Another Linhof Super Technika question

pdccamerqs · Apr 8, 2025

HI all,

I recently acquired a Linhof Super Technika 6x9 camera. The camera has the matching RF cam. The cam look like the one in the pic below (this isn't mine). The cam is a single cam with three sections, or lobes, each cut for a different focal length lens. Note how the lobes of the cam are engraved for a particular focal length, and also includes a lens serial number, each lobe having been cut not just for a particular focal length, but for a particular lens! You must have the correct focal length AND a matching serial number in order to be absolutely assured of the rangefinder's accuracy.

Does anyone know if purchased new back in the 1950's if these cameras were only sold as a three lens kit? If not, and you only purchased one lens initially, hoping to add the other lenses later, how could you know that you would get THE lens that matched the serial number on your camera's cam? I realize that anyone purchasing one of these cameras back in the middle 50s or early 60s would be in their 80s or 90s today - but photography keeps us young!

All the best, and many thanks for reading this.

Paul

abruzzi · Apr 8, 2025

I haven't ever seen a baby Technika with single lens inscribed on the cam, so I don't know how it worked for those who only bought the camera with a single lens, or if you even could. Mine has three FLs inscribed. I'm sure that they wouldn't sell it inscribed with lenses that they didn't sell you.

pdccamerqs · Apr 8, 2025

abruzzi said:
I haven't ever seen a baby Technika with single lens inscribed on the cam, so I don't know how it worked for those who only bought the camera with a single lens, or if you even could. Mine has three FLs inscribed. I'm sure that they wouldn't sell it inscribed with lenses that they didn't sell you.

That's what I was thinking. Here is a sales brochure for the camera from the time period when it was introduced. It doesn't really say if the camera could be purchased with a single lens. https://galerie-photo.com/manuels/linhof-technika-6x9.pdf

pdccamerqs · Apr 8, 2025

Ahhhh, found something on the Pacific Rim Camera site - a 1957 Linhof price list - apparently you could get 1, 2 or 3 lens outfits. So I guess if you purchased 1 or 2 lenses, you had to get a new cam made from the factory when you added another lens. It seems there are a lot cameras out there in the used market with cams engraved for three lenses. I don't think I have ever seen one with only 1 or 2 lenses engraved!

Best,

Paul

Sharktooth · Apr 8, 2025

I have a baby Technika, and also a Technika 70 with these style cams. They all have serial numbers for all three focal lengths.

Since Linhof sold both Schneider and Zeiss lens sets, they would likely show serial numbers for the specific brand and model used for the cam cut. Let's say Linhof set the cam for the standard Schneider set of Xenar, Angulon, and Tele-Arton, They could reference what lens model they cut the cam with via the serial number. If someone only purchased one lens originally, then they could go back later and find the correct lens model that was used with that cam.

I think the reason the cam needs to be matched to the lens, is not so much for the same model, but there could be many other lenses from other manufacturers that also have the same marked focal length, that might be significantly different. For example, Focal lengths marked on lenses are often rounded to whole numbers (no decimals), so the true value can be slightly different. This could cause a problem if you used a different brand. Shutter size might also matter.

My guess is that if you told Linhof the serial number on your cam they could look up what lens model it was designed to work with, and could give you an appropriate lens that would work properly later.

pdccamerqs · Apr 9, 2025

Sharktooth said:
I have a baby Technika, and also a Technika 70 with these style cams. They all have serial numbers for all three focal lengths.

Since Linhof sold both Schneider and Zeiss lens sets, they would likely show serial numbers for the specific brand and model used for the cam cut. Let's say Linhof set the cam for the standard Schneider set of Xenar, Angulon, and Tele-Arton, They could reference what lens model they cut the cam with via the serial number. If someone only purchased one lens originally, then they could go back later and find the correct lens model that was used with that cam.

I think the reason the cam needs to be matched to the lens, is not so much for the same model, but there could be many other lenses from other manufacturers that also have the same marked focal length, that might be significantly different. For example, Focal lengths marked on lenses are often rounded to whole numbers (no decimals), so the true value can be slightly different. This could cause a problem if you used a different brand. Shutter size might also matter.

