View Full Version : Will a Hexar AF.....
I currently shoot the hexar RF and an M2 as my staple film gear and will soon be adding a F3 w/85f2 just for portraits. The thing is, i've heard so much about the abilities of the hexar AF as a stealth cam with quality.
I love my current setup to bits, but am curious as to just how good the hexar AF is compared to say a hexar rf with 50hex and 28 ultron. Is it every bit as sharp at f2 or is it one of those lenses that performs when stopped down to 2.8.
Gah, this is thinly veiled GAS!!! Anyone with a hexar af to trade in the uk let me know what u want!
I don't think it's really about the lenses. It's more that the AF is a completely different aesthetic, a completely different way of working from an M2 OR the Hexar RF.
I'd never take the AF when, say, I go out to the market on a Sunday, it would simply be too easy to get a good shot, perfectly focused and exposed, takes some of the difficulty out of it. But when I'm shooting serious stuff, and I have to nail a subject, it's the only camera I take. As far as the lens goes, I'd say it's great... I have no clue really as to whether it's better than my old Summicron 35, or my current SUmmicron C., it seems a semantic question, because for capturing people, just when they have the right expression, without interrupting the flow of a conversation, taking in their background too, I'd say it's incomparable.
Performance at /2 is pretty good, I think, but I would normally shoot at f/2.8 or f/4, because I normally use it for shooting people, and people move.
The lens is just superb. It is incredibly quiet. I found the ergonomics awkward on the Hexar AF. It's not a small camera. I decided to sell mine and get a Leica, which works out to be about the same size, has interchangeable high quality lenses, and is relatively quiet. I've been much happier with a Leica as it has much more freedom. The Hexar AF is a great picture taking machine, but it is really a largish point and shoot camera.
I'd never take the AF when, say, I go out to the market on a Sunday, it would simply be too easy to get a good shot, perfectly focused and exposed, takes some of the difficulty out of it. But when I'm shooting serious stuff, and I have to nail a subject, it's the only camera I take.
You take an AF AE camera for the serious stuff? Usually it's the other way round. Most people don't use manual focus and exposure to introduce an element of 'difficulty' but to have full control and get things just right. Of course, it depends whether the "serious stuff" is action sports or night scenes with difficult lighting for example.
Paul T: I take that as a sort of tongue in cheek way of saying its definitely the better cam?
Gah, now for someone to sell one at a reasonable price in the uk. There was one not too long ago. Should have snapped it..... argh.
Everytime I read one of these threads I think that I should go ahead and sell my Hexar AF Silver since I'm just not using it. I either shoot with my Leica or my recently acquired dslr.
-Randy
i'd make u an offer randy if not for the fact that i've just about contributed enough to HM Customs this year...
i'd make u an offer randy if not for the fact that i've just about contributed enough to HM Customs this year...
I completely understand. Too bad I have no travel plans to London as I'm long overdue for a visit.
dazedgonebye
04-22-2008, 20:44
Loving mine, also keeping my eye out for a second copy.
I think that lens is quite sharp wide open.
Paul T: I take that as a sort of tongue in cheek way of saying its definitely the better cam?
Yes. The AF is, for instance, far superior to the RF in my view, far more radical. And that lens is, I guess "good enough". It's different from the Leicas, but we know how all the Hexanon-Ms are currently sough after, and that's what it is.
You take an AF AE camera for the serious stuff? Usually it's the other way round.
I guess we're just different. I don't ENJOY using autofocus, in the way I ENJOY focusing the Summicron Collapsible on my m3. But it's faster, silent, far less obtrusive and generally more accurate. The AE is OK, by the way, more fooled than some others by back-lighting.
(I use the Hexar for photographing people, in conversation.) But with all of this, I don't say it to stimulate (that awful word) GAS. It's a different camera, it's not as satisfying to hump as a Leica, it's just that it works.
will keep all this in mind. The only other thing stopping me at the moment is that i've never been a 35mm man, having used and sold the 35 1.7, 35hex, 35cron v4. I'm normally a 50 and 28 person. That said, I really want a fast compact AF camera with a wide aperture for low light stuff. Same application as Paul actually, for interviews and stuff. AF is infinitely more reliable than my eyes after so many years of staring at forums late at night!
I'm a 28/50 person, too. But the Hexar AF makes use of 35 real easy with min focus of .6m and variable framelines ....
