Camera Talk

Most IIIS around seem to have the Xenar, which is excellent. I once shot a Retina Reflex with the Xenon, which is probably better. Maybe you can find one in a Reflex, I believe Xenons were mostly fitted to Reflex models.

All said, if you are not a 35mm enthusiast maybe it is better to pass. Retinas are addictive.

Of course, I've owned one of these.

There is a string that connects the aperture to the shutter speed ring and also to the meter. It's very complex, and after it breaks, you have a meter that's no longer connected to the shutter speed or aperture rings.

The lenses for this are quite good, and I always enjoyed shooting with this. It has a very bright viewfinder, which is similar and possibly identical to what was used in the folding IIC/IIIC models. The standard lens was either a f/2.8 Xenar or a f/1.9 Xenon. These were true interchangeable lenses and not simply interchangeable front elements.

It's a very heavy camera and probably was the peak of the Retina series, although some says the folding postwar IIa model was the peak of the series due to its size.