The Kodak Retina Reflex is a discontinued series of four
single-lens reflex
A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system (hence "reflex" from the mirror's reflection) that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. With twin le ...
cameras made by
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
, continuing the brand
Kodak Retina
Retina was the brand-name of a long-running series of German-built Kodak 35mm cameras, produced from 1934 until 1969. Kodak Retina cameras were manufactured in Stuttgart-Wangen by the Kodak AG Dr. Nagel Werk which Kodak had acquired in Dece ...
.
Retina Reflex
The Kodak Type 025 Retina Reflex is an
SLR camerawith so-called
convertible lens
A camera lens (also known as photographic lens or photographic objective) is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capa ...
es (German: Wechselobjektiv), interchangeable lens componentsmade by
Kodak AG
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
Stuttgart, Germany. It was made between Spring 1957 and October 1958. Like many 35 mm SLR cameras of West German heritage it works with a
leaf shutter
In photography, a shutter is a device that allows light to pass for a determined period, exposing photographic film or a photosensitive digital sensor to light in order to capture a permanent image of a scene. A shutter can also be used to all ...
instead of a
focal plane shutter
In camera design, a focal-plane shutter (FPS) is a type of photographic shutter that is positioned immediately in front of the focal plane of the camera, that is, right in front of the photographic film or image sensor.
Two-curtain shutter ...
. It was named Type 025 Retina Reflex since it inherited several features from the Retina rangefinder cameras, like the
Retina IIIc: The film advance and exposure counting system, the film channel, the
selenium meter
A selenium meter is a light-measuring instrument based on the photoelectric properties of selenium. The most common use of such light meters is measuring the exposure value for photography. The electric part of such a meter is an electromagnetic m ...
, and the focusing mechanics of the lenses. Even the Synchro-
Compur shutter is very similar to the earlier designs.
The early Retina reflex models are basically fixed-lens cameras with interchangeable front elements. Later models had fully interchangeable lenses. In the first models, the front three elements are contained in a cell that bayonets into the front of the lens assembly. The standard front cell can be replaced with one of three Schneider components - an 80mm and two different 35mm components. The rear part of the lens (which is a permanent part of the camera body) contains the focusing apparatus, the entire Synchro-
Compur shutter, the aperture, and the three rear elements, which are common to all 4 lenses. This interchangeable front component concept was introduced in 1954 with the folding Retina IIc and IIIc models. Care must be exercised when using front components other than the standard (50mm) one, as it is possible to set the body mounted aperture wider than the maximum aperture of the lens (i.e. f/2 instead of f/4 or f/5.6).
A similar system was introduced in 1953 with the
Contaflex (SLR). The Retina Reflex is, on rare occasions, found with very similar lenses made by
Rodenstock. As the Rodenstock front components are not compatible with the Schneider rear component (and vice versa), minor changes were made to the bayonet mount for each manufacturer. These interchangeable Retina lens components can also be used on the
Retina IIc,
IIC,
IIIc, and
IIIC rangefinder cameras.
The camera offers the convenience of image composition with wide open aperture. The aperture is stopped down to the selected value after the shutter is released. After exposure the mirror stays up until the bottom-mounted single-stroke film advance lever is again wound. Focusing is via a ground glass screen with a central split-image rangefinder.
The camera's top plate has the manually set frame counter, the shutter release, the film rewind knob with film reminder dial, the exposure needle window, meter adjustment knob with EV and ASA/DIN scales, the film (advance) release button, the frame (counter) advance slider, and the
accessory shoe
Canon EOS 350D Hot shoe
Proprietary hot shoe used by Minolta and older Sony cameras (Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D">Sony.html" ;"title="Minolta and older Sony">Minolta and older Sony cameras (Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D)
A hot shoe is a mounting poin ...
. The bottom plate contains the tripod socket, the film advance lever, the back release latch, and the film rewind release button.
In use, the Retina Reflex frame counter works down from 35 (or 20) to 0, at which point the film advance locks. While this is convenient for the user and does prevent torn film sprockets at the end of a roll, setting the counter up properly at the beginning of a roll is complex, awkward, and time-consuming. This is a typical example of much of Retina engineering - complex and ingenious, but perhaps over-done.
The non-coupled selenium cell exposure meter reads out in exposure values (EVs) only. The camera is then set to the proper EV setting via an easily reached aperture release tab, though the EV scale itself is rather inconveniently located on the underside of the lens assembly. Once the aperture release tab is set and released, the shutter ring is coupled to the aperture ring - moving the shutter ring automatically moves the aperture ring, so that the same exposure value is maintained. In other words, when in use, the camera is normally locked into one EV setting until the aperture release tab is pressed. Needless to say this can be confusing to those unfamiliar with the camera.
