Could this be the best camera ever made?

chikne · 06-28-2008

I am purely a low skilled amateur, I own Leicas and third party lenses but boy, the Hexar is just magic, and it's light, and the flash system is terrific!
On top of that it costs less than the rest of what's out there with a lens.

Lately I took some shots that I really like with tis baby, I really wonder if I could have had them with anything else!

Praises to Konica!

ferider · 06-28-2008

Well, yeah, one of two

:

Cheers,

Roland.

35mmdelux · 06-28-2008

isn't its fastest speed 1/500?

mr_phillip · 06-28-2008

Hush now! The last thing I need is any GAS stoking

Michiel Fokkema · 06-28-2008

fastest speed is 1/250th!
I used to have one but i think a Leica is much more the best camera ever made.
But the hexar is not bad at all either.

Cheers,

Michiel Fokkema

chikne · 06-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by 35mmdelux

isn't its fastest speed 1/500?

1/250, but I think this is missing the point since once you start shooting with fill flash you'll have a hard time going back without it.
Now the Hex syncs at all speeds, a Leica does so at 1/50. All that's required is a small aperture and slowish film =)

FallisPhoto · 06-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_phillip

Hush now! The last thing I need is any GAS stoking

Yeah, I've already got a hopeless fullblown case of GAS as it is. I don't need encouragement.

amateriat · 06-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michiel Fokkema

fastest speed is 1/250th!
I used to have one but i think a Leica is much more the best camera ever made.

By that criteria, this would be even "best-er":

(Of course, this is so far as rangefinders are concerned: my old Minolta 9xi SLRs, with their 1/12000 sec. max shutter speed, were "best-est" of all.)

But I'm with the late Dr. Ferry Porsche, who, in regarding the product category of his experience, posited that there is no such thing as the "perfect" car; there is only the perfect car for now. Cameras evolve (and, like cars, sometimes devolve; it's funny how the heavyweight-class pro dSLR and the American SUV developed on a roughly similar timeline...purely coincidental, I'm sure), in terms of film (and now, digital too) formats and adjacent technologies.

I simply feel that there's no such thing as the "perfect" camera. There is only the perfect camera for you.

This said, all the Hexars come damn close to perfect for me.

- Barrett

Roger Hicks · 06-28-2008

Could this be the best camera ever made?

Well, yes, depending on your definition of 'best'.

So could a Zorkii 4K.

Personally, I wouldn't swap an M2 for 10 of them, let alone an MP.

To expand on what Barrett said, there's no such thing as the perfect camera (or car) for now. There's only the best (not the perfect) camera/car for any particular person for any particular job at any particular time. For quality/neg size/camera size, I'd back Alpa or maybe 'baby' Linhof, followed by Hasselblad. In 35mm I don't have much difficulty in backing Leica. In 12x15 I rather like Gandolfi...

To pretend that any camera/car can be 'best' is (at best) naive.

Cheers,

R.

Al Patterson · 06-28-2008

Since I have't seen Nick around lately, I'll have to state that the Yashica GSN is the best camera ever made...

Seriously, both Hexars are excellent cameras. I do have a broken Auto S2 laying about somewhere, but no Hexars. Yet.

JeffGreene · 06-28-2008

Be careful Al, it sounds like the beginning of Hexaritis to me!

Repeat after me old friend, I enjoy my Leica CL, I enjoy my Leica CL....

Al Patterson · 06-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffGreene

Be careful Al, it sounds like the beginning of Hexaritis to me!

Repeat after me old friend, I enjoy my Leica CL, I enjoy my Leica CL....

Well, yes there is that. And there is a Canon P I still need to try out, plus a Konica Auto S2 and an Argus C4 project cameras to get working. The only real temptation was that Canon LTM 50 Raid posted yesterday...

mfunnell · 06-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by amateriat

By that criteria, this would be even "best-er":

[.snip.]

I simply feel that there's no such thing as the "perfect" camera. There is only the perfect camera for you.

This said, all the Hexars come damn close to perfect for me.

- Barrett

I'm with Barrett re the Hexar RFs but also agree the original autofocus Hexar is a nice camera. I will note that an ND filter is a big help as far as the 1/250th max shutter speed is concerned. (I'll also note, without crowing too much, that the photo in the original post is my Hexar.)

And while feeling all-round agreeable I'll also agree about the "no perfect camera" thing. I've been doing a bunch of bird photography lately - a task to which my assorted Hexars are manifestly unsuited. But for other tasks they're my favourites...

...Mike

BillBingham2 · 06-28-2008

While it's in the top twenty, it does not give me the control my old Black Bessa L and CV 25/4 lens did. My nod as to go with the L/25 combo, great price, low price and works like a camera should.

While Konica has made several great cameras over the years, this I agree is one of the best.

B2 (;->

amateriat · 06-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by leicasniper

Can you still get a Hexar fixed when it breaks?

According to these guys, you can.

There's at least one other shop whose site claims to handle both Hexars (AF and RF), but I seem to have lost the URL.

I broke the Hexars out tonight for a book-release party two friends threw at the parents of one of them. A good time was had, although a dirty contact caused some brief flash-sync havoc early on.

- Barrett