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+--- Thread: Vintage camera buffs (/showthread.php?tid=88079)
Vintage camera buffs - Mac1337 - 11-19-2009
From my early childhood I fondly remember people that knew something about photography use Contaflex. I looked them up again for the first time and they look like a jewel, not to mention the legendary Zeiss glass. Has anyone handled them or seen their pictures. They are pretty cheap now.
Re: Vintage camera buffs - lafinfil - 11-19-2009
It was a decedent of the Zeiss Ikon line that never caught on. The concept was a leaf shutter in an SLR
rather than a leaf shutter in a rangefinder like the Leica's or early Nikon's. All the other SLRs were using a focal plane shutter.
Biggest downfall was the needed complexity of the Compur shutter design. I'm a Compur fan when it comes to
large format lenses but that because they are simple, accurate, and reliable - unlike these.
Basically that's why they never got a market hold - wrong technology for the application.
I've seen many in collections but not as users. I imagine it would be nearly impossible to get the parts
or the expertise to maintain the shutters these days. That's why they are cheap.
Re: Vintage camera buffs - Mac1337 - 11-19-2009
Kodak Retina looks very similar to Contaflex but they are mostly rangefinders. I see a few SLRs types for sale with Schneider-Kruezach 50mm, f2 lens. Looks like they have leaf shutters too. It was quite a feat for Kodak to be playing in this market back in the 50s.
Re: Vintage camera buffs - deckeda - 11-19-2009
It was quite a feat for Kodak to be playing in this market back in the 50s.
Yes, but the good Retinas were designed and produced by Kodak of Germany. Plenty of other Retinas that were merely the normal cheesy "Kodaks" U.S. customers are used to.
Re: Vintage camera buffs - lafinfil - 11-20-2009
I still have my German built Retina with the interchangeable front elements. It has Schneider glass and a top notch rangefinder.
It was my first "serious" camera that I got when I was about 12 years old. Have the auxiliary rangefinder for it too.
The shutter finally went on it and there was no reasonable fix (cost wise) for it, so it is a display piece now.
Re: Vintage camera buffs - Mac1337 - 11-20-2009
lafinfil,
How was picture quality when it worked? Which model should I look for or avoid if I want to buy one? Retinas were in production for a long time. I though they were all made in Germany. It is a cheap toy to get.
Re: Vintage camera buffs - deckeda - 11-20-2009
Yes, German, my mistake.
I was referring mainly to the early folding rangefinders. Here's some more info: http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?KodakRetina.html~mainFrame
Re: Vintage camera buffs - lafinfil - 11-20-2009
The image quality was outstanding - the Schneiders were quite good especially in the basic designs
but most of the earlier ones are uncoated so would be best for black & white - not so much for color.
The trick will be finding one that is working and that has a shutter that is semi accurate
Mine is the "Automatic III" so that is the one that I am most familiar with - it is the non folding model
that had interchangeable front elements
http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Kodak_Retina_Automatic_I_II_III
The folders were the IIIa IIIb IIIc - and there was a "big C" and "little c" variant. I think the "big C" was the more desirable
but I don't really remember what that was. There are lots of collector/users around and google would explain the differences.
I think it will come down to what you can find that is still working well enough to use. If you get a folder make sure
that the bellows are in good condition.