All the Retina Reflex cameras are remarkably complex instruments and quite heavy for their size. The Retina Reflex originally sold for $215 USD
[History of Kodak Cameras at Kodak.com] (app. $1,820 USD in 2014). Approximately 65,000 were made.
Lenses for the Retina Reflex
The Retina Reflex can be fitted with five different lenses (also for the
Retina IIc,
IIC,
IIIc, and
IIIC cameras). They all share a common set of three elements at the rear of the lens.
List of
Schneider-Kreuznach
Schneider Kreuznach () is the abbreviated name of the company Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH, which is sometimes also simply referred to as Schneider. They are a manufacturer of industrial and photographic optics. The company was founded on ...
Retina
convertible lens
A camera lens (also known as photographic lens or photographic objective) is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capa ...
es:
* Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Curtar-Xenon C 35mm f/4
* Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Curtar-Xenon C 35mm f/5.6 (6+3 elements in 6 groups)
* Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon C 50mm f/2 (3+3 elements in 4 groups)
* Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon C 50mm f/2.8
* Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Longar-Xenon C 80mm f/4 (6+3 elements in 6 groups)
List of
Rodenstock Retina convertible lenses:
*Rodenstock Retina-Heligon C 35mm f/4
*Rodenstock Retina-Heligon C 35mm f/5.6
*Rodenstock Retina-Heligon C 50mm f/2
*Rodenstock Retina-Heligon C 50mm f/2.8
*Rodenstock Retina-Heligon C 80mm f/4
Retina Reflex S
Introduced in 1959, the Type 034 Retina Reflex S was a major redesign of the original Retina Reflex. The major difference is its use of fully interchangeable lenses, the same lenses that were made for the
Kodak Retina IIIS
Retina was the brand-name of a long-running series of German-built Kodak 35mm cameras, produced from 1934 until 1969. Kodak Retina cameras were manufactured in Stuttgart-Wangen by the Kodak AG Dr. Nagel Werk which Kodak had acquired in Decemb ...
rangefinder camera. The lens mount is commonly referred to as the
Deckel
Friedrich Deckel GmbH, also known as F.Deckel, was a German company founded by Friedrich Deckel and Christian Bruns in Munich as Bruns & Deckel in 1903. Its most famous product is the ''Compur'' line of leaf shutters used on many photographic lens ...
mount, after the manufacturer of the Prontor,
Compur and other shutters. This same mount, with minor differences, was also used by a number of other German camera makers, including
Braun
Braun is a common surname, originating from the German word for the color brown. The name is the 22nd most common family name in Germany. Many German emigrants to the United States also changed their name to ''Brown'' (''see Brown (surname)'') ...
and
Voigtländer
Voigtländer () was a significant long-established company within the optics and photographic industry, headquartered in Braunschweig, Germany, and today continues as a trademark for a range of photographic products.
History
Voigtländer was f ...
. It was also used in the later Retina Reflex III, Retina Reflex IV, and the
Kodak Instamatic Reflex
The Kodak Retina Reflex is a discontinued series of four single-lens reflex cameras made by Kodak, continuing the brand Kodak Retina.
Retina Reflex
The Kodak Type 025 Retina Reflex is an SLR camerawith so-called convertible lenses (German: Wec ...
. As for the original Retina Reflex, lenses were available from both
Schneider and
Rodenstock, but this time the lenses had identical bayonet mounts.
The shutter is a Synchro-Compur behind the lens unit, which is part of the camera body. The aperture is now in the interchangeable lenses, which eliminates the problem of setting the wrong aperture on the original Retina Reflex. Speed are from 1 sec. to 1/500th plus bulb. It features M and X syncs and a self-timer.
What was the meter adjustment knob on the top plate is now a fixed housing for the ASA/DIN scale. The selenium cell exposure meter is now coupled to a "setting wheel" located on the very bottom of the lens mount. This setting wheel sets adjusts the camera's exposure value (EV) by changing (in a most complex fashion) the aperture and/or shutter rings at the same time that it changes the depth-of-field pointers on the camera's lens. When another button (located on the top plate) is pushed simultaneously, the setting wheel is also used to set the exposure meter's ASA/DIN setting.
The top plate, bottom plate, and camera body are otherwise nearly identical to the Retina Reflex.
The Retina Reflex S originally sold for $235 USD
(app. $1,920 USD in 2014). Approximately 78,000 were made.
Retina Reflex III
A later variant is the Type 041 Retina Reflex III. It was made from 1960 to 1964.
