Kodak Retina Reflex - Type 034 Retina Reflex S

Type 034 Retina Reflex S

Introduced in 1959, the Type 034 Retina Reflex S was a major redesign of the original Retina Reflex. The major difference is its use of fully interchangeable lenses, the same lenses that were made for the Kodak Retina IIIS rangefinder camera. The lens mount is commonly referred to as the Deckel mount, after the manufacturer of the Prontor, Compur and other shutters. This same mount, with minor differences, was also used by a number of other German camera makers, including Braun and Voigtländer. It was also used in the later Retina Reflex III, Retina Reflex IV, and the Kodak Instamatic Reflex. As for the original Retina Reflex, lenses were available from both Schneider and Rodenstock, but this time the lenses had identical bayonet mounts.

The shutter is a Synchro-Compur behind the lens unit, which is part of the camera body. The aperture is now in the interchangeable lenses, which eliminates the overexposure problem of the original Retina Reflex. Speed are from 1 sec. to 1/500th plus bulb. It features M and X syncs and a self-timer.

What was the meter adjustment knob on the top plate is now a fixed housing for the ASA/DIN scale. The selenium cell exposure meter is now coupled to a "setting wheel" located on the very bottom of the lens mount. This setting wheel sets adjusts the camera's exposure value (EV) by changing (in a most complex fashion) the aperture and/or shutter rings at the same time that it changes the depth-of-field pointers on the camera's lens. When another button (located on the top plate) is pushed simultaneously, the setting wheel is also used to set the exposure meter's ASA/DIN setting.

This remarkable bit of engineering demonstrates the complexity of the Retina Reflexes, which makes them a joy to use when they are working, which they seldom are. Their complexity and fragility also make most repairmen reluctant to touch them.

The top plate, bottom plate, and camera body are otherwise nearly identical to the Retina Reflex.

The Retina Reflex S originally sold for $235 USD (app. $1670 USD in 2007). Approximately 78,000 were made.