Kodak Retina IIa
The Kodak Retina IIa was a rangefinder-focusing, folding 35mm camera made by Kodak AG, the German subsidiary of Kodak.
Confusingly, the designation Retina IIa can refer to two different camera production runs, separated by a gap of 10 years. Due to this (and other confusing Retina nomenclature), collectors and Retina specialists often refer to Retina models by the factory type number instead.
The pre-WWII Retina IIa (type 150) was a small redesign of the top plate and frame counter of the preceding Retina II. It was built from 1939 to 1941. However all other knob-wind, rangefinder Retina models in the period 1936-1950 were simply designated "Retina II";[1] thus type 150 is essentially a continuation of the Retina II series.
The later Retina IIa (type 016) was the third rangefinder-focusing Retina produced by Kodak AG after resuming camera production following World War II. It was produced between 1951 and 1954.[2]
|
| Picture by Alf Sigaro (Image rights) |
This postwar 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 [3]: 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.
However the IIa 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
- ↑ McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover).
- ↑ McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover).
- ↑ Kodak Retina IIa at Cameraquest.com
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