My guess is that if you told Linhof the serial number on your cam they could look up what lens model it was designed to work with, and could give you an appropriate lens that would work properly later.

That's an interesting, and very logical hypothesis. So, for instance, the cam on my camera is set up for the 53mm Biogon, the 100mm Planar, and the 180mm Sonnar, so, if I understand your conjecture correctly, any 53mm Biogon made for this model 6x9 Super Technika should couple accurately to the rangefinder on my camera. However, only a 180mm Sonnar would couple, but neither a 180mm Tele-Arton, nor a 180mm Tele-Xenar would work.

Dan Fromm · Apr 9, 2025

Sharktooth said:
I have a baby Technika, and also a Technika 70 with these style cams. They all have serial numbers for all three focal lengths.

Since Linhof sold both Schneider and Zeiss lens sets, they would likely show serial numbers for the specific brand and model used for the cam cut. Let's say Linhof set the cam for the standard Schneider set of Xenar, Angulon, and Tele-Arton, They could reference what lens model they cut the cam with via the serial number. If someone only purchased one lens originally, then they could go back later and find the correct lens model that was used with that cam.

I think the reason the cam needs to be matched to the lens, is not so much for the same model, but there could be many other lenses from other manufacturers that also have the same marked focal length, that might be significantly different. For example, Focal lengths marked on lenses are often rounded to whole numbers (no decimals), so the true value can be slightly different. This could cause a problem if you used a different brand. Shutter size might also matter.

My guess is that if you told Linhof the serial number on your cam they could look up what lens model it was designed to work with, and could give you an appropriate lens that would work properly later.

Close but no cigar.

The focal length engraved on a lens -- call it nominal -- can differ enough from the lens' actual focal length to require a lens-specific cam for the rangefinder. This is why Graflex offered different cams for lenses of the same nominal FL and why Linhof cut cams to match actual lenses, not the lenses' prescriptions or nominal focal lengths.

Example: I once bought 20 38/4.5 Biogons from AGI F.135 aerial cameras. The cameras were fixed focal length, the lenses were focused to infinity by shims that sat between the lens and the body's lens mount. The 38/4.5 Biogon's prescription makes a lens with focal length 38.5 mm. AGI measured lenses actual focal lengths and made shims for each of them to focus the lens to infinity. They marked actual focal length on the lens and shim thickness, to 0.01 mm, on the shims. Actual focal lengths ranged from 38.3 to 38.8 mm.

reddesert · Apr 9, 2025

It is certainly true that lenses of two different models/manufacturers marked for the same focal length might be different enough actual-focal-length that cams would not be interchangeable, like one is nominally 104mm and another nominally 107mm.

The manufacturer's story, especially for the Linhof cams, has always been that the cams had to be matched for the specific lens IIRC (this is true for Technika III, but not Technika V, because of some difference that I think Bob Salomon said was having a standard zero reference location for the ground glass or something like that).

I don't have any personal experience with the Linhof rangefinder, but have felt that matching cams to the lens serial number was a bit of excess precision on Linhof's part, if you can adjust the infinity setting properly for your particular lens.

Here's an example: Suppose you have two Xenar 105mm lenses, and one has true focal length 105mm and the other has true focal length 105.5mm. This difference is larger than I think reasonable, since it seems to be usually of order paper-shim thickness, like 0.1-0.2mm, so this is a bit exaggerated comparison.

If you want to focus at a subject distance of 2 meters, which is fairly close, then use the thin lens equation:
1/f = 1/d_i + 1/d_o, to figure out the lens distance from film plane:

lens 1 with f=105: d_i = 110.82 mm. Extension past infinity 5.82mm.

lens 2 with f=105.5: d_i = 111.38 mm. Extension past infinity 5.88mm.

The lenses certainly focus at different positions of the front standard due to the focal length difference, but the difference in extension past the infinity stop is just 0.06mm, which is pretty small, smaller than you can repeatably focus by hand I think.

