Well, I have a Kodak Retina IIa in my hands...!

jay moussy · Feb 7, 2020

At a local estate sale this morning, I spotted a Kodak Retina IIa, in its leather case, on a corner table.
Priced as much an nice entree and two beers, at your average restaurant!

This type of camera is totally new to me, so, after careful evaluation, including opening the lens panel, deploying the bellows, and figuring out the shutter, and a quick search here on the forum, I bought it. No sign of abuse that I can see, shutter fires across speed range, functional aperture, generally smooth.

What an exquisite piece of machinery, small, yet packed with beautiful components. Feels like an era of camera-making that has passed.
It will not sit still, it deserves to see light.

I got to study the manual as, apparently, there are a few odd things (shutter/film advance linkage?), as I research things a bit.

R.Gould · Feb 7, 2020

Retina's are indeed lovely old cameras, as you say from a bygone era, The German camera industry did make lovely cameras, both functional to use and lovely to look at and some were so well mage, still working after 60 or 70 years says something about them maybe thats why I gave collected them to use for so many years, Enjoy both owning and using the camera
Richard

Kino · Feb 7, 2020

Yes, it's a great camera with a great lens!

Do carefully research the operation of the camera! As you state, it has a few quirks like locking the advance when your counter goes above 36. A lot of people think the camera is jammed and then force something and break it!

Take care when winding the film, not too quick but deliberate and smooth; there is a rack inside that can strip.

Chris Sherlock's website is a treasure of information on Retina cameras and this page is great for identifying certain weaknesses to watch out for and avoid.

https://retinarescue.com/kodakretinarepair.html

Paul Howell · Feb 7, 2020

If it needs to be serviced, there are only a few techs who will work on them, best tech I've heard of lately is in New Zealand. I have a III big C that my aunts bought for me when I graduated high school in 1966, it was either used or new old stock, came with the box and instructions. Once you get use to it's oddietts it makes a great travel camera. Mine need to services, shutter speed and rangefinder are both off, need to find the details of the tech in New Zealand and send it off.

Kino · Feb 7, 2020

Paul Howell said:
If it needs to be serviced, there are only a few techs who will work on them, best tech I've heard of lately is in New Zealand. I have a III big C that my aunts bought for me when I graduated high school in 1966, it was either used or new old stock, came with the box and instructions. Once you get use to it's oddietts it makes a great travel camera. Mine need to services, shutter speed and rangefinder are both off, need to find the details of the tech in New Zealand and send it off.

It's Chris Sherlock; the website I list above...
https://retinarescue.com/

jay moussy · Feb 7, 2020

After reading the manual, I discovered that the film indicator, or film speed settings, refers to older Kodak film names, not ISO numerical values. I will need to make, or borrow, a film speed chart equivalency!

StepheKoontz · Feb 7, 2020

The film speed settings are just a reminder of what film is in the camera. They have nothing to do with the operation.

jay moussy · Feb 7, 2020

StepheKoontz said:
The film speed settings are just a reminder of what film is in the camera. They have nothing to do with the operation.

Of course. What was I thinking!
My mind may have been corrupted by examining a battery problem on a Canon AE-1, earlier in the day.

mshchem · Feb 7, 2020

Plus X, Super XX, Kodachrome A (tungsten can't remember what K°), Kodachrome Daylight (ASA 10), and Infrared. If I could still get infrared that would be great.

Don't forget to return the focus to infinity before you try to close it.

My fully functional version is a IIc. I bought it from my dealer a couple years ago when he was closing his shop. Recently serviced it's a Gem. Nice Xenar 50 f2. The middle income Leica.

BobD · Feb 7, 2020

There was a pre-war IIa and a postwar IIa and they are different. The prewar camera has knob film advance and the postwar IIa has the film advance lever.

Kodachromeguy · May 31, 2022

Update on a 2020 thread. I bought a 1952-1953 IIa from a seller in Washington State. Nice little camera! Great Xenon lens:

https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2022/05/1950s-optical-excellence-kodak-retina.html

Alan9940 · May 31, 2022

I just recently got my IIa back from a deserved CLA and it's now working as smooth as new. Love that little camera! And, yes the lens on it is quite nice.

madNbad · May 31, 2022

This is my second IIa. I had one for a while but gave it to a new photographer so they could learn how to use a light meter. Had flirtations with a IIIc and a couple of IIcs' but settled on this IIa. It's been cleaned, the eyepiece has a plastic buffer to keep from scratching my glasses and a several filters for effect:

Kodak Retina IIa with Reveni Meter

bernard_L · May 31, 2022

Kino said:
It's Chris Sherlock; the website I list above...
https://retinarescue.com/

Chris Sherlock has retired; last I heard (end April) his repair queue was closed, he was working on the remaining 8 customer cameras and expected to be done end of May. He posted lots of detailed repair videos on:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisSherlock

Very nice person, helped me via email repair my Retina Typ 117.

