Retina vs Barnack?

[RichL]

It is interesting seeing how people think.
My Retina lives in the back pocket of my Levis quite comfortably. My shooting sequence for a single shot is: Open camera, advance film focus, (cock shutter if using my duo six-20) shoot, return focus to infinity, close camera and meander on down the way. These steps are so automatic I never think of them. Also if it got caught in a sandstorm at Burning Man or drenched by kids playing with a water hose I can CLA it myself. As for a squinty finder, I always shoot with both eyes open so it is a bit of a none issue for me.

With my Leica it was always bumping at my side and getting in my way when trying to do something or I had to where clothing with Big pockets to accommodate it, I had to worry about losing the lens cap (or leaving it on) and the first and only time I took it to Blackrock city it cost me a bill and then some to get it out of the shop it had been in for better than two weeks.

Have to admit though that if someone asked me for a rock solid precision machine that would take care of anything from microscopy to astronomy and take a lot of physical abuse I would recommend a Leica.

I've had two Retinas (I and II) for a while but I just can't seem to warm up to them. Awful ergonomics.

I - Squintiest VF ever, DOF scale on the bottom, shutter speed on the front

II - Door hard to open, aperture scale on the front

Both - Too many knobs and sharp edges to catch on your clothing, so not really pocketable despite the small size. And then there's that gawd-awful return to infinity before folding up routine.

When I want the most capable tool, I'll deal with the Leica's slightly bulkier size. When I want something truly pocketable, it's a Vito II every time. Brooke Shields in 1980 could have slipped one of those into the back pocket of her Calvin Kleins.

 

[batterytypehah!]

So you shoot without setting speed and aperture? 😀

Try a Vito II some day. A Retina I is crude by comparison.

I don't know if this is what happened, but I wouldn't be surprised if Voigtländer set out to beat Kodak/Nagel and designed the camera to be better in every regard:

Sleeker wind buttons that are easy on fingers and pockets alike. A back clasp that stays closed reliably and won't catch. A glass- covered frame counter that's easy to set and read. Quick to open and close. All settings visible at a glance (albeit an oblique glance from top left). Shutter release without that sharp edge, and it retracts as you fold the door. Tripod mount near center. Folds at any distance setting. Pivoting cover for the counter setting wheel, doubles as rewind clutch. Deeply recessed lens that doesn't need a hood. Rounded, comfortable shape.

Highly subjective: The Vito II is a darn fine piece of sculpture, too.

Granted, the VF is only marginally better, but at least I can make out the margins (I wear glasses) -- I can't on the Retina.

The only advantage that the Retina has, IMO, is that the lens is unit focusing.

All of the above is strictly early, scale focus Retinas, of course.

 

[dave61]

Was this a debate comparing a fixed-lens folding Retina with an interchangeable-lens Leica? Seems like apples to oranges.
They're too different to compare.Nobody mentioned the Retina IIIS-the UberRetina. Fully interchangeable lenses from 28mm to 135mm. Big, bright RF/VF with auto-parallax and auto-frame lines for 35 to 135 lenses. Reliable, quiet Compur-Rapid that flash synchs at all speeds. You can do close-ups to 6 inches with attachments, and there were fittings for microscopes and astronomy as well. You can even use a 200mm lens, though it isn't RF coupled. All for about 1/10th the cost of comparable Leica equipment. You can add another great accessory-a Retina SLR that uses all the same lenses.
If you're mechanical, a tiny mod to the lens mount makes all Retina-S RF lenses work on the Voightlander Bessamatic SLR. Likewise, a small mod to Voightlander lenses will put any Bessamatic SLR lens on a Retina IIIS or Reflex. 'Deckel S' bayonet mount used on Bessamatics is often found with Retina's RF coupling cam. I have 2 Bessamatics, both came with Voightlander lenses (50mm f:2 and 35mm f:3.4) that have Retina RF coupling cam.
Using Voightlander lenses and reliable Bessamatic bodies with a RF IIIS is, to me, the ultimate flexible do-anything system. Between the Bessamatics and the Retina IIIS, I have 9 lenses, plus a Vivitar 2x tele-converter. This covers all focal lengths between 28mm and 400mm!!
Seven of the lenses work on the RF camera (the Retina 200mm, the Voightlander Zoomar, and the tele-converter don't couple to the RF). It's all a fraction of the cost of Leica equipment. The photos are just as sharp, colors just as beautiful, images just as 'round' as my Leicas used to make-before their focal-plane shutters wore out.
I haven't experienced any mechanical problems with my IIIS. Maybe it's because the camera has had only 2 owners and was used by photographers who actually read and followed the directions instead of forcing things. True, I wouldn't take a IIIS to a war-zone. For that I'd use my Retina II Type 011-or my Nikon F.

