My first Retina IIa(type 016)

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SteelerFan

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Hi everyone. I just recently purchased a Retina IIa at a local thrift store. I paid just $8.50 for it and it is in wonderful shape. Unfortunately it suffers from what I gather a lot do, a broken film advance counter. The lower speeds seem to be off so it will need a good CLA. Strangely enough it had a couple of screws missing and so I will have to find a source for them. I just ran a roll of Kodak Gold 200 through it, the only thing I had on hand, and without a reliable exposure meter I guesstimated and then bracket my exposures. As soon as I can get them scanned and uploaded I will post them.

I look forward to being a part of this forum.
 
Congratulations! These special cameras are so much fun to shoot with. I hope you can get a good CLA to make your experience much more rich and wonderful.

I'm originally from Pittsburgh and a Steeler's fan also!

- Mike
 
Bad luck with the counter, though. The only source for parts is a scrapper, so I use mine without worrying about the counter. A gorgeous camera: I prefer it in many ways to pre-M Leicas, and it wipes the floor with anything ever made in the FSU. Mine was about $20, five or more years ago, and that was a bargain: $8.50 is better still.

Cheers,

R.
 
Mr. 2H2O said:
Congratulations! These special cameras are so much fun to shoot with. I hope you can get a good CLA to make your experience much more rich and wonderful.

I'm originally from Pittsburgh and a Steeler's fan also!

- Mike
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Thanks Mike, from the pictures I got back it looks like the faster speeds are fine now just to get the slower ones taken care of. It is always a pleasure to meet another Steeler’s fan. :D

Roger Hicks said:
Bad luck with the counter, though. The only source for parts is a scrapper, so I use mine without worrying about the counter. A gorgeous camera: I prefer it in many ways to pre-M Leicas, and it wipes the floor with anything ever made in the FSU. Mine was about $20, five or more years ago, and that was a bargain: $8.50 is better still.

Cheers,

R.
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Hi Roger. I have been checking on eBay for a scrapper but so far no luck. I am just glad that it still functions without the counter. I was needless to say pleasantly surprised at the price. There had been a Retina I (013) there that was sold before I could get back and it went for considerably more than $8.50.

oscroft said:
Congrats, the IIa is gorgeous (which reminds me - it's about time I took mine out to do some shooting)
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Thanks Alan. I do have to agree it is one gorgeous camera. I took it to a baseball game and 3 people asked me about it.


Thanks again,
Larry
 
8,50? What a piece of trash...Best send it to me I can take care of your problem....
Welcome to the forum and enjoy a wonderfully designed camera! Be warned "Retinitis" of that sort is not easy to come by except if you get a IIc, a IIIc, IIC a......
Enjoy!
 
Hi,they're great little cameras and can take outstanding photo's.I have a IIC that I love.Good luck with your's.............Robin
 
I just got a Retina IIa myself the other day. It seems to be in quite good shape and it truly is a beautiful piece of industrial design. I'm shooting a test roll this week and looking forward to seeing what it's capable of.

SteelerFan, let's see some of those shots...
 
I just got a Retina IIa myself the other day. It seems to be in quite good shape and it truly is a beautiful piece of industrial design. I'm shooting a test roll this week and looking forward to seeing what it's capable of
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Many congrats. I'm fortunate enough to have got hold of two of them, the European and the US versions with different lenses (though I'd say the lenses are indistinguishable in quality), and I love them. If yours is in good working order, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
 
Does anyone know how close the Welta cameras were to the Retinas? I have a Welta 35mm that I would place around the late 1930's. It has an f/2 Schneider lens, and there is no sign of any type of flash connection. But it's built like a brick (not C-3 type!!), is rock-solid, and takes pretty decent pictures. I acquired it from an old house with a handful of old camras. And it pretty closely resembles the Retinas in appearance.

Those Retinas seem to have gone through quite a list of model designations, It even makes a difference if the letter is capital or small case. Talk about nit-picking.
 
Thanks everyone for your kind words and warm welcomes. I'm going to have to run another roll of film through the camera to be able to post any pictures here. My scanner is on the fritz :( so I will have to have them scanned as part of the developing. I have fallen in love with the looks and feel of the camera and as chut said "it truly is a beautiful piece of industrial design." I recently acquired a Retina Ia that has shutter problems so I will use that as a practice piece and if after that I feel confident enough to tackle the IIa I will and if not I will undoubtedly be asking for advice on a good person to do the CLA.
 
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