Kodak Retina IIc (1955-1958)

The Kodak Retina IIc is a convertible lens Retina that is functionally the same as the Retina IIIc (see the post for October 4, 2018), except for the lens (f/2.8 50mm instead of f/2 50mm) and the lack of a built-in light meter. The IIc did have an accessory shoe where you could attach a "Kodalux" light meter. A modern Sekonic L-208 Twinmate light meter fits just fine.  The IIc is barely smaller than the model IIIc that has a built-in light meter. 

Kodak Retina IIc

The front set of lens elements is replaceable to change the focal length from 50 mm, using the standard Schneider-Kreuznach Retina Xenon C set, to 35 mm, using the wide angle f/5.6 Retina Curtar Xenon C set, or 80 mm, using the telephoto f/4 Retina Longar Xenon C set (the post for October 30, 2018, shows a convertible lens on a Retina IIIc).

With the camera closed the lens is behind a door on the front of the camera. Pressing a button on side of the door lets it open to bring out the lens and shutter. To close the camera the photographer sets the focus to infinity (the camera won't close otherwise and forcing it can break the camera), presses two buttons on the top and bottom of the lens to unlatch the lens and close the lens door.

The latch for the film door is under a rotating cover on the bottom of the camera. To open the film door the photographer turns the cover and presses the revealed button. The rewind knob can pop up to allow the film cassette to be loaded. After loading the film the film counter needs to be set to the number of exposures on the film by pressing a button on the top of the camera and wiggling a button on the back of the camera. The film counter counts down to one and will not allow the film to be advanced after the last exposure is made. The film advance is a lever on the bottom of the camera. Advancing the film cocks the shutter. To rewind the film the photographer presses the clutch button on the back of the camera and turns the rewind knob until the film is back inside the cassette, when it is safe to take the film out of the camera.

Focusing is through a combined rangefinder-viewfinder window. The rangefinder patch is a bright diamond in the center of the viewfinder. The viewfinder also has frame lines for composing the picture. Earlier models of the Retina did not have frame lines.

The shutter is a rim set shutter and the aperture settings are coupled to the speed rim for using the exposure value system. The photographer would set the shutter speed, then set the aperture. A spring loaded latch would couple the aperture to the speed rim so that the aperture would follow the shutter speed. For example, 1/125 second at f/8 gives an exposure value of 14, and changing the shutter speed to a different value such as 1/500 would change the aperture to f/5.6, keeping the exposure the same.

The shutter is synchronized for flash using type M flashbulbs (M setting) or electronic flash (X setting). A self timer was available (V setting) that gave about a 10 second delay on releasing the shutter.

The list price in 1955 was $135, or about $1,300 in depreciated 2020 dollars. This was about a quarter the price of a Leica or Contax. Roughly 136,000 were made at Kodak's factory in Stuttgart, West Germany.