konica hexar

[jbw]

i have the opportunity to buy a konica hexar black (original stealth mode one) for 450.00 . this is the fixed lens model (35 f/2) any one have experience with this camera? pros or cons..? i do have an interchageable rf lens system already (leica)
thx for any thoughts.

 

[thmk]

Pro: very good lens, very silent, reliable auto-focus, intelligent program automatic, build quality, upgradeable for IR film usage, simple flash system
Con: not very user friendly in some aspects ("hidden" functions, small buttons), fastest shutter speed is 1/250 sec (but who cares with some ND filters)

Is the price only for the camera or is the flash included? Do you get any warranty? 450 USD is not that cheap I think...

For sample pictures check here:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/695

Cheers
Thomas-Michael

 

[jbw]

thanks for the info... it is for the camera, flash, nd filter, yellow filter, box, manual, etc... no warranty - buying from a person not a store... supposed to be in mint condition.. oh yeah... and 3 rolls of tri-x thrown in .. 🙂

 

[Nick R.]

$450 is about the going range for this camera in the US with flash. Though I've seen them go for $500+ on ebay. The silver version will go for about $50 dollars cheaper. This review and the comments that follow sum up the camera pretty well. http://216.239.39.104/translate_c?&u=http://www.photo.net/photo/hexar.html

(P. S. I love mine)

 

[Traut]

I have Leicas, Hexar RF, D70, etc. etc. AND a Hexar Black originsl. It is a wonderful camera. Superb lens. $50 either way won't matter once you buy it. One quick story though. I handed the camera to my wife to take a picture of me and my son years ago when I first acquired it. After she shot about 20 frames she handed me the camera and said "I don't think this piece of *&^% is working!". Very, very quiet

 

[jbw]

that's a great story....laughing out loud here.... noting you have leicas also is tempting me to indulge in the hexar as something to carry daily... the person selling it said to me.."aren't you nervous carrying around that expensive leica gear .. you can just carry this hexar instead..'
🙂

 

[tajart]

aka a cult classic. it is a great camera. quiet, smooth, fantastic 35 fixed lens. fun to use.
sounds like 450 is a decent price for all that is included. quiet in normal mode, and extremely quiet in stealth mode.

 

[Flinor]

I collect and use old rangefinder cameras. I've got Leica, Canon, Nikon and several others including a Plaubel Makina. Whenever this forum has one of those "One camera, one lens" or "Which camera for a desert island?" thread my answer is always the Hexar. What more can I say?

 

[FrankS]

I would not sell mine.

 

[kuvvy]

I used mine recently when on holiday. You can see some pix in my gallery in the 'Hexar on hols' folder. I have been neglecting this camera of late so I decided to take just this one on the trip. Performed superbly.

Paul

 

[Allen Gilman]

Buy it. I have a Leica M for interchangeable lenses but carry around a Hexar and use it quite a bit. It's light, quiet, and well worth the money.

 

[FrankS]

The only downside to this camera is that it is so easy to use. It focusses for you and it has an aperture-priority auto-exposure system. You get to select the aperture, point the camera to frame an image, and press the shutter release. When there is time, I often prefer to be forced into making more decisions and manually manipulating the camera's controls and experience the fullness of the photographic process. Of course, this automation is a huge advantage in situations where you don't have the time to do all this manually, or when you want to be as discrete as possible. With the Hexar AF it is so easy to shoot from the hip. The icing on the cake is that it is so quiet. This complements the discrete picture-taking abilities of this fabulous camera.

 

[tajart]

i know someone who is considering selling his mint hexar, but if he reads this series of testimonials he'll probably reconsider.
referring to jbw's post about expensive equipment- i was staying in a pretty seedy neighborhood in paris for a period; the first night i came home late, came up out of the metro, and there were several junkies in various doorways. i had my m6/35cron over my shoulder. i tucked it in between my elbow and hip thinking about the value...but then i realized these folks were too stoned to even realize i had a camera, let alone much else. it did give me a little jolt.

 