End of one Retina era: Chris Sherlock retires

westopher · Apr 6, 2022

Not sure if anyone else has heard, but I was rather surprised to receive the news that Chris Sherlock, the New Zealand-based Kodak Retina expert, has chosen to retire:

https://retinarescue.com/kodakretinarepairservice.html

As he says, I suppose all good things come to an end. Chris was literally the only person with the skill, knowledge and willingness to work on the exorbitantly complicated Kodak Retina Reflex line-up, and I guess I'm glad he worked on my three examples before he closed-up shop.

To be sure, Mr. Barden is a very competent tech on the folding Retinas, having worked on a ridiculous number of cameras for me, but it's never a great thing to hear that another leading technician has chosen to move on. At least he's leaving a legacy of YouTube videos, and apparently is slated to continue producing them.

Marcelo Paniagua · Apr 6, 2022

Sad to heard that. I sold all my Retina's some months so no longer concerned about them but still sad to heard one of the great technician has retired.

Chrismat · Apr 6, 2022

That is sad, he worked a bunch of my Retinas.

BrianShaw · Apr 6, 2022

Oh say it’s not so. He did a marvelous job on my IIIC and is a very nice man. I’m happy that he is retiring, though… it’s a great second or third career!

My next spare goes to Paul, who also is a very nice man. He already impressed me with just knowledgeable conversation and with Chris’ endorsement I have no doubt that he will be equally terrific.

Cholentpot · Apr 6, 2022

Sad news.

I'll vouch for Paul too. Did great work on my IIc.

Sharktooth · Apr 6, 2022

His Retina repair videos on YouTube are a fantastic resource. I started watching them about a year ago, and am glad to see he will continue making some in his retirement. I wish him well!

removedacct1 · Apr 6, 2022

I'm sorry to see Chris Sherlock retire as well. I learned a lot from Chris over the past few years, and he was always very helpful when I was learning to service these cameras and needed help. I'm glad to know he's going to continue to publish his outstanding YouTube tutorial videos.

I'm also very grateful and honored that Chris is recommending me as his successor in the role. I hope I can provide service of the same quality as he has done for many years.

Sirius Glass · Apr 6, 2022

I hope he gets to enjoy a long retirement, meanwhile Retina owners will not enjoy his retirement so much.

gone · Apr 6, 2022

If it's like everything else that's related to film photography these days, this means the price of working Retina cameras will soon double, then double again, etc.

mgb74 · Apr 7, 2022

momus said:
If it's like everything else that's related to film photography these days, this means the price of working Retina cameras will soon double, then double again, etc.

Contrary in a way. I'm willing to pay more for a camera if I know I can get it serviced.

removedacct1 · Apr 7, 2022

momus said:
If it's like everything else that's related to film photography these days, this means the price of working Retina cameras will soon double, then double again, etc.

No, it doesn't mean that at all. As Chris has stated on his web site, he's recommending me as the alternative option for Retina service, and I learned from Chris and follow his protocols exactly. I currently work on an average of 4 cameras every week, and the queue of jobs is about 2 weeks long right now. So its not as if there is no service technician to turn to now that Chris has retired. I see no reason to think that the price of a well-serviced Retina is going to double or triple anytime soon.

BrianShaw · Apr 7, 2022

… and so what if they do? Anyone who doesn’t have one already probably isn’t really very interested. And like all goods… the prevailing price, not the former price, is what it takes to buy.

mgb74 · Apr 7, 2022

paulbarden said:
No, it doesn't mean that at all. As Chris has stated on his web site, he's recommending me as the alternative option for Retina service, and I learned from Chris and follow his protocols exactly. I currently work on an average of 4 cameras every week, and the queue of jobs is about 2 weeks long right now. So its not as if there is no service technician to turn to now that Chris has retired. I see no reason to think that the price of a well-serviced Retina is going to double or triple anytime soon.

My apologies. I did not mean to disparage you, your expertise, or your services. And, for those of use in North America, shipping to Oregon beats shipping to NZ.

ic-racer · Apr 7, 2022

paulbarden said:
I'm sorry to see Chris Sherlock retire as well. I learned a lot from Chris over the past few years, and he was always very helpful when I was learning to service these cameras and needed help. I'm glad to know he's going to continue to publish his outstanding YouTube tutorial videos.

I'm also very grateful and honored that Chris is recommending me as his successor in the role. I hope I can provide service of the same quality as he has done for many years.

Perhaps the moderators can rewrite the doom and gloom title of this thread as "Beginning of a new era in Retina repair"

MattKing · Apr 7, 2022

I've made a smaller change instead.

JPD · Apr 7, 2022

He isn't getting any younger and the cameras to repair kept coming, so he has done the Retina owners and future repair people a huge favour by showing us how it's done. All the great tips on his web page and his videos covering it all.

Kudos to Paul Barden for continuing in Mr. Sherlock's tradition. I hope there will soon be a Retina specialist in Europe too with the same reputation.

Oren Grad · Apr 7, 2022

Chris did a IIa for me, sad to see him go... but happy to see Paul picking up the baton.

removedacct1 · Apr 11, 2022

JPD said:
He isn't getting any younger and the cameras to repair kept coming, so he has done the Retina owners and future repair people a huge favour by showing us how it's done. All the great tips on his web page and his videos covering it all.