Its match-needle meter instrument scale is visible in the viewfinder as well as on the top plate. The camera was originally equipped with the same coupled
selenium meter
A selenium meter is a light-measuring instrument based on the photoelectric properties of selenium. The most common use of such light meters is measuring the exposure value for photography. The electric part of such a meter is an electromagnetic m ...
as the Reflex S, but after 1962 a larger one was fitted, again made by
Gossen. The Reflex III features the same "setting wheel" and interlocking aperture/shutter rings as the Reflex S. As it was fashion in the early 1960s the shutter release button on top was replaced by a shutter release shifter beside the lens mount. The film advance release button was eliminated, that function being incorporated in the frame reset slider, which was moved to the bottom plate along with the (still) manually reset frame counter. The ASA setting button was moved from the ASA dial to the spot vacated by the release button.
This redesign made a new camera case design necessary, leaving additional space for the frame counter, and the frame reset slider. The Retina Reflex cases were already something special before since the film advance lever (Reflex) and aperture/shutter setting wheel (Reflex S) are located on the bottom. The photo shows just how complex the Retina case had become.
The Reflex III has the same aperture/shutter setting wheel (which Kodak called simply the "setting wheel") and interlocking aperture/shutter rings as the Reflex S.
The Retina Reflex III originally sold for $248.50 USD
(app. $2,000 USD in 2014). Approximately 116,000 were made.
Retina Reflex IV
The Type 051 Retina Reflex IV was made from 1964 to 1967. It has a characteristic little window in the front of its
pentaprism
A pentaprism is a five-sided reflecting prism used to deviate a beam of light by a constant 90°, even if the entry beam is not at 90° to the prism.
The beam reflects inside the prism ''twice'', allowing the transmission of an image through a r ...
housing, which displays the aperture in use in the viewfinder. The
accessory shoe
Canon EOS 350D Hot shoe
Proprietary hot shoe used by Minolta and older Sony cameras (Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D">Sony.html" ;"title="Minolta and older Sony">Minolta and older Sony cameras (Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D)
A hot shoe is a mounting poin ...
now had flash contacts. The frame counter now automatically resets to 36 when the back is opened; the frame advance slider is used to set the counter for shorter rolls. The split-image rangefinder on the ground glass is now at a 45 degree angle.
The Retina Reflex IV originally sold for $277 USD
(app. $2,130 USD in 2014).
Over 524,000 were made.
Lenses for Retina Reflex S, III, IV, Instamatic Reflex, and Retina IIIS
List of
Schneider-Kreuznach
Schneider Kreuznach () is the abbreviated name of the company Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH, which is sometimes also simply referred to as Schneider. They are a manufacturer of industrial and photographic optics. The company was founded on ...
Retina
DKL-mount lenses:
*Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Curtagon 28mm f/4
*Schneider-Kreuznach Curtagon 28mm f/4 (for Instamatic Reflex)
*Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Curtagon 35mm f/2.8
*Schneider-Kreuznach Curtagon 35mm f/2.8 (for Instamatic Reflex)
*Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenar 45mm f/2.8 (for Instamatic Reflex, can be used with Retina Reflex S, III, IV, but not with the Retina IIIS)
*Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenar 50mm f/2.8
*Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon 50mm f/1.9
*Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f/1.9 (for Instamatic Reflex)
*Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Tele-Arton 85mm f/4
*Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Tele-Arton 90mm f/4 (for Instamatic Reflex)
*Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Tele-Xenar 135mm f/4
*Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Tele-Xenar 200mm f/4.8 (does not have the rangefinder cam necessary for focussing through viewfinder with the Retina IIIS)
List of
Rodenstock Retina DKL-mount lenses:
*Rodenstock Retina-Eurygon 30mm f/2.8
*Rodenstock Retina-Eurygon 35mm f/4
*Rodenstock Retina-Ysarex 50mm f/2.8
*Rodenstock Retina-Heligon (and Retina-Ysarex???) 50mm f/1.9
*Rodenstock Retina-Rotelar 85mm f/4
*Rodenstock Retina-Rotelar 135mm f/4
List of third-party Retina DKL-mount lenses:
*Univer-sar Tele Photo 135mm f/4
*Bittco Super Vemar 135mm f/4
*Vemar Telephoto 200mm f/4.8
*Vemar Telephoto 135mm f/2.8
References
Sources
* Brian Coe, ''Kodak Cameras - The First Hundred Years'', Hove Foto Books, 1988
* Rudolf Kingslake, ''A History of the Photographic Lens'', Academic Press, 1989
* Original Kodak user manuals for the Retina Reflex, Retina Reflex S, and Retina Reflex IV
External links
Retina Reflex IIIRetina Reflexan
Retina Reflex sa
Sylvain Halgand's Collection-appareils.frGerman article in Schneider-Kreuznach archiveRetina Reflex section at Retrography.com by Simon Simonsen, Denmark
an
at Westford.co
at "Photoethnography"
at "Innovative cameras"
{{From Camerapedia, Kodak Retina Reflex, 27 December 2012
Kodak SLR cameras