There are many different versions of this popular 35mm Kodak camera. This version was produced between 1958 to 1960. It includes a light meter and a very bright viewfinder, no rangefinder but distance focusing. It’s the later 1B model as it has the extended ISO values up to 3200.
The film wind mechanism on this camera is placed on the bottom which at first was a bit odd but I was surprised to find quite natural to use.
Film loading is very straightforward but you have to set the frame counter manually before shooting the first frame.
The light meter was still accurate, you read off a scale on top of the camera and align that reading with a mechanism below the lens, this couples the shutter speed and aperture to that reading. So you can quickly change between wide open and stopped down and it automatically changes the shutter speed. I guess a bit like a modern Programme mode.
The lens hood is stored on the camera strap and works really well, although you must remove it to close the camera, and the lens must be set back to infinity for it to close fully.
I shot a roll of expired Ilford Delta 400 whilst at Guys Cliff during the UK collodion weekend just to see if the camera worked and what are it’s limitations.
It turned out not to be camera limitations but User limitations when it came down to it. I managed to shoot the whole roll without issue and decided to process it this Thursday evening after work.
Following a number of schoolboy errors (I should know better) I ended up with a really dense roll of negatives, having over developed due to too warm water in the darkroom. Yes I know.
Anyways. There was still enough info in the very grainy negatives to have a go at printing a couple of frames this afternoon.
Good old Ilford MG IV Matt fibre based paper.
I had tried to shoot a range of scenes and lighting conditions to see what the lens was capable of especially with distance focusing.
Here’s just a small selection.
The lower side of Guys Cliff along the riverside. Mid morning very bright sunshine.
Indoors at Guys Cliff. David Shrimpton waiting for his tintype to be taken by Chris Gries under strobe lighting. This is yhe lens wide open making the most of the strobe modelling light and reflector.
Across from Guys Cliff House is the original walled garden that is slowly being restored by a Trust and a group of volunteers. It’s well worth a visit if you are in the area and all the produce grown is given to local charities.
Got to love ferns against a brick wall.
Sorry for the mobile phone pics of the prints. This one of a pumpkin is particularly nice viewed in real life. Wouldn’t have thought I’d be saying that.
Funnily enough due to the huge grain and matt paper, some of these do have a hint of looking like Bromoil prints…
I found the Retina 1B lovely to us ans comfortable to shoot with. It’s lightweight, and almost silent in use.
I’ll put some 100 iso film through and concentrate on what I’m doing when I process it, just to give the camera a fighting chance of producing something decent in my hands.
This lovely camera was gifted to me very recently by Stephs dads cousin, Jacky. It had belonged to her father Tommy.
Thank you Jacky and Tommy , it’ll be well looked after.