What-Might-Have-Been Dept.

[amateriat]

Hexar on the half-frame, anyone?

(Images from a long-dormant/dead Japanese site...of course)


- Barrett

[amateriat]

Yes, according to all this, Konica made 50 of them, apparently with relatively little fanfare (except for what showed up on this little site a few years back). I've had this sitting on my hard disk for a while and decided to dust it off and show the gang here. Can't say that I'd give my left somethingorother to snag one of them, but then again, it would be fun to shoot with once in a while.

One thing I like is what I regard as an improved lens-release button, with a raised "guard edge"surrounding it. I imagine it reduces inadvertent button-pressing (I haven't had any mishaps with either of my HRFs, but have pressed that button a few times when I didn't mean to). Also like the old-school engraved Konica logo on top.

Such a strange, slightly-eccentric company Konica was. Makes me miss them all the more.


- Barrett

[bmattock]

Wow. Camera pr0n indeed. Sad that it did not come to be.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

[amateriat]

Just found this, and couldn't resist: HRF half-frame with Konica 35mm f/2 UC-Hexanon, LTM.


- Barrett

[amateriat]

Wow. Camera pr0n indeed. Sad that it did not come to be.
Well, maybe my titling this "What Might Have Been" was a bit hasty. Konica did make 50 of the things, and maybe that's all they ever intended to make, however the Great Hexar RF Adventure eventually turned out. And it seems Konica was the only company besides Olympus to fly the half-frame flag at full-mast with cameras like this, appearing at the oddest points in time.


- Barrett

[amateriat]

Family portrait: standard-issue Konica Hexar RF w/50mm f/2 M-Hexanon; "Millenium Edition" HRF Limited w/50mm f/1.2 M-Hexanon; HRF half-frame w/35mm f/2 UC-Hexanon, LTM, front-and-center.


- Barrett

[DougK]

That is just... wow. Very cool, indeed.

[Ergo]

How about this?
I might sell it.

[amateriat]

How about this?
I might sell it.
Might fetch more than that M6 "Electronic" currently on the 'Bay. :p


- Barrett

[amateriat]

And, of course, motorized film-wind sort of handles the which-thumb-to-wind-with issue, at least. ;)


- Barrett

[clarence]

It even comes with numbers that read from right to left.

Clarence

[amateriat]

That might help if I were dyslexic (and sometimes I think I am, if only momentarily). :p


- Barrett

[RFluhver]

There was actually one spotted in the wild (http://tokyocamerastyle.com/post/82263741/shinjuku-a-hexar-rf-half-frame-edition).