I think Linhof might have insisted on lens-SN matching because they thought users might just swap out lenses without re-adjusting them to infinity. I am not that familiar with the Technika rangefinder - my Technika III doesn't have one, but also I think it might have infinity locations that are notched into the focusing rail, rather than adjustable stops like on the Graflex Graphic.

pdccamerqs · Apr 9, 2025

reddesert said:
It is certainly true that lenses of two different models/manufacturers marked for the same focal length might be different enough actual-focal-length that cams would not be interchangeable, like one is nominally 104mm and another nominally 107mm.

The manufacturer's story, especially for the Linhof cams, has always been that the cams had to be matched for the specific lens IIRC (this is true for Technika III, but not Technika V, because of some difference that I think Bob Salomon said was having a standard zero reference location for the ground glass or something like that).

I don't have any personal experience with the Linhof rangefinder, but have felt that matching cams to the lens serial number was a bit of excess precision on Linhof's part, if you can adjust the infinity setting properly for your particular lens.

Here's an example: Suppose you have two Xenar 105mm lenses, and one has true focal length 105mm and the other has true focal length 105.5mm. This difference is a bit larger than I think reasonable, since it seems to be usually of order paper-shim thickness, like 0.1-0.2mm.

If you want to focus at a subject distance of 2 meters, which is fairly close, then use the thin lens equation 1/f = 1/d_i+ 1/d_o to figure out the lens distance from film plane:

lens 1 with f=105: d_i = 110.82 mm. Extension past infinity 5.82mm.

lens 2 with f=105.5: d_i = 111.38 mm. Extension past infinity 5.88mm.

The lenses certainly focus at different positions of the front standard due to the focal length difference, but the difference in extension past the infinity stop is just 0.06mm, which is pretty small, smaller than you can repeatably focus by hand I think.

I think Linhof might have insisted on lens-SN matching because they thought users might just swap out lenses without re-adjusting them to infinity. I am not that familiar with the Technika rangefinder - my Technika III doesn't have one, but also I think it might have infinity locations that are notched into the focusing rail, rather than adjustable stops like on the Graflex Graphic.

Good point, redeessert, and yes the focus rails on the Super Technika III have notches for each lens marked on the included cam. So, for instance, the normal lens, marked in red on the cam, has a corresponding red dot and notch on the focus rail, the long focus lens, marked in green lettering on the cam, has a corresponding green dot and notch on the focus rail, etc. So for all practical purposes, the engraving of the cam with a lens serial number probably was overkill, and may even have been a marketing strategy to generate increased income from customer upgrades.

The price list that I provided earlier indicates the Super Technika III could be ordered as one, two or three lens outfit, which included "factory installation and rangefinder coupling" for each lens purchased. The supplier also charged $17.50 (US 1957 dollars - about $200 today )to 27.50 (about $300 today) for the coupling and installation service if you added a lens at a later date. So, my question is, if I purchased the camera with a single lens, did I also receive a cam with three lenses engraved?

All the best,

Paul

reddesert · Apr 9, 2025

I don't have any certain knowledge, and like I said have never handled a Linhof RF cam. My guess is that they did not pre-engrave cams. You probably got a cam with one lens and serial number, because how would they know what else to put on it? And they wouldn't know where to notch the rail, either. I don't think the necessity of cutting cams to the lens was entirely a marketing boondoggle, but part of Linhof's insistence that their cameras were precision instruments (which is of course marketing) - they wouldn't want a camera out there that misfocused. Also, the rail-notching makes it hard to adjust the infinity stop by small amounts for different lenses. On a Graphic, you can move the infinity stop and clamp it with a screw.

I am certain it was much more common to have your kit maintained by a factory service center in those days, and my guess is if you bought a second lens, the whole camera + lens outfit went into the service center, and a new infinity stop was filed and the cam was cut and engraved with the new lens and serial number. That appears to be the service that is listed at the bottom of the price list image you showed in post #4, $17.50 for a lens purchased from the authorized US representative (I assume that's Kling) and $25 if you supplied the lens.

