Digital replacement for hexar?

[Tom Diaz]

Why is there no Hexar AF forum?

Why is there no Hexar AF forum?

Has this question been taken up lately? The AF is a truly unique camera in many ways. First there are the qualitative things people are talking about in this thread. Second, there are the highly esoteric controls. The controls are extremely easy to use but extremely hard to learn--I would say impossible to learn without the assistance of experienced users and their lore.

Now that IR film has kind of bitten the dust, I can't use the AF's infrared features as much as I used to, but it actually enticed me to go shoot infrared again one day, and I got a couple of results I liked. (OK, my buddies thought they were kind of gimmicky IR stuff, but I liked them.)

I think the Hexar AF probably will be the last film camera I get rid of, even after I have divested of my Leica M gear some day. Doesn't this amazing camera deserve its own forum?

Tom

 

[Tim Gray]

Hey! "Slow as hell" is not part of the Hexar vocabulary...

🙂

Supposedly the DP2 will be faster (in operation) than the DP1. So maybe there is hope...

 

[loneranger]

As replacement for the Hexar AF, one digital set up has been overlooked,
Epson RD with Olympus 21mm f2, using a rare adaptor
Even cheaper and easier to set up:
panny G1 with oly 21/2.0 using an easy to find adaptor

 

[ampguy]

hmm

hmm

rd1 sensor is smaller than 35mm ff, DOF wider than FF/35/2 lens.

Program Mode, where selected aperture is used, unless meter reading goes below selected slow shutter speed?

Spot or CW meter?

1 touch infinity focus?

Silent mode?

Ability to fine tune AF mechanism?

Equivalent lens quality?

As replacement for the Hexar AF, one digital set up has been overlooked,
Epson RD with Olympus 21mm f2, using a rare adaptor
Even cheaper and easier to set up:
panny G1 with oly 21/2.0 using an easy to find adaptor

 

[loneranger]

Lens quality is subjective but the oly 21/2 has a great reputation, and with the smaller sensor it will be even better because the corners are cut

Of course there is no AF because it is a manual lens, so actually using hyperfocal distance and manual mode, it would beat auto focus speed

rd1 sensor is smaller than 35mm ff, DOF wider than FF/35/2 lens.

Program Mode, where selected aperture is used, unless meter reading goes below selected slow shutter speed?

Spot or CW meter?

1 touch infinity focus?

Silent mode?

Ability to fine tune AF mechanism?

Equivalent lens quality?

 

[sojournerphoto]

ricoh gx100/200 with my mode set to 35mm focal length. Small sensor, but fine in god light and it has a hot shoe

Mike



Edited to say that obviously everythings fine in god's light, but it works well in good light too! focus is either by contrast detect, but it has an ir phase detect for rapid use much like the af I think and obviously more depth of field. f2.9 at 35mm focal length and is - makes for easy handholding at silly low shutter speeds but doesn't stop motion. I don't use it much over 200iso and prefer 100 or less, but I'm used to 5D tye files when I'm shooting digi. I've done some of my favourite work with this camera.

 

[hexar_hp5]

Canon 5D + 35mm lens?

Canon 5D + 35mm lens?

Okay at the third time of typing this... for some reason, when I go to click submit I get logged out and clicking back deletes my message.



Hello All,
So searching through forums, online photo stores and websites, it seems that getting a 35mm f/2 lens on a cropped digital is a tough proposition.

One possiblilty is to move to full frame digital and the cheapest way of doing that with new equipment, is the Canon 5D. However, reading the specs it seems that the this is going to be a fairly heavy and big combo. Now admittedly I haven't gone to a photo store and checked it out in person, but it would allow me to get into more of low light photography which is something that is beginning to interest me a lot.

Does anyone have experience of both the hexarAF and the canon 5D, if so could you share your experiences.

GAS tells me to go for a 5D with a 35mm lens, but my head tells me to load up the hexar and try and move some of the scanning task to the lab with the money I'll save.

Thoughts?

 

[Tom Diaz]

Okay at the third time of typing this... for some reason, when I go to click submit I get logged out and clicking back deletes my message.



Hello All,
So searching through forums, online photo stores and websites, it seems that getting a 35mm f/2 lens on a cropped digital is a tough proposition.

One possiblilty is to move to full frame digital and the cheapest way of doing that with new equipment, is the Canon 5D. However, reading the specs it seems that the this is going to be a fairly heavy and big combo. Now admittedly I haven't gone to a photo store and checked it out in person, but it would allow me to get into more of low light photography which is something that is beginning to interest me a lot.

