Kodak Retina IIa
The Kodak Retina IIa (type 016) was the second rangefinder-focusing Retina II version produced by Kodak AG after resuming camera production following World War II. It was produced between 1951 and 1954.
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The IIa improved upon prior Retina II versions with the addition of a rapid-wind lever, which was coupled to also cock the shutter. Fitting this feature into the already-established folding body style required a complex linkage, whose gearing proved vulnerable to damage in this and subsequent folding Retinas.
Classic-camera aficionados such as Stephen Gandy have commented that the IIa may represent the "sweet spot" of the entire Retina series [1]: The IIa had been modernized to include rangefinder focus, excellent-quality f/2.0 lenses from Schneider and Rodenstock, and rapid advance, in a compact package scarcely larger than the original 1934 Retina.
With the IIa the Retina series had not yet succumbed to the feature creep of built-in metering and interchangeable front lens elements, which necessitated the larger, plumper body style of the post-1954 Retina models.
On the negative side, the viewfinder of the IIa is not especially large or bright; and the shutter speed sequence was not yet the standard geometric series adopted by camera makers in the late 1950s. However the coated 50mm f/2.0 Retina-Xenon lens remains a credible performer even by modern standards.
Notes
Links
In English:
- Kodak Retina IIa at Cameraquest.com
- Kodak Retina Series at Karen Nakamura's Photoethnography.com
- Kodak Retina and Retinette model list by Clayton Rye
- Kodak Retina II/IIa/IIc compared by Dante Stella
- Manual available on the Favorite Classics section of .kyphoto.com