These were professional tools and getting regular professional maintenance was typical - it was not like today where it can be more expensive to service a camera than to buy it. Inflation is ~11x from 1957 to 2025, so in today's dollars it was ~ $200 to get a camera calibrated for a new lens; the Xenar one-lens outfit was about $5000 equivalent, up to ~$6700 for a Schneider 3-lens outfit and a staggering ~$15,000 equivalent for the Zeiss 3-lens outfit.

abruzzi · Apr 9, 2025

reddesert said:
Also, the rail-notching makes it hard to adjust the infinity stop by small amounts for different lenses. On a Graphic, you can move the infinity stop and clamp it with a screw.

This may just be a different use of words, but the baby Technika III (at least the one I have) does not actually have stops, it has detents. Yes there is a marking on the rail, but as you loosen the front standard and slide it along the rail there are physical detents. I've never taken it apart to see if those detents can be adjusted, but I don't think so. So unlike say the Horseman VH-R (the closest camera I can think of to the baby technika) which has actual movable and removable infinity stops, the Technka is hard adjusted to a specific set of lenses. I really don't know about the history of these, but like I said before I don't think I've ever seen a linhof triple sided cam with less than 3 lenses engraved. Maybe no one bought a one lens or two lens kit like in that price sheet above, but that seems unlikely. Mine came with the Xenotar 100mm 2.8 (or maybe it was a 105mm--I forget) with matching serial number, but it didn't have other lenses. The other two lobes had 180mm and 65mm. The engraving doesn't specific the lens make and model, but I later aquired a Super Angulon 65/8, and a Tele-Arton 180/5.5. The serial numbers don't match obviously, but the focusing is close enough for me (though I don't think I tried a torture test like the T-A wide open focused very close.)

The bigger issue to me is Linhof's refusal to make these cameras compatible with 6x9 Graflok backs, so I have to find a Super Rollex back which is expensive and 6x9 is very rare--most of the Super Rollex backs are 6x7. I've got a back burner project to adapt some pieces from other sources to build a Graflok back. I'm collecting pieces, and hopefully SK Grimes or some other machinist can bolt them together. I'm less concerned with the baby Technika at this point, and more interested in getting it working on my Technikardan 23S.

Sharktooth · Apr 9, 2025

I think I've found the answer to your question. I've searched eBay listings for the Linhof Technika 70, and found a few pictures of the tri-cams. There are samples shown that have only 1 or 2 serial numbers inscribed, so it seems clear that a serial number is only added to the cam when it was specifically matched to it. It seems a safe assumption that this also would have been done for the baby Technika.

Here are the pictures I found.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Jl0AAOSwRAZn9TMj/s-l1600.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/EfIAAOSweuZn2aFP/s-l1600.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/5icAAOSwO3BlR2cY/s-l1600.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/8RsAAOSwjbNnRcpw/s-l1600.png

Sharktooth · Apr 9, 2025

It's also interesting to note that in two of the four pictures the focal length is clearly marked, even though there is no serial number. This may imply that the cam was cut for the standard focal length lens in that set. I don't have any real evidence that that's true, however, just an educated guess.

itsdoable · Apr 9, 2025

I have a Technika 70, which was sold with one lens, so the cam only has serial numbers and colour coding for that one. The cam is designed for 65mm, 100mm and 180mm. The original owner bought a 240mm for it, which was never cam'ed. I added a 65mm, and had it 3rd party cam'ed, and they did not add a serial # or colour coding, they just adjusted the cam surface to match the lens, and added the lens board stop.

All lenses have small variations for their optimal focal length (where it's sharpest) which is different from the nominal printed one (this is true for all lenses) and thus individual cam-ing is necessary to get the best performance. The lens board stop is also added during cam-ing, and if you had got Linhof to do it, they would stamp the lens serial # and colour code the cam with the lens board stop.

Rangefinders like Leica have 2 ways to make the lens match the rangefinder - one is shimming the front and rear group to adjust the focal length to match the 51.4mm that the rangefinder is made for. The other is to shape the rear cam (only if it mechanically rotates during focusing). Adjusting the lens to be as close as possible to 51.4mm and getting the glass ground such that this is also the optimum sharpness is one of the reasons they cost so much.

