Retina II flash question

[ZorkiKat]

Hello,

Was the Retina II (typ 014) synched for flash? Mine has a PC socket which looks to be factory installed and not a later modification. The online manuals I've seen for the Retina II don't describe flash synchronisation. Another factor which makes me curious about this is that there is no X or M selector on the shutter. Cameras made in the early 1950s (and up to later) had X/M selectors on their flash circuits. My Retina IIa has big X/M selector. My II has none and the shutter syncs at X (electronic flash syncs properly all the way to 1/500). Modified shutters with flash sync added by independent servicing usually had an X only sync.

My Retina II is from 1949 or 1950.

[Muggins]

Hopefully someone will give you a definitive answer - I am far from an expert - but it might be original, or a reasonably period modification. The Voigtlander Vito II models with the Compur-Rapid and Prontor-S shutters circa 1949 were X-sync only, and used a rather ugly clip-on shoe.

Adrian

[wupdigoj]

The x/m switch is only present in shyncro compurs, not compur rapids. My retina II from 1946 aprox. has an original PC socket in the compur rapid shutter. All the latter compur rapids I have seen (without the "T" position) have flash x-sync, so I would bet yours is original.

Regards

[murpograph]

my retina II from 1939 (as far as I know) with compur-rapid shutter (and ektar-lens) has no PC-socket. Therefore I think that wupdigoj is right. Synchronized shutters have been something extraordinary that time. Later on synchronized shutter became more common.
Regards
Udo

[thawkins]

The Retinas have a leaf shutter and therefore synch at any speed. I use Fuji Reala film and an inexpensive Vivatar flash on both a 1a and 2a at 1/100 of a second and get great results.

[ZorkiKat]

Thanks all for the replies.

Leaf shutters do synch at all speeds, but some provision must be made as to when the switch will close the synch. Electronic flash will not synch at any speed if the synch is set at M or M-only. That was one of my concerns. I've some cameras with synch contacts and M-only synch which won't work with electronic X flash. For instance, my Kodak Pony 828 has a delay, so flash fires before the shutter opens. The Retina II shutter isn't marked with any X or M setting, and dates from the time of the Pony 828.

However, I've found that my Retina II has X synch. So no probs at all with X flash. Will go up to 1/500, excellent for synchro-sunlight flash.

[colyn]

Check the below link. Chris is the Retina expert..

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~Srawhiti/