Chris's camera pages
Kodak Retina Ia (type 015)
Manufactured from 1951 to 1954, the Retina Ia was introduced at the same time as the Retina IIa rangefinder model. The Retina Ia was the first of the Retina I models to be equipped with a lever to simultaneously advance the film and cock the shutter. All the previous Retinas used a knob to advance the film, and the shutter had to be cocked manually for each exposure instead. Just like the earlier Retina I (type 013), this model was fitted with either an f/3.5 Xenar lens like the one pictured, an f/2.8 Xenar, or a Kodak Ektar. The shutter used for the very earliest examples was a flash-synchronised Compur Rapid, but the bulk of the production were fitted with a Synchro-Compur shutter instead. The Synchro-Compur gave correct flash synch for both electronic flash and flash bulbs, while the Compur-Rapid shutter had only a single flash synch, which is effectively an 'X' synch. This is a very popular model with users as the camera is very compact, and the top-mounted film advance is convenient in use.
Kodak Retina Ia users guide.(pdf file)