Chris's camera pages
Kodak Retina I (type 119)
Interesting things to do with your Retina I (type 119)?
This unusual camera began it's life as a type 119 Retina I and would probably have been manufactured in 1937 or 1938.
The previous owner bought the second-hand camera in the UK during the mid fifties, and he was completely unaware that the camera had been heavily 'customised'. The camera was probably made for the domestic German market since the focus scale is in metres, and the depth-of-field dial on the base of the camera is in German.
The top plate has had the original black lacquer finish removed and the bare aluminium has been polished. An accessory shoe has been added
The bellows and front 'door' have been removed and replaced with a rigid lens/shutter mount. This has been made of wood and aluminium and is lined inside with black felt. The shutter has been turned 90 degrees anticlockwise bringing the 'Kodak' plate to the top and positioning the shutter release at roughly 8 o'clock.
A clamp at the right side of the lens/shutter mount probably originally clamped a tubular guide for a body-mounted shutter release. The release lever on the shutter body has a long pin behind it which would have coupled with the body-mounted release. A small block has been fitted to the base of the front standard, which allows the camera to sit flat on the table.
Overall the standard of the work is high, and the camera doesn't look out of place among other cameras of the era.
The original Retina leather case has lost it's original top panel, this has been replaced with a plain piece of leather that is of quite different colour. The original flat front of the case has been replaced with a "box" section to accomodate the fixed shutter mount.
