Kodak Retina Reflex III User manual

With the purchose of this comero you ioin millions of enihusiostic RETINA comero owners
oll over the world. The high precision RETINA REFLEX lll is the most odvonced comero
in the RETINA ronge. lt is o single-lens reflex comero incorporoting outomotic exposure
conlrol, with meter needle visible in the viewfinder. Other noteworihy feotures in the
specificotion include brilliont full oreo ground-gloss viewing screen, splii-imoge bright-
field rongefinder, ond oulomotic depth-of-field indicotion. The comero is fitted with
fhe world-fomous 50 mm Schneider-Kreuznoch lens (interchongeoble lenses ovoiloble in
focol lenglhs from 28 to 200 mm). These high-definiiion lenses, fully colour-corrected,
give exceptionol imoge shorpness.
The RETINA REFLEX lll is truly o stor omong 35 mm comeros.





                                                    Before you foke ony imporlonl or unrepeoloble
                                                         pictures, expose o roll of film ond hove il
                                                  processed immediotely. This provides o check
                                           on your picture-loking lechnique ond, inciden-
                                                               lolly, on your equipment.

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With the purchose of this comero you ioin millions of enthusiosiic RETINA comero owners
oll over the world. The high precision RETINA REFLEX lll is the most odvonced comero
in the RETINA ronge. lt is o single-lens reflex comero incorporoting outomotic exposure
control, with meter needle visible in the viewfinder. Other noteworthy feotures in the
specificotion include brilliont full oreo ground-gloss viewing screen, split-imoge bright-
field rongefinder, ond outomotic depth-of-field indicotion. The comero is fltted with
the world-fomous 50 mm Schneider-Kreuznoch lens (interchongeoble lenses ovoiloble in
focof lengths from 28 to 200 mm). These high-definition lenses, fully colour-correcied,
give exceptionol imoge shorpness.
The RETINA REFLEX lll is truly o stor omong 35 mm comeros.





                                                    Before you loke ony imporlonl or unrepeoloble
                                                         pictures, expose o roll of film ond hove il
                                                  processed immediotely. This provides o check
                                           on your picture-loking technique ond, inciden-
                                                               lolly, on your equipmenl.

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Setting the shutter speed.


Turn the setting wheel (o) underneoih lhe lens borrel
until the required shutter speed clicks in ploce
opposile the index (b). Our illustrotion shows the
shutter speed sel io t/eo second. For toking pictures
of fost moving subiecls os in sports events o fosier
shutter speed should be set.

The shutter speed connol be chonged uniil the lens
opening scole reoches f/l.9 or t122. At either of these
points o slight resistonce will be felt. The setting
wheel must be turned to overcome ihis resisionce,
if the shutter speed is to be chonged.

The block figures on the shuller speed ring indicote
froclions of o second: I :  I second, 2 :  r/r second,
4 :   1lr second  . . ., 60 :  r/eo second, 125 :  llns se-
cond, eic. (Use of the letter "B" ond ihe green
figures is exploined on poge 23.)

Automatic exposure control


Look through the finder eyepiece ond sighi ihe sub-
 iect. lf the shuiler hos not been cocked by meons
of the ropid wind lever, the finder is ..blocked out"
ond you connoi sight the subiect.
Be sure lo keep your fingers cleor of fhe cetl
window of fhe exposure meter.
While sighiing ihe subiect olso turn ihe setting
wheel until the finder needle registers exoctly bef-
ween the brockets. As you set ihe finder needle, the
exposure control oulomoticolly seis the correct lens
opening for the shuiier speed previously set (olso
see poge l8: An oddiiionol exposure check).
lf ihe needle connot be moved belween the brockets,
lhe presel shutter speed hos io be chonged.  lf no
exoct setiing con be ochieved either, toke o flosh
picture or o time exposure.

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Focusing
There ore two methods of focusing the picture
correctly: o) with the oid of the ground gloss screen,
b) by meons of the split-imoge rongefinder.

o) by meons of the ground gloss screen
Frome the subiect in the viewfinder ond turn the
lens either by meons of the focusing knob (c) or the
setting wheel, until the subiect oppeors shorpest on
the ground gloss screen.

b) using the split-imoge longefinder
The split-imoge rongefinder method of focusing
(bright circulor oreo in the centre of the field of
view) is recommended for greotest occurocy. Select
o port of the sublect with some cleorly-defined edge.
Turn the lens until the split-imoge  is oligned. (Note:
Hold the comero horizontolly for checking verticol
edges ond verticolly for horizontol edges.)