PS: I have a 6x9 Rollex back, they were pretty easy to find back when I bought it.

Sharktooth · Apr 9, 2025

I also agree with reddesert that the rangefinder should work fine with a lens that is of the same design from the same manufacturer. Slight differences in focal length won't matter, as long as you set the infinity stop correctly. The catch 22 with the baby Technika is those permanent indents in the track. This makes it very difficult to set the lens to the correct infinity position, especially when they are close to the detent. Linhof smartened up with the later model Technicas, so that you could move the infinity stops around easily.

pdccamerqs · Apr 9, 2025

Sharktooth said:
I think I've found the answer to your question. I've searched eBay listings for the Linhof Technika 70, and found a few pictures of the tri-cams. There are samples shown that have only 1 or 2 serial numbers inscribed, so it seems clear that a serial number is only added to the cam when it was specifically matched to it. It seems a safe assumption that this also would have been done for the baby Technika.

Here are the pictures I found.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Jl0AAOSwRAZn9TMj/s-l1600.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/EfIAAOSweuZn2aFP/s-l1600.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/5icAAOSwO3BlR2cY/s-l1600.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/8RsAAOSwjbNnRcpw/s-l1600.png

I think you nailed it! Thank you!

Paul

pdccamerqs · Apr 9, 2025

abruzzi said:
This may just be a different use of words, but the baby Technika III (at least the one I have) does not actually have stops, it has detents. Yes there is a marking on the rail, but as you loosen the front standard and slide it along the rail there are physical detents. I've never taken it apart to see if those detents can be adjusted, but I don't think so. So unlike say the Horseman VH-R (the closest camera I can think of to the baby technika) which has actual movable and removable infinity stops, the Technka is hard adjusted to a specific set of lenses. I really don't know about the history of these, but like I said before I don't think I've ever seen a linhof triple sided cam with less than 3 lenses engraved. Maybe no one bought a one lens or two lens kit like in that price sheet above, but that seems unlikely. Mine came with the Xenotar 100mm 2.8 (or maybe it was a 105mm--I forget) with matching serial number, but it didn't have other lenses. The other two lobes had 180mm and 65mm. The engraving doesn't specific the lens make and model, but I later aquired a Super Angulon 65/8, and a Tele-Arton 180/5.5. The serial numbers don't match obviously, but the focusing is close enough for me (though I don't think I tried a torture test like the T-A wide open focused very close.)

The bigger issue to me is Linhof's refusal to make these cameras compatible with 6x9 Graflok backs, so I have to find a Super Rollex back which is expensive and 6x9 is very rare--most of the Super Rollex backs are 6x7. I've got a back burner project to adapt some pieces from other sources to build a Graflok back. I'm collecting pieces, and hopefully SK Grimes or some other machinist can bolt them together. I'm less concerned with the baby Technika at this point, and more interested in getting it working on my Technikardan 23S.

I agree that it doesn't make much sense to not make the camera compatible with "standard" roll film backs like Graflex and Horseman. I have only used original Rolex backs instead of Super Rollex types. Don't be afraid of the older backs as they are precise, well made and easy to load. They are also significantly cheaper than the Super Rolex models.

pdccamerqs · Apr 9, 2025

itsdoable said:
I have a Technika 70, which was sold with one lens, so the cam only has serial numbers and colour coding for that one. The cam is designed for 65mm, 100mm and 180mm. The original owner bought a 240mm for it, which was never cam'ed. I added a 65mm, and had it 3rd party cam'ed, and they did not add a serial # or colour coding, they just adjusted the cam surface to match the lens, and added the lens board stop.

All lenses have small variations for their optimal focal length (where it's sharpest) which is different from the nominal printed one (this is true for all lenses) and thus individual cam-ing is necessary to get the best performance. The lens board stop is also added during cam-ing, and if you had got Linhof to do it, they would stamp the lens serial # and colour code the cam with the lens board stop.