Kudos to Paul Barden for continuing in Mr. Sherlock's tradition. I hope there will soon be a Retina specialist in Europe too with the same reputation.

I'm not sure if he's doing Retina restorations for other folks or not, but in the UK, Gareth Wonfor is a very skilled Retina technician you may want to consider asking for help. He's very active on the Facebook Retina Lovers group.

JPD · Apr 11, 2022

paulbarden said:
I'm not sure if he's doing Retina restorations for other folks or not, but in the UK, Gareth Wonfor is a very skilled Retina technician you may want to consider asking for help. He's very active on the Facebook Retina Lovers group.

I'm not a member on Facebook, but I saw on Flickr that he has a nice Retina collection, and a couple of them very nicely restored.

I can do minor repairs and cleanings myself, but wouldn't dare to try that on other peoples' cameras. I'm glad that Chris warned about a tiny plastic piece belonging to the flash sync in the more modern Compur shutters, that it can easily go missing or be damaged in solvents.

I have two new cocking racks and I'm keeping them for my favourite Ib and IIc Retinas, in case they will need to have theirs replaced in the future. The Ib visited Mr. Sherlock once, before he became famous. He just straightened a couple of teeth on the cocking rack and did an extra cleaning, for the cost of shipping! Years later he did a full CLA on my pre-war IIa, then of course for the normal price.

Are you going to post videos of you working? Chris did it for teaching, and you don't need videos for "marketing", but it would be interesting. You have the Beard of Knowledge.

removedacct1 · Apr 12, 2022

JPD said:
Are you going to post videos of you working? Chris did it for teaching, and you don't need videos for "marketing", but it would be interesting. You have the Beard of Knowledge.

No plans to do so, no. It would be redundant, given the wealth of tutorials Chris Sherlock has posted over the years. I doubt I have anything to add to that.

Minolta93 · Apr 12, 2022

paulbarden said:
No, it doesn't mean that at all. As Chris has stated on his web site, he's recommending me as the alternative option for Retina service, and I learned from Chris and follow his protocols exactly. I currently work on an average of 4 cameras every week, and the queue of jobs is about 2 weeks long right now. So its not as if there is no service technician to turn to now that Chris has retired. I see no reason to think that the price of a well-serviced Retina is going to double or triple anytime soon.

Hi, I figured this thread would be as good a place as any to ask you this (and if you don't have the time to provide an in-depth response, I understand): Can an amateur reasonably learn how to repair minor issues in a Retina (specifically a IIa?)

I have a Retina IIa type 150 if I recall correctly. The on-body shutter release feels stuck and doesn't trigger the lens shutter release (which still works). The rangefinder also needs to be tuned. Where might I learn how to fix these issues and is it even worth it to try?

removedacct1 · Apr 12, 2022

Minolta93 said:
Hi, I figured this thread would be as good a place as any to ask you this (and if you don't have the time to provide an in-depth response, I understand): Can an amateur reasonably learn how to repair minor issues in a Retina (specifically a IIa?)

I have a Retina IIa type 150 if I recall correctly. The on-body shutter release feels stuck and doesn't trigger the lens shutter release (which still works). The rangefinder also needs to be tuned. Where might I learn how to fix these issues and is it even worth it to try?

Is yours one of this generation? If so, you can learn to service it if you study Chris Sherlock's video tutorials, yes. But for someone who hasn't had prior experience tearing down and servicing a camera like this, expect to take a week or more to do the job. Whether its worth it or not is up to you. Do you want a project like this on your plate? Is the lens in good enough condition to warrant the effort? Will you actually use the camera when its done?
This generation of Retina IIa is early in the design process, and its not the best engineering. Kodak AG was still learning how to make a beamsplitter rangefinder, and this one's not the best. (they're not easy to calibrate, now that they're 70 years old). I would say that it depends which lens yours has. If its the 47mm Ektar, then definitely, get it fixed up. The f2.0 Schneider Xenon version is also worth fixing. But if yours has the f3.5 "Ektar" like whats on the camera in the photo, I would think twice about investing in getting the camera serviced.

JPD · Apr 12, 2022

paulbarden said:
I would say that it depends which lens yours has. If its the 47mm Ektar, then definitely, get it fixed up. The f2.0 Schneider Xenon version is also worth fixing. But if yours has the f3.5 "Ektar" like whats on the camera in the photo, I would think twice about investing in getting the camera serviced.

The version with the 2,8 Xenon is also worth fixing. It's a very good five element lens. I have all three versions. The one with the 3,5 Ektar has some problems, but I'm not in a hurry to service it.

albada · Apr 12, 2022

Whatever you do, teach yourself camera-repair using a junker camera, and not a keeper. Buy a Petri 7s or something else that's common and nearly worthless, and practice on it until you're comfortable working with jeweler's screwdrivers and other small tools, and you're confident that you can remove and reassemble the rangefinder without messing it up. Your Retina will thank you.

Mark Overton

Kodachromeguy · Apr 13, 2022

JPD said:
The version with the 2,8 Xenon is also worth fixing. It's a very good five element lens. I have all three versions. The one with the 3,5 Ektar has some problems, but I'm not in a hurry to service it.

Were these Ektar lenses from Eastman Kodak in USA or were they relabeled Schneider lenses? And why is the 47mm version special?

End of one Retina era: Chris Sherlock retires

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency