It has been four years since I last shot my Retina 1a. Perhaps partly because of that neglect I had difficulties with framing, focus and exposure. In spite of my inept performance the Xenar lens brought home a few nice images.
The focus was a little stiff, so I'll attend to that and try to get out with the Retina 1a again before another four years goes by.
6 comments:
I have been looking for a 1a for several years now. Decent ones are hard to find. The ongoing pursuit of one is fun, so I will keep at it. Interested to hear additional thoughts on yours.
I recall being curious about the Xenar lens. It turns out to be quite good. I haven't used mine much because it always seemed more practical to use the similar IIa which has the coupled rangefinder. For most outdoor work a rangefinder is not essential, but in low light and close ups an accessory rf increases the chance for success.
Is this Xenar lens unit focussing or front element focussing? Your IIa has a 6-element Xenon lens, likely a bit more refined at apertures below f/4.
Regardless, nice negatives.
The Xenar is a four element tessar design and is unit focus.
You do get some beautiful light down your neck o’ the woods, Mike, and you certainly know how to make the best of it🙂 That Xenar seems like a crackin’ lens. It’s also got me thinking I don’t use my llla with it’s f2 Xenon anywhere near as often as it deserves…
It's true; the Xenons can't be beat. I've had good results from all my Xenon equipped Retinas, but I think the one on my Retina II may be the best.
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