I'm with Paul: for many situations the fast auto focus in available light is great. This would have been difficult with a Leica, for instance:
http://ferider.smugmug.com/photos/216982889_bwTde-L.jpg
(at least for me).
Roland.
I haven't put that baby to use yet, just waiting for the right time =)
FWIW, here's a shot from my last roll. The Hexar also seems to work well in dimmer, less contrasty surroundings, too.
it has a clean, modern look to it that, for instance, looks markedly different to my Leica or Jupiter lenses. But the bokeh, if you care, can look fantastic, sometimes you can get very 3-D shots. But this isn't a camera for fondling, or extolling its visual qualities, it's not exciting... it just does the job.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e295/greenwichpaul/Hadfield.jpg
I have a long used Hexar AF ; and a 35mm/1.7 Ultron since 3 years.
I made slides with both in a same session (severe backlight, lawn at some distance...). Impossible to detect a significative difference.
Hexar is unbattable where you want to be discreet (you look to a direction, and under your elbow Hexar makes pictures to another - autofocus works fine). But the feeling is specific, it does not react very fast.
paul, if this is what it does, i'm sold. Where do i find one!
infrequent
04-23-2008, 04:50
needless to say, i have a few issues with the hexar af. i will outline these:
-- silent mode: well its way too silent and i am not talking about the much heralded silent mode. my subjects had no chance. heck, half of the time even i didn't notice a shot had been taken.
-- autofocus: possibly way too fast. if you are used to focus hunt delays like me, this might be an issue.
-- program mode: too clever by half. always takes a properly exposed shot by changing the set aperture. utter blasphemy!
on a serious note, i loved it for the two weeks that i had one. it convinced me to consider RFs strongly and ended up getting its bigger bro -- hexar rf. if i ever switch to a digital RF, i will get a hexar af as a film body. its pure awesome.
Loving mine, also keeping my eye out for a second copy.
I'm in the same situation, thinking about a second AF (one for B/W one for color slides), ah! and a second ND filter. Sharp lens, fast AF, excellent exposure... all I can think are pro's...
andersju
04-23-2008, 06:37
The Hexar AF might just be my favorite film camera, and the only one that I've never considered selling; in fact, along with the Ricoh GRD, it's the only camera that I'd like to own two examples of.
The aforementioned shutter release problem is easily fixed, see http://wiki.silvergrain.org/wiki/index.php/Konica_Hexar (also a good resource for information)
hexar_hp5
04-23-2008, 14:10
Just sold mine to chikne,
it is to easy to get good images with, there's no more suffering in it.
My work has deteriorated since I do everything manual
but who wants the perfect travel camera. :bang:
The only serious remarks I can make is the sensitivity of the release button, locking af resulted in many unwanted frames. And it takes a while to get used to the buttons.
The black ones are IMO nicer and les obtrusive. And cost more:(
As been said the sensitivity of the release button is probably down to the dirty contacts on the shutter switch and this is documented in the silvergrain website. It's an easy fix that can be done without any solder work.
On the buttons, I know a lot of people say this but I've never understood this. The three modes are simple enough and the other modes aren't used enough to warrant worrying about but using them once or twice soon commits them to memory.
For the record I sold off all my other equipment and now only have two hexars. No worrying about what lens to use or what camera.
Only downside is that these are going up in price all the time. You used to be able to score these for $300 all day and night, now it's closer to $500.
infrequent
04-23-2008, 16:39
@hexar_hp5 - what do you think of the lens? no one has commented on that yet.
hexar_hp5
04-23-2008, 17:29
@hexar_hp5 - what do you think of the lens? no one has commented on that yet.
To be honest I've never thought I've been limited by the lens. I'm not afraid to use it at f/2 and use it throughout the range without any hesitation.
At f/2 it will be like any other lens slightly softer than at f/4 and up or down depending on your view. However, most of the time when I'm shooting at f/2 I'm in low light anyway so sharpness isn't limited by the lens but how well I can hold the camera.
With all that said I have taken some wonderful photo's with this camera. A lot of the photo's do have that special quality, but I don't know if that was the light at that time, my sentimental thought's toward the photo's content, etc.
It's a wonderful camera with a wonderful lens. I haven't been disappointed which is why I gave up my Nikon glass and bought another hexar.
Also have a look http://www.pbase.com/cameras/konica/hexar_af and at http://www.flickr.com/groups/hexar/pool/
dazedgonebye
04-23-2008, 17:40
I shoot it at f2 whenever possible.
