructions are for both the service center as well as users who buy a crammed lens for a V or MT but didn’t send the camera in to service. So it is used to check the gg against the ref and determine the proper position for the infinity stops for that focal length lens.

[sharktooth]

O.K., thanks.

I don't see the target or instructions listed on the Linhof site. I guess it's not available unless you're buying cam service.

When I set infinity stops, I loosen them first and move the front standard via the pinch clamp until I get infinity focus on the ground glass with a faraway object. When infinity focus is achieved on the ground glass I move the infinity stops up against the front standard and tighten them down. Is there a better way of doing this?

[Bob Salomon]

O.K., thanks.

I don't see the target or instructions listed on the Linhof site. I guess it's not available unless you're buying cam service.

When I set infinity stops, I loosen them first and move the front standard via the pinch clamp until I get infinity focus on the ground glass with a faraway object. When infinity focus is achieved on the ground glass I move the infinity stops up against the front standard and tighten them down. Is there a better way of doing this?

The stop screw have sharp points that dig into the rails when they are tightened. If the stops are then moved that would leave small pits from the points in the rails. So proper positioning of the stops is critical. That’s why the cramming package supplied the instructions and the chart. Does your camera have those pits showing?