Hexar AF Half Frame!

[Archlich]

A friend shared a link as he came by this: http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r123064328

A half frame Hexar AF with inscription of "PRO-HALF" and serial number of 0000001.

As we all know although rare, there are at least a dozen of half frame Hexar RFs out there, but has anyone heard of an AF variant? Is it a Konica project or a third-party mod?

 

[sevo]

I don't know whether that included their Hexars, but RBT apparently made some of their stereo modified cameras in a half-frame version.

 

[johannielscom]

Ha, never seen one like it before and this sure looks like a prototype that was put through its paces to test for durability 😉 Sure makes you wonder, can the 72-frame advance also be set through button-pushing programming, like the silent mode can? 🙄

 

[zuiko85]

Ah but Konica has a long history with half frame. The original Autoreflex was both full and half frame, switchable mid roll too.

 

[dogbunny]

I saw one for sale on the same site about a year or so ago, but it was NIB. They both seem to have a modified hot shoe. It looks like that one got a lot of use.

 

[Archlich]

Found a topic here on RFF already talking about it: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94205

Better images: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/retiredboarder/196635.html (serial number 0000046)

Further dig revealed a Konica FT-1 Motor Pro Half, obviously made in very small quantities by Konica during the end of their SLR production for portrait use in studios, thus the "Pro" designation.

The Hexar AF Pro Half looks like the unborn successor to the same idea - the shoe mod would enable it to connect large off camera strobe lights for that purpose. Some 100 cameras were produced according to the previous thread. So being the first in the batch, the 0000001 copy would have gone through much use.

Maybe Konica really had a big plan for the Hexar line before the lawsuit...