I have read that the weak point in some Retinas is the rack-pinion mechanism that couples film advance and shutter cocking. Some useful links:

Preventing Rack-Damage in Retina IIIc/IIc/Ib Cameras

Kodak Retina II IIa IIc

Irrespective of technical details, be gentle with that film advance lever.
Enjoy your IIa; one of my favorite cameras; IMO the "Goldilocks" Retina.

Tadeusz123 · Jun 14, 2022

madNbad said:
This is my second IIa. I had one for a while but gave it to a new photographer so they could learn how to use a light meter. Had flirtations with a IIIc and a couple of IIcs' but settled on this IIa. It's been cleaned, the eyepiece has a plastic buffer to keep from scratching my glasses and a several filters for effect:

Kodak Retina IIa with Reveni Meter

What a beauty! May I trouble you for a picture or description of the plastic buffer? I love shooting my Retinas, but hate having to do bob my head around when composing so that I don't scratch my glasses by getting too close!

The lenses on these little cameras produce some great images, especially for something that fits inside a coat pocket - even if it does weigh the pocket down quite a bit!

Sirius Glass · Jun 14, 2022

madNbad said:
This is my second IIa. I had one for a while but gave it to a new photographer so they could learn how to use a light meter. Had flirtations with a IIIc and a couple of IIcs' but settled on this IIa. It's been cleaned, the eyepiece has a plastic buffer to keep from scratching my glasses and a several filters for effect:

Kodak Retina IIa with Reveni Meter

Enjoy it and shoot more film!

flavio81 · Jun 14, 2022

madNbad said:
This is my second IIa. I had one for a while but gave it to a new photographer so they could learn how to use a light meter. Had flirtations with a IIIc and a couple of IIcs' but settled on this IIa. It's been cleaned, the eyepiece has a plastic buffer to keep from scratching my glasses and a several filters for effect:

Kodak Retina IIa with Reveni Meter

Welcome to the retina club!! I have the IIIc with an accesory 35/5.6 lens. It used to be my most used camera, for some months.

Kodachromeguy · Jun 14, 2022

This is a Kodak Gold 200 frame from my IIa before Paul Barden cleaned the Xenon lens and removed some fungus (which I did not detect in its pre-clean condition). Raymond, Washington, USA; 1/250 ƒ/11.5. Yes, I know, any lens at ƒ/11.5 will look pretty good.

j-dogg · Jun 29, 2022

I got very lucky and found a IIIc while roaming a flea market that at some point in it's like had been serviced. Everything is spot on with it even came with the case. The owner needed money so he had to sell his father's heirloom camera and I made a promise to take good care of it.

qqphot · Jul 18, 2022

I love the postwar (016) IIa, it's tiny, has enough amenities to be very usable but isn't packed full of features like the later models. I also have a personal attachment because it's the camera my dad let me play with as a kid that got me interested in taking pictures. I wouldn't mind if it had a bigger/brighter RF patch but even so it's just really aesthetically pleasing.

I don't know what became of my dad's Retina but I found one very cheap on eBay and Chris Sherlock overhauled it very thoroughly a few years back. More recently Paul Barden fixed a lens calibration problem so it's now in as good working order as it ever has been, and is probably getting more use as well.

bernard_L · Jul 19, 2022

@qqphot: Nice image. Composition, tonality. Grain present, but tight and crisp.

Please tell us what process: film, dev, and any post-scan processing?

My IIa is one of my favorite cameras. Below two pictures with that IIa.

guangong · Jul 19, 2022

I have several variations of 1950s Retinas. Although already mentioned, worth repeating: be careful when advancing film. The design is certainly not as robust as a Nikon. But beautiful compact cameras that can yield great pics. In their heyday they were known as the average man’s Leica.

Jim Jones · Jul 19, 2022

My Retina was delicate in comparison to my Nikons and Leicas of its day. However, image quality seemed on a par with the bulkier and more expensive Pro quality cameras.

qqphot · Jul 19, 2022

bernard_L said:
@qqphot: Nice image. Composition, tonality. Grain present, but tight and crisp.

Please tell us what process: film, dev, and any post-scan processing?

Thank you! This was taken on Delta 100 and developed in TMax dev 1+4, 6.5 min at 20C. Negatives digitized using a Sony a7rIV with Sigma 70mm f/2.8 macro lens. Inverted in Lightroom Classic using NegativeLab Pro, with mild sharpening and edge masking so the grain looks presentable.

gone · Jul 19, 2022

They are indeed fragile cameras, but in a jewel-like way. Very precision feeling, almost like a watch. Nearly always work right w/o needing a CLA too. My favorite is the Ia because scale focus works very well w/ the Retinas, and I love that Xenar lens.

Well, I have a Kodak Retina IIa in my hands...!

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