Episode 107: Chris Sherlock No Longer Repairs Retinas

Episode 107 of the Camerosity Podcast centers on a long-awaited return guest, Chris Sherlock of Retina Rescue, known for his years of repairing and collecting Kodak Retina cameras. This is his second appearance on the show, following an earlier conversation back in December 2019. Though Chris remains retired and is not taking on new repair work, he continues to stay active by publishing detailed CLA walkthrough videos on YouTube for Retinas and other cameras. Joining host Mike Eckman for this episode are regular panelists Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Theo, along with a large roster of callers contributing questions and stories.

The conversation traces Chris's path into camera repair, starting in the 1970s when he worked for Kodak in Wellington, New Zealand repairing Instamatics, through to his first Retina model (a Retina Ib) and his early days selling cameras on Auction Web, the precursor to eBay. He recounts how the original Retina Rescue site began as a simple ISP personal page. The group digs deep into the Kodak Retina lineup—folders, solid-bodied rangefinders, and SLRs—discussing which models are best suited for newcomers, and which have known weaknesses, such as issues with the Retina cocking rack and the long silk cord found in later cameras. Other technical topics include lens haze problems, questions about whether early Ektar 3.5 lenses were truly Kodak-made, how long a full CLA on a Retina takes Chris to complete, and his philosophy that a proper repair requires servicing the whole camera rather than just one part. Chris also shares personal favorites, including the Retina IIS and IIIS, and notes that the Retina II Type 122 remains essentially unobtainable for him.

As is typical for the show, the discussion branches into related territory, including the Voigtländer Ultramatic, a recent 1930s Canon Standard rangefinder pickup by Greg Harp, an Ansco Super Speedex from Joao, an update on the Sydney Camera Show from Theo, and a Yashica 44 TLR purchase by Aaron. The episode ultimately serves as both a nostalgic and technical deep dive into Chris Sherlock's expertise and legacy with the Kodak Retina system, reinforcing his continued influence on the collecting and repair community even in retirement. The hosts close by inviting listener participation for future episodes, with Episode 108 planned as a return to Canon rangefinders.

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For over a year, one of my most sought after guests to come on the show has been Chris Sherlock of Retina Rescue. Way back in December 2019, I had a chance to sit down and have a discussion with Chris and I have wanted to have another opportunity ever since and it finally happened!

Episode 107 is all about Chris Sherlock and his experience repairing and collecting the Kodak Retina system. I promised Chris, I would make it very clear that he is still retired and is not taking in any new work, but Chris is still active on YouTube, publishing complete walkthroughs of CLAs on Retinas and other cameras.

Joining Chris are Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike and a long list of callers, including A.J. Gentile, Aaron Knesal, Ben Ryerson, Doug Willoughby, Eric Schneck, Fernando Villava, Joao Gomes, Greg Harp, Howard Sandler, Michael Boudreaux, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Robert Rotoloni, and Will Pinkham.

Chris starts things off with how he got started repairing cameras, all the way back in the 1970s working for Kodak in Wellington, New Zealand and then continues onto his first Retina models and why he started his site.

We discuss a wide range of Kodak Retina models, from the folders, solid bodied rangefinders, to the SLRs. Chris, Mike, and others share their favorite models and which ones we recommend for first time shooters and which ones have issues to look out for. Chris explains what kinds of problems the Retina cocking rack may cause and why the later cameras have a long silk cord in them.

It wouldn’t be a Camerosity Episode if we didn’t get off track, so we can thank Howard for bringing up the Voigtländer Ultramatic, Theo gives an update on the most recent Sydney Camera show, Greg Harp shares his recent 1930s Canon Standard pickup, and Aaron talks about his Yashica 44 TLR he bought from Paul.

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 will be revisiting Canon rangefinders. The last time we spent a majority of an episode on these wonderful cameras was way back in Episode 18, so we thought it was time to invite some newer fans of the show to call in and share which models they love and whatever else they want to talk about! We will record Episode 108 on Monday, April 27th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!

In This Episode

We Are Recording While Artemis II is Coming out of Radio Blackout / Anthony’s Artemis Launch Photos
Chris Sherlock is Not Coming Out of Retirement / Chris Still Gets Requests Daily to Repair Retinas
How Chris Got Started Repairing Cameras / Working in Wellington Repairing Instamatics
Chris’s First Retina was a Retina Ib / Started Selling on Auction Web (Predecessor to eBay)
The First Version of Retina Rescue was an ISP Personal Page
Spare Parts Are Important to Camera Repair / Chris’s Tips for Starting to Repair
Anthony Gets his Dad’s Retina Reflex III Repaired by Chris
Paul Barden Also Repairs Some Retinas / Chris’s YouTube Videos Are Incredibly Helpful Too
Not All Retina Cocking Racks Are Weak Points
Is the Retina IIIC the Best Retina? / Differences Between the IIIc and IIIC
Using Auxiliary Wide or Telephoto Lenses on the Kodak Retinas
The Retina With the Most Problems with Haze / Cleaning Lenses
Were the Early Ektar 3.5 Lenses Actually Made by Kodak?
What Would be Chris’s Favorite Retinas to Shoot? / Kodak Retina IIS and IIIS
How Far Did Chris Tear Down the Shutter when Doing a CLA?
Doug Can Recognize Chris’s Hands in a “Hand Lineup”
Kodak Retina Automatics / Other Contemporary Cameras to the Retina
The Kodak Retina II Type 122 is Unobtanium for Chris
How Long Did it take Chris to CLA a Kodak Retina?
Where were Chris’s Customers From? / Selling Cameras is Difficult
Retina Reflexes Had a Silk String Inside Them / Voigtländer Ultramatic
You Can’t Just Repair One Part of a Camera, You Must Do it All
Chris Likes Jigsaw Puzzles But Not Zeiss-Ikon Contaflexes
Mike’s Favorite Retinas are the IIa, Ib, and IIIS
Greg Picked Up a Canon Standard Rangefinder / Joao’s Ansco Super Speedex
Theo’s Update on the Sydney Camera Show / Seagull TLRs
Aaron Buys a Yashica 44 from Paul / Shooting 127 Film

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, 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.

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.

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