Former Hexar RF owners...

[aizan]

lurve my hexar rf. of course, i still pine after an a la carte leica mp, but that's the only thing i'd even think of trading it in for.

 

[Keith]

IMHO the shutter delay thing is a bit of an illusion. With an M you feel directly connected to the shutter mechanism as it's all mechanical and the feedback to your fingertip is very direct. As said the Hexar is a switch that controls a small solenoid and there is a sense of a delay when you press the shutter button that I don't really think exists as such!

 

[Pablito]

I'm curious as to why you say the Hexar is set up to be used in AE predominantly. I find when metering manually everything is right there where I want it ... your finger can be resting on the shutter release while you rotate the shutter speed dial with your right thumb. 🙂

I just prefer the simplest metering system possible, The Minolta CLE was another "great" camera that just did not fit my way of working. I now have 3 Leica M bodies, they work very intuitively for me, I don't need or want anything else in 35mm RF.

 

[mackigator]

The Hexar RF is my goto camera when I want to use a RF and get the shot every time. My meter is scary accurate and I love everything about the camera. Sure, the finder comments are all true - center your eye, not a Leica, etc - and the motor winding makes some noise. But it is not loud.

When I shoot with a DSLR, I end up thinking of the Hexar RF. Fondly.

I won't be selling anytime soon.

 

[alan davus]

Another positive vote for the Hexar. Had the vertical alignment done on mine after lending it to my wife one evening. Absolutely no problems since and that includes carrying it in a waist bag on week long hikes in the mountains of New Zealand. I nearly always use mine in AE because I've found it to be astonishingly accurate even with transperancy film. Yes it is a .60 viewfinder but I rarely shoot over 50mm, however when using 75 and 90 lenses you just have to concentrate a little more on getting focus right. I don't use a magnifier on the Hexar but I do on my M6, the Megaperl 1.15 version. It stays on permanently mainly for the adjustable dioptre feature. It would work brillantly on the Hexar I suspect.

 

[aizan]

of course the meter is crazy accurate. konica owned a big chunk of sekonic before the merger with minolta. 😀

 

[Keith]

Another positive vote for the Hexar. Had the vertical alignment done on mine after lending it to my wife one evening. Absolutely no problems since and that includes carrying it in a waist bag on week long hikes in the mountains of New Zealand. I nearly always use mine in AE because I've found it to be astonishingly accurate even with transperancy film. Yes it is a .60 viewfinder but I rarely shoot over 50mm, however when using 75 and 90 lenses you just have to concentrate a little more on getting focus right. I don't use a magnifier on the Hexar but I do on my M6, the Megaperl 1.15 version. It stays on permanently mainly for the adjustable dioptre feature. It would work brillantly on the Hexar I suspect.

It's interesting that it took me a while to trust shooting the Hexar in AE mode ... having put a few rolls of film through and letting the camera do the work while I concentrate on composition the resuts have been perfect. One small beef I have is the AE lock ... the button doesn't have a lot of feel and it's easy to press too hard and fire off an unintentional frame with the camera pointed at the ground! 😛 This is where the Ikon is definitely superior with it's ability to lock the exposure setting with a press of the button and release it with another press. I reckon if you combined the best features of these two cameras (Ikon and Hexar RF) you'd have the best rangefinder ever made bar none!

 

[laptoprob]

I used the Hexar and the CLE side-by-side for some time. The more compact and ruggedness of the CLE made the choice. I had the CLE and the IIf in a handlebar bag cycling, shaking a lot. Those two didn't complain one bit. The Hexar needed rf correction at some point, without being in a handlebar bar. Worked fine afterwards, but still.

And, I still have too many cameras.

 

[serial_lain]

I traded off my Hexar RF for a full Contax G set.. kept the Hexar AF though. Regarding shutter lag I definitely notice a difference between HRF and Contax. The Contax has less of a shutter lag to me after prefocussing. But that might just be my imagination more than any quantifiable property. Main reason I changed system is because I loved the working style of the Hexar AF with autofocus so I figured the Contax provided the same feel and work flow but with interchangeable lenses. I dont even need to get the 35mm planar coz the Konica 35mm fixed lens is good enough for all purposes

 

[Michiel Fokkema]

can anyone please shed some light on the shutter lag issue? thats the first time i have heard of this particular hexar quirk.

needless to say i love mine to death. even eyeing the silver version (matsuiyastore of course) which looks rather sleek. ; )

I only noticed it a few times when i really needed it to be quick.
In 99,99% it will not be a problem. he person i sold my HRF to has never even noticed it. But he has a slower style of shooting.

cheers,

Michiel Fokkema

 

[infrequent]

@michiel - i have to admit that i have never noticed it. but i have never used a fully mechanical camera and hence have no reference to the immediacy of leicas.

on a sidenote, i love this shot from your flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michiel-fokkema/2436217038/

any chance of any hexar shots?

 

[Matt(1pt4)]

'As said the Hexar is a switch that controls a small solenoid and there is a sense of a delay when you press the shutter button that I don't really think exists as such!'

Agreed. The switch just feels different. There's no appreciable shutter lag.

As to the larger question, they are great cameras. The 1/4000th shutter is really useful, as are the winder and the film loading. I've sometimes wished for a higher mag VF, but as I rarely use the 90, it isn't a big problem.