Rangefinders like Leica have 2 ways to make the lens match the rangefinder - one is shimming the front and rear group to adjust the focal length to match the 51.4mm that the rangefinder is made for. The other is to shape the rear cam (only if it mechanically rotates during focusing). Adjusting the lens to be as close as possible to 51.4mm and getting the glass ground such that this is also the optimum sharpness is one of the reasons they cost so much.

Great info, thank you!

abruzzi · Apr 9, 2025

pdccamerqs said:
I agree that it doesn't make much sense to not make the camera compatible with "standard" roll film backs like Graflex and Horseman. I have only used original Rolex backs instead of Super Rollex types. Don't be afraid of the older backs as they are precise, well made and easy to load. They are also significantly cheaper than the Super Rolex models.

Unfortunately, when I was looking the regular Rollex backs were almost as difficult to find in 6x9 and still very expensive. Curently the cheapest working 6x9 Rollex on eBay is $275 (for one that mounts on a 6x9 camera.) The Horseman 6x9 backs are usually about $100 for the newer black ones. I dislike that the Rollex and Super Rollex take about twice the space in my bag as the Horseman backs. The Horseman backs are much newer than any affordable Super Rollex backs, and I've had a greater than 50% failure rate with ones I've bought (and never had a failure on a Horseman back.)

I don't really like my Technika, so it sits disused, but I really like Technkardan and I'd like it to make it useful, so I'll eventually build a graflok back for it.

RalphLambrecht · Apr 10, 2025

pdccamerqs said:
That's what I was thinking. Here is a sales brochure for the camera from the time period when it was introduced. It doesn't really say if the camera could be purchased with a single lens. https://galerie-photo.com/manuels/linhof-technika-6x9.pdf

You may want to call and ask them. Their site is in Munic,Germay on a highly sought-after piece of real estate. I believe they are the oldest camera manufacturer still in operation worldwide. I went there once for an unforgetable tour. Every camera is put together by hand.

abruzzi · Apr 10, 2025

abruzzi said:
Unfortunately, when I was looking the regular Rollex backs were almost as difficult to find in 6x9 and still very expensive. Curently the cheapest working 6x9 Rollex on eBay is $275 (for one that mounts on a 6x9 camera.) The Horseman 6x9 backs are usually about $100 for the newer black ones. I dislike that the Rollex and Super Rollex take about twice the space in my bag as the Horseman backs. The Horseman backs are much newer than any affordable Super Rollex backs, and I've had a greater than 50% failure rate with ones I've bought (and never had a failure on a Horseman back.)

I don't really like my Technika, so it sits disused, but I really like Technkardan and I'd like it to make it useful, so I'll eventually build a graflok back for it.

rereading my post, it came off as too negative. I really like the Technikardan, and I do have one very good condition 6x9 Super Rollex, and it does work very well. I have 3 working but a little rough 6x7 backs (Linhof seems to have really pushed 6x7 over 6x9) so I do still get to use it. Like most things Linhof its well made and well engineered, and I have no doubt that the Super Rollex backs were better built when new than the Horseman backs, but they usually have 20 or more years of age and probably a harder life. Also the Horseman backs seem to have become a standard so other Camera makers didn't have to build that part they could just sell the Horseman parts. I have one 6x9 back that is flearly a Horseman back except the maker logo on the wind crank is Arca Swiss.

Also, Linhof relented and built a graflok adapter for their later 6x9 cameras--the Techno and M679--but not the Technika and TK.

(an odd little detail I've never really seen anywhere--if you look at the Technikardan brochures very closely, you'll see an adapter to mount Bronica GS-1 6x7 roll backs to the TK23 (and by extension the baby Technikas.) The only evidence I've found that they actually exist is that there is an entry on KEH including a photo. So they've had one once at least. I've seen no other evidence of these so I doubt many were made. I'd much rather have a graflok 6x9 setup, but I do own a GS-1 and have a number of backs for it, so I'd buy one of those adapters in a heartbeat if reasonably priced.

https://www.keh.com/shop/linhof-bro...-23s-modified-with-linhof-transport-knob.html )

xya · Apr 10, 2025

Regarding the cams, they were adapted to each lens individually. So if you had bought the camera with one lens, this one was engraved. If you bought a second lens, you had to send in your camera and the lens either to the German factory or to the official repair. They would take the time to adapt the cam and the stop and then engrave the new lens. That's what the fees cover, more expensive if you brought your own lens.

pdccamerqs · Apr 10, 2025

xya said:
Regarding the cams, they were adapted to each lens individually. So if you had bought the camera with one lens, this one was engraved. If you bought a second lens, you had to send in your camera and the lens either to the German factory or to the official repair. They would take the time to adapt the cam and the stop and then engrave the new lens. That's what the fees cover, more expensive if you brought your own lens.

