Gear Talk # 8 – Kodak Retinette 1B (Typ 045)

FEBRUARY 2024 – A Kodak Retinette 1B (Type 045) viewfinder camera with a Rodenstock Reomar 1:2,8/45 mm lens and a built-in Gossen exposure meter. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com

---

The Versatile Beauty from the 1960s

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my purchase of an old viewfinder camera, the Agfa Silette L. This experience has brought up memories that I believed to be long lost. Suddenly I remembered that the first camera I had used consciously – the viewfinder camera of my mother – was not made by Agfa. It was probably made by Kodak.

I was not sure, though. I could not ask my mother as she passed away almost 20 years ago, and so I started a quest on researching viewfinder Kodak cameras from the 1960s. I came across the Kodak Retina series but these were too sophisticated with their high quality lenses and folding bodies.

But then I read a comment, somewhere, about how the Retinette series used little icons on the distance ring to help consumers new to photography find the right distance settings. I started to look at images of the cameras and – Bingo! – I remembered these icons. These were super intuitive to use, even for a 12-year-old like me.

Little did I know that Kodak commercially launched two Retinette 1B models, both made in Germany by the way. The first model – Type 037 – was manufactured from 1959 to 1963. After 230,000+ sold units it got replaced by Type 045 which had an improved feature set, namely a faster shutter and a hot shoe that actually worked with electronic flashes.

This table lists the key differences between Type 037 and Type 045:

Feature	Type 037	Type 045
Lens ring design	Just distance values	Distance values and icons
Shutter	Pronto-LK	Prontor 500 LK
Accessory shoe	No function – takes up a flash but still requires cable to connect to the camera	Hot shoe – fires an electronic flash, no cable needed
Product logo design	Script typeface logo, mixed upper and lower case letters	Straight typeface logo, all upper case letters
Manufactured	1959–1963	1963–1966
Approx. units	230,000+	258,000

During my research I realized these fine differences between the two types, and so I ended up owning two working Retinettes: a 037 (serial number 136980) and a 045 (serial number 405433.) This is okay as the bodies were surprisingly cheap, especially considering their overall very good condition. Both came with the sturdy carrying case made from brown leather, and I even do remember the nice smell as well, a strange mix of metal, film, and leather.

In 1965, a Type 045 was sold at a list price of 198 DM excluding the leather case and extras. This roughly translates to a price of 500 Euro (or about 540 US-Dollars) in February 2024. For the 1960s, this was a heavy price tag that clearly positioned this model in the upper part of the amateur segment – I’d call it ambitioned amateurs.

But the camera is worth every cent, in my mind. It is a working horse. It has that timeless, iconic design. And it is super-easy to use. It is significantly better than the Agfa Silette L, and still slightly better than the Agfa Super-Silette L. (Having said that, the focus indicator in the viewfinder of the Super-Silette L is something I really like.)

Here’s how easy it is to take a picture with a Retinette 1B:

1. Set the desired exposure time.
   If you are unsure, use 1/60 sec. or 1/125 sec., or check the film package for guidance.
   
2. Look through the viewfinder and adjust the f-stop ring until the exposure needle is centered.
   If it leans towards the right, the image will be underexposed. If it leans to the left, it will be overexposed. The middle is where it should be. If this is impossible to achieve, reconsider the exposure time.
   
3. Set the focus.
   If you are not sure or in a hurry, use the icons on the distance ring as a rough guidance. The arrows indicate the approximate depth of field.
   
4. Take the image.

No need for fiddling with exposure values anymore as with the SIlette L and Super-Silette L. Shooting with a Retinette 1B is almost as convenient as modern cameras. I am not surprised that my mother used this camera model from around 1963/64 for twenty years before she finally switched to a brand new Canon AE-1 Program, another camera that I could borrow from her when needed.

The Rodenstock Reomar 1:2,8/45 mm lens of the Retinette is pretty good and sufficiently fast. It enables both action photos as well as decent portrait images. The focal length leans a bit to the wide side which helps reducing visible camera shake further. Yet, it’s not too wide to be called a wide angle lens. It still captures a natural perspective (like a 50 mm lens does on a 35 mm film.)

By the way, I also remember a period starting around 1980 when my mother switched to a Polaroid camera because she liked to see the results immediately instead of waiting for the prints to return from the lab. Looking at the photos from that period I can only say that was a bad decision, at least from an archivist point of view. Today, these Polaroid images show faded colors with terrible color shifts, and they are super soft in terms of focus.

Anyway, most (if not all) photos on this site shot between 1963 and 1981 have been shot with the Kodak Retinette 1B (Typ 045). Here are some of my favorites:

And here are all images taken with the Retinette 1B Typ 045 that I have published so far.

I don’t know what happened to the camera of my mother. But at least I do own the same type now and can explain my photographic journey better. I will put the two Retinettes to work and will keep you posted on the results. My first impression is that it is really as easy as advertised. I put a 100 ASA b&w film (a license product from Agfa) into the Retinette 1B Type 045 and am surprised how easy it is, really. If you stick to a medium exposure time, say 1/125 sec., on a bright day, all you have to do is focus, adjust the aperture, and release the shutter. The shutter can barely be heard, by the way. It’s just a short, faint CLICK. And it is strange to not have switch off anything afterwards. A more detailed review of the experience and results will take some time because I also want to shoot with the Agfa Super Silette L.

One final comment concerning the name of the product. I can’t say whether it’s the 1B (“one bee”) or IB (“eye-bee”). I believe it to be ‘1B’ because Kodak had been using roman figures for their Retina cameras before, e.g. the Retina III c. This suggests that they would keep this rule with the Retinette series. Now, if you are looking to buy a Retinette online, you may consider searching for both terms ‘Retinette 1B’ and ‘Retinette IB’ as many sellers seem to be confused over the name, just like me.

P.S.: While the camera is beautiful and super easy to use, it is even more fun if you follow the instructions. Fortunately, my camera came with an Instruction manual for the Kodak Retinette 1B Typ 045 (German) which I am happy to share. Enjoy!

---

Design ideas

---

The high resolution image

Capture Date & Time	03-FEB-2024, 14:24
Location	Unterhaching, Germany
Camera	Canon EOS 1D mark IV
Lens	Canon EF 70-200mm f/2,.8L IS II USM
ISO	100
Exposure	1/10 sec at f/16
Digital Image Source Format	Canon Camera Raw (CR2)
Edited Image Format	JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB
Edited Image Dimensions	3531 x 2354 Pixels
Copyright	© by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com