 

[drewbarb]

I played with a Hexar RF years ago, when I photographer I worked for had one. I thought it was a great camera; the build quality and feature set were really nice. I spent the interveneing years waffling about wanting one, reading these threads, and trying to decide about it. When Konica/Minolta went under and orphaned this camera, I thought "well, that cinches it- no HRF for me". I don't like the idea of owning- and possibly really liking!- a discontinued camera that will just be increasingly hard to repair- especially one that's not fully mechanical.

Then, three months ago, I found a deal on a H-RF kit with box and lens that I just couldn't pass up; I hit the "Buy it Now" button for $899.00 and thought "what the hell...". When it arrived, I was very pleased with the lens, but the body had issues with the motor. The film advance didn't work properly- it would randomly advance seven or eight frames, as though trying to load a fresh roll that would not catch. It would expose a frame here and there (very accurately with the AE), but then the frame number indicator would reset to zero and the camera would advance for a few seconds again. The three rolls I shot had a total of 16 exposed frames on them. Luckily for me, the seller was very fair. I emailed him and told him of the problem, and when I returned the camera, I included one of the exposed, uncut rolls of film for him to see the problem I encountered. He apologized and gave me a full refund very quickly.

I realize this experience was somewhat unusual, but it illustrates my fear about owning an orphaned piece of equipment. If the company still existed, and parts and service were easy to come by, I'd want to keep a Hexar RF; and while I might prefer a higher magnification finder, I'd still be very happy to have it live along side my M3's. But my brief experience owning one, however unususal, has only served to underline my uncertainty about owing an electronic body from a defunct camera maker. I'm sort-of watching out for an M2 to go along with my M3's for when I want to shoot a 35mm lens; I might look for a Zeiss Ikon to give me AE for the times where that is useful, but fortunately, if a little wistfully, I'm cured of my lurking desire for a Hexar RF.

 

[Matt(1pt4)]

'but it illustrates my fear about owning an orphaned piece of equipment'

It's a real concern, but you can buy two Hexars for the price of an M6. When one dies, move on to the next one. That's why I have two.

 

[aizan]

does precision camera still repair the hexar rf? it's been a couple years since i had my frameline preview lever fixed there...

 

[drewbarb]

you can buy two Hexars for the price of an M6. When one dies, move on to the next one. That's why I have two.

Quite so, but you can get an M2 or M3 for the same price as a Hexar RF. The M6 holds no appeal for me. A metered body without AE? Why? I had an M6, and it didn't feel as good as my M3's; the meter diodes were distracting and annoying, and the damn finder kept whiting out with flare! I sold it without hesitatation. The H-RF, with AE, auto-rewind, faster flash sync and higher shutter speeds is far more appealing; and if I knew I could easily keep one working properly, I'd certainly have one. But the M6 is no improvement over the M2/M3, IMHO, and in many ways I think it's a step backward.

The Hexar was/is a great camera; it's Achilles heel will be keeping it working going forward- but clearly I still feel the pull of this camera. Perhaps the Zeiss Ikon, with it's excellent finder, 1/125th flash sync, AE, 1/2000th of a second top speed, and mechanical build will find it's way into my bag one day, but otheriwse, I'll stick to the tried and true old mechanical, repairable, M's, and I'll continue to rely on a hand-held meter and my experience to calculate my exposures.

 

[Michiel Fokkema]

@michiel - i have to admit that i have never noticed it. but i have never used a fully mechanical camera and hence have no reference to the immediacy of leicas.

on a sidenote, i love this shot from your flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michiel-fokkema/2436217038/

any chance of any hexar shots?

Thanks,
This shot was made with a M7 and did needed immediate response. the HRF might have been too late but I doubt it.
As said I only noticed the shutterlag twice in probably a 1000 pictures.
But I'm a bit paranoid, twice out of 1000 is too much for me.
There might be HRF pictures on my flickr but i can't tell the difference. I mix and match camera's and can;t tell anymore which picture has been made with which camera.

Cheers,

Michiel Fokkema

 

[EtoileFinder]

Just bought my HRF few months ago. Like a lot of HRF owners, I had the do the rf alignment. THe HRF is great for all the reason mentioned, but it make me sick to think I will need to adjust the RF sometimes in the future. As i'm very fond about my M6, wich I prefer over the HRF because of the feeling of the body, i'm looking now to replace the HRF by an M7.

 

[JonasYip]

When I bought the Hexar RF it quickly became my main RF with the M6TTL relegated to backup. Never had any RF alignment problems, definitely appreciated the 1/4000, and also happen to prefer the low-mag viewfinder (my M6TTL is a 0.58).

But I rarely use it now since I rarely shoot film, so I'm basically a "former" owner. I did take it along on a trip recently though, and loved it.

Really, I keep hoping that Sony will slap some sensor inside the RF that they inherited with Konica/Minolta while keeping everything else the same. I'd get one of those...

j

 

[amateriat]

I was dragged out to a walking tour of the Brooklyn Bridge with galfriend today. As I expected, there was some serious foot/cycle traffic there, but while GF stuck with the tour, I wandered back and forth between the Manhattan and Brooklyn sides. Had the whole Hex kit with me (two bodies, three lenses), and was reminded again why I love this setup after a solid six years' use. Other than the Zeiss Ikon (which I might get to borrow from someone for a bit), I haven't been tempted by anything else. I've no plans to get rid of either of mine. Of course, if someone managed to stick the Nikon D3's sensor into one, and make it work...


- Barrett