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A Tale of Two Cameras
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Nov 19, 2018 12:48:13   #
Quinn 4
 
AndyT: Great Camera, Have one and use it. The only draw back is when one is using the 80mm lens can't close the outside case.

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Nov 19, 2018 12:50:40   #
SpyderJan Loc: New Smyrna Beach. FL
 
AndyT wrote:
I just recently bought this Retina IIc beautifully engineered in Germany in 1957. When you open the lens cover the lens unit slides out. The Darkroom scans my negs to digital files.


That's a beauty Andy.

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Nov 19, 2018 13:10:25   #
AndyT Loc: Hampstead, New Hampshire
 
Quinn 4 wrote:
AndyT: Great Camera, Have one and use it. The only draw back is when one is using the 80mm lens can't close the outside case.


Quinn4. Yes I read about the 80mm before I bought the camera and decided it was nice enough just to use the standard 50mm on it. Did you have much yellowing in the split image viewfinder?

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Nov 19, 2018 13:11:56   #
AndyT Loc: Hampstead, New Hampshire
 
SpyderJan wrote:
That's a beauty Andy.


Thank you Spyder Jan. Feels well crafted when you use it.

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Nov 19, 2018 13:27:28   #
Quinn 4
 
AndyT wrote:
Quinn4. Yes I read about the 80mm before I bought the camera and decided it was nice enough just to use the standard 50mm on it. Did you have much yellowing in the split image viewfinder?


Yes I do. It deal with the age of the camera. But I still can use the ranger finder with no problem. To clear it one has to take the top of the camera apart, which I don't want to do. You will get great pictures with just using the 50mm lens.

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Nov 19, 2018 13:33:53   #
AndyT Loc: Hampstead, New Hampshire
 
Quinn 4 wrote:
Yes I do. It deal with the age of the camera. But I still can use the ranger finder with no problem. To clear it one has to take the top of the camera apart, which I don't want to do. You will get great pictures with just using the 50mm lens.


Quinn4. I was going to send it in to Chris Sales might be his name, but having nothing to compare it to I may have one of the better viewfinders now.

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Nov 19, 2018 14:52:33   #
E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
 
Fortunately and unfortunately, I am not a camera collector. Fortunately, from my lovely wife's perspective, I never held onto any of my professional equipment beyond its utility and usefulness in our business. I either used the stuff 'till it virtually disintegrated and then discarding it or trading it in or selling it to make room for practical or upgraded replacements. If either of us have any kinda hoarding leanings- it's gotta be me as my wife is more of the thrower-outer. After 50 years of wedded bliss we have taken on some of each other's habits and came to a compromise policy.

In retrospect, the only things I regret disposing of are the cameras that would have held some significent memories of the times and circumstances. The earliest model of Leica I owned was an M-3-it was my personal camera during my time in Viet Nam. I had a body, a 50 and 35 and a 90 mm lenses and was able to tote the entire kit around in an old signal-satchel case. That M-3 and I survived allot of stuff!

I never owned a Retina but my Uncle Jack was especially proud of his. He was an architect by profession and always had his trusty Retina with him. He had hundreds of sharp, beautifully saturated Kodachrome slides of all his architectural projects. His wife, my Aunt Rachel, was an accomplished abstract artists and art teacher and Uncle had many slides of her paintings as well. So...as an 11 year old kid, I was running around with a Kodak Pony 135 and Uncle Jack sat me down at the kitchen table and taught me about exposure, depth of field, basic composition and how to use his rather unsophisticated- un-cooled slide projector without melting my slides. That Retina is still around in the family- I'll try to get one of my favorite cousins to send me a photograph of it.

I don't recall if the entire camera was made in Germany or just the lens- a Xenon- pretty darn sharp for the era. At the time, the Pony 135 and 828 were the entry level Kodak adjustable cameras. Then came, in the lineup, the Kodak 35, The Chevron, and the Medalist (620) 2 1/4. The Retina was always advertised as in a class of its own- kinda elegant!

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Nov 19, 2018 15:30:54   #
AndyT Loc: Hampstead, New Hampshire
 
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
Fortunately and unfortunately, I am not a camera collector. Fortunately, from my lovely wife's perspective, I never held onto any of my professional equipment beyond its utility and usefulness in our business. I either used the stuff 'till it virtually disintegrated and then discarding it or trading it in or selling it to make room for practical or upgraded replacements. If either of us have any kinda hoarding leanings- it's gotta be me as my wife is more of the thrower-outer. After 50 years of wedded bliss we have taken on some of each other's habits and came to a compromise policy.