 

[RichL]

So you shoot without setting speed and aperture? 😀

Would you believe auto exposure? (Neither would I)

A couple of people have mentioned the Vito to me and I might just give it a try. It will have to be one hell of a camera to overcome my 40 year friendship with the IIa though.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Ah, a IIa. That's something else, of course. The Vito is 50/3.5 and scale focus. You need a Vitessa 😉 Anyway, we're really OT here.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

In my opinion if the Barnack is to be used with only a 50mm lens, then the Retina wins based upon the better VF and film loading alone.

Once you get into changing lenses on the Barnack, then it's a bit unfair as the tele/wide lenses for the Retinas (if available) were ungainly at best.

I always loved my two Retinas. Wish I still had the IIa.

 

[katcons]

Since I use both on a fairly equal basis I chose not to vote for either. Most times both are loaded and used together..

Ditto. I use my Leica IIIf for 35mm, my Retina IIc for 50mm.

 

[TheHub]

Most Retinas over here are expensive ($300+) if in working condition. The remaining ones are broken 🙁 Since I can't afford one, I chose Barnack.

I like both cameras.

 

[rover]

Something bad happened this week... I bought two more Retinas... a IIa and IIc. Oops. I think that makes 6 now.

 

[al1966]

Just have to throw the spanner in the works: Agfa Ambi-silette.

 

[Brian Legge]

So as someone with a bunch of Retinas... any favorites of the series? What are the biggest differences to you?

I have a IIIc (little c). I love it but it makes me curious about the others, particularly the IIa which people seem to love.

 

[sanmich]

Could someone advise about Retina CLA's?
Prices and places?

 

[Ronny]

Kodak Retina Ib.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

Getta grip!

Getta grip!

I really like my little Retina IIIc. It folds up to the size of a portable CD player, nicely heavy, great lens, quirky EV-type setting of aperture and shutter speed (I like 'quirky'), bright vf and sharp rangefinder, and an incredibly quiet shutter. HOWEVER... did people back in the 40's/50's have tiny hands? For a right-handed person, the Retina is pretty uncomfortable to hand-carry for any length of time. There's just not much to hold onto on the right side of the camera. I guess it's designers assumed you'd carry it around your neck on a strap.

Has anyone figured out an ingenious way of adding a grip device to the Retina's?

 

[Mablo]

Of all Retinas I've had or handled the simple 1b feels like a little gem in my hands.

 

[Tom Harrell]

I have a IIa which I really like, a Retinette !A and a Retina Reflex III which is not working. I have used the IIa to take photos in the U.K. a few years back. I'll dig them out one of these days and post some of them.
Tom

 

[althatomisi]

The folding Retinas are wonderful cameras. You can load film quickly. They're compact.

-------------
Dub Turbo Beat Maker Software

 

[Spider67]

Favorites

Favorites

So as someone with a bunch of Retinas... any favorites of the series? What are the biggest differences to you?

I have a IIIc (little c). I love it but it makes me curious about the others, particularly the IIa which people seem to love.

My all time favourite is the IIC a nice big VF with parallax correction (Although the VF is a bit cluttered by framelines). It's a bit easier to hold than the IIa. I have both additional lenses the 35mm and the 80mm + the external VF for both...Forget them it's not worth the hassle as focussing becomes very tiresome

The IIIS is a great Camera with a good choice of lenses It lacks a littlebit the charm of the folders as it´s bigger but it feels good in your hands. Some say that it was nicknamed the "Stuttgarter Leica" Great camera for 50mm an 35mm lenses

The IIa very nice look, very compact folder. Squinty VF without framelines which puts it close to the Barnack experience

 

[JPD]

My all time favourite is the IIC a nice big VF with parallax correction (Although the VF is a bit cluttered by framelines). It's a bit easier to hold than the IIa. I have both additional lenses the 35mm and the 80mm + the external VF for both...Forget them it's not worth the hassle as focussing becomes very tiresome

With a IIC/IIIC (big C) and the 35mm it can't be that difficult to zone focus (by using the scale on the bottom of the focus ring) and you have the framelines in the viewfinder?

 

[Spider67]

@JPD
Yes zone focussing is definitely an option as the two 35mm lenses have f4 and f5.6 minimum aperture.