So you can stay on top of who is in the lead! heh. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
Be safe and all that!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Score! Retina II and III Accessory viewfinder 35 / 80!
Yes.
Andy, http://www.flickr.com/photos/andychrome/ tipped me off to a pile of vintage Kodak camera parts at an antique mall that we both visit on occasion. Turns out they had a bunch of hilarious, and mostly useless items. My eyebrow raised at a Kodak Retina Reflex, which was broken up pretty badly, and there were a bunch of plastic Pony cameras that were of no interest.
Then, underneath, in a large tin box... I began digging through some of those old yellow boxes. Hoods, series IV filters... A really crazy Medalist macro back with pack film window and ground glass focuser. That was weird. I happened upon a perfect 135mm for reflex. It was in the original bubble, and in the original yellow box. It even had the instructions. I started wishing I got into Retina reflex. They only wanted $25 for it. No, really! There were original manuals for Retina IIIc, and others. Just got better and better. Then I unearthed a little brown case with something really odd inside...
The question, of course is, "How do you frame a shot with one of those horribly inconvenient alternative lenses that you attach to the Retina rangefinder?" (Yah. probably not that common a question.)
There are two mysterious lenses that come as accessories to the Retina. One is an 80mm telephoto, and one is a wide angle 35mm. The really weird part is that they aren't even entire lens systems. The Retina II or III cameras allow you to unhook the front lens group with the turn of a small bayonet mount, and replace the front HALF of the lens with one of these specially designed alternative groups. It might be pretty wacky, but it works a lot better than some horrible thing you screw on the front of a complete lens. Weirder, you have to have adapter lenses of the correct manufacture. A Schneider equipped Retina has a particular mount that will not allow a Rodenstock front group of any kind, and vice versa Just that they were bizarre enough to design three front groups is pretty interesting. That there is a set for each lens manufacturer, and that they are actually different... I think these guys had a lot of spare time. Of course, the alternative lenses probably don't perform as well as the native 50mm lens, but they do pretty amazingly well. It is kinda wrong, really.
Problem is, if you install one of these weird lens fronts on a "small c" Retina, there is no way to know where the edge of the picture is! The only frameline in the viewfinder is that of the regular 50mm lens.
Aside from looking gadgety, this accessory viewer gets the situation under control. It has masks for 80 and 35mm that flip by a lever on top, and a knob at the back tilts the viewer downward for accurate framing at closer distances. It also turns both ways with markings for feet in one direction and meters in the other. Very cool!
Just like the cameras, this viewer is made in Germany, and sports the same solid feel. The vintage fabulous look doesn't hurt either. Weird that I have never seen one before.
Would I look like too much of a moron if I left this thing on the camera permanently?
Andy, http://www.flickr.com/photos/andychrome/ tipped me off to a pile of vintage Kodak camera parts at an antique mall that we both visit on occasion. Turns out they had a bunch of hilarious, and mostly useless items. My eyebrow raised at a Kodak Retina Reflex, which was broken up pretty badly, and there were a bunch of plastic Pony cameras that were of no interest.
Then, underneath, in a large tin box... I began digging through some of those old yellow boxes. Hoods, series IV filters... A really crazy Medalist macro back with pack film window and ground glass focuser. That was weird. I happened upon a perfect 135mm for reflex. It was in the original bubble, and in the original yellow box. It even had the instructions. I started wishing I got into Retina reflex. They only wanted $25 for it. No, really! There were original manuals for Retina IIIc, and others. Just got better and better. Then I unearthed a little brown case with something really odd inside...
The Answerrrr.
The question, of course is, "How do you frame a shot with one of those horribly inconvenient alternative lenses that you attach to the Retina rangefinder?" (Yah. probably not that common a question.)
There are two mysterious lenses that come as accessories to the Retina. One is an 80mm telephoto, and one is a wide angle 35mm. The really weird part is that they aren't even entire lens systems. The Retina II or III cameras allow you to unhook the front lens group with the turn of a small bayonet mount, and replace the front HALF of the lens with one of these specially designed alternative groups. It might be pretty wacky, but it works a lot better than some horrible thing you screw on the front of a complete lens. Weirder, you have to have adapter lenses of the correct manufacture. A Schneider equipped Retina has a particular mount that will not allow a Rodenstock front group of any kind, and vice versa Just that they were bizarre enough to design three front groups is pretty interesting. That there is a set for each lens manufacturer, and that they are actually different... I think these guys had a lot of spare time. Of course, the alternative lenses probably don't perform as well as the native 50mm lens, but they do pretty amazingly well. It is kinda wrong, really.
Problem is, if you install one of these weird lens fronts on a "small c" Retina, there is no way to know where the edge of the picture is! The only frameline in the viewfinder is that of the regular 50mm lens.
Aside from looking gadgety, this accessory viewer gets the situation under control. It has masks for 80 and 35mm that flip by a lever on top, and a knob at the back tilts the viewer downward for accurate framing at closer distances. It also turns both ways with markings for feet in one direction and meters in the other. Very cool!
Here it is with the 80mm Retina-Longar (goofy name!)
Just like the cameras, this viewer is made in Germany, and sports the same solid feel. The vintage fabulous look doesn't hurt either. Weird that I have never seen one before.
Wrong lens, idiot! Now function follows form.
Would I look like too much of a moron if I left this thing on the camera permanently?
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