I like the elegant simplicity of my compact Kodak Retina I; it has just what is needed for making high quality images, and nothing more. Mine is a Type 010 made just after WWII. The camera came equipped with a Xenar lens, but I could not seem to remove the dense haze on the lens surfaces, so I transplanted an Ektar from a junker.
The camera is easily pocketed, and uncomplicated to use once you are accustomed to its capabilities. Having not used the camera in some time I slightly misjudged the compensation needed for parallax correction on many of the frames on this recent roll of Kentmere 100. The viewfinder is low and well-centered over the lens, and it requires much less adjustment of the image in the viewfinder than is true of the II and IIa rangefinders.
Using a camera without a rangefinder can be challenging in low light. With normal open sky conditions, however, a little care in distance estimation and focusing produces good results. The early Retina I models like mine incorporated a depth of field dial on the camera's bottom which is a good help in determining the range of sharp focus yielded by the selected aperture. For instance, if you are shooting on a sunny day, the dial shows that with the aperture at f-16 you can set the focus to the hyperfocal distance of 13 feet (4 meters) and everything from about 7 feet to infinity will be sharp.
4 comments:
I find myself really enjoying simple mechanical cameras more and more as I gain experience and confidence in photography. I so appreciate a camera offers just enough to get the job done and nothing that gets in the way.
I love shooting cameras like this except for the teeny-tiny viewfinders. You always get lovely results from your Retinas.
Uncomplicated reliability has great appeal for me, and being able to fold up the camera and stick it in your pocket means you will have a camera ready when you need it. Some of the newer rf cameras like the xa offer good quality and portability, but never the reliability of the good viewfinder models like the Retinas, the Vito and the Ikonta 35.
The viewfinders are kind of squinty on all of them, but the placement does minimize the potential for parallax error. Keeping them clean is also a big help.
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