Kodak Retina II
The Kodak Retina II the name of a series of four rangefinder-focusing, folding 35mm cameras made in Germany by Kodak AG during the periods 1936-1939 and 1946-1950. The Retina II is a folding camera with no built-in lightmeter. This feature only exists in Retinette and Retina III cameras.
Contents
Kodak Retina II — Type 122
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| Retina II, type 122, Compur-Rapid, Schneider Xenon 5cm f/2.8. images by eBayer Yalluflex (Image rights) |
- Produced from 1936-1937
- Kodak Ektar f/3.5 50mm or Schneider Xenon f/2.0 or f/2.8 50mm
- Compur-Rapid shutter 1-500 sec. plus bulb
- Separate rangefinder and viewfinder
- Top mounted lever film wind
Retina II Personal View
It is only when you handle these old cameras that you really begin to appreciate them. They feel lovely! The leather covering and the shape makes them so tactile. You are handling craftmanship, history and other people's stories which only the camera has witnessed. They are truly beautiful. So much more then their leatherette antecedents. (Laurie Pettitt. 2010)
I recently bought an old II to use as spares on another one. It turned out to have a 2.8 xenon lens rather than the Ektar 3.5 and, unlike the one for which it was supposed to be a donor, this one had the II of Retina without a surrounding circle. It makes collecting more fun to realize that you may buy two or three of the same model and all different. When I pluck up courage to post a picture again, I'll show you the differences in the same models. I have 1bs that are different too.
Someone should issue a health warning on Retinas though. They are highly addictive and you will need more to feed your addiction. I had 2, now I have 14 and I'm still looking. Fortunately, I stick to the 1s and 2s, the threes being overrated and over priced (in my opinion).
During the time of writing that last paragraph I found that I had bought another two. I wonder if they do patches!
Laurie Pettitt 2011. Learning the hard way.
Kodak Retina II — Type 142
- Produced from 1937-1939
- Kodak Ektar f/3.5 50mm or Schneider Xenon f/2.0 or f/2.8 50mm
- Compur-Rapid shutter 1-500 sec. plus bulb
- Separate rangefinder and viewfinder
- Knob film wind
Kodak Retina II — Type 011
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| Kodak Retina II with Schneider Xenon lens image by Jack Hufnagel (Image rights) |
- Produced from 1946-1949
- Kodak Ektar f/2 47mm or Schneider Xenon f/2.0 5cm or Rodenstock Heligon f/2 50mm
- Compur-Rapid shutter 1-500 sec. plus bulb
- Combined rangefinder and viewfinder
- Knob film wind
- Developed from the pre-war Retina IIa Type 150
Kodak Retina II — Type 014
- Produced from 1949-1950
- Schneider Xenon f/2.0 50mm or Rodenstock Heligon f/2 50mm
- Compur-Rapid shutter 1-500 sec. plus bulb
- Combined rangefinder and viewfinder
- Knob film wind
- Standard PC socket for flash synchronization
- Some collectors consider that this model is more reliable than the later lever-wind Retina IIa, which utilized a cocking rack that is prone to breakage.
Bibliography
- Brian Coe, Kodak Cameras — The First Hundred Years, Hove Foto Books, 1988
Links
- Retina on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
- Retina II, Retina II, Retina II, Retina II, retina IIa, Retina IIc, Retina IIC, retina IIF on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
