What about Kodak Retina rangefinder cameras?

[phototone]

Some had interchangeable lenses, or at least front elements. Should be good shooters? German bodies, Schneider lenses.

Anybody shoot with one?

Seems to be a lack of Retina RFDR users here.

I don't have one.

 

[pshinkaw]

We're too busy shooting with them to post.

Actually we are here a lot.

This one was a trial of Efke ISO 25 film. Retina IIIS, 50/1.9 Schneider Xenon.

I saw one of these at the repair shop the other day. The owner must have decided to dust it off and try and use it. The IIIS is such a great camera that I really don't understand why they are not more expensive.

 

[jan normandale]

check Chris in Kiwi-land (NZ)

check Chris in Kiwi-land (NZ)

Some had interchangeable lenses, or at least front elements. Should be good shooters? German bodies, Schneider lenses.

Anybody shoot with one?

Seems to be a lack of Retina RFDR users here.

I don't have one.

I was in touch with Chris Sherlock in NZ and bought a Voigtlander Perkeo from him but his first love is the Kodak Retina and he sells them fully refurbed. Drop him a line thru his website. Very nice guy

Jan

http://rawhiti.tripod.com/

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I have many Retinas, !a, IIa, IIc, IIIc, IIIS (3), Auto III, Reflex-S, and Reflex IV. The IIIS is the best of the bunch, with fully interchangeable lenses. the 50mm F1.9 Xenon is very sharp; as is the 35mm F2.8 Curtagon and 85mm F4 Tele-Arton. The IIIS has all of the key features of the Canon 7, Nikon SP, and Leica M's with parallax corrected framelines for 35-50-85-135 lenses, bright RF spot, and meter. The shutter speed/Aperture setting is by the older EV method and is "different". You change exposure settings with a wheel which will change the F-stop. You set shutter-speed and the F-Stop stays in "lock-Step" where the EV stays constant.

Retina Album in the "old Gallery"
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/519

And the 85mm F4 Tele-Arton:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/336/size/big/sort/1/cat/500

And one with the Retina IIIc.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/597


The IIIS is the one to get to use different lenses. The Retina IIIc is a great 50mm shooter, but with the 35mm and 80mm lens you most focus, look up the distance, then reset the distance using a scale for the appropriate lens.

 

[Roger Hicks]

The interchangeable components are a pain in the bum for my money (I tried them and gave up) but the fixed-lens folders are gorgeous: I have an early 50s IIa that is one of my favourite cameas. The lens is a 50/2 Schneider Xenon; they were also made, as far as I recall, with Rodenstock Heligons.

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com)

 

[ikophot]

I have a IIIs that I bought at fleamarket for 40$ with the 2.8 , later I found at the auction site a broken Reflex S with 28, 1.9 50 and 135 for 50 $ so for 90$ I got a very nice kit.
The camera performs very well and I am very pleased with it, a high quality camera for 5 % of Leica price

 

[pshinkaw]

My Retina IIIS with 4 four lenses cost about the same as a user grade 50mm Summitar, no body, just the lens. It's as quiet as and functional as my Leica M2, but its ergonomics are a little quirky to say the least.

-Paul

 

[wierdcollector]

I have 4 Retinas, 2 Weltas, 2 Baldas and 2 Retinettes. Of these only 1 Retina is a rangefinder model, my Retina ll type 011 with 47mm f2 Ektar. Don't have an accessory lenses, but I don't find I need them. The few photos I've taken with this old timer (Iknow, I should use them more) have really impressed me with their sharpness and punch.

 

[geoset]

I quite often photograph with my Retina IIIC, using only the 50mm Schneider XenonC lens. Certainly the quietest of shutters when compared to Leica M4, Contax G1 or Bessa R3A. In fact I often wonder why I have the others.
geoset

 

[RubenBlaedel]

I had a retina IIIc once - many ++++ but as with the Contessa it has an "edgy non rounded" feel and the viewfinder is not the best. The folding mechanism is very stabil/sturdy - should ensure correct position of the lens. The Schneider lenses were good and as stated earlier in the threas it is a quiet camera and capable of producing some reallly nice images.

 

[parks5920]

Oh, great! With all these positives being thrown around I feel a GAS attack coming on. It sucks being a newbie, you want everything!

 

[parks5920]

I know, I know, I'm doomed.

 

[parks5920]

In the last week I've bought a Konica Auto S2, a Minolta Hi Matic 9 and a Voigtlander. Now I want a Zorki 4, a FED 2 and a Canon QL17 GIII, for the moment. I'm sure that list will increase dramatically by weeks end.

 

[Sawdust]

My old Retina IIIC is a great little shooter. Like Roger, I use it for 50 only and it is certainly quiet. Wish list includes IIIs.

Dusty

 

[geoset]

But Roger Hicks has panned the IIIC while extolling the really antiquated IIa. I do agree with Roger that the front-element accessory lenses are pretty useless but thats about all I agree with his rangefinder opinions on Retinas.
geoset

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Geoset,

No, I didn't pan the IIIC; I just said that the interchangeable components are a pain in the bum. As it happens I prefer the uncluttered viewfinder of the IIa -- the IIIC seems to contain as much brightline as viewfinder -- but apart from that the IIIc/IIIC are just as nice as the IIa.

They are also vastly more expensive -- up to 10x the price -- and while I don't mind having 15 euros of IIa that I rarely use I'd almost certainly sell a IIIc/IIIC because I'd rather have the money. Fifteen euros is what my IIA cost me in Luxembourg a couple of years ago, good order, ERC -- but I've been using it so much it could do with an overhaul.

Remember also that there are two IIa Retinas, the Type 150 (1939, knob wind) and the vastly superior Type 016 (1951-1954) with coated lenses and lever wind. I can't quite see why you think it's 'really antiquated' next to the Type 021 IIIc (1954-1957) or the Type 028 IIIC (1958-60).

But I wouldn't gve rigid Retinas house room.

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com)

 

[john neal]

What Roger said re the interchangeable lenses and the brightlines in the IIIC/c, but I would put in a vote for the IIc - still a bit of a small vf and many can be dark, but the 50mm lenses are outstanding. I have two - one for colour, one for B&W 😉

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The rear eyepiece of the IIIc and IIc is much bigger than the IIa.The IIIc is also much easier to pop-the-top and clean the finder than the IIa. The IIa lever advance/film counter/lock claw is a pain. I use dental floss to hold the claw back while putting it back onto the camera. The IIIc and IIc have the lever advance on the bottom of the camera to make room for the selenium meter on the IIIc.

I also have a 1946 Retina II with Ektar lens. If you pop-the-top, the film advance knob is REVERSE THREADED!

 

[Roger Hicks]

John -- Surely only f/2.8 instead of f/2, but from what I understand, one of the best f/2.8s ever; I suppose you could cannibalize a IIIc/IIIC for a 50/2 front end.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Bill K.]

I puchased a Retina 3c on eBay a little over 2 years ago. This was my "replacement Rangefinder" for the Leica IIIf that I sold.

The Retina is, in my humble opinion, a fine example of old world craftmanship. It is a very solid and well built camera. I believe that back in the 40's and 50's it was considered as a high quality, less expensive alternative to the Lieca by serious amatures and some pros.

Although I did clean lube and adjust the rangefinder, I suspect it might be slightly off at distances closer than infinity.

Can someone on this forum direct me to instructions on how to verify and correct this problem.

Thank you for your help,

Regards to all,

Bill K.