Obviously, it is not at its sharpest wide open, but it is acceptably sharp, and the bokeh is very much to my taste.
In fact, I've bought 46mm ND filters so I can shoot wide open outside.
hexar_hp5
04-23-2008, 18:53
I shoot it at f2 whenever possible.
Obviously, it is not at its sharpest wide open, but it is acceptably sharp, and the bokeh is very much to my taste.
In fact, I've bought 46mm ND filters so I can shoot wide open outside.
Hello there,
I actually got some ND filters too. To be honest though I find that in daylight, I'm after a different kind of shot. At night though that f/2 is where I'm at and it's an awfully sweet f/2.
i think i really need to just go back to shooting more with my RF and see how i cope with the MF.... As many have mentioned, a fast reliable AF is just so tempting...
hexar_hp5
04-24-2008, 09:39
i think i really need to just go back to shooting more with my RF and see how i cope with the MF.... As many have mentioned, a fast reliable AF is just so tempting...
Whenever I don't have a manual focus camera, I always miss it. When I do have them the novelty for me soon wears off and I prefer the hexars focus.
Really I think it was best said earlier in the thread that the hexar AF is more about getting the photo rather than enjoying the camera. Don't get me wrong it's a fine camera, but not one that you enjoy looking at, etc. It's more about allowing you to just get the shot without any fuss.
I should just keep an manual focus on hand just to stop me from lusting after a m2.
Pherdinand
04-24-2008, 09:53
It's a very good and fast easy-going camera, with a very good lens.
But the lens does vignette wide open, and even at smaller apertures a bit.
I see it when i use slide film and the sky is in the shot, every time.
Sharpness-wise, there is no need for anything better.
It is also very durable and very low power consumption. The battery in mine is going since ages. The previous owner bought spare battery - the spare battery is expired; he never had to change the one that is in it. I got it almost two years ago i think; did not change the battery that was in it.
still no one selling this side of the pond. There are a few BGN rated ones in KEH that i'm wondering about...
Right now there are 3 Hexar AF on ebay Germany....
and i'm watching all of them with keen interest...
got mine at the US bay three days ago with a final battle at last seconds...yesterday it started its way to me...waiting.
can i ask how much u paid?
can i ask how much u paid?
400 was winning bid:eek:
hexar_hp5
04-24-2008, 13:21
It's a very good and fast easy-going camera, with a very good lens.
But the lens does vignette wide open, and even at smaller apertures a bit.
I see it when i use slide film and the sky is in the shot, every time.
Sharpness-wise, there is no need for anything better.
It is also very durable and very low power consumption. The battery in mine is going since ages. The previous owner bought spare battery - the spare battery is expired; he never had to change the one that is in it. I got it almost two years ago i think; did not change the battery that was in it.
Same here on both accounts. I've seen the vignetting, though I would say it's mild. Also I bought some extra batteries three years back.. still in there packets.
Yeah, the battery in these cameras seems to last forever. When I got my Hexar AF, I went right out and bought a backup battery since I was going to be traveling with the camera. That was last year and I haven't needed it yet. Then, a couple of months ago I discovered that the previous owner had done the same thing and had tucked the extra battery into the original box. So now I have two backup batteries and no indication yet that I need either one!
-Randy
serial_lain
05-21-2008, 01:14
I have a black dateback version! supposedly rare according to cameraquest but who knows.. anyway i wont say the lens is the sharpest of the sharp.. but its sharp enough throughout its range
ND filters is a must.. i find im often shooting at f16-22.. way over its optimum aperture because its just too darn sunny all the time!
Michiel Fokkema
05-21-2008, 04:19
Hi,
It is a great camera but sold mine.
I just can't live with one lens and the higher shutterspeed of 1/250th is very anoying to me.
I did use a ND filter for that, but it is just too much fiddling.
Otherwise, great camera.
I saw one today on the shelf of a local camera store and was tempted again. Just to have for fun.
CHeers,
Michiel Fokkema
lawrence
05-21-2008, 05:24
And it takes a while to get used to the buttons.
(
You mean you actually did get used to the buttons? I had mine for years and loved the lens but those buttons drove me nuts :eek:
The Hexar AF is one of the very few cameras that will happily AF and AE and then snap a perfectly focused and exposed frame while you're wearing a welder's mask.. Try that with a manual focus camera..
