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November 21, 2014

Kodak Retinette 1b
Lens

Rodenstock Reomar 45 mm f/2.8, Filter thread 30.5 mm.

Shutter

Prontor 500 LK leaf shutter, 1/15 bis 1/500 und B. Self timer.

Light meter

Coupled selenium cell meter by Gossen with match-needle in finder.

Focusing

Meter and feet scale plus distance symbols. DOF scale. Close focus 1
m.

Viewfinder

Brightframe with parallax marks.

Flash

PC socket and hot shoe, X-sync.

Film
transport

Wind lever on camera bottom, rewind thumb wheel, hinged back.

Dimensions

ca. 125 / 90 / 60 mm (with lens)

Battery

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[German version]
My dad bought this camera new in the early 1960's. When he switched to an SLR set for
some reason, I took it under my wing. In the good ol' days, when I didn't have more
cameras than one person can use, this was my mechanical back-up camera for the times
when I didn't trust the probably easily fooled electronics of the X-300, so for instance when
sailing, or on my desert journey through Oman.
Kodak cameras were once assembled in Germany (Stuttgart), where Kodak had assimilated
the firm Nagel into its Borg. Of the cameras produced at that plant, the Retinas are today
best known. They were also available as rangefinder models and SLRs, sometimes with
interchangeable optics.
The Retinas have a loyal fan base and are commonly thought to be good and reliable.
The Retinette is, so to speak, the popular model with basic features, particularly lacking a
rangefinder and interchangeable optics. The features supplied (Prontor shutter, 45/2.8 lens,
Selenium photocell) are fairly standard, only the hot shoe could be considered "special",
since it was then (and for years after) by no means the norm.
All this makes my camera an unproblematic travel companion. The depth-of-field of the
lens is sufficient to take sharp pictures even without the help of the rangefinder, with only
the symbols on the lens to guide you (take a look at the picture to the right; the depth-offield scale seems somewhat optimistic for a 45mm lens), the light meter guards you from
the gravest errors in exposure (amazingly still working after 40 years), and the hot shoe
allows easy use of a flash.
Rigged with all this, the 1960's man felt prepared for any standard situation (while these
days you seem to need Matrix metering, Multi-point autofocus and 35 program settings. Or
at least a LCD and a 35-115mm f/4.6-13.8 zoom on a plastic point-and-shoot camera...).
The big advantage of the Retinette to me is the precise and apparently extremely solid
construction (all the special switches are safely hidden from accidental operation). All
mechanical parts (and there really only are mechanical parts) still function like new.

Not that you think I'm insane, but I think this camera makes, of all cameras I own, the
sweetest sound. It purrs like a swiss clock!
A special detail is the rapid wind lever at the lower right of the camera. Especially those
who use the viewfinder with their left eye will like this.
This camera's main disadvantage is of course the lack of a rangefinder. When you step over
this, because you trake it as part of the concept, you still have to conclude that the
viewfinder isn't the best in its kind. It has a clear pink hue (I even imagine seeing this in
the top picture on this page) and is relatively dark. Especially the hue bothers me, it
startles you when you think you see a good motif and you look through the viewfinder, and
you need to recalibrate your view because the tone is so flatly rendered. If any, I'd
preferred a blue hue... ----Copyright 2002-2010 by Erik FissErik Fiss. All rights reserved.
Last modified March 16, 2010
http://erikfiss.com/foto/cams/retinette/e.html November 21, 2014