Kodak Retina Ektar 47mm f/2 for Leica M39

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arri

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I like the Ektar lens and that's why I removed the lens cells out of the Retina II and mounted 'em into an aperture barrel and calibrated the distance between it and checked the concentricity.
I used a Russian Industar socket. It has to be disassembled, cleaned and calibrated.

I turned an adapter ring with the correct length and adjusted the rangefinder cam.
Final check with an autocollimator and then tested with my Leica IIIb and film.
Everything is screwed, nothing glued. All parts made of brass.

Very interesting is the extreme sharpness when I use it with film and the creamy softness with digital cameras.
The colours are reduced.
A very interesting lens and a very rare as well.

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Kodak Tmax 100, Wehner Developer

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and a sample made with a full frame digi cam
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Very valuable post! I have the same lens converted from a Retina and thought it to be soft on digital. I haven’t used it on film. Good to know.
 
Very nice conversion- I have the 47/2 from the same year, but still on my Retina II. also have a Retina II with the more common Schneider Xenar.

Can you show an image of the adjusted Cam?
 
I've always been impressed with Ektar from the 70's and earlier. Kodak had some excellent lens designers over the years. I know they were very proud of their work on the Disc line of cameras. My father was told by some of the engineers that it was easier to design/build glass for small format.

B2 (;->
 
The post-WWII Cine Ektar lenses are some of the best optics available then and now.
I'm hoping to find an intact Retina with a 47mm Ektar which I can use in the Retina.

Phil Forrest
 
Gorgeous lens, gorgeous shots! I concur on those Cine-Ektars. I used to shoot a bit of Kodachrome 25 on a Cine-Special II with the 25/1.4. That lens/film combo produced some of the best color I've ever had the pleasure of beholding
 
Brian converted for me a Schneider 50/2.8 from a retina to M mount. It is a very good lens. Not so sure if its sharpness can match this 47/2. There may have been another Lens from two Retina cameras that Brian combined into one RF lens ltm.
 
Kirio, did you regrind the focusing cam on the donor Canon to account for the different nominal focal lengths? Or are you using it on a digital only body, focusing using live view?
Phil Forrest
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Kirio, did you regrind the focusing cam on the donor Canon to account for the different nominal focal lengths? Or are you using it on a digital only body, focusing using live view?
Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

Hi Phil,

Yes, I had to grind the focus cam. I also made additional modifications to allow closer focus.
 
I remember reading something in the past that the Hasselblad company wanted to use Kodak Ektars in their new line of cameras in the 1940s, but they were too pricey. So they went with the cheaper Zeiss lenses instead! I can’t speak to the veracity of the story, but it does show how highly regarded the Ektars were at the time.
 
KenR said:
I remember reading something in the past that the Hasselblad company wanted to use Kodak Ektars in their new line of cameras in the 1940s, but they were too pricey. So they went with the cheaper Zeiss lenses instead! I can’t speak to the veracity of the story, but it does show how highly regarded the Ektars were at the time.
Click to expand...
That doesn't sound quite right, Ken. The 1600F and 1000F cameras were offered with 80mm and 135mm Ektar lenses, some Zeiss also, this in the early 1950's
 
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