Hexar AF thoughts?

[Juan Valdenebro]

Juan,

they are so cheap now that you can easily buy two for different speeds.
The handling can be a bit awkward (tiny buttons) but there's nothing wrong with the images. My number one travel camera (together with the fuji gs645, hexar rf, Bronica rf............vita brevis)

Nijn617 by wim_b, on Flickr

That's a cool idea! Thanks!

Cheers,

Juan

 

[capito]

what about spare parts and service???

I was able to get some smaller replacement parts (an eyepiece and the shutter button assembly) quickly and cheaply from www.fotomechanik-reinhardt.de/
They are specialized for Leicas and Hassys, and I have no idea how many parts or what kinds of repairs they can perform for AF, though.

 

[v_roma]

Spyro: nice shots. What film were you using for the second photo? The colors are great.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Best 35mm camera ever 🙂
Ok, for my needs, which is basically street/walkabout and I do not care about bokeh. It is basically the only camera I know that I can touch nothing but the shutter button all day and be 100% confident that the camera will make all decisions I would make. I just set it to P & f2 and thats about it. If it is bright it will max out shutter speed and then start dropping aperture, if it is dark it will max out aperture and then start dropping shutter speed. Sweet, thats what I do too.

Focusing is a little bit better than your best RF. With a Leica you focus in the center and recompose, with the Hexar you only recompose because the focusing in the center bit is done by the camera. And the AF never hunts, not even in total darkness. It is the only AF in camera history that never hunts.

Anyway I luv my hexar 🙂

Hi Spyro,

Thanks! You just made me understand after your clear description: it's not just Aperture Priority, but P, so camera plays with shutter speed AND also with aperture (if set to P) depending on available light... That's great! That makes possible to use 400 film with NO WORRIES AT ALL for all kinds of light and scenes... The camera must be great for direct sun, shadows, overcast, interiors and low light... Now I can see why people love that camera so much! Nice design: with P, 1/250 isn't really a limit... Surely I got to get one someday soon!

Cheers,

Juan

 

[dogbunny]

I'm quite attached to mine. I bought it about 7 years ago. I really wanted a Hexar RF, but I couldn't scrape the money together, so I "settled" on a AF. I didn't really know much about cameras at the time, but I chose well.

 

[Paul T.]

Excellent Konica tech in the US, probably the best there is: Greg Weber

 

[muf]

This camera is about the only one in the "high-end" point & shoot category that I have never owned. I do feel I'm missing something here, especially after all the praise you guys are throwing at it. I already own a Konica Auto S3 and a few years back a website had a review of the Hexar AF but mentioned that they thought the S3 had a better lens on it. So as I already owned the S3 I have always turned a blind eye to the Hexar AF when I see them for sale. I realise they are quite different camera's but have any of you owned both and can give me some indication on how they compare. Obviously not from useability, but from a picture quality perspective.

Paul

 

[Spyro]

Juan, thats it! In P you select an aperture and the camera will try its best to keep it. It will override it only if it runs out of shutter speed in bright light, or reaches your minimum handholdable shutter speed (which you set) in low light.

V Roma thanks! This is superia 400 home developed with a tetenal c41 kit.

 

[v_roma]

Well, got one yesterday from a certain online auction site after some fierce bidding. Either the AFs are always in high demand or I made the mistake of bringing the attention of everyone in this forum to this camera when I started this thread 😀

 

[Frank Petronio]

haha yeah now you have to wait a couple of weeks for the prices to settle. Every so often one will pop up for under $400.

 

[dogbunny]

don't stress over whether you got it for a good price, just enjoy it. You made the plunge, now enjoy. I'd gladly take a good time over a bargin. mine came with a "cheat sheet", a laminated card with all the key functions on a little card. I had fun just playing around.

 

[v_roma]

Learned my lesson 🙂 I did get mine for under $400 with flash, box, and manuals included. However, the camera definitely has some cosmetic issues. As long as it works as advertised, though, I can live with that.

 

[v_roma]

don't stress over whether you got it for a good price, just enjoy it. You made the plunge, now enjoy. I'd gladly take a good time over a bargin. mine came with a "cheat sheet", a laminated card with all the key functions on a little card. I had fun just playing around.

Thanks, dogbunny. I'm not really stressed and certainly wouldn't let something like that interfere with my enjoyment of the camera. I just didn't expect the amount of interest I saw on the various AF cameras posted on eBay. I'll be very happy if the AF I got works fine.

 

[capito]

Now I can fully appreciate how quiet the AF is after I just received a Zeiss ZM yesterday. My ZM's shutter almost sounds like an SLR, just without the mirror slap. The AF's shutter is pretty much inaudible - you only hear the motors whirring, which is quickly masked by ambient sounds.

 

[morback]

Now I can fully appreciate how quiet the AF is after I just received a Zeiss ZM yesterday. My ZM's shutter almost sounds like an SLR, just without the mirror slap. The AF's shutter is pretty much inaudible - you only hear the motors whirring, which is quickly masked by ambient sounds.

Leaf shutters are magical 🙂

 

[skibeerr]

haha yeah now you have to wait a couple of weeks for the prices to settle. Every so often one will pop up for under $400.

Prices in Europe seem lower, in the 200 to 250 euro range for a silver one.

I can pm a link to people currently selling Silver Hexars with the flash.

 

[v_roma]

The Oly XA is a great example of that. Certainly the quietest camera I've ever used (other than digital point & shoots, of course). I'll be curious to see how the Hexar AF compares to the XA.

Leaf shutters are magical 🙂

 

[Arjay]

The Oly XA is a great example of that. Certainly the quietest camera I've ever used (other than digital point & shoots, of course). I'll be curious to see how the Hexar AF compares to the XA.

I have both. The Hexar in silent mode beats the pants off the XA.

 

[v_roma]

I have both. The Hexar in silent mode beats the pants off the XA.

Wow, that's impressive. Given how quiet the XA is, the Hexar must not only be absolutely quiet but also absorb some of the surrounding noise 😉

 

[dogbunny]

I'd say in silent mode, in most environments, with at least some ambient noise it is inaudible for everyone but the shooter. And in slightly noisier places, like say a crowded subway station, it is even inaudible for the shooter. I don't think that is an exaggeration.