Kodak Retina

Retina cameras were noted for their compact size, high quality, and low cost compared to competitors.

Kodak AG also offered a companion line of less-expensive Retinette cameras, with similar looks and function.

As well as being an owner he was an active designer of fine Zeiss cameras including miniatures.

Nagel continued to innovate including developing the Retina folding cameras around the new Kodak 135 preloaded 35mm film cartridge.

Prior to this, most 35mm film was loaded by the user into proprietary cartridges in a darkroom or light-tight bag.

These folding Kodak Retina cameras are listed below with their respective years of manufacture.

While the previous photohistorical literature gave both a pre-war 3-digit "Type" code for each Retina and Retinette model and a post-war 3 digit "Type" code for each Retina or Retinette model, recent research indicates that the term "Type" can only be found for the post-war Retina and Retinette cameras in the contemporary Kodak AG documents.

So, in the interest of historical accuracy, pre-war Retina and Retinette cameras have a "Nr."

122 Retina II was introduced in 1936 with a separate coupled rangefinder and viewfinder and at this point, Nr.

122 Retina II had a problematic film advance lever and was replaced in June 1937 by the Nr.

141 Retina I is a chrome finished model with a shutter release on the top body which was introduced in late 1937.

Late versions of the Type 148 Retina I have a black lacquer finish to the body edges.

Type 021 Ausf II Retina IIIc was introduced in summer of 1957 with a single range exposure meter.

This group had slightly taller top housings, with upgraded single range exposure meters and the addition of a larger, bright-line viewfinder.

At this point economical Japanese SLRs were becoming available and the Nikon F of 1959 would set the standard for future camera system.

Kodak produced a series of non-folding (rangefinder and viewfinder) cameras under the Retina label between 1958 and 1966.

The initial models were very similar to the last folding Retinas, 5th generation (capital letters series).

The IIS was slightly smaller (Retinette frame) with similar features but did not have interchangeable lenses.

Kodak also manufactured the Retinette series of lesser-featured cameras from 1939 to 1960 in a variety of folding and rigid models.