Does anyone have experience of both the hexarAF and the canon 5D, if so could you share your experiences.

GAS tells me to go for a 5D with a 35mm lens, but my head tells me to load up the hexar and try and move some of the scanning task to the lab with the money I'll save.

Thoughts?

I'm a very loyal AF owner, so I'm answering from that viewpoint: Looks to me like the forthcoming Leica X1 is in this category. (Except that its controls probably will be comprehensible.) I wish the lens were one stop faster but assume Leica made a conscious design decision.

I have not used a 5D but did use (again, happily) a 20D and 30D. I would say their low-light images were superior in many ways to what I used to shoot on high-speed film in low light. So I imagine the 5D's would be even more impressive. However, the X1 probably would actually fulfill other comparable aspects of the AF, such as being pretty silent, which the 5D would certainly not be.

Tom

 

[hexar_hp5]

I'm a very loyal AF owner, so I'm answering from that viewpoint: Looks to me like the forthcoming Leica X1 is in this category. (Except that its controls probably will be comprehensible.) I wish the lens were one stop faster but assume Leica made a conscious design decision.

I have not used a 5D but did use (again, happily) a 20D and 30D. I would say their low-light images were superior in many ways to what I used to shoot on high-speed film in low light. So I imagine the 5D's would be even more impressive. However, the X1 probably would actually fulfill other comparable aspects of the AF, such as being pretty silent, which the 5D would certainly not be.

Tom

From what I've seen of the X1 is that it doesn't have an integrated viewfinder, but am sure that I've seen photo's of it with an optical external viewfinder. I don't know if I would want to be checking focus and then switch to framing and then checking focus again, or have to decide between the viewfinder an external flash.

Also the price point pitches it quite close to the 5D with a 35mm.

On a side note, I hear alot about the controls being difficult, but I don't really think that they are, at most they are holding a button when turning it to a particular mode and even then that's for an additional feature. With a lot of slr cameras you have to drill down through menu's or custom features.

 

[jmkelly]

I used to own the Hexar AF. I sold it because for point & shoot work the Panasonic LX2 was almost as good. The LX2 was stolen and replaced with an LX3, which IMO is better.

LX3 performance at ISO 800 is better than any 800 speed film in the Hexar. In-camera anti-shake? IIRC that was missing in the Hexar. You can disable all aural notifications on the LX3 - silent mode, check. The LX3 can mount an optical VF if you need it. I don't have to carry around rolls of film, and can shoot all day long most of the time on one 2GB card. And it has that 24mm-60mm f2-2.4 Summicron. It calcs to f2.12 at the equivalent of 35mm. Hmmm... pretty close.

Yes, I wish it had a bigger sensor with the same number of pixels.

 

[Tom Diaz]

From what I've seen of the X1 is that it doesn't have an integrated viewfinder, but am sure that I've seen photo's of it with an optical external viewfinder. I don't know if I would want to be checking focus and then switch to framing and then checking focus again, or have to decide between the viewfinder an external flash.

Also the price point pitches it quite close to the 5D with a 35mm.

On a side note, I hear alot about the controls being difficult, but I don't really think that they are, at most they are holding a button when turning it to a particular mode and even then that's for an additional feature. With a lot of slr cameras you have to drill down through menu's or custom features.

Leica definitely plans an optional optical VF for the X1. It might not be parallax corrected to the extent of the AF's, but both are autofocus cameras. I don't check focus on my AF, I let it do the job and it does it very well.

I think the AF controls are easy to use, as you do. The thing is that you need a lesson to learn what they do. You certainly can't tell by looking at them. I have not shot any IR film lately, so, for example, I forget how to set the autofocus into infrared mode. Would someone remind me? (Seriously.)

Tom

 

[hexar_hp5]

Leica definitely plans an optional optical VF for the X1. It might not be parallax corrected to the extent of the AF's, but both are autofocus cameras. I don't check focus on my AF, I let it do the job and it does it very well.

I think the AF controls are easy to use, as you do. The thing is that you need a lesson to learn what they do. You certainly can't tell by looking at them. I have not shot any IR film lately, so, for example, I forget how to set the autofocus into infrared mode. Would someone remind me? (Seriously.)

Tom

To be honest, for some reason external viewfinders feel a bit clunky to me. That's a prejudice, I've never used them.

On the IR film setting, from memory...

Switch into A and hold select to change into the iso setting mode.
Hold down the down button until you see ... in the display
Press the MF button for the film that you want to use.

