Retina IIIC vs FED5 & Electro 35

[Solinar]

Half camera will travel

Half camera will travel

Amazing what gets accumulated while searching for a travel camera..........

After my Oly 35RD crashed and burned for the third time, I gravitated to the Retina II and IIa. The IIa was offered to me by a Canadian in BC after I posted some photos from the Retina II on Flickr. Both cameras have made journeys to Chris Sherlock.

While the IIC and IIIC have larger viewfinders, these later cameras are much bulkier than the earlier pre-1955 predecessors. With that said, I wear eyeglasses - so on both of my diminutive Retinas I use a Leitz SBOOI for composing the image.

Let me finish by saying, I just love the way one can pack a small 35mm folder with a 50mm/f2 lens into a small over the shoulder satchel and have room for other essentials such as a small water bottle and a snack.

Also, thumbs up on the Vitessas, if that floats you boat.

 

[The Spastic Image]

Thanks so much for this, Shawn!

Has anyone used Voightlander Vitessa and Agfa Karat cameras? Wonder how those compare as well.

I used to own an Agfa Karat 36 many years ago. Mine made nice images. Wish I'd kept it. The grease Agfa used on their cameras is a vexatious problem with age. Avoid the cassette to cassette Karats. The Karomat 36 is the USA version.

 

[qqphotos]

I bought a IIIc because I've always liked retinas. (The first camera I played with as a kid was my dad's IIa) The IIIc's viewfinder isn't up to the standards of Leica M (my favorite is still the IIIg, though), but it's got real and accurate framelines and is pretty nice to use. The one I bought somehow mysteriously has a perfectly accurate meter, too, probably because it spent its entire life in the dark. When I use the Retina IIa I put a leica SBOOI on it because its built-in viewfinder isn't much good.

 

[stephen_lumsden]

I had the Electro 35 and have a bunch of the Retina's. The IIIC does have the nicest finder of the folding Retina's but it is kind of cluttered with the 35/50/80 framelines. I have 3 IIIC and none of them work quite right. I've serviced the shutters in them but the winding is finicky and often needs the unlock button pressed to advance the film. Plan to have the camera overhauled if you go that route. The IIIC also has the LV system with the shutter speed and aperture interlock which is annoying.

Lever wind IIa is a nice camera but the finder isn't as good (still usable). Its weak point is the frame counter spring can break easily. Camera will still work fine though. Of the Retina's all the lever wind models seem a bit finicky and a little less reliable than the dial wind models. I tend to prefer the zone focus cameras, simpler and smaller. The Ib has a nice finder with framelines, there is a IB model that has brightline finder and a built in meter. The dial wind IIa is a nice camera too and has the Ektar 50mm 3.5 lens which is good. My favorite might be the Retina I type 013 which is a very simple little camera with the Luminized Ektar lens. It has a cold shoe so you could easily add a viewfinder to it for times you don't want to deal with the tiny viewfinder. Scale focus only of course.

Other alternatives included in the picture... The Konica I is basically the same size as the IIIC. Finder isn't as nice and it is a little slower in operation. The S3 is smaller but thicker with a better finder than the IIIC and a great lens. Shutter priority only. Konica IIIa has the best finder of them all (1:1) with a body about the size of the IIIC but it is of course deeper than the IIIC folded up. The 35CC is like a shrunk down Electro 35 with a wider lens, a nice little camera that is aperture priority only. Rollei 35S is scale focus and a quirky camera that some either love or hate. I love it. Finder is nicer than the IIIC. The Contax T has a fantastic lens and a very good finder again nicer than the IIIC, aperture priority only and finding a working one can be tricky. I have 3 parts cameras and one working one.

The Tower 45 is wider than the IIIC but not as tall. With a collapsible lens it is about the same depth. I much prefer it to the IIIC and I shoot it, the Contax T and the Rollei more than any of the others.

Shawn

I was thinking about a Konica i before I saw the Leica vs Retina thread and this one. Would the Konica I be a more sturdy and reliable bet ? These folders look like they could be more problematic.

 

[The Spastic Image]

I was thinking about a Konica i before I saw the Leica vs Retina thread and this one. Would the Konica I be a more sturdy and reliable bet ? These folders look like they could be more problematic.

Retinas are reliable if you follow the instruction manuals. My 1b I have owned since the 1990's has never had to see a repair shop since I've owned it. Use the film release, and wind the film a complete cycle (easier on the cocking rack on Retinas). The Konica III is a gem of a camera, in the eyes of many. The Hexar lenses are excellent. Vintage RF and scale focus cameras tend to need a more thoughtful, careful user who thinks through how they shoot.