Kodak Retina 1a

[george_lowrey]

I like your photos very much, John. This is a little off topic, but I inherited a Retina IIIC with three lenses from my grandfather and

have enjoyed using it. I especially like how it folds into a small package. I prefer rangefinders to SLRs. I've posted some Retina

pictures on my photo.net page if you care to take a look. I use the Retina and a Konica Hexar RF mostly.

[Andy Collins]

John, I currently have a Reflex III, the earlier production version with the smaller meter. I absolutely love it and can't seem to part with it. I had a Reflex IV which was also nice, but sold it and don't miss anything about it in comparison to the Reflex III. At present I only have the 50mm f/1.9 on mine, so your kit with 3 lenses makes me envious. It's a beautiful camera that just feels special when you pick it up and operating it is a joy. If you haven't gotten it yet then do so. You'll be very glad you did. If you already have it, take pictures and post them for us to see. I'm looking forward to what you'll do with it.

[golden]

thanks andy for the advice about the reflex III, i think i will go ahead and order it, thanks again everyone for all the nice comments.

[LMar]

Very nice shots! I love my Retina I (Type149 w/Xenar).<div></div>

[david_gibson6]

I bought a Retina IIIC with the f 2.0 Xenon in 1960 and loved it. I wanted an SLR, and bought a Retina Reflex III with the 1.9 Xenon

around 1963 or 4. Had to sell the IIIC to finance the purchase. I added a Schneider 135 Tele Xenar f 4.0 shortly thereafter.

 

The Tele Xenar had a minimum focussing distance of around 12 feet due to the behind-the lens shutter configuration, so I had to stack

on a close-up lens attachment to shoot portraits in small rooms.

 

The Synchro-Compur shutter mechanism is not very durable, and the Retina Reflex III spent a lot of time in the shop (at Kodak, I think).

It was in the shop during the Chicago blizzard of 1967, and I have no images of that record storm. After the snow melted I bought a

Nikkormat with a 50 1.4. My recollection is that the Nikkor images were noticeably sharper than the Schneider. Nothing scientific or

controlled, just based on looking at Kodachrome slide images of stuff like deadwood, projected from a Kodak projector. I could be

wrong. I did take some stunning shots of flower arrangements with the Retina.

 

I hope you find this useful. I still like the Retina series, along with the similar Zeiss Contaflex and Voigtlander cameras. I last saw a

real Voigtlander SLR in use in the hands of a German tourist at Lake Louise in 1987.