Thanks Xya! Now I know the rest of the story!.

All the best,

Paul

reddesert · Apr 11, 2025

abruzzi said:
This may just be a different use of words, but the baby Technika III (at least the one I have) does not actually have stops, it has detents. Yes there is a marking on the rail, but as you loosen the front standard and slide it along the rail there are physical detents. I've never taken it apart to see if those detents can be adjusted, but I don't think so. So unlike say the Horseman VH-R (the closest camera I can think of to the baby technika) which has actual movable and removable infinity stops, the Technka is hard adjusted to a specific set of lenses. I really don't know about the history of these, but like I said before I don't think I've ever seen a linhof triple sided cam with less than 3 lenses engraved. Maybe no one bought a one lens or two lens kit like in that price sheet above, but that seems unlikely. ...

For the sake of completeness, I have a couple of pictures here to illustrate the notches / detents that serve as infinity stops on the Technika III. But this is a 4x5 and I don't know if the 2x3 is similar. On this camera, the "stops" are made by filing notches in the focusing track, and there is a pincer that locates them. You can pull the standard past the notch to use a different notch, or to not use any notch and focus on the GG. However, locating the standard 0.5mm away from the notch would be difficult.

Filing the rail is a little primitive, and the Speed Graphic had infinity stops that clamped with a screw and were adjustable - but they only worked for one lens at a time. Later Technikas and Graphics addressed this by using fold-down infinity stops, so you could pull the standard past the stop.

On this camera, there are what were presumably factory stops for 90mm and 135mm that match the focus scales, and another stop near the 135 (not sure if this was added later or if it was factory for a 3rd tele lens, for which you swapped out the focus scale). By the time it came to me, the RF was removed and the stops are just notional.

Notches in focusing rail:

Underside of front standard:

abruzzi · Apr 14, 2025

abruzzi said:
(an odd little detail I've never really seen anywhere--if you look at the Technikardan brochures very closely, you'll see an adapter to mount Bronica GS-1 6x7 roll backs to the TK23 (and by extension the baby Technikas.) The only evidence I've found that they actually exist is that there is an entry on KEH including a photo. So they've had one once at least. I've seen no other evidence of these so I doubt many were made. I'd much rather have a graflok 6x9 setup, but I do own a GS-1 and have a number of backs for it, so I'd buy one of those adapters in a heartbeat if reasonably priced.

https://www.keh.com/shop/linhof-bro...-23s-modified-with-linhof-transport-knob.html )

I have to reply to myself because something very unexpected happened. I discovered the supposed existance of the GS-1 back adapter mentioned above. I did quite a bit of searching back then and concluded that it was a unicorn, and very few (if any) were actually made.

To get the KEH link in the above post, I had to search using a general search engine (i.e. Google, but I use a different search.) When I looked at all the links in the first page of hits, all of them were that purple color of links that had been visited, except one. So after I posted above, I visited the blue link that I hadn't visited before.

It was a camera supply store in Hong Kong. They had a sale on Linhof gear, with some items on clearance. They listed this item for HK$660 marked down from I thin HK$3800--US$85 marked down from just under US$500. I emailed them, and they still had it. I paid, and its on its way to me now.

Unfortuately the GS-1 backs are 6x7, and I much prefer 6x9, but I already have 4 GS-1 backs, and they are much smaller than the Linhof Rollex or Super Rollex. So I'm kind of stoked that the adapter may still be a unicorn, but at least it will be my unicorn.

Another Linhof Super Technika question

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