Retinettes With Xenars

I

ian.mcrae

Guest
Hi Everyone. I'm new on here so excuse mistakes. I live in Scotland and have been a fan of Kodak rangefinders for years. Favourite user is a Retina IIIS which I recently had serviced by Jacques Decooman, so it should last another 50 years. All my digital cameras are also Kodaks. I just love these Schneider lenses !

Another of my user cameras is a Retinette 1B which seems to be something unusual as I can't find any reference to it in Mckeown's. It doesn't have the usual Rodenstock lens, but instead has a Schneider Retina Xenar which takes amazing sharp pictures. The Rodenstocks are good in themselves, but this is better.

Does anyone know anything about these Retinettes with the Xenar ? As I said no mention in McKeown's and I've never seen another.
 
Hard to say, but I would guess that either the original lens was replaced or at the end of production of the Retinas and Retinettes that Kodak AG stuck a Xenar on it, rather than the Reomar, because the Retinette was always the budget camera and was fitted with a budget lens.
 
G'day Ian,

I've always regarded tales of Retinettes with a Xenar as a load of old cr*p, but you never know, just perhaps there was small batch made for some reason.

I'd say that if the lens came from a Retina originally, then the organ-donor for the shutter and lens would have been a Retina IF, since that has the same shutter, and the swap would likely be fairly simple.

I'm fairly sure that was the only Retina with a front-cell focusing lens in a mount like that used on the Retinette 1B.

I think I've got a dead Retina IF here somewhere in the parts boxes, I'll have to get busy!

Anyway, a nice find you have there.

Regards, Chris
 
Thanks

Thanks

Hi everyone.

Thanks for the info. A custom build ! That sounds interesting.

Mine just looks like any other Retinette. It has a Prontor 500 LK shutter, but the fact that the lens actually says "Retina-Xenar" on it might fit that it is a Xenar from a Retina camera. I have been a fan of Schneider lenses ever since I bought my first Retinette, but this is the only one I have seen with a Xenar which is one of my favourite lenses. Even my digital cameras are almost all Kodaks with Schneider lenses.

Ian
 
Know what you mean about S-K lenses. I bought an Agfa Silette with a Radionar, just because of the lens. I'd shoot it too if the shutter didn't keep jamming. Haven't figured that one out yet.

PF
 
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