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    !"
                               Horizontal or vertical pictures?\w \                                       Whether you toke o horizontol or o verticol pic-
     I                                                  ture depends upon the noture of the subiect. Our two
                                                           illustrotions ore intended os o guide for holding the
                                         comero steody for horizontol (obove) ond veriicol
                                                 pictures (below). Try o few positions to see which
                                                       suits you best.
                                     The index finger should be lightly rested on the
                                              shutter releose. Core should olso be foken thot
                                  no port of your ever-reody cose gets in front of
                                              the lens.

Releasing the shutter

                                    With the exposure pointer centered in the brockets
                                ond the subject nicely fromed in the finder, press
                                      the shutter releose (d) down oll the woy with o
                                            slow, squeezing oction. The porticulorly sofe shutter
                                           releose mokes o smooth ond shockless oction pos-
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                       Be ready for action

                                                         It is odvisoble io operote the ropid wind lever (e)
                                    ogoin immediotely o picture hos been token. you
                                              will thus olwoys be reody for ociion. lt does nol
                                 horm ihe shutter, if it remoins cocked for even on
                                      extended period of time.

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Loading   (in subcued lisht)

l. Press the milled lever (f) on the comero bose clockwise; the
  opposite end of the lever then uncovers the opening
   button (g). Press this button ond the bock springs open.
2. Pull out ihe rewind knob (h) os for os it will go.
3. Turn the built-in toke-up spool  (i) by its flonge until the lighl
   slit points upword. Wiih the lower edge of the film ogoinsl
  the lower toke-up spool flonge push the trimmed end of the
   film for enough into the slot to onchor o perforotion over
   the smoll pin of the slot.
4. Pull ihe film over the film trock ond insert the cossetie in
  the supply chomber. Push bock the rewind knob to  its
  normol position.
5. Turn the toke-up spool by iis flonge until the ieeih of
  ihe sprocket (k) engoge the perforotions on both sides of
   the film. Close the comero bock by pressing  it ogoinst the
  body until you heor it lock. Then turn the rewind knob in
   the direciion of the orrow until o slighi resistonce is felt.
   This tokes up the slock film inside the cossette.
 l0

Digitally signed by Mike Butkus
                                                        DN: cn=Mike Butkus, o=Butkus camera manuals, ou=butkus.org,
                                                             email=mike@butkus.org, c=USMike Butkus             Date: 2024.05.10 15:42:19 -04'00'

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                           Having loaded the camera,
                         remember to
                     O  set lhe film counter
                     o  set the film-speed index
                     o  set the film indicofor
This is how to set the film counter
The film counter operotes from No.36 bock to No. l, ond it ihus shows you ot ony time
how mony exposures you hove lefl on your film.
Push the film counter odvonce (m) in the bose of the comero in ihe direcfion of the orrow
os mqny limes os necessory to bring the diomond-shoped l-mork between 36 ond 1 in the
center of ihe film counler window (n). (When using o 2O-exposure cosseite set the dio-
mond l-mork ot 23.) Swing the ropid wind lever now to the limit of ils trovel ond press
ihe exposure releose. Repeot lhis os often os required to bring the film counter to 36
or 20, depending on the number of exposures in your cossette.
As you operote lhe ropid wind lever, fhe rewind knob should be seen lurning ogoinst the
direction of ils orrow. This is your indicotion thot lhe film is being correctly odvonced.
Afler toking lhe exposure numbered "l" on the indicolor, the film odvonce mechonism
locks. Turn io poge l4 for detoils.

