Kodak Retina II

The Retina II is a series of four folding 35 mm rangefinder cameras made in Germany by Kodak AG during the periods 1936-1939 and 1946-1950. These cameras were an upgrade from the original Retina by the addition of a rangefinder. The prewar models (122 and 142) have separate rangefinder and viewfinder windows, while the postwar models (011 and 014) have a single combined viewfinder with parallax correction.

The Retina II cameras do not have a lightmeter, unlike some of the Retina III cameras.

Retina II Type 122

Retina II, type 122, Compur-Rapid, Schneider Xenon 5cm f/2.8. images by eBayer Yalluflex (Image rights)

• Produced from 1936-1937
• Ektar f/3.5 50mm or Schneider Xenon f/2.0 or f/2.8 50mm
• Compur-Rapid shutter 1-500 sec. plus 'B'
• Separate rangefinder and viewfinder
• Top-mounted lever film wind

Retina II Type 142

with Ektar f:3.5 F=5cm image by Dornenwolf (Image rights)

• 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

Retina II Type 011

This is the postwar model, with changes from the pre-war as this was based on the type 150 Retina IIa

Retina II with Schneider Xenon lens image by Jack Hufnagel (Image rights)

with Ektar f/2 47mm image by Casual Camera Collector (Image rights)

• Produced from 1946-1949
• Ektar f/2 47mm or Xenon f/2.0 5cm or Rodenstock Heligon f/2 50mm
• Compur-Rapid shutter 1-500 sec. plus 'B'
• Combined rangefinder and viewfinder
• Knob film wind

Retina II Type 014

with Schneider Retina-Xenon f:2/50mm image by Gerard Vogels (Image rights)

with Rodenstock Retina-Heligon f:2/50mm image by camera.etcetera (Image rights)

Developed from the type 011, with a modified rewind knob, and focusing knob. Cosmetic changes to the shutter front to accommodate a PC flash socket.

• Produced from 1949-1950
• Xenon f/2.0 50mm or 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 II manual at Butkus.org
• Retina II at Collection Appareils by Sylvain Halgand (in French)
• List of folding Retinas by Clayton Rye