In retrospect, the only things I regret disposing of are the cameras that would have held some significent memories of the times and circumstances. The earliest model of Leica I owned was an M-3-it was my personal camera during my time in Viet Nam. I had a body, a 50 and 35 and a 90 mm lenses and was able to tote the entire kit around in an old signal-satchel case. That M-3 and I survived allot of stuff!

I never owned a Retina but my Uncle Jack was especially proud of his. He was an architect by profession and always had his trusty Retina with him. He had hundreds of sharp, beautifully saturated Kodachrome slides of all his architectural projects. His wife, my Aunt Rachel, was an accomplished abstract artists and art teacher and Uncle had many slides of her paintings as well. So...as an 11 year old kid, I was running around with a Kodak Pony 135 and Uncle Jack sat me down at the kitchen table and taught me about exposure, depth of field, basic composition and how to use his rather unsophisticated- un-cooled slide projector without melting my slides. That Retina is still around in the family- I'll try to get one of my favorite cousins to send me a photograph of it.

I don't recall if the entire camera was made in Germany or just the lens- a Xenon- pretty darn sharp for the era. At the time, the Pony 135 and 828 were the entry level Kodak adjustable cameras. Then came, in the lineup, the Kodak 35, The Chevron, and the Medalist (620) 2 1/4. The Retina was always advertised as in a class of its own- kinda elegant!
Fortunately and unfortunately, I am not a camera c... (show quote)


E.L. Shapiro. Nice to hear some history about your Uncle and his Retina. I think classy is a good way to describe the camera.

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Nov 19, 2018 16:30:12   #
pminyard Loc: Bartlett, Tennessee
 
My first quality camera was a Kodak Retina IIs. I had a number of filters. including a polarizing filter, which was a rarity at that time. I wasn’t processing my own film at that time, but got some terrific shots in B&W and color. Later came my Leica IIIG, with wide angle and telephoto lenses. Outstanding photo equipment! Thanks for your "family" portrait”

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Nov 19, 2018 16:30:37   #
Photocraig
 
rmalarz wrote:
A follow up from a post made yesterday.

In 1953 my mom worked in a Kodak retail sales store in Hawaii. I was 5 years old at the time. A gentleman came in and wanted to trade a Leica in and negotiate a deal on a Kodak Retina camera. Kodak made some really good cameras at the time. The reason the gentleman wanted to trade in the Leica was that he wanted an American camera.

My mom knowing that I was both interested in taking photographs and very careful with my stuff negotiated with the store manager and purchased the Leica from the store. Mom and dad gave me the Leica IIIf for either Christmas or my birthday. I don't remember which.

Friday, I was in Tempe Camera to purchase some battery holders and strolled by their used department. There sat a Kodak Retina IIa camera in almost pristine condition. I thought it would make a nice complimentary team with the Leica I've had since I was 5. So, here's the two of them together for the "family" portrait.

Incidentally, I used two pieces of equipment I purchased from UHH members over the last few months. And, yes, I will be shooting some film with the 'new' camera in the very near future.
--Bob
A follow up from a post made yesterday. br br In ... (show quote)


SWEET!!!! Not a lot of 5 year-olds ever got a Leica. And not a lot of Leica's owned by 5 year-olds lived to look so good. These are a beautiful pair. Thanks for sharing.
C

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Nov 19, 2018 18:04:13   #
delkeener Loc: SW Rhode Island, USA
 
Last Saturday this little Retina IIa was pulled from the collection case along with a beat up old case with an almost complete set of series Vi filters, adapter and hoods in very nice condition. I'm planning to sell off most of a small collection of vintage film cameras so if there's any interest here in the hog you will be seeing some here before I go to eBay.


(Download)

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Nov 19, 2018 18:11:47   #
delkeener Loc: SW Rhode Island, USA
 
Yellow in the rangefinder is not a flaw it's a feature so you can see where the rangefinder coincidence is located more easily.
AndyT wrote:
Quinn4. Yes I read about the 80mm before I bought the camera and decided it was nice enough just to use the standard 50mm on it. Did you have much yellowing in the split image viewfinder?

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Nov 19, 2018 18:19:16   #
AndyT Loc: Hampstead, New Hampshire
 
delkeener wrote:
Yellow in the rangefinder is not a flaw it's a feature so you can see where the rangefinder coincidence is located more easily.

Interesting Delkeener. I never thought of it that way.

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Nov 19, 2018 19:30:55   #
jmccl Loc: Western Shore of Utah Lake
 
loosecanon wrote:
Wasn't the Retina made in Germany?


YES! I have a 1a

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Nov 20, 2018 09:40:27   #
Quinn 4
 
Delkeener, thank you I did not known that. Fun with old cameras finding out thinks about them that have been forgot.
Andy T: You don't have send your camera out, save money. Now put some film in it and enjoy it.

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