[LesDMess]

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Love the finder variety. Is that a metered WLF?

Also, the big finder on that Minolta makes it look like a battleship.

Nope neither the high magnification or WL finders are metered. With either finders, you can only set manual speed settings. Unlike the other interchangeable viewfinder bodies, without one, you can't tell what shutter speed is currently set.





That finder is biggest in my stable but I understand that the Canon F-1 had some bigger finders. The LX finders were really the best of the bunch.

[Argenticien]

This is a Retina II Type 011 with a somewhat rare Kodak Ektar 47mm f/2 lens.

Interesting -- wouldn't that be an American lens? If so, I wonder whether Kodak had Nagel Werk ship lensless cameras across, and then bolted the Ektars on in Rochester; or if they shipped lenses to Stuttgart for Nagel to install. Maybe the former if this Retina model was sold mainly in USA, but the latter if it was sold from Stuttgart all over the world. In the days before modern supply chains,I don't quite understand the point of this exercise, when it seems like Nagel could have got any kind of lens somewhat locally in Germany, presumably including budget ones if that's what they were trying to accomplish with the Ektars.

--Dave

[wkraus]

The LX finders were really the best of the bunch.

In the elegance contest the LX is also the clear winner IMO.

[Swift1]

Interesting -- wouldn't that be an American lens? If so, I wonder whether Kodak had Nagel Werk ship lensless cameras across, and then bolted the Ektars on in Rochester; or if they shipped lenses to Stuttgart for Nagel to install. Maybe the former if this Retina model was sold mainly in USA, but the latter if it was sold from Stuttgart all over the world. In the days before modern supply chains,I don't quite understand the point of this exercise, when it seems like Nagel could have got any kind of lens somewhat locally in Germany, presumably including budget ones if that's what they were trying to accomplish with the Ektars.

--Dave

Yes, it is an American made lens. Information on these lenses is quite scarce, and what little I've found has questionable sources.
From my research, I've found out that the 47/2 Ektar (Retina) is a symmetrical double gauss design, and it was only sold overseas at US Military PXs.
As to why they used American made lenses on German made cameras? That is a murkier question. I read something somewhere that directly after the war, Kodak AG in Stuttgart was producing cameras, but the Schneider and Rodenstock factories weren't up and running yet, so Kodak in NY supplied lenses for a brief time. This theory makes some sense, but is very questionable.

[Paul Ewins]

Schneider didn't really get back into volume production until mid 1946 - first with Radionars, followed by Xenars for Rollei and then the Retina-Xenon in June 1946. The first batches of Retina-Xenars appeared in September 1946.

All of that is taken from Hartmut Thiele's "Grosses Fabrikationsbuch - Schneider-Kreuznach Band 1" which is basically a transcription of Schneider's production lists between 1932 and 1954. Books II and III cover 1954-1976 and 1918-1932 respectively. It shows every lens Schneider produced listed by serial number (usually in batches) and the matching date.

[Swift1]

Schneider didn't really get back into volume production until mid 1946 - first with Radionars, followed by Xenars for Rollei and then the Retina-Xenon in June 1946. The first batches of Retina-Xenars appeared in September 1946.

All of that is taken from Hartmut Thiele's "Grosses Fabrikationsbuch - Schneider-Kreuznach Band 1" which is basically a transcription of Schneider's production lists between 1932 and 1954. Books II and III cover 1954-1976 and 1918-1932 respectively. It shows every lens Schneider produced listed by serial number (usually in batches) and the matching date.

Thanks for the info.

[Argenticien]

Schneider didn't really get back into volume production until mid 1946 - first with Radionars, followed by Xenars for Rollei and then the Retina-Xenon in June 1946. The first batches of Retina-Xenars appeared in September 1946.

Oh, now I get why they would be shipping in American lenses. Sorry, I hadn't realized that Colton's Retina (the Type 011) was from so near after the war; I would've wild-guessed it was from early or middle 1950s, but now I've looked it up and found '46 - '48. My bad! I am not a Retinologist and in fact trying to exercise will-power to avoid becoming one: it's probably an expensive habit.

--Dave

[JuanEstrada]

Oh god.... this whole thread just gave me a really bad case of good envy.

Im buying an MX with a 50 1.7 for about U$120, as soon as I get it I will show what I have

[LesDMess]

Juan, Since I don't wear glasses yet, I particularly like the fact that the MX has largest magnification full info viewfinder that happens to be in the smallest fully manual SLR body. It makes critical focusing much easier.

[Jonathan Mac]

Pentax KX with K 50mm f/1.4, taken with my SP1000 on Fuji Acros.

[Swift1]

Oh, now I get why they would be shipping in American lenses. Sorry, I hadn't realized that Colton's Retina (the Type 011) was from so near after the war; I would've wild-guessed it was from early or middle 1950s, but now I've looked it up and found '46 - '48. My bad! I am not a Retinologist and in fact trying to exercise will-power to avoid becoming one: it's probably an expensive habit.

--Dave

I've come up with another theory as to why some early post war Retina II cameras have Ektar lenses.

During the war, the US Military commissioned the The Premier Instrument Corp. and Peter Kardon to build 6000 cameras. The order was later changed to 2000, and eventually to 750. The lenses for these cameras were Kodak Ektar 47mm f/2 lenses. The element groupings were made by Kodak and then were put into focusing mounts/barrels by Premier.
I'm guessing Kodak made more lenses than Premier ended up using, so after the war, Kodak shipped them to Stuttgart and had them put into Retinas. The manufacturing of them could possibly been subsidized by the military which could explain why they were only sold through the PX.

[OldNoob]

My latest addition (the lens, not the camera):


Vivitar Series 1 90mm f/2.5 Macro "Bokina" on a Minolta X-500 with MD-1 Grip




It's a good fit for my Minolta walk around kit:


Minolta XD
Minolta X-500
MD W.Rokkor 28mm f/2
MC Rokkor 58mm f/1.2
Vivitar 90mm f/2.5 Macro



regards
Jan

Beautiful minoltas

[OldNoob]

Minolta's first autofocus/autowind camera


Just a side note, the picture of the Minolta 9000 was the first digital photo i have ever taken. Taken from a camera that used a 3.5 floppy disk to save data on.


taken with a camcorder not as nice as most here

[Jean Poitiers]

Minolta's first autofocus/autowind camera ...

A very nice parade ... TFS, J

[Jean Poitiers]

Want these to go with the gold LX ... J

Vivitar Series 1 Commemorative 31 OF 50 Gold 28 105mm 70 210mm Lens SET PK FIT 0019643128774 | eBay