Hexar RF or M7

[Finder]

If I wanted an easy-to-carry camera, I would take the Hexar.

If I wanted image quality, I would take the Mamiya 7.

I own two Mamiya 6s and a Hexar AF. I like the Hexar AF. I do most of my work with the Mamiyas. Personally, I find the image quality of medium format makes 35mm unappealing and I am willing to put up with the limitations of the medium-format cameras because of that.

But this is a very personal choice. I would imagine a large number of photographers would make the opposite decision.

 

[Dante_Stella]

The first question is whether you would really sink $2,000 plus into a 35mm film camera in 2010. That goes most of the way toward how I would answer a question like that.

But the more detailed answer is that the Hexar is lighter, smaller (than an M7 with a winder), easier to load, has a more logical control layout, faster shutter speeds (not a trivial consideration when you consider that many Leica lenses are past their optical prime at f/8), and immunity to shutter curtain burn-through.

But the one thing that always seems to be overlooked in a Hexar's finder is that the graph-style shutter speed demonstrates the number of stops' difference between the metered exposure and the manually set exposure. Leica viewfinders - even the one on my M8 - have information displays that are pretty deficient by comparison - in manual, you don't even know what speed the camera is set to - fairly hazardous with a shutter speed dial that spins all the way around.

 

[stupid leica]

Well said, Dante.

 

[elmer3.5]

Hexar

Hexar

A few weeks ago i finally got an m7, i sold it right away, always used an m6 and couldn´t find the m7 better enough than the m6!

Compared to the zeiss, no comments (at least here).

I decided at last to go for a hexar which i buyed yesterday, hope it´ll be here on one week.

This thread was very very usefull!

Thanks!

Bye

 

[flip]

Noticing that this thread is in the konica area, I suspect that the poll biases a bit towards the hexar. Unavoidable, that.

I agree that money is better spent elsewhere, such as lenses.

 

[kevin m]

All the technical differences have been covered already in this thread, but the one difference that stood out most to me when I owned both a Hexar RF and M6 TTL's was that the Hexar was just plain fun! I loved my Leicas dearly, but fun is not a word that springs to mind when describing them.

The Hexar felt like a really cool point and shoot that just happened to mount the best lenses on the planet. 😀

 

[user237428934]

I am waiting for the parcel with the Hexar RF in it and I am expecting much right now. Hope my lenses will work without a problem.

 

[amateriat]

Provided all is in working order, I believe you'll be quite satisfied with this camera.


- Barrett

 

[elmer3.5]

Great Camera Indeed!

Great Camera Indeed!

Hi, today it arrived, new condition as advertised!

Great feeling in my hands, nice vf, bright framelines, 0.60 mag i guess is not the best at 1.2.

It´s like my gone g2 but with 100% perfect focus!
The lock button although is a little ambiguous works fine, can´t tell as it goes older.
Grips firmly....Wow!
Beautiful black chrome, very thin camera, i´ll say farewell to my CLE😎

Just loaded it with Portra 400 and gonna get some pics!

Bye!

 

[user237428934]

Today my Hexar RF arrived. 🙁
The viewfinder seems to be totally misaligned. One of the two pictures I have to align in the viewfinder "hangs down". So if I align an object at infinity the two pictures match horizontally but not vertically.
Is it possible to repair this? Where? How much?

Bad start in this week.

 

[elmer3.5]

Missalignment

Missalignment

Hi Tom, it happened to me the same, thought it was out of alignment too, but after a while discovered i had to position my eye in a exact place, try this, since then i have perfect alignment.

bye!

 

[user237428934]

Hi Tom, it happened to me the same, thought it was out of alignment too, but after a while discovered i had to position my eye in a exact place, try this, since then i have perfect alignment.

bye!

That would have been too easy. Didn't solve it. 🙁

 

[elmer3.5]

Oh

Oh

Hi, sorry to hear that! Hope you get it ok soon!😕

Luck!

 

[user237428934]

Today my Hexar RF arrived. 🙁
The viewfinder seems to be totally misaligned. One of the two pictures I have to align in the viewfinder "hangs down". So if I align an object at infinity the two pictures match horizontally but not vertically.
Is it possible to repair this? Where? How much?

Bad start in this week.

Finally I decided to do the DIY focus adjustment. With the mail help of one RFF member and the description I did the operation and it looks not bad. The first film showed me that I am very close but it still needs some fine tuning that I did today. I hope with this it will be fully usable. Maybe the camera and I become friends at the end.

The camera has a good usability. Love the layout of the dials.

 

[elmer3.5]

The same

The same

Finally I decided to do the DIY focus adjustment. With the mail help of one RFF member and the description I did the operation and it looks not bad. The first film showed me that I am very close but it still needs some fine tuning that I did today. I hope with this it will be fully usable. Maybe the camera and I become friends at the end.

The camera has a good usability. Love the layout of the dials.

Hi, great you solved it by your own means.

After all i got the same problem. First i thought it was ok, but after developing. kaputt! completely out of alignment!

I searched in the forum and found very useful threads, so at last i performed the adjusting myself and now it´s ok!

Bye!

 

[sepiareverb]

I have two Hexar RFs, both of which accurately focus Leica, Zeiss, and Voigtlander lenses. (Well, that was before one of them was "fixed" by Precision Camera, and now focuses ok with one CV lens and back-focuses with another) I don't have any Konica lenses...

I imagine if cameras and dogs could talk Hexar RFs and dogs have a lot to talk about when it comes to being fixed.

 

[rpsawin]

I can't believe that people keep blathering Ikon or MP etc ... the OP made his question perfectly clear ... it's a poll for gawd's sake not a discussion on what may be the best rangefinder for you.

If you don't want to vote for either option just go away! 😀 😀 😀

I'm with Krosya ... I like the Hexar! :angel:

Me too on all counts. The Hexar is a fine camera and it's a shame it got lost in the shuffle when Konica was absorbed by Sony.

Best regards,

Bob

 

[bayusuputra]

...everlasting reliability/quality is not an issue to consider...

I would choose hexar if this is the case..
If quality/reliability the same, why choose the more expensive one if the cheaper one is technically the same (IF quality and reliability is not considered as mentioned by OT)?

but, if those things are to be considered, I would choose M7, simply because it is more reliable and has a relatively better quality..

In real life, though, i would choose the Hexar, so i can utilize the rest of the money for other important resources.. 😀

🙂

 

[elmer3.5]

Hi, what can i say after months using my hexar i´m son happy!

1/4000 really lets you make a few things...

cheers!

 

[bayusuputra]

Hi, what can i say after months using my hexar i´m son happy!

1/4000 really lets you make a few things...

cheers!

This is nice! looks much like coming from tilt-shift!
thumbs up!