Not sure if this is a bargain yet. Retinette 1B

skida

I was walking through Blyth Market after work and the house clearance guy had a brown leather case enclosed camera - a Kodak Retinette 1B with Rodenstock Reomar 2.8/45mm lens and Pronto LK shutter, B-500 speeds. The lens has a slip-on (Skylight?) filter and, in its own cylindrical case attached to the strap, a slip-on lens hood. I can't believe how spotless it all looks, and even the film pressure plate has no scratches or marks! The shutter seems to have all the different speeds and the coupled selenium meter reacts to light.

He was asking £15 for it, so I put my hand in my pocket. I only had £5.42p, but he said "OK"!

I am just a sucker for brown leather cases stamped with "Made in Germany", I guess.

He also has a folding Retina with a Tessar lens, but I had run out of money. Having done a search, I understand this is a rare thing, and I hope he still has it on Friday.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

I had exactly the same camera with the case and the extra little case on the strap with hood and filters. Sadly mine had a broken shutter, but the quality of the thing impressed me. I have used other cameras with the Reomar lens and it's a good one, one of the better triplets.

Retina with Tessar, hmm, that does sound uncommon as Schneider were the main lens supplier to Kodak an they usually had Xenars or Radionars, Xenons on the premium models.

skida · Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:21 pm Post subject:

This makes interesting reading:

http://www.mwclassic.com/articles/rare_retina/rare_retina.htm

And this makes the camera 1941 at the latest:

http://kodak.3106.net/index.php?p=216&cam=912

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Thats a good find.
The Pronto/Prontor isn't a hard shutter to fix and is generally quite reliable.

skida · Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:01 pm Post subject:

This is how it looks. Very handsome in my eyes.

Kodak Retinette 1B by skida, on Flickr

Kodak Retinette 1B with hood by skida, on Flickr

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Even better catch with the hood, the proper accessories can be difficult to find.

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4744 Location: Cheshire, England

Lovely, re my other post it is a model 037, the sloping text is the giveaway.

You are lucky to pick that one up, but it sounds like you missed a good bargain if the folder is in good nick.

Eugen Mezei · Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 266

Does anybody know the filter thread dimensions?

skida · Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 7:43 pm Post subject:

Don't know if there is a filter thread - my original filter and hood are slip on rather than screw on.

skida · Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 7:47 pm Post subject:

Just got the camera out for a look and there is a thread, roughly 29mm according to my ruler, but don't take that as an exact measurement.

skida · Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 7:52 pm Post subject:

This link takes you to the specs for the later Retinette 1B, but I think the lens is the same, and the thread quoted here is 30.5mm

http://www.erikfiss.com/foto/cams/retinette/e.html

DR.JUAN · Joined: 08 Feb 2013 Posts: 661

What nice camera. Congrats.

An old beauty. I want one too. Idea

The reomar lens was made by Rodenstock and by Schneider too?

Anyways it has 3 element.

The schneider 4 elements is the Xenar and the rodenstock is the Ysarex.

Any pic taken with your nice camera, will be apreciated.

Thanks.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Reomar is a triplet by Rodenstock.

The Schneider equivalent was the Radionar.

The Zeiss Ikon equivalent was the Novar.

Voigtlander had the Lanthar.

All are very good.

DR.JUAN · Joined: 08 Feb 2013 Posts: 661