Earlier this year I shot a Kodak Retina IIa that a reader gave me. It was my second Retina IIa; I let the first one go in Operation Thin the Herd.
Both of these Retinas featured the 50mm f/2 Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon lens. Kodak also made the IIa with a 50mm f/2 Rodenstock Retina-Heligon lens.
When I shared photos from my more recent IIa I remarked that I’d never seen a Rodenstock-equipped IIa. Craig VanDerSchaegen emailed me photos of his Rodenstock IIa and gave me permission to share them here.
In comparison, this is my first Retina IIa. Its Compur-Rapid shutter dates it to the first few months of 1951, early in the production run. Kodak switched to Synchro-Compur shutters after that.
Thanks Craig for letting me share your Retina IIa! Craig suggested to me that he’s open to finding a new home for his IIa. If you’re interested, I can put you in touch.
