Konica I Rangefinder - Opinions?

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Scott --

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Hi, all -

I've recently been bitten by the Konica (I) rangefinder bug. I'm liquidating old gear to raise funds, and am trolling for user opinions of this camera. The one I'm looking at has the 2.8 Hexanon, FWIW.

Thoughts?

Also, I'm curious about the difference between the earlier Hexar lenses and the later Hexanons on the older fixed-lens rangefinders. Anyone know anything about design or performance of these two lenses relative to each other?

Thanks,
Scott
 
-- I think the lens on the Konica I is a Tessar design. It's a very nice lens.

-- The camera is often called a Leica copy, but it's nothing like a Leica.

-- It's a bit spartan.

-- You have to tension the leaf shutter.

-- The film advance is NOT a thing of beauty.

-- Easy to load film.

-- On most of these, the shutter release is tripped very easily. The release is on the shutter, not the body.

-- In the Konica I, II and III, there are six blades in the shutter, despite it being a traditional five-blade design. I don't know why.

-- I wouldn't pay more than US$55 or US$60 for the Konica I.
 
ZeissFan said:
-- I think the lens on the Konica I is a Tessar design. It's a very nice lens.

-- The camera is often called a Leica copy, but it's nothing like a Leica.

-- It's a bit spartan.

-- You have to tension the leaf shutter.

-- The film advance is NOT a thing of beauty.

-- Easy to load film.

-- On most of these, the shutter release is tripped very easily. The release is on the shutter, not the body.

-- In the Konica I, II and III, there are six blades in the shutter, despite it being a traditional five-blade design. I don't know why.

-- I wouldn't pay more than US$55 or US$60 for the Konica I.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, ZF. I'm settling in on keeper cameras right now. Haven't ever used a Leica, so I'm fine there. Think I can get used to the shutter release easy enough. And almost all my cameras require cocking the shutter manually. Nope, the only thing that worries me is your last line about paying no more'n $60 for a Konica I. The one I'm looking at, with original packaging, receipt, manual, flash, etc, etc, still with slow low speeds, is double your limit. Hmm... :bang:
 
Hi Scott,

I have posted this link to some photos I took with my Konica I with the 2.8 Hexanon. This lens is very sharp. I don't think that you would be able to get a Konica I with the Hexanon and all accessories like hood, box, case, and cap. for less than 100.00.

I have done a little more research yesterday to see if I can discover the difference between the Hexar and Hexanon, but so far all I know is that when new the Hexanon equipped camera cost 10.00 more than the cameras with the Hexar.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52115&highlight=picasso's+harley

Steve
 
If you're getting the box, manuals and accessories, then $100+ is a reasonable price.

I think that I paid about $65 or so for my current Konica I and a close-up attachment (Super Nooky ... I didn't give it that name).

The price I mentioned earlier was for just the camera.

I think these are nice cameras. The film advance can be stiff, and the viewfinder is often dirty. Both of these usually can be corrected. It's very simple to remove the top deck, clean the viewfinder and rangefinder and get it recalibrated, as I recall.

The lens sits right out there, so a lens hood is always wise to protect from flare (and to protect the front element). I took some nice photos with my Konica I. Of course, I can't find any at the moment.
 
I have the Konica I, II, III,IIIM, Auto S2 and Auto S3. The cameras are very well built,and the lenses are great.
 
I have the Konica I that my dad bought in Japan in 1950 or 1951. The 3.5 version. Dad was cheap! Grinning. Very nice camera. The leaf shutter may need a CLA. Actually, probably will need a CLA. The good news: Leica cameras wsh they were this quiet and this smooth. Nothing beats a leaf shutter for quiet and smooth. All together, a very nice camera.
 
Scott -- said:
Thanks for the input, ZF. I'm settling in on keeper cameras right now. Haven't ever used a Leica, so I'm fine there. Think I can get used to the shutter release easy enough. And almost all my cameras require cocking the shutter manually. Nope, the only thing that worries me is your last line about paying no more'n $60 for a Konica I. The one I'm looking at, with original packaging, receipt, manual, flash, etc, etc, still with slow low speeds, is double your limit. Hmm... :bang:
Click to expand...

I think you'll like it. I paid a little more than that for a CLA'd one with the 3.5 lens which is a bit much, but I wanted it and I'm happy to have it. Everything works. It's not really a 'candid' camera unless you're really good at nailing the 'moment' because getting to the next frame is kind of an operation, but it is very well made. It's 'arcane relic' vibe is satifying, too. I would budget for a decent bargain plus a cla if I were you, the one you're considering sounds like too much $ to me.
 
radiocemetery said:
I have done a little more research yesterday to see if I can discover the difference between the Hexar and Hexanon, but so far all I know is that when new the Hexanon equipped camera cost 10.00 more than the cameras with the Hexar.
Click to expand...

I am not sure about the rangefinders, but if the lenses were marked as were the lenses for the SLRs, the Hexar would be a cheaper design (simpler construction) than the Hexanon. Still the quality (and quality control) was quite good for the Hexars. I have both a Hexanon and a Hexar 135mm for my SLRs - both are sharp lenses but the colors are a little less vivid using the Hexar.
 
Well, FWIW, the seller came down a bit on price, and I bought the camera. Again, it's a circa-1952 or so Konica (I) with the 50/2.8 Hexanon and flash sync. I'm not worried about the shutter - it works a little slow, but I fix old shutters as a hobby, anyway. And it's got all the original accessories with it. I'm geeked!

Anyhow, it shipped today. A couple days, a couple days... 😉

Thanks for all the input.
Scott
 
rare konishiroku rangefinder type 1 models

rare konishiroku rangefinder type 1 models

The Konica rangefinder model 1, looks old when we view it through 21st Century eyes, but look deeper and think! WW2 ended badly for Japan. It,s citizens we starving to death. Materials to make cameras were darn hard to get, especially chromium and refraction optical glass. Folding cameras on 120 roll film was the technology. All designs had to be submitted to the Occupied Allied office of Douglas MacArthur. Prototypes were approved to HELP THE NEW JAPANESE GOVERNMENT make tax money from exports. Too safeguard that process only the finest designs were approved. To make sure Japanese people paid their taxes, Katakana = CPO was stamped on the film winder round knob. Later CPO was stamped, after that <EP>, which means export product. These were tax-free stamps. God forbid a Japanese citizen was caught with those tax stamped cameras, the fines were strict. Now these marks are very rare, especially KATAKANA MARKED Konica 1 rangefinders. Camera companies using katakana were Leotax, Konishiroku, Minolta, etc.
Today those who know and collect rare camera versions search for these markings and pay high prices gladly.
 
Before the development of the Konica FR, Konishiroku had released the Konica S 35mm fixed-lens rangefinder camera, and the Konica F 35mm SLR. The Konica F introduced a vertical metal focal-plane shutter, whereas the Konica S provided fully automatic correction of the parallax and field of view with the distance, a feature introduced on the earlier Konica IIIA and called "living finder" (生きているファインダー) at the time.

The Konica FR was an attempt at combining these two features into an interchangeable-lens rangefinder camera. The project was directed by Kurita Yoshikazu (栗田善一), chief of the design department, and the rangefinder, lens mount and lens barrel were designed by Yamada Yutaka (山田豊). The camera was built around the Copal Square I shutter module, the same that was adopted in 1960 on the Konica FS 35mm SLR.

The Konica FR was never announced to the press and never went into full production. Konishiroku seems to have thought that a rangefinder camera such as this could not compete with the increasingly popular SLRs of the time.

Surviving cameras
At least two surviving examples of the FR are known, with serial numbers 123453 and 123455. It seems clear that only the last digit is meaningful, and this indicates that at least five prototypes were made. Both cameras were the property of the Konica company in the early 2000s, and one was exhibited in the JCII Museum in 2005. They are perhaps still owned by Konica Minolta, or have been transferred to Sony.

Konica I Type Ab
Konica I Type As
Konica I Type B
Konica I Type C
Konica I Type Cs
Konica I Type D
Konica I Type E
Konica I Type F

Konica I Type Ab
Introduced in August 1947 The top plate of the camera carries the serial number, the model name (‘Konica’) and the inscription ‘Made in Occupied Japan.’ The leatherette on the back door shows the name ‘Konishiroku’ embossed in ornamental letters, while the leatherette on the bottom is blank. The camera was fitted with collapsible f/3.5 Hexar (four elements in three groups) lens set in a Konirapid shutter with a black face and lettering picked out in silver. The lens has a 26mm outer diameter. The focusing scale is in meters. The price was ¥19,400.
1946/1947 Konishiroku Japan Konica-I (Early type). Hexar f3.5/50mm Lens.

Konica I Type As
Introduced in late 1947. The camera is identical in appearance to the Type Ab, with a Hexar f3.5 lens set in a Konirapid shutter BUT with a silver face with lettering picked out in black (as are all subsequent models). The lens has a 32mm outer diameter.

Konica I Type B
Introduced in March 1948. The top plate of the camera now carries the serial number, the model name (‘Konica’). The leatherette on the back door still shows the name ‘Konishiroku’ embossed in ornamental letters, while the leatherette on the bottom is now embossed with the inscription ‘Made in Occupied Japan.’ The camera was fitted with a Hexar f3.5 lens set in a Konirapid shutter. Part way through the production run of this variant, a Hexar f2.8 version was also made available. Both were sold concurrently. The focusing scale is still in meters. RARE version marked in KATAKANA script.

Konica I Type C
Introduced sometime in 1949. The camera is identical in appearance to Type B, but lacking the name ‘Konishiroku’ embossed the back door. It was fitted with the two Hexar lens options already available for Type B (Hexar 2.8 and 3.5). Tests of the camera were published around 1948 and it was advertised in magazines dated June 1948 through June 1950.

Konica I Type Cs
The camera is identical in appearance to Type C, but from now on the lenses are set in the synchronised Konirapid-S shutter (B, 1–500).

Konica I Type D
Introduced in 1950. The camera is identical in appearance to Type C, except that the text on the camera bottom now reads ‘Made in Japan.’ It would appear that the version with the Hexar f/3.5 was sold concurrently with Type E, which had the Hexanon f/2.8 mounted.



Type E

Konica I Type E
Introduced in August 1950. The camera is similar in appearance to Type D. The main change was the introduction of the Hexanon f/2.8 lens. Units with distances marked in feet were made for the US market. It was advertised in magazines dated August 1950 through January 1951.

Konica I Type F
The camera is identical in appearance and technical details to Type D. The only difference is that ‘Made in Japan’ is now engraved on the metal door lock wheel instead of being embossed in the bottom leatherette.

Credit to: Dirk Spennamen in Australia & Eastwestphoto in USA
 
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