Episode 87: Dr. David Jentz and the Kodak Retina

Episode 87 of the Camerosity Podcast tackles a long-requested topic: the Kodak Retina and the German Kodak cameras built under Dr. August Nagel. To do the subject justice, host Mike Eckman brought in Dr. David Jentz, founder of the Historical Society for Retina Cameras and author of multiple works on Retina history, along with Todd Gustavson of the George Eastman Museum to help fill in broader Kodak history. David also drew on research from historian Klaus Schicht, who has studied Nagel extensively, even though Schicht himself wasn't on the show. This was a closed episode without callers, and both Paul and Theo were absent, but the conversation still went deep into Kodak, Nagel, and Retina lore.

The discussion traces Nagel's career arc from Contessa Nettel through the 1926 merger into Zeiss-Ikon, his brief 18-month stint there, and his subsequent founding of Nagel Werke, where he designed cameras like the Recomar, Vollenda, and Pupille before Kodak's involvement. They cover how Kodak gave Nagel considerable creative freedom, the mutual benefits of the partnership, and how shipping cameras and lenses separately avoided tariffs. Other German Kodak models discussed include the Duo Six-20 and the enigmatic Kodak Regent/Regent II. The episode also explores Kodak's shift to steel construction in early postwar Retinas, whether Ektar f/2 lens models command a premium, Kodak's date codes, and how many Retinas were sold through US PX stores. David corrects several misconceptions from Mike's past reviews, clarifies that Nagel never used "Type" designations for his cameras, and helps solve the mystery behind Paul's Angenieux-lensed French Retinette. The episode also ventures into Kodak's early 35mm film history, revealing that Kodak produced film for Leica and Contax cameras before introducing the famous Type 135 daylight-loading cassette.

Overall, the episode serves as a rich, expert-driven deep dive into Nagel and Retina history, correcting myths and offering firsthand insight from one of the foremost authorities on the subject, making it a valuable resource for collectors and historians interested in Kodak's German camera and film legacy.

AI-generated summary. May not capture every detail — read the full article below for the complete picture.

In yet another request from our listeners for topics you wanted to hear, for Episode 88, you can include me as someone whose been interested in hearing an episode about the Kodak Retina and other German Kodaks.

For many years, whenever I needed to write something about the Retina, the person I always reached out to was Dr. David Jentz. David is not only the founder of the Historical Society for Retina Cameras, but also has published multiple written works about the Retina and its history.

In addition to his knowledge about the Retina, David frequently collaborates with historian Klaus Schicht who has studied the man who created the Retina, Dr. August Nagel. Although Klaus does not appear on the show, David was able to quote some information regarding topics we discussed on this show.

If one Kodak historian was not enough, we also invited Todd Gustavson from the George Eastman Museum to be on the show to fill in the blanks for any other Kodak related questions which came up.

This was a closed episode, so we did not have any callers, and both Paul and Theo weren’t able to make it, but what we lacked in callers, we more than made up for in fascinating Kodak, Nagel, and Retina history.

Listen to Episode 87 to get a background on who Dr. August Nagel was, how he became a doctor, brief histories of his time working for Contessa Nettel, Zeiss-Ikon, and Nagel Kamerwerke prior to joining Kodak. Did you know that before Kodak AG made cameras, they made film in Germany?

We discuss other German Kodaks such as the Recomar, Pupille, Kodak Duo Six-20, and the mysterious Kodak Regent. We get into the differences between the use of “Nr.” and “Type” when referring to prewar and postwar cameras, and finally solve the mystery of Paul’s Retinette Angenieux lens.

In addition to camera history, we also take a deep dive into Kodak’s introduction to making 35mm film. While Kodak’s type 135 daylight loading cassette was their most notable contribution to 35mm film in the 1930s, did you know they made 35mm film for the Leica and Contax before that? David shares with us information about Kodaks original 35mm film, along with some detailed patent information about the Retina, and much more!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

For our next episode, we are getting on a boat and heading on a “Three Hour Tour” for our second Desert Island episode. If you were stranded on a desert island with only three cameras, which three would they be? Will a high spec but fragile electronic camera make the cut, or will people choose less technically impressive models built to withstand a lot more abuse? Let us know what you’d choose! We will record Episode 88 on Monday, February 24th at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.

In This Episode

David’s Origin Story / His First Camera was a Kodak Retina IIIS
Kodak Used to Have a Camera Museum in Stuttgart
David Jentz Formed with Peter Tosh the Historical Society of Retina Cameras
HSRC Received Permission from Kodak and the Rights to use the Actual Retina Logo
Are the Retinas Separated in the George Eastman Museum? / There Are 22,000 Items in the Eastman Museum Collection
Who was Dr. August Nagel? / Nagel Started Contessa Nettel and Merged with Zeiss-Ikon in 1926
Nagel Worked for Zeiss-Ikon for About 18 Months and then Formed His Own Nagel Werke
Nagels First Cameras were the Recomar, Vollenda, and Pupille
Kodak Gave Nagel Very Little Direction, He Was Free to Do What He Wanted
Kodak And Nagel Both Benefited from the Two Companies Working Together
If You Ship a Camera and Lens Separately, There are No Tariffs
Nagel was Most Famously Known as a Great Designer
Kodak’s Design of the New Daylight Loading 35mm Cassette
Kodak Made 35mm Film for Leicas and Contaxes Before the Release of Type 135 Film
Was the Retina an Immediate Success? / Why Were the Nr. 117, 118, and 119 Released So Quickly
Kodak Duo Six-20 and Other Nagel Designed Cameras
Mike Has Questions About Nagel’s Role in Making the Kodak Regent / Kodak Regent II
Kodak’s Transition During World War II / Early Post War Retinas Used Steel in Their Construction
Are Retinas with the f/2 Ektar Lenses Worth Paying a Premium / 47mm f/2 Kodak Ektars Were Also on the Premier Instrument Kardon
Kodak’s CAMEROSITY Date Codes / Many Retinas Were Sold through US PX Stores / Identifying PX Retinas
David Jentz Dispels Some of the Myths Mike Got Wrong in His Reviews
Dr. August Nagel Never Once Used the Word “Type” to Identify Different Cameras He Made
The Mystery of Paul’s Angenieux Lens / French Kodak Retinettes

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

The Camerosity Podcast is now on BlueSky @camerosity.bsky.social. This modern, and clean replacement for Twitter is a nice alternative to cluttered social networks out there. Follow us there for show announcements and other content.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

David Jentz – https://www.blurb.com/user/hsrc028N

The Historical Society for Retina Cameras – https://www.hsrcretina.org/

HSRC Publications – https://www.hsrcretina.org/hsrc-publications

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos – https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt – https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris – https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue – https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

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