Retina Type 118
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| Style, film format | Folding 35mm zone focus |
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| Lens, shutter | Uncoated 5cm f/3.5 Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenar, Compur |
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| Photo quality | Not tested |
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| Ergonomics | Good, uses left-handed plunger shutter release |
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This is the second Retina that came out of Kodak A.G. Still small enough to easily slip into a pocket, it was evolutionary, certainly not revolutionary like the first Retina.
It continued to use Kodak's still-new "daylight loading cartridge" and served the amateur market quite well. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Leica and Contax users of that time found themselves reaching for a Retina for the times when they didn't feel like cutting and loading a length of film.
Like most, but not all, Retinas, this featured the uncoated Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar lens in a Compur shutter. The early Retinas were a bit different in that they used a left-hand shutter release with the small plunger that screwed into the side of the shutter. Often the plunger has been removed and lost.
The cameras are quick, fairly reliable and still capable of taking a good photograph.
With Retinas, the lens must be set to infinity before the lens door can be closed.