Konica 50mm f1.7 Hexanon as a Portrait Lens

My uncle Bob gave me a very nice gift recently, his Konica TC-1 camera, Tokina zoom, and 50mm Hexanon AR 50mm f1.7 lens. I have not cleaned the camera up yet, but did immediately pick up a "Fotasy" adapter for Konica Hexanon lenses on Micro 4/3 cameras. This morning, I mounted up the 50 Hexanon on my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Micro 4/3 body. Here's how it looks:

Konica 50mm Hexanon f1.7 on GX7

 

The Fotasy adapter made movement of the aperture ring on the Hexanon a little tight, but it's loosening up with exercise. I bought mine on Amazon, and the price is quite reasonable (see link to purchase yours on Amazon below).

 

With the Micro 4/3 sensor, the Hexanon provides an equivalent field of view to a 100mm lens on full frame 35mm format. A nice, fast portrait lens. Here's a shot of my daughter by window light, at f2.8.

 

My Favorite Model, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.7 Lens

iso 400, f2.8, 1/50 sec.

 

I have always loved Konica lenses. This one is no exception. I'm quite pleased with the color and sharpness of this image.

 

Thanks, Uncle Bob!

 

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Low Tech Wonder - Konica C35 Rangefinder

Konica C35

Photo Attribution: Lewis Collard

 

Looking at this camera, you may wonder why it made it under the "Low Tech Wonder" label, rather than into my "Skeletons From The Closet" series. The answer is simple, and it has to do with the little badge on the front of the camera that reads "automatic." Produced in 1968, the Konica C35 has many makings of a great little rangefinder camera, and in some ways, it is. However, being automatic, the camera selects both your f-stop and shutter speed for you. Even though the Hexanon 38mm f2.8 lens is really nice and sharp, this automatic "feature" turns the camera into a point (focus) and shoot camera. I couldn't live with that lack of flexibility for a month of shooting.

 

My C35 came from an antique shop in Ohio (thanks to Mom!). It took some disassembly, lighter fluid, and a new battery to get it working again. I was concerned that the exposure may be off, as the little indicator that shows the combination of shutter speed and f-stop didn't seem to change enough as I changed the ASA setting. But, I decided to try it out. I shot a roll of drug store iso 200 color print film at a local civil war historic site, the Mount Zion Church in Aldie, Virginia.

 

(Click Here) to read more about the Mount Zion Historic Park in Aldie.

 

Here are my results:

 

The shot above is my favorite from the roll.

 

 

 

 

I find the gravestone above quite creepy.

 

So, what are my impressions of the Konica C35? First, bitingly sharp lens, as I've come to expect from Konica. Second, the exposure seems to be pretty much spot on, at least within the latitude of color print film. I didn't try a really wide range of exposures, but this lighting level seemed to work just fine. So, what I think I've got here is a slightly less compact version of an Olympus XA, with perhaps even better image quality and definitely better rangefinder focusing, but sadly no overexposure switch like the XA has. Not bad, not bad at all. Now if it only had manual exposure override. Then I would carry it around for a month.

 

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Skeletons From The Closet Results For June - Konica Auto S1.6 35mm Rangefinder

I've had a blast shooting my Konica Auto S1.6 this month. So much so, I'm convinced that this camera could be my one and only Japanese fixed-lens rangefinder.

 

(Click Here) to read about the camera.

 

Let me show you why I'm so impressed with this camera.

 

The Kid, by Reed A. George

Konica Auto S1.6, 45mm f1.6 Lens

 

The 45mm f1.6 lens on the Auto S1.6 is awesome. Sharp as a tack, it also has excellent color representation. As I've said in the past, when looking at modern fixed lens large chip cameras like the Fuji X100S, I prefer a lens closer to 50mm than 35mm if I'm going to buy a fixed lens camera. The 45mm focal length on the Konica is just about perfect for me.

 

Shenandoah Sunset, Color, by Reed A. George

Konica Auto S1.6, 45mm f1.6 Lens

 

 

Shenandoah Sunset, Monochrome, by Reed A. George

Konica Auto S1.6, 45mm f1.6 Lens

 

This camera is a little bigger than most Japanese rangefinders of its day, but not too large by any means. It's solid, quiet, fast. A minor complaint is that while the shutter is extremely quiet, the film advance is ratcheted, so it clicks rather loudly as you wind on to the next frame.

 

Stageside, by Reed A. George

Konica Auto S1.6, 45mm f1.6 Lens

 

Bubbles, Diptych, by Reed A. George

Konica Auto S1.6, 45mm f1.6 Lens

 

Friends, by Reed A. George

Konica Auto S1.6, 45mm f1.6 Lens

 

Mind Boggler, by Reed A. George

Konica Auto S1.6, 45mm f1.6 Lens

 

Can you figure out the image above? Shot inside a restaurant bar, it's a mirrored ceiling.

 

Modern Youth, Diptych, by Reed A. George

Konica Auto S1.6, 45mm f1.6 Lens

Rangefinder focusing on the S1.6 is easy and accurate. This is really one capable little camera.

 

I read online that the f1.6 lens was soft compared to the f2 lens on the later Auto S2. I simply can't believe that to be the case. Even wide open, I find the f1.6 lens to be astonishingly sharp. And I'm comparing to world-class glass from Leica, Zeiss, and others.

 

As I mentioned in my original post on this camera, I did send it off to Greg Weber for service a couple of years back, tested it, and put it away in the closet. I am happy to report that the Skeletons From The Closet effort motivated me to get it back out and shoot it. This is one little camera that won't sit idle again for a while. I'm not likely to consolidate my camera collection anytime soon, but if I did, as I said above, the Konica S1.6 could be the best and sole representative of an entire class of cameras that I love.

 

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