I think there are two options. And then I think that you are good to go.

One thing is that I have never used IR film, just red the manual and cheat card a million times.

Let us know if that works.

 

[gavinlg]

5d with the cheaper canon af primes is actually quite light. For instance, 5d with 35mm f2 gives fantastic image quality and wouldn't really weigh more than a hexar rf with any of the 35mm f2 lenses.

 

[hexar_hp5]

5d with the cheaper canon af primes is actually quite light. For instance, 5d with 35mm f2 gives fantastic image quality and wouldn't really weigh more than a hexar rf with any of the 35mm f2 lenses.

Could you comment on the sizes? Is the Canon 5d a 'big' camera. I know I really need to get into a store and see one in person.

 

[BillBingham2]

You can spend a lot of money on a Leica external finder or purchase a better one from CameraQuest. The CV Black Metal 35mm Bright Line finder will work as good or better than the Leica, be smaller and cost much less. I am a dedicated GRD lover and have found the combo of a CV finder (mine is 28mm) and the small body perfect for everything I want to shoot with a 28mm lens. The X1 is very interesting because of the sensor size and potential increase in IQ.

The controls on the X1 for every day stuff look great from everything I've read. Not sure where you are so saying run down to Best Buy or Ritz might not work but I bet you will find the 5D much bigger than an X1 even with a finder on it.

B2 (;->

 

[Tom Diaz]

On the IR film setting, from memory...

Switch into A and hold select to change into the iso setting mode.
Hold down the down button until you see ... in the display
Press the MF button for the film that you want to use.

I think there are two options. And then I think that you are good to go.

One thing is that I have never used IR film, just red the manual and cheat card a million times.

Let us know if that works.

Well done! That is correct, although to try it out I had to load a roll of Tmax with the DX bars taped over with black tape. Since IR film generally comes in non-DX-encoded cassettes, the feature does not work at all if the camera sees a DX bar code.

Plus let me remind you that you can use the M button [logical, like switching to A mode... 🙂] to select whether you have 750 nm or 850 nm infrared film in there. Holy mackerel. That's thorough.

This is such a perfect example of my point about the AF. Can it do what a serious shooter wants to do? Yes, and perhaps a bit more. Can you figure out how to set it without a little research? No (although some, like you, have impressive powers of recall).

It's the proverbial piece of work.

Tom

 

[Tom Diaz]

You can spend a lot of money on a Leica external finder or purchase a better one from CameraQuest. The CV Black Metal 35mm Bright Line finder will work as good or better than the Leica, be smaller and cost much less. I am a dedicated GRD lover and have found the combo of a CV finder (mine is 28mm) and the small body perfect for everything I want to shoot with a 28mm lens. The X1 is very interesting because of the sensor size and potential increase in IQ.

The controls on the X1 for every day stuff look great from everything I've read. Not sure where you are so saying run down to Best Buy or Ritz might not work but I bet you will find the 5D much bigger than an X1 even with a finder on it.

B2 (;->

I liked a CV finder all right on the D-Lux 4 I used to have, but it blocked the pop-up flash, because the mounting shoe was a little too close to the flash. Have to see how the X1 is in this regard. I agree that the Leica finders are horribly expensive considering their basic function. If I get an X1 I will definitely explore the CV finder, too.

Tom

 

[amateriat]

If you're talking about a direct digital replacement for the Hex AF, forget about it. It doesn't exist, period. (IMO, of course.) Since the digital world is so much a moving target, it's hard to say what camera–for the moment–would be the hot ticket for "kinda-sorta close". I'm looking to the Panasonic GF-1, although that would still be a compromise in terms of its EVF versus the Hex AF's OVF, and I'm still wondering about shutter-lag in that beastie. This is the sort of stuff you have to deal with when crossing the digital Rubicon, where the search for El Dorado is very much "in play."

My advice? Keep a death-grip on that Hex. And, maybe, start looking about for a decent film scanner (new or used). A good digital near-counterpart will appear. I don't think it's here now.


- Barrett

 

[Tom Diaz]

Yeah, there's a lot of wisdom there, Barrett.

Good-to-excellent film scanners are definitely something to look for, and they're out there at very attractive prices.

Tom

 

[Jacob]

I've allways been interested in the Hexar AF but never used one. I think I use my GRD the way I would use a Hexar, but the iq is probably not as good. If You're considering a dslr, how about a Nikon D40 with something like a 24/2.8 (maybe Zeiss)? Some obvious trade offs but it's light and small for an dslr and the iq should be much better than a p&s. Just a thought...