retina lens compatability

[subman60]

Just bought a retina III(little)c from our local goodwill. Camera is in very nice shape, even came with the plastic cover that goes over the light meter and instruction book. My question is about aux lens compatability across the retina range. I know where there are for sale a 28mm, 35mm, 85mm, 135mm and 200mm lenses. The boxes say they are for retina IIIs or reflex IIIs. I know my camera was designed to use a 35 & 85mm aux lens but I can't tell from reading if these will work. Can someone please shine some light my way.

 

[JPD]

No, you can't use the IIIs lenses on the IIIc. On the IIIc you only change the front components of the lens system, but the rear components stay the same.

I presume that your IIIc has the Schneider Xenon lens, and it takes the 35mm Curtar-Xenon and the 80mm Longar-Xenon. And you need the finder for them. The wide and tele are cumbersome to use. First you focus with the rangefinder, then you transfer the distance to the scale at the bottom of the distance scale before you can take pictures. The picture quality is good though.

 

[Peter_wrote:]

no, they are not interchangeable. the folder retinas have a quite special type of changeable lenses. only the front elements were changed; the aperture and rear elements are fixed with the camera.

but i think you can use the iiis lenses also on retina slrs.

 

[subman60]

Thanks, could not tell from reading if they would work. You saved me some cash.

 

[subman60]

The 35mm is a curtargon 2.8. I think that confussed me some.

 

[murpograph]

If you would be interested to use the wide and tele-front lenses - despite their strange handling you have to know that you must stay in the "family". That means a IIIc with the standard Xenon-lens made by Schneider-Kreuznach matches only with the Curtagon and Longar front-element. Cameras with the Heligon mada by Rodenstock have to be combined with Rodenstock front-elements.

The use of different lenses with the IIIs is much more comfortable, as you do not have to use a separate finder, the frame lines for the differtent lenses are shown in the finder and focussing is much easier. Therefore I would buy the lenses and look for a IIIs. By the way: not all barrels fit the IIIs and the reflexes, as the rangefinder-lenses need a control-curve those for the refelxes not.

Regards Udo