*The Collection
*Kodak - Nagel
*Folding Retinas I
*Folding Retinas II
*Retina III S
*Retinette |
Kodak Retina Reflex III
1961 - 1964
Retina
Reflex III (041) -
(1962 -1964) SLR
Serial no.: 135499
Format:
24 x 36 on 35 mm film (135)
Optics: Schneider-Kreuznach
Xenar 1:2,8 50mm
Shutter: Synchro Compur B + 1 sec. => 1/500 sec.
Misc.: Gossen lightmeter, double match needle metering
Interchangeable lenses, Deckel-Retina (S) bayonet mount
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The Retina Reflex series
have a somewhat mixed reputation, however they do not deserve a worse
reputation than many other SLR's with Compur / Synchro Compur shutters.
It's really not the "camera" but the general design principle, because
the use of these shutters leads to very complicated mecanical SLR
designs. This is most certainly the case with the Retina reflex III. I
have never had any problems with my camera, but it's not difficult to
see how complicated it is. First of all there is the aperture setting,
which on the Retina Reflex are done by turning a small wheel placed
under the lens (see closeup below). This wheel is linked to the lens by
a gearing, and moves the lens aperture ring on the lens, and it also
changes the red depth-of-field indicator arms simultaneously and it is
of course also linked with the match-needle lightmeter. This lightmeter
can not only be read out in the viewfinder, but also through a small
window on the camera top cover !. The aperture settings are adjustable
in relation to the pre-chosen shutter speed. The shutter release button
are on the camera front to the right of the lens. The Reflex III came in
2 versions; an earlt version with a smaller lightmeter, which was
changed after the first year of production to the version you can see on
this page.So what do I think of the Retina Reflex ?. Well, it's kinda
monstrous, but apart from the bright chrome finish I actually like it a
lot. The action are smooth, and when you get used to using the aperture
setting wheel it's very nice to use, and not worse than f.e. a
Voigtländer Bessamatic or a Contaflex. It's just a little different. I
have no doubt that it is well built, and the finish are wonderful. I have
heard though, that the prisms tend to deteriorate on some models and
thus spoiling the viewfinder view. So make sure to check this before
buying. The Retina Reflex has got 1 major
advantage in comparison with f.e. Contaflex, namely the selection of
wonderful Schneider-Kreuznach lenses. Below I have shown my collection
of lenses mounted on the Retina Reflex, so just click on the thumbnails
for larger views. The Living Image has got a nice page about the
Retina Reflex:
The Living Image on the Retina Reflex III
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Click on thumbnails for
larger views
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