Chris's camera pages
Kodak Retina IIIC (type 028)
Manufactured from 1957 to 1960, this model was the pinnacle of Kodak's folding Retina range. An update of the Retina IIIc, it had an improved viewfinder with framelines for the wide-angle, standard, and telephoto lenses. The Retina IIIC also had the same single-range exposure meter as the Retina Reflex .
The IIIC was available with either a Retina-Xenon f/2 50mm or a Rodenstock Heligon f/2 50mm lens. The shutter is the same Synchro-Compur as was used for the Ib, IIc , and IIIc cameras.
As with the earlier Retina IIc and IIIC cameras, Retina-C type lenses were used for this model, only the front component was interchangeable. To say that the wide-angle and telephoto lenses are somewhat awkward to use is an understatement.
This model used to be regarded the most desirable of the main-stream Retina models, and as such they still command a good price in the market, but since the selenium cells are now losing output as a result of old age, I think that the Retina IIC will likely become the favourite instead.
There were f/5.6 and f/4.0 35mm lenses, and f/4.0 80mm lenses available from Schneider or Rodenstock. As you are probably aware, a camera fitted with a Schneider lens can only use Schneider accessory lenses, and one fitted with a the Rodenstock lens can only use Rodenstock accessory lenses.