Help, I just purchased a Rodenstock 300 S for my Linhof Tech IV and find it will not mount onto the camera. The opening is large enough for the rear element but there is not enough room for the lens to raise up enough to drop in behind the bottom catches. If I set the board behind the catches first then the rear element is too large to roll into the opening. Is it a matter or the lens being simply too large for a Tech IV or does it have something to do with the way the lens is mounted ? I would appreciatte any help.

-- Don Hall (dhall5662@cs.com), November 02, 2001

Answers

Don: Unscrew the rear element, mount the lensboard and then screw the element back in. This is assuming that you have a removable back on the Tech IV. You might also experiment with mounting the lens off cneter if you can get another lens board.

Regards,

-- Doug Paramore (Dougmary@alaweb.com), November 02, 2001.

Is the hole in the board centered or below center? The correct position for the lens to be optically centered on the camera is for the hole to be below the mechanical center of the board. I ask because if the lens were mechanically centered on the board, the problem you describe might occur.

-- Michael Briggs (MichaelBriggs@Earthlink.net), November 02, 2001.

Michael, I missed that one completely. I ordered the lens mounted on an off center board (as are all of my other lenses). Since the lens is so large I did not notice that the board is center drilled. I think you just solved my problem. Thanks, Don

P.S.Doug, thanks for your response. I tried it, and it works fine even if it would be a hassle in the field. Thanks again.

-- Don Hall (dhall5662@cs.com), November 02, 2001.

If you purchased the lens used it may have come without a spacer ring. I can;t speak specifically for the rodenstock 300 but I know that both my Symmar-S 240 and my Apo Germinar 360 are mounted in #3 shutters and require a spacer ring between the lens board and the front element. I bought the 240 used and it didn't have the spacer ring. Had the same problems with a Wista board on a Phillips 4x5. Got the spacer ring from Steve Grimes and problem solved. BTW the spacer is NOT necessary when using the lens on a larger board.

Get the spacer and you will see that there is now jsut enough clearance to properlymount the board.

-- Ted Harris (slberfuchs@aol.com), November 02, 2001.