Camera Talk

Along US-60 between Lexington and Buena Vista, VA lies the Ben Salem Wayside. It’s a picnic area from an era before the Interstates and their rest stops. Besides being a picturesque spot by the Maury River, it is also where one of the 9 locks from the old 29 mile long North River Navigation Company sits, having been completed in 1860. A dam was built at this location to raise the water level for the canal boats and bateaux to clear the rocky bottom of the river. The remains of the dam can be seen as a set of rapids spanning the Maury.

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In present times, it is part of the Chessie Nature Trail, which can be seen across the river from the lock. The trail is named after the C&O (Chesapeake and Ohio RR) rail bed that carried the Lexington Branch before it was washed out in the Flood of 1969, and is considered the very first example of what would become the Rails-To-Trails movement.

The Ben Salem Lock afforded a 9.5 foot drop in elevation, and could handle boats as large as 15 feet wide, and 95 feet long. The river was originally known as the North River, then Calf Pasture, until the USGS formally re-named it in 1968 in honor of Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury, USN.

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I stopped there to test out a Kodak Retina IIF (Type 047) 35mm fixed lens rangefinder camera (coupled focus range 3.5 feet to Infinity). I used a Kodak Skylight 32mm filter (thread size 29.5mm) because the push-on Kodak 32mm hood will not fit over the rim of the filter mount. I suppose if I had a 34mm hood, it would work without a filter. I used a roll of Kodak Gold 200 for this test. The shutter is good, though a little slow on the low speeds. The viewfinder could use a cleaning out, but the lens is okay. Focus is good, but may benefit from a slight adjustment. The rest of the camera is in good shape, with no corrosion evident, and everything working as it should.

The body of the IIF is a little smaller than a IIIc/C model, but it has a meter needle indicator in the viewfinder that is very handy, and bright line frame markings. The Gossen meter seems to be a couple of stops off, so I’ll have to see if there is an adjustment for that when I open the top. There is also a built-in flash unit that takes AG-1/1B bulbs synced at 1/30, and requires a PX-13 battery (or modern equivalent), thus the “F” in the camera model name. Or you can use an electronic flash unit synced up to 1/500 with the PC socket on the camera front. It’s very easy to handle, and does not have the EV interlock exposure system, so shutter and aperture adjustments are a breeze. It has a Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenar 2.8/45 (f2.8 to f22) in a Compur-Special shutter with speeds from 1 to 1/500 and B, including a self-timer. The rangefinder image is a little weak, so maybe I can slip in some yellow plastic to up the contrast. The viewfinder window is in the center, but left-eye users won’t have a problem with that as the film advance lever is on the bottom of the camera. The frame counter is also on the bottom of the camera, to make room for the flash unit.

PF








Upper Lock Entrance by br1078phot, on Flickr




Blocks by br1078phot, on Flickr




Corner by br1078phot, on Flickr




North River Navigation Lock by br1078phot, on Flickr




Ramparts by br1078phot, on Flickr




Kodak Retina IIF Portrait by br1078phot, on Flickr

See all 36 photos at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/7699588@N ... 295539245/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Phil,

This is a fascinating post. I had learned some things about Commander Maure when I visited VMI a month ago. Your link filled in a lot of information on him. The canal looks interesting, very similar to the C&O canal in Maryland in its construction.

Your Retina appears to be doing a fine job. Your first shot shows good color and plenty of detail. It is a pretty little camera, and the lens has a great reputation. I hope that you keep it in use.

Thanks for a fine post.

Best,
Dennis

Very informative post and pictures. So much hinged on canal logistics back then, it is hard to realize it now. Looks like a great place for photography anyway.

I had never seen a IIf. The II seems the magical range for Retinas, not too simple and not too complicated.

Putting together the remains of the old canal with that Retina makes a fine story with fine illustrations. In my part of the country, we read about the canal building farther East, but seldom get details about any except the Erie. The IIF makes good pictures and looks like it would be fun to use. If you need a pack of AG-1B bulbs to test out the flash, let me know and I'll send out a pack--I have a good supply.

Bill Delehanty

Thanks, all. I had seen the IIF in lists before, http://kodak.3106.net/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; but had never gone looking for one, or seen one for sale before. Since it was at the end of the run for Retina models, they might not have made very many. And thanks for the offer on the bulbs, Bill, but I've got a good stash of all sizes.

PF

My Kodak book says the Retina Automatic IIF was produced in 1963 and 1964 and originally sold for $125. It had a Synchro-Compur Special shutter and differed from the predecessor Automatic II because of the Synchro-Compur Special shutter. I'm not sure what "Special" indicated - a limited set of shutter speeds? I'm not sure.

The average annual income in 1963 was $5,623, and the minimum wage was $1.25, meaning that a minimum-wage worker would have to put in 100 hours or 2 1/2 weeks to afford this camera.

That's one of the differences between the Auto IIF and the plain IIF, the Syncro-Compur Special. The IIF only has the Compur Special. I'm not sure, but I think the Special designation has to do with the construction of the shutter, but since I haven't opened one up before, Mike, I couldn't tell you how it is different from a Compur-Rapid. Could be they used a new way to achieve the 1/500 speed without the heavy spring.

PF

I have the 'plain' IIF. The only problem it has is the rewind knob, it pops up at times on it's own.
Don't think that I have put a roll thru it in years. { but I found it hiding in a box tonight } Hmmmmm maybe?????

Ron B

How do I tell if the batt. is still good ?? & what size?

RonB wrote:I have the 'plain' IIF. The only problem it has is the rewind knob, it pops up at times on it's own.
Don't think that I have put a roll thru it in years. { but I found it hiding in a box tonight } Hmmmmm maybe?????

Ron B

How do I tell if the batt. is still good ?? & what size?

You've got to keep your finger off the rewind knob, Ron. Only takes a quarter turn to make it pop up. The PX13 battery was 1.35v, so it can be replaced with a zinc 675 with a grommet around it (to make it 625 size), or get an MB625 wein cell. But you only need it for the bulb flash (AG-1/1B at 1/30). An electronic flash will work through the PC connector (at all speeds except B), and the meter is selenium powered.

PF