Ming The Merciless
05-21-2008, 06:27
Well. everyone seems to like theirs. I purchased mine last year and I still don't trust it. Too many shots have been over or under exposed. Too many times (if I get too close to a subject or when glass is involved) the ERR sign comes on and then I have to shut it off and remove the battery to get it up and running again. Too many times when I've tried to take a quick shot nothing happens, why I don't know. Too many times I've been tempted to throw the F***en thing into the Hudson River. I'll stick with My Contax RX thank you.
Mmm, sounds like you need to dump yours. Have you had the shutter button checked?
All the dreadful errors made with this camera are down to me - apart from backlighting, which can fool the metering and give very underexposed shots. But in all other conditions, even with slide film, I've found the metering absolutely faultless.
DO you have a filter on there? That could cause the ERR code.
Ming The Merciless
05-21-2008, 06:50
I bought a regular filter to protect the lens and the nd filter for bright sunny weather. The bottom line is that it's one big hassel. I've even had trouble closing the back when I put in new film. I can't think of one decent shot that I've been able to take with it.
It's the filter that's causing the ERR message - the lens is hitting it on close focus. You need to add another filter ring to move it away from the lens.
But overall it sounds like you've got an abused example...
Gabriel M.A.
05-21-2008, 07:12
I shoot it at f2 whenever possible.
Obviously, it is not at its sharpest wide open, but it is acceptably sharp, and the bokeh is very much to my taste.
In fact, I've bought 46mm ND filters so I can shoot wide open outside.
Hear hear!
BTW, do you manually change the ISO setting (e.g. for ISO 400 with an ND filter of .6, set to ISO 100) to compensate for the ND filter? I realized after one roll that I had to do this because the light metering is not done through the lens, but I think it's done by the little round thingie right next to the lens.
dazedgonebye
05-21-2008, 07:17
Hear hear!
BTW, do you manually change the ISO setting (e.g. for ISO 400 with an ND filter of .6, set to ISO 100) to compensate for the ND filter? I realized after one roll that I had to do this because the light metering is not done through the lens, but I think it's done by the little round thingie right next to the lens.
Yep, you have to compensate via iso setting. I'm not sure the exposure compensation setting gives you enough control.
Gabriel M.A.
05-21-2008, 09:25
Yep, you have to compensate via iso setting. I'm not sure the exposure compensation setting gives you enough control.
Only about two stops, and when you turn the camera off, it won't remember your EV compensation; but it will remember the manual ISO setting.
dazedgonebye
05-21-2008, 09:37
Only about two stops, and when you turn the camera off, it won't remember your EV compensation; but it will remember the manual ISO setting.
I remember now...you are correct of course.
Dante_Stella
05-21-2008, 15:47
Focusing on the AF is more accurate, for all intents and purposes. It auto-corrects for focus shift as the lens stops down, so it's sharper than most fast 35mm lenses on rangefinder cameras.
Would you even need the M2 with a Hexar at the wide end and an F3 at the long end? The M2 does 35, 50 and 90 comfortably. 35mm can be done with the Hexar, 85mm can be done with the F3, and you don't need a 50mm. So you can sell the M2.
See? Gear acquisition syndrome problem solved.
I currently shoot the hexar RF and an M2 as my staple film gear and will soon be adding a F3 w/85f2 just for portraits. The thing is, i've heard so much about the abilities of the hexar AF as a stealth cam with quality.
I love my current setup to bits, but am curious as to just how good the hexar AF is compared to say a hexar rf with 50hex and 28 ultron. Is it every bit as sharp at f2 or is it one of those lenses that performs when stopped down to 2.8.
Gah, this is thinly veiled GAS!!! Anyone with a hexar af to trade in the uk let me know what u want!
EtoileFinder
05-21-2008, 18:32
I bought mine a few months ago, and I had problem with the shutter button. It seem to be a common problem with used Hexar AF. I fixed the problem and sold my used one to get a new silver Hexar new in box at a reasonable price. I used mine for some specific purpose, I like to used in the subway or on the bus with the stealth mode. I Keep the camera at my breast and shoot at people. Those pictures explain why I still keep my Hexar AF.
How did you fix the shutter button?
hexar_hp5
06-13-2008, 22:05
How did you fix the shutter button?
As in post 23, the link to the website with the fix is
http://wiki.silvergrain.org/wiki/index.php/Konica_Hexar
This fix can be done without any desoldering and a fairly quick and simple fix. Just take the screws out over a towel so you don't lose any of them and you should be good to go.
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