A Cold Day in January
While in Chattanooga, Tennessee last month, I found myself in a familiar place: Seeking out vintage and antique stores in a new city with the hopes of finding a cool film camera for a fair price. It was a balmy 12 degrees outside and the winds were high, so seeking refuge inside a warm and inviting vintage market seemed like a good call.
My standard operating procedure is pretty simple when seeking a camera in a shop like this: Scour shelves for older leather cases or camera bags, play a game of “I Spy” with crowded stalls for cameras hiding in plain sight, and last but not least, check the glass display cabinets at the front of the store (if any exist).
On this day the process immediately worked. In the glass display case at the Refindery in Chattanooga, TN, I found a seemingly pristine example of a Kodak Retina IIc 35mm rangefinder camera. Complete with it’s original eveready leather case, the camera was fully functional with a clear viewfinder, accurate shutter speeds, smooth aperture/focus controls, and ready to shoot.
Kodak Retina IIc with Schneider Xenon 50mm f/2.8 lens, as shown in factory supplied brown leather case
Shooting the First Roll
I loaded up a roll of my favorite film, Kodak Tri-X 400, and went for a cold afternoon walk to test out the Retina IIc. Being completely uncertain of the condition of light seals, the total accuracy of shutter speeds, calibration, etc., I had no clue how the images would end up.
A unique shooting experience, the Retina IIc model I used has a Schneider 50mm f/2.8 Xenon lens. In this specific lens/shutter combination, a switch must be engaged to independently switch aperture or shutter speed in an unlocked position. In other words, the means of changing exposure is locked in an equivalent exposures mode. This lever to independently switch was tough to use, but essential for the images I was taking.
Another oddity on this small camera is the film advance lever. It’s located on the bottom right side of the camera, making for a unique (but fun!) shooting experience. I found the camera easy to use overall, though the viewfinder is no Leica M3. This camera does have basic framelines in the viewfinder, a standout feature in it’s day for a fixed lens rangefinder.
Sample Scans, Round #1
Shooting Indoors with the Retina IIc
After running around outside for a bit making photos, I opted to move back indoors to finish this roll of film. Shooting indoors in low winter evening light was a challenge with this camera. The fastest aperture is f/2.8, though I was able to handhold the camera as slow as 1/15 for a few of the upcoming sample scans thanks to the leaf shutter.
Bracing myself against a table and holding my breath, I capture a lovely portrait of Rick, Sales Specialist on the Negative Supply team.
Rick in Chattanooga, TN. Kodak Retina IIc, Kodak Tri-X 400. Scanned with Negative Supply. The thin black border comparable to a “filed out” negative carrier look is achieved by scanning with our 35mm Full Border Scanning Cassette
Diego in Chattanooga, TN. Kodak Retina IIc, Kodak Tri-X 400. This image was scanned using the standard 35mm film scanning cassette with the Pro Film Carrier 35 MK2, which shows the full image but no borders
Develop & Scan
After taking these photos, I flew back to California and developed and scanned these images myself at Negative Supply HQ.
Development details:
Ilford DD-X 1:4 20C
Scanning equipment from Negative Supply used:
Premium Kit for 35mm Film Scanning (2024 Version), which includes:
- Basic Riser XL Copy Stand
- Light Source Mini
- In Line Power Switch
- Pro Film Carrier 35 MK2
- Pro Film Carrier 35 MK2 Adapter Plate for Light Source
- 35mm Full Border Scanning Cassette (used to show either full borders or, in this case, to show a clean black line on the edge of all scans)
- 35mm Film Scanning Hood
- Basic Mounted Slide Scanning Kit
Film Scanning Workflow
Developing and scanning this roll of film was a fun experience. It had been a few months since I last developed my own rolls of 35mm, so setting up the tank and beakers and measuring out chemistry was a fun process to jump back into.
After developing this roll I set up my film scanning system. Core to the system used for scanning was my Pro Film Carrier 35 MK2. This device allows me to keep my film perfectly flat and scan a full length roll of 35mm film in under 2 minutes.
Thanks to the 35mm Full Border Scanning Cassette, I was able to achieve a look I’ve known and loved since college: a thin black border on my scans comparable to a filed out negative carrier from an enlarger.
Negative Supply Premium Kit for 35mm Film Scanning (2024 Version) behind the scenes from scanning this roll
Sample Scans, Round #2
Final Thoughts
I’m a fan of 35mm rangefinder cameras. I always have been and I always will be. From my Leica M3 and M6 to my collection of vintage and quirky folders and other rangefinders, I love them all for different reasons. This Retina IIc is no exception. It’s unique and somewhat challenging to use at times, but it’s a total joy to walk around a city with a compact camera and a fixed lens. It sounds cheesy, sure, but having limited options actually makes you more creative.
One camera, one lens, one roll of film. You’re forced to see the world through a 50mm perspective, and you have to adjust to composing through a small and relatively dim viewfinder. Seeing the world through this viewfinder might make you expect less than stellar images - but the proof is in this blog post. The Retina IIc punches above it’s weight in terms of sharpness, contrast, and light falloff (even wide open).
Myself (AJ Holmes), Diego & Rick from the Negative Supply team. This image was scanned with our 35mm Full Border Scanning Cassette. A slight crop was done in order to show just the image area + sprockets, though the entire border is visible when a crop isn’t done. I found the fullest border distracting, so I cropped a bit out!
Products Used for Film Scanning
You can either use the kit below, or you can give our sales team a call now to help build your own kit! You can call us here: (805) 515-3456 or visit our contact page to schedule a concierge call.
About the author:
AJ Holmes is a photographer and business owner residing in Ventura, California. Serving as CEO of Negative Supply, since 2019 AJ has focused on working alongside his team to design and produce tools that empower lens based artists and creative professionals to efficiently and professionally scan all formats of film. As a leading brand for film scanning solutions, Negative Supply now proudly serves tens of thousands of users, including numerous leading universities, museums, and photo labs globally.
A native of Tennessee, AJ received his BS in Photography from Middle Tennessee State University in 2016. Most of AJ’s photographic work revolves around his parents and grandmother in/around their Tennessee homes, and is predominantly done with 4x5 and 8x10 inch field cameras.
