Hexar AF Camera and the Hexar RF Camera

I got mine from them after deciding I wanted one... this forum surely fueled my desire. So, I guess, yeah. Mine was as near like new as possible, complete with all documentation, flash with case, serial number card, quick reference cards and the damn bags the camera and flash were originally sealed in. The strap had never been unsealed or used! I was very happy. Tried it out at once.


The flash... eh. Not so happy, as the recycling time kills me. Besides, I never use a flash.
 
I recently bought both cameras - a RF and an AF black as tools for street photography. I like the fact that both offer AE modes (I'm coming back from digital as there's no appropriate street photography offering for low-light situations other than the prohibitively priced Leica M9).

I'm thrilled of the AF's silent mode. OTOH, I am impressed how the Hexar AF camera designers managed to obtain such poor ergonomics for the AF lock function. I haven't yet found an easy hand/finger position to safely and blindly activate this function without accidentally exposing an unwanted frame. I like the manual focus setting function as it lends itself well for operation together with a DOF calculation ruler (google DOFmaster).

I love my Hexar RF. Very intuitive to use, and everything I always wanted in an analog camera. Maybe a tad loud for some situations (but that's what I have the AF for).

Both cameras will definitely keep my scanner busy, while my DSLR will stay at home more often.

Now I'm looking for information on how to optimize my BW film developing process for best scanning results (making full use of my scanner's density range).

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/tschnitzlein/album/32490
 
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Arjay - I scan all my own negatives but never develop myself. Too messy, too time consuming. But with the Nikon Coolscan and Vuescan software, I have to say there is hardly 1 in 1,000 negatives that don't give me a decent, if not great image. For those lacking, I can still do wonders tweaking with Lightroom. I wouldn't worry overly about developing the film perfectly. I do remember that when I did my own chemistry, my biggest fault was not allowing enough time to get all the fixer washed completely away. This was a bigger concern with my prints, but the negatives, too.

Welcome to the "reel" world! ;)
 
I've only ran one roll of film through my Hexar AF so far, but I'm already loving it. Got it at a bargain price and in fantastic condition. It focuses quickly and reliably, and the P mode is smart, so I can take a break from all the manual focusing and rotating dials and rings. The lens is fantastic too.

The only non-obvious complaint I have is that the AF does not lock in indefinitely, sometimes I pre-focus and wait for that perfect moment, then when it comes, the camera stopped locking onto the focus point. Oh and I still haven't found a good strap for it!
 
I have run 2 rolls on new to me black Hexar AF. Camera it self is in perfect condition, even still have protection on the base plate.
But I have experience one problem: when shooting with filter and trying to focus close like 1m or less I am getting error and the camera is blocked. Need to take out the battery to restart the camera. I took glass out of older filter to make spacer of it, but even when putting first spacer than filter it is still the same.
Focusing on close distances without filter is not evoking the error.

Any hint?
 
That was a known problem on some of the hexars.
The lens block is knocking against the filter and freezes the camera.
At a certain point, konica sent a short spacer to bypass the problem.
You could use an empty 46mm filter ring...(careful on vignetting though)

Vobluda said:
I have run 2 rolls on new to me black Hexar AF. Camera it self is in perfect condition, even still have protection on the base plate.
But I have experience one problem: when shooting with filter and trying to focus close like 1m or less I am getting error and the camera is blocked. Need to take out the battery to restart the camera. I took glass out of older filter to make spacer of it, but even when putting first spacer than filter it is still the same.
Focusing on close distances without filter is not evoking the error.

Any hint?
Click to expand...
 
I experience freez with filter ring as well.

sanmich said:
That was a known problem on some of the hexars.
The lens block is knocking against the filter and freezes the camera.
At a certain point, konica sent a short spacer to bypass the problem.
You could use an empty 46mm filter ring...(careful on vignetting though)
Click to expand...
 
I love my AF. Its vibration-less shutter allows me to reliably shoot at 1/8 of a second if I am well braced, an its autofocus is incredibly fast and reliable. If not for its barrel distortion and slightly awkward framelines, I would rarely use other cameras (I've always had an issue composing with framelines that aren't symmetrical, athough in the hexar's case, they do provide framing that is DEADLY accurate).
 
The HexarAF has an awesome lens, but I was not using the camera often, so I sold it here. Instead, I got a Hexar RF. I enjoy using many different RF lenses, so the RF is better suited for my needs than the AF.
 
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