Retina IIa

Retina IIa is the Type 016 Retina IIa. It was manufactured from January 1951 to April 1954. At first, a COMPUR-RAPID shutter was used. This was replaced in March of 1951 with a SYNCHRO-COMPUR shutter.

This postwar IIa improved upon prior Retina II versions with the addition of a rapid-wind lever, which was coupled to also cock the shutter. Fitting this feature into the already-established folding body style required a complex linkage, whose gearing proved vulnerable to damage in this and subsequent folding Retinas.

Classic-camera aficionados such as Stephen Gandy have commented that the IIa may represent the "sweet spot" of the entire Retina series [1]: The IIa had been modernized to include rangefinder focus, excellent-quality f/2.0 lenses from Schneider and Rodenstock, and rapid advance, in a compact package scarcely larger than the original 1934 Retina.

However the IIa had not yet succumbed to the feature creep of built-in metering and interchangeable front lens elements, which necessitated the larger, plumper body style of the post-1954 Retina models.

On the negative side, the viewfinder of the IIa is not especially large or bright; and the shutter speed sequence was not yet the standard geometric series adopted by camera makers in the late 1950s. However the coated 50mm f/2.0 Retina-Xenon lens remains a credible performer even by modern standards.

The frame counter of the Retina IIa 016 is considered as its Achilles heel. The counter goes backward from '36' to '0', and is operated by a rather delicate spring. When this spring breaks, the counter will no longer function. This part is not readily available.