12

Very important: the film-speed index
To obloin correct exposure, you must set the film-speed
 index occurotely io the ASA or DIN figure given for the
film looded in your comero. Push the lock button (o) upwords
ond, ot the some time, rolote the setting wheel underneoih
the shulter housing (see illustr. on poge 4) until the index
number of the film looded in the comero is opposiie the noich
in ihe window morked ASA or DlN.
lf the setting wheel is blocked prior fo fhe setiing of lhe desired film speed, releose the lock button
ond turn bock the selting wheel. The film-speed index con lhen be sel.
The film indicator - a useful reminder
Locoled on top of the rewind knob is o film indicotor to remind you of the iype of film
looded in the comero. To set the indicolor diol hold the rewind knob, press down ihe
                         inner milled ring, ond turn until ihe block dot points to ihe
                        symbol for ihe iype of film looded in the comero.
                  <>   :  block-ond-white  film                   Color -H- :  doylighi colour film
                    Color €:   :  ortificiol light colour film
                       The posilion of the film indicotor hos no effect on lhe exposure of
                           the film.
                                                                                           i
                                                                                                                        t?                                            ij
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When your film reaches
the end

 lf, ofler looding ihe comero with film, the
film counter hos been correctly sei os des-
cribed on poge 12, the film will be finished
ofler piclure No. I hos been token. Before
the film con be removed from ihe comero,
 it musl be re-wound into iis cosselte.
To do this, press the clutch button (p) in fhe
comero bose ond turn the rewind knob (h) in
the direction of the orrow until ihe clutch
button ceoses to rofoie (wotch the block dot
on the clutch button).
Then open the comero bock in subdued light'
 pull out the rewind knob, ond remove the
 mogozine.
 lf you forget to set lhe film counier when
 looding lhe comero with film, the counier
moy reoch No. I before ihe film is comple-
 tely exposed. At No. l, however, the film

odvonce is qutomoticolly locked.     Golour films                       ASA
 To releose the lock, push the film
 counier odvonce once in the direc-      Kodochrome II doylight film                       25
 tion of,the orrow.                    Kodochrome II film type A                       40
You con now expose the resi of      Kodochrome-X doylight film                       64
your film. But operote the lever                                       Ektochrome-X doylight film                      64wind corefully now becouse you do
 not know how mony exposures you      Ektochrome high-speed doylight film            160
 still hove             left.                        sofe,                                 there-              Ploy it                                     Ektochrome high-speed film, type B           125fore,                pulling      to qvoid                       the                            end                            film
from the mogozine.                     Kodocolor-X negotive film                       64
 lf the ropid wind lever now be-
comes locked, this meons thot the     Black-and-white films
film is finished. Push the film coun-
ter odvonce once in the direction       Ponotomic-X                                      40
of the orrow ond the ropid wind        Plus-X Pon                                         r60
lever will fly bock io its normol                                            Tri-X Pon                                        400position.

                                                                                                         t5

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Automatic depth-of-field indication

The lens reproduces shorply noi only thot porl of the piciure oreo on which it is octuolly
focused but olso o certoin zone in front of ond behind ii. This is known os ihe ronge of
shorpness or depth of field.  lt vqries wiih the lens opening ond distonce settings ond the
focol length of the lens. To permit instont reoding of the depth of field for ony lens
opening ond distonce your comero hos on outomoiic depth-of-field indicotor in the iwo
red poihters moving on the focusing scole. The enlire ronge befween lhe lwo red poinlers
will be shorp in your piclure. lf, with the 50 mm stondord lens for exomple, the distonce
scole is set io l0 feet ond the lens operture scole to f/8, the red pointers indicote o depth
of field from obout 7 feel to obout 15 feet. Exocl depth of field vqlues ore given in the
toble on ihe following poge.





                                                The lens operlure scole exlends from
                                                                           111.9 to 1122. However, f/I.9 con only
                                         be sef wifh 50 mm, f/1.9 lens. The
                                                  red figure 4 is only imporlonl when
                                                          inierchongeoble lenses ore ottoched.

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An additional exposure check
Besides lhe exposure control in ihe viewfinder, you
con olso check the exposure by lhe circulor meter
window on iop of ihe cqmero. Look verticolly down
on the needle in the circulor meter window (q) in
the comero too.

Turn the setting wheel uniil the needle is centered
belween the brockets. The two red pointers on your
dislonce scole will, ol the sqme iime, show you ot o
glonce the ovoiloble depth of field for your picture.

 lf you woni to chonge ihe depth of field, iurn the
combinotion control by meons of the two hondles  (r)
until the iwo red pointers indicote the required depth
of field.

While turning the combinotion control, resislonce will
be encouniered oi the end of the lens operture ronge.
 lf you keep lurning ond overcome the resisionce, the
exposure conlrol will hove to be reset.

A usetul settang hint
The depth of field is on importoni foctor ond lhe experienced phoiogropher will only
seldom be inieresied in the distonce setting opposite the seiting index. He will rother keep
on eye on the lwo red poiniers indicoiing the limits of ihe depth of field.
In mony shots o ronge of shorpness extending from ihe foreground to o for distonce  is
desired or even indispensoble. In such coses it is odvisoble io set the infinity symbol (-)
on the focusing scole right underneoth the right-hond red pointer. The left-hond pointer
will then be lhe neor depth-of-field limii.
This setting will olso prove sotisfoctory for snopshots.





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                                                                                                         l9

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Flash pictures


Before toking o flosh picture, connect your floshgun to ihe
flosh socket (s) of your comero. Your comero is suitoble for
ony type of flosh, including electronic flosh.
Right next to the green, serroted selector lever (t) the letlers V,
X ond M ore engroved, which signify:

The X setting   is the normol synchronizer setting for flosh
pictures with closs X ond M floshbulbs (set shutter speed fo
r/so second) ond electronic flosh ot ony speed.

The M setting   is for closs M floshbulbs ond shutter speeds
up to r/soo secord. (Set the green selector lever to M ofter
first depressing the lock lever [u].)

The V setting   is the deloyed oction releose or self-timer
seiting. Note the informotion on poge 22.

20

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 The self-timer



  lf you wish to include yourself in o picture, press the lock
         (u) lever           see poge                      20                       ond                                   green                                  sei the                                                 serector                                                             lever          -                          -         (lt ot    v.              bock                     to                X         iumps                         ot once.;                                      tne serector                                                     ti                                                          rever
 connot be set of V, operote the ropid wind lever first.

 lf you now press the exposure releose, the deloyed oction
 mechonism slorts running down ond ihe shutter will be
 releosed ofter oboui l0 seconds    time enough to toke your ploce in the picture.        -

 lf you use the self-timer for flosh pictures, the shutter
outomoticolly operotes on X_synchronizotion.

Moke o hobit, therefore, of operoting the green selector
lever only ofter oll the other controis hove been sei.
22

The lefter B and the green figures


The letter B ond the scole of green numbers on the
shuiter speed ring ore o useful oid for seiting porti-
culorly long exposure times (time exposures). The score
is intended to tell you how long lhe exposure reteose
musi be depressed. (The leiter B is in ploce of lhe missing
green figure 2.)

Here is on exomple: With ihe longest outomotic shutter
speed of i second ihe depth of field moy be inodequore.
Turn ihe shutter speed ring by meons of the two block
hondles until you hove sei the required depth of field.
The green number opposiie the setiing index now indi-
cotes how long ihe exposure releose hos to be held down.
This would be B seconds in our exomple.

To prevent comero movement, time exposures should be
token on o tripod ond with o cqble releose, which screws
inio the socket below the exposure releose.

                                                                   23
      W

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Use filters for better pictures
Filters ore used for speciol phoiogrophic effects. For your RETINA REFLEX  lll o ronge of
filters is ovoiloble for boih block-ond-withe ond olso colour films.
Most filters hove whot is colled o filter foctor ond this is besi ollowed for with your
RETINA REFLEX  lll os follows:


                                                        Reduce the film index selting by
   Kodqk filters for block-ond-white films                   the following number of divisions:
    Liqht vellow (F l). 32 mm ..                                                       '....-.....  I    2   M6dium yellow (F ll), 32 ond 60 mm ..                                              ......  |    3   Yellow-gieen (F lll),32 ond O mm                                               ........  |    1

  Ulrro-viol6i(FVll),32mm                                                ...........  I    0                                                                                                      1   Polo screen, 32 mm (olso suitoble for colour film)                               ........  |


   Kodok filters for Kodok colour films
    Skvfight tiller,32 ond 60 mm, for dqylight film ..                                           0
    Dovllsht filter No.85, 85 B, 85 C, 32 ond 60 mm. for qrtificiol light film                    2
    Ph6tollood  filter No.80 B, 32 qnd 60 mm. for doylight film  ..                                3