Konica Lexio 70W

[Greyscale]

Does anyone here have any opinions on the Konica Lexio 70W? I have a bid in on one, and don't want to bid too high. The reviews I've found on the web are a mixed bag, from "fantastic" to "unreliable". It certainly is a pretty little thing, though.

 

[Greyscale]

Oh well. Outbid anyway.

 

[btgc]

Interesting camera. Useful range of FL, wonderful large VF with diopter adjustment, nice large controls way better than tiny buttons on some rivals, superb top mounted display (it's illuminated, yeah, you can read it in darkness) - much better position than on film door and more durable, too.

Add here great build quality....ooops, did I say great? It were great when new but now under certain angles lens gives internal flare in corner. To be fair, it's not only P&S with varifocal lens which suffers from internal flare, Olympus P&S's also have issues, to name one.

Basically, my Fuji Zoom Date F2.8 with it's 24-50mm lens replaces 70W, though I don't write it off. Probably I should try to fix my 70W to be able to use it under all light conditions.

 

[Greyscale]

Seems like should have bid higher then. The Lexio sold for $12.50, listed as "like new". The Zoom Date F2.8 (Silvi) seems to be in the stratosphere, fetching upwards of $300. Looks like I missed a bargain, huh?

But now that I am better informed, I won't miss the next one.😀

 

[sevo]

Seems like should have bid higher then. The Lexio sold for $12.50, listed as "like new". The Zoom Date F2.8 (Silvi) seems to be in the stratosphere, fetching upwards of $300.

Uh, while I like my Silvi a lot, I paid something like 25€ for it, and would not spend that much more on a compact...

$300 will now buy you a used Nikon F4 or D70, Contax G1 or sometimes even a thread-mount Leica, all with lens - it is ridiculous to spend as much money on a semi-disposable.

 

[btgc]

sevo, you mean eur25 is too mch for Silvi? Large LCD alone is worth it as they used to say 😀 I'm not even mentioning lens. Black 70W's may go for that, I believe.

Or I am lagging behind market, hit by digital missiles....?

 

[sevo]

sevo, you mean eur25 is too mch for Silvi?

Not by value. But compacts of any kind and quality are nowadays free, unless you buy them on ebay. Outside a few odd freaks the market for film p&s cameras is dead to a degree where even boutique compacts that were a thousand new usually end in a landfill or as a kids toy rather than being sold on ebay - and if you attend garage sales and weed out your relatives cupboards you will probably get one for free or next to nothing.

On an average I stumble across one high class p'n's (Yashica T3, Silvi, Rollei AFM, Ricoh R1, mju:II etc.) a month, for much less than 25€ (for example, the new-in-box Silvi was 25€, but it came with a used Ricoh R1 and some Nikon thrown in for free). And I am not really chasing p'n's either - while I do about one local car boot sale/garage sale/bazaar/baby clothes swap a week, I mostly do so trailing my wife and kids in search for toy animals and Lego kits, and am usually both late and distracted. With a bit of dedication you should be able to score ten Silvi class cameras for $300 within a month...

 

[btgc]

That's right...on disposable nature of P&S, that's why I have never thought about Natura. To get gems for free you have to live in countries where middle class have bought them to store in drawers, otherwise...ebay, right?

I bought Silvi because it were awfully expensive locally, years ago...that thing did cost about $350. Seller in shop laughed it;'s better than Mju 35/2.8 which were my main camera then....so I felt I had to have Silvi, at least used, while they are available.

And you know - while it may look expensive, but it's darn good P&S! And yes, Olympus isn't only who can make quality photographic toys 🙂

Back to Lexio - it's also worth trying if price is right. At least, don't regret my eur3.65 or so. Would even pay eur12 if not that flare, back then. Now I just lug Ricoh SLR with Tokina 25-50, no worries about durability.

 

[Greyscale]

If I didn't live in the middle of the world's largest cornfield (yes, I exaggerate, but not by much), perhaps I would stumble across more nice deals locally. Sometimes I get lucky and find a decent SLR at a flea market, garage sale, estate sale or thrift store, put the pickings seem to be much slimmer as far as high-end point and shoots. But it may also be that I was less educated on them then I am now, and missed a few here and there. In fact, I am almost certain that I passed on a nice mju at an estate sale a few months ago, thinking that it was "just another plastic camera". There was a whole box full of "old plastic cameras" that I could have had for a dollar.

I wanted to pick up a nice zoom p&s for next weekend, when we have our local "fall fest", which will be a perfect opportunity for some nice street shooting. I went out last weekend with my pockets full of AF and fixed focus cameras (Autoboy 2, Nikon AW35, and a Fuji Date 60AF (Clear Shot 60AF in Europe, I believe) that I bought for 50 cents last Friday, I don't know what it's IQ is, but it has a great viewfinder) and I think that I got some nice shots, but I really could have used a bit of a longer lens a time or two.

No big deal, though. The Yashica FX-3 with the Tokina 35-105 is a fairly lightweight combo for an SLR, I will just sling that around my neck if I need a longer lens. But I was really hoping that my "big camera" would be the virgin cruise of my new/old KAS2.🙁

 

[Greyscale]

I ended up buying an mjuII Zoom 115 for $8.00. Mixed reviews from what I've found on the web, hope it works OK for me.

 

[kuzano]

Well, I'm too late, but if you look at the lexio again...

Well, I'm too late, but if you look at the lexio again...

It has one unnerving characteristic. I have a Lexio 70, and I bought it based on my positive feelings about Konica and their lenses, as well as the zoom range and largest aperture.

It does take very nice pictures and has been reliable when I have used it. The battery lasts forever and is commonly available.

However, the one thing that keeps me from using it is the sliding door to open and turn on the camera. If you hold the camera with your right hand fingers on the open door, you will find yourself constantly sliding the door toward the extended lens, thereby turning off the camera as you try to push the shutter button.

You have to train yourself to hold the right side of the camera with your index finger on the shutter button, your middle finger on top of the camera and your thumb on the bottom of the camera. An acquired grip and not comfortable.

Otherwise, nice.

 

[btgc]

Another fine touch - Lexio 70 (yes, mine is just 70, though it has same lens as 70W, 28-70 that is, and rest is same, too) has sort of memory. Say, if I set "FLASH OFF" mode then after I turn samera ON again, it enters AUTO mode, but as I press MODE button once, camera jumps in mode previously set (FLASH OFF, let's say) - I don't need to navigate through all modes.

It's foolproof system - if you pass camera to kid, it will take picture anyway. If you need to return to mode you have set - it's really fast. It's golden solution between "do it again each time" and "set and forget".

 

[MikeAUS]

Film P&S = Landfill ...

Film P&S = Landfill ...

But compacts of any kind and quality are nowadays free, unless you buy them on ebay. Outside a few odd freaks the market for film p&s cameras is dead to a degree where even boutique compacts that were a thousand new usually end in a landfill

You are kidding surely? Please retrieve a Contax T3,T2,TVS, Leica Minilux, Ricoh GR,Minolta TC-1, Nikon 35ti etc. from the 'landfill' and I will believe you 🙂

 

[sevo]

You are kidding surely? Please retrieve a Contax T3,T2,TVS, Leica Minilux, Ricoh GR,Minolta TC-1, Nikon 35ti etc. from the 'landfill' and I will believe you 🙂

Probably the vast majority of film cameras gets trashed and destroyed, as there are not that many other options left - many people believe they are of no value as film does not exist any more (evident by having vanished from all supermarkets), there are no more discounts to be got for used film cameras, most surviving 2nd hand shops only deal in collectibles or digital, and not that many people dare and bother to sell on ebay.

 

[Greyscale]

I just now won a Lexio 70 on that popular auction site for $9.99. Also included in the auction was a Minolta Freedom Tele, and a Fujica DL 100. All are supposed to be in working condition.

I didn't really need three more point and shoots, I was bidding mainly for the Lexio, which I think went unnoticed because it wasn't listed in the auction title.

Maybe I can get lucky and sell the other two, and end up getting the Lexio basically for free? The Minolta looks like an interesting camera, with an 38-80mm/2.8 5.6 lens, it is supposed to be the same camera as the Leica AF-C1. It seems to go almost unnoticed at auctions, though. The Fujica looks like a decent enough camera, with slot loading and silent mode, a 38mm 2.8 lens, and silent mode, but I think only max ASA of 400.

 

[btgc]

Greyscale, I suggest to test Lexio under side light. Some zoom compacts develop light leaks around lens (my 70W and some people argue about Mju zooms, too). Under overcast sky no issues, but if sun hits camera from side traces of reflections in corner(-s) may appear. Like in this. Many other pictures are OK.

 

[Greyscale]

I got the Lexio in the mail, and it is a pretty little thing. But I do agree with Kuzano that the sliding lens cover/on-off switch may be the biggest reason that this camera has not reached cult status, like the mju and the T4. The problem that I am having (but which seems to be getting better with excersise and gentle polishing of the lens barrel) is that the lens does not always extend far enough when the cover is slid open to activate the camera, and when closing the cover, the lens does not always retract completely, and allow the cover to be closed properly. I can see where if the user is not aware of this, he may try to force the cover closed and perhaps cause serious damage to the mechanism.

I have it to the point where it is working properly about 80% of the time, hopefully it will soon work all of the time, but it will be something that I will have to be vigilant about watching for.

 

[Greyscale]

Closer examination of the sliding lens cover exposed the actual cause of the erratic power on/off problem, as well as the most likely cause for for Kuzano's problem of "too easy" sliding of the lens cover to the off position. There is a small metal tab on the top and bottom of the lead edge of the cover, that ride in channels at the top and bottom of the camera. When the door is fully open, these catch on small metal detents at the top and bottom of the shutter-side of this channel. These tabs and detents are also the electrical contacts for the on/off switch of the camera.

On my camera, I noticed a small gap visible between the top of the camera body and the inside edge of the sliding lens cover. This small deformation caused poor contact between the tabs and the detents, leading to both the erratic behavior of the switch, as well as poor locking of the cover when in the open position. I was able to use firm but gentle fingertip pressure while the cover was in the "open" position to reform the mechanism into proper shape and position, and also cleaned all four contact points with a folded piece of lens paper moistened with methanol, and the tip of my smallest screwdriver, and now the switch works correctly every time, and the cover also now locks properly into the open position as it should.

 

[kuzano]

Interesting and thank you...

Interesting and thank you...

Your scrutiny and post may now give me the impetus to take those measures on my Lexio and revive an interest in it. It is a very nice camera and delivers good results. It's really not much bigger than my Olympus XA, and when I put the flash unit on the XA, the XA w flash is longer than the Konica Lexio 70 by almost 3/4 inch. The Lexio has flash on board.

 

[Eugen Mezei]

What is the difference between Lexio 70w and plain 70?