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Kodak Retina IIa - Ektar 5cm f3.5
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PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 3:18 pm    Post subject: Kodak Retina IIa - Ektar 5cm f3.5 Reply with quote
Today I bought this camera due Bill did show evidence how Ektar is good!

I found most of the camera in my searching with Xenon lenses , is this rare equipped with Ektar ?



Last edited by Attila on Sat May 14, 2011 5:45 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
This probably is the pre-war Retina II, Type 142, or IIa Type 150, both of which could be had with the Ektar 3.5 - years for the IIa appear to be 39-41.
There is also Type 011 Retina II, wich could be had with a f/2 Ektar...

the post war IIa's (Type 016) came with Xenons or Heligons f/2

AFAIK the Ektar wasn't fitted to a Retina post war.

Type 150 actually looks very interesting...


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Many thanks ! I will publish photos soon , probably you will able to identify it from pictures.


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Type 150 Smile

http://thecameracollection.blogspot.com/2010/10/kodak-retina-iia.html


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think you're in for a treat, should perform easily as good as the ones
in my Signets. Nice compact camera! That the pressure plate in the Signets
is chromed (is this the same in the 150? ) gave rise to the belief you
shouldn't shoot slide film, but they tout the color verity when using Kodachrome. Think I will try slide film next.


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
good luck! i love retinas generally, and love the schneider lenses (if you have any you should try on you G1!), but i think ektars are even better.


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Congrats Very Happy

Ektar, Xenar, Tessar, Yashinon........ Aren't they all pretty much the same formula?
I get caught up on the names sometimes but, don't they all render similarly?


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thank you guys!

Bill it has black plate, don't worry to try it wit slide , it will go well. I did shoot slide with Bessa RF Skopar, Heliar all was just great. I believe it will come out nicelly with Ektar too.

I have/had many Scheneider lenses, they are top performers without any doubt!

Perhaps they are same formula Andy right and their performance too.


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 5:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
A quick trip through ebay, and I'd say yes, these are rarer with the Ektars. I really look forward to seeing the results!


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
yes jussi, ektars in general seem pretty rare...


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 8:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've never seen one with an Ektar, just the Schneiders. So I look forward to the results.

BTW, Attila, the IIa is my favorite of all the Retinas. To me it is an exquisite piece of engineering.


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 9:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I would agree, though mine is a post war IIa it is a honey. the IIc by comparison is plumpy (but the 2.8 lens is better than the 2)...

I've seen some gab on the net - supposedly from Kodak sources - that the 150 is pretty rare... for example this post:
Quote:
I have the earlier, knob-wind IIa Type 150, which was made only during 1939 after which the war stopped production. It's the most rare of the lot, with only 5,107 made. I was fortunate in finding mine at the right price (read very cheaply) because the seller, a camera fair part-time dealer, didn't realise there was a pre-war and a post-war IIa . The pre-war ones usually fetch twice as much as the post-war ones.


http://cameracollector.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=range&action=display&thread=4325

Some say the 3.5 is more common than the faster lenses... who knows? Also someone mentioned that this Ektar is a rebadged Schneider, i.e. it doesn't have the CAMEROCITY type of serial number.

This is all so interesting.


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 9:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Built quality is first class indeed and looks works like a charm, later I will measure shutter speeds.


PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nesster wrote:
Some say the 3.5 is more common than the faster lenses... who knows? Also someone mentioned that this Ektar is a rebadged Schneider, i.e. it doesn't have the CAMEROCITY type of serial number.

This is all so interesting.


Yes, fascinating, I was of the understanding, or under the illusion that Ektar was reserved for American-made Kodak lenses. Now here is
a lens that doesn't follow the CAMEROSITY code (Jussi, note new spelling, helpful to have all letters different). All the ones ending in -on from here to
Heligon were of German manufacture. There is a 3.5/50 Ektar that was
made for the Kodak Pony (828) camera with front element focusing.

Hummm.


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 12:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
Built quality is first class indeed and looks works like a charm, later I will measure shutter speeds.


Looking forward to see the the pix from this camera.

@Jussi, forgot a smiley after the CAMEROSITY but you know I'm a
wiseass. Wink Smile


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 5:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I believe that "Ektar" did not designate a particular design; there are lots of lenses that were called Ektar with a variety of formulas, such as the famous 203/7.7, 4 elements in 4 groups, often seen on press cameras. I am lucky to have one.

There are several that were Heliars, made for the Medalist of course, but some also for press cameras. And there are several wide angle Gauss types, front-element focus three-or four element types, etc.

That said, plenty of Ektars were Tessar-types, I have several of them also.


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
There were also "Commercial Ektars," which I know nothing about, but folks I've known spoke highly of them for view camera applications.


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Bill, I tend to repeat years as it is... so 2 C's works for me Laughing


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 3:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nesster wrote:
Bill, I tend to repeat years as it is... so 2 C's works for me Laughing


I tend to do that, too, what keeps us young! Laughing


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 8:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Does anybody know when the IIa began to receive the Synchro-Compur shutter instead of the Compur Rapid?

Never mind. I found my answer at Camerapedia. It states:

"The second camera series designated Retina IIa was the Type 016 Retina IIa. It was manufactured from January 1951 to April 1954. At first, a COMPUR-RAPID shutter was used. This was replaced in March of 1951 with a SYNCHRO-COMPUR shutter."


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
What a cool looking camera! Pix please. Wink


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 11:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Katastrofo wrote:
What a cool looking camera! Pix please. Wink


It's almost too cool for words. I owned one years ago during my stint as a camera dealer, and I examined it very closely while I owned it, and even ran a few rolls of film through it. The detail, finish, and quality of machining are at such a high level that an equivalent camera would cost many hundreds, if not thousands of dollars today. A truly marvelous machine. As I mentioned at the outset, it's my favorite Retina. All those folks into the 3Cs can have 'em. Give me a clean IIa any day.


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 11:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Katastrofo wrote:
What a cool looking camera! Pix please. Wink


Laughing Surely, I buy them about this reason not for shelf Wink


PostPosted: Sat May 14, 2011 11:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Katastrofo wrote:
What a cool looking camera! Pix please. Wink


It's almost too cool for words. I owned one years ago during my stint as a camera dealer, and I examined it very closely while I owned it, and even ran a few rolls of film through it. The detail, finish, and quality of machining are at such a high level that an equivalent camera would cost many hundreds, if not thousands of dollars today. A truly marvelous machine. As I mentioned at the outset, it's my favorite Retina. All those folks into the 3Cs can have 'em. Give me a clean IIa any day.


Well, I'm looking for the IIa. An Agfa Karat IV with Heligon would be nice,
too. Cool
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