First Roll with Konica III M

[raid]

I completed my first roll with the III M last week, and I am very pleased with the camera and the lens. There is some vignetting in the corners, and it could be the lens hood that caused it. Else, I had no problems at all.

link: http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=787990

 

[raid]

 

[venchka]

Very nice. We need to have a very first Konica 50/3.5 vs. Konica III shoot out on the beach! I ran my Konica past a shutter tester thingie yesterday. All speeds were quit slow. Now I know what the shutter speeds are I hope to get better exposures in the future.

 

[dazedgonebye]

Very nice results.

I have long lusted for the IIIA version of this camera wit the 50mm f1.8 lens, but I've never been willing to spend the money.

 

[raid]

Very nice. We need to have a very first Konica 50/3.5 vs. Konica III shoot out on the beach! I ran my Konica past a shutter tester thingie yesterday. All speeds were quit slow. Now I know what the shutter speeds are I hope to get better exposures in the future.

Hi Wayne,
I have the Konica with the 50/3.5. Its film advance knob allows you sometimes to skip an image by not having a stopping point for the film advance. One day I will have it CLA'd.

 

[raid]

Very nice results.

I have long lusted for the IIIA version of this camera wit the 50mm f1.8 lens, but I've never been willing to spend the money.

Hi Steve,
The IIIA and IIIM have the same lens. The M has a meter, and if you are very lucky, you can find the half-frame insert for the IIIM.

 

[dazedgonebye]

Hi Steve,
The IIIA and IIIM have the same lens. The M has a meter, and if you are very lucky, you can find the half-frame insert for the IIIM.

It's only esthetic reasons that push me to the IIIA and the 50mm over the 48mm.
The 50mm versions of either camera come up only infrequently though.

 

[foto_fool]

Steve - I wish I had known you were interested. It wasn't a IIIA but a III with the 48/2 that went on the bay the other day for a really sad $61. Seller was not a camera person and who knows what the buyer really got, but the pics looked good.

Raid - I really love the low-contrast look these lenses give. In my free time I am in the middle of cleaning up scans of my first roll through my III (which I made bollocks of - developed APX 400 in Ilfosol-S - can't recommend that combination! - and I think I had a bit of a light leak while I was loading the tank, but a few of the shots turned out well) and will post to this thread when I get them uploaded.

BTW - the sun in your shots has put a little cheer in my day here, where it is dreary, cold and soon to start raining.

 

[raid]

It's only esthetic reasons that push me to the IIIA and the 50mm over the 48mm.
The 50mm versions of either camera come up only infrequently though.

Steve,
My camera has the 50mm/1.8 lens. The cameras made for the USA market got the 50mm lens whereas the cameras made for the Japan market got the 48mm lens. I think, this is what Dante Stella has on his website.

 

[raid]

Steve - I wish I had known you were interested. It wasn't a IIIA but a III with the 48/2 that went on the bay the other day for a really sad $61. Seller was not a camera person and who knows what the buyer really got, but the pics looked good.

Raid - I really love the low-contrast look these lenses give. In my free time I am in the middle of cleaning up scans of my first roll through my III (which I made bollocks of - developed APX 400 in Ilfosol-S - can't recommend that combination! - and I think I had a bit of a light leak while I was loading the tank, but a few of the shots turned out well) and will post to this thread when I get them uploaded.

BTW - the sun in your shots has put a little cheer in my day here, where it is dreary, cold and soon to start raining.

The lower contrast is supported by high resolution, which reminds me of the classical lenses of the 50's.

I wish you warmer days!

 

[KoNickon]

Raid, you have to be the busiest guy out there -- you're always posting new shots. A nice series. I like that one of Dana (second to last one) -- very pensive shot.

I notice a little bit of vignetting on the beach shots, from the lens hoos, I gather.

 

[shadowfox]

The lower contrast is supported by high resolution, which reminds me of the classical lenses of the 50's.

I wish you warmer days!

That's low contrast? hmmm, looks pretty contrasty to me 🙂
Hexanon lens rules. Other less flare resistant lenses would fog like crazy when exposed to that kind of lighting.

 

[raid]

Raid, you have to be the busiest guy out there -- you're always posting new shots. A nice series. I like that one of Dana (second to last one) -- very pensive shot.

I notice a little bit of vignetting on the beach shots, from the lens hoos, I gather.

I collected about 30 rolls of exposed film in the refrigerator, and then I had those rolls developed at one time. That's why it appears as if I had taken tons of photos at once.

Thanks!

 

[raid]

That's low contrast? hmmm, looks pretty contrasty to me 🙂
Hexanon lens rules. Other less flare resistant lenses would fog like crazy when exposed to that kind of lighting.

Will,

The lens is very sharp, and it is flare resistant. With color film, Hexanon lenses have certain characteristics that may appear to be "low contrast". I don't know a better expression for it.

 

[foto_fool]

It may not be low contrast, but the lens does have a signature look:

Konica III, 48/2 @ f16, APX 400 in Ilfosol-S

Edit: This was shot with the yellow-orange screw-in "Konifilter A6" - I have not shot any B/W yet without the filter.

- John

 

[shadowfox]

Will,

The lens is very sharp, and it is flare resistant. With color film, Hexanon lenses have certain characteristics that may appear to be "low contrast". I don't know a better expression for it.

Ah, I got it!

I always love the Hexanon lenses, either in the AR-mount form on he SLR side or the one stuck on the Konica C35 or Auto S3.

If there's one lens that may make me weave a bit on my one Leica lens commitment, it would be the Hexanon 35/2 😀

 

[raid]

Very nice. We need to have a very first Konica 50/3.5 vs. Konica III shoot out on the beach! I ran my Konica past a shutter tester thingie yesterday. All speeds were quit slow. Now I know what the shutter speeds are I hope to get better exposures in the future.

Wayne,

How about a shootout between the "old cameras" and the "new cameras" by Konica?

Auto S/S2/S3 against Konica I/II/III ? 😀

 

[btgc]

Why not reanimate old thread, especially started by avid Konica user? 🙂

That said, I'm after first roll (well, one and 1/3) through III (plain III). I will write more later because it's late night now - just wanted to share that it is REAL camera with REAL lens.

It's kind of heavy though size is right, controls may be little niche (knurled speed ring little too narrow and aperture accidentally could be turned away - which has not happened to me), shutter release is of right travel (short, that is) and smoothness as meterless RF's usually have. I can't say about advance/charging because each time I released shutter, it magically appeared already charged before. Probably this tells something.

Focusing knob is easier to use than it appears. No problems.

Lens is definitely Hexanon. I can't define it though KAS2 has similar look. I used it on harsh sunny day without lens hood because it binds and unscrews with front glass so I skipped it and didn't miss at all.

Finish also is very good. Until I got III and Ricoh 500 (not 500G) I thought RF's of 70ies are spectacular. Yes, they are - compared to later plastic cameras, though 60ies show real craft. That bare metal gems though through in every detail are wonderful.

 

[raid]

Yes, the Konica III is a beautiful camera with an awesome lens. What else would anyone really need?

 

[jmkelly]

Raid: From your lips... Suddenly need to raise some funds - I have listed my Konica III beauty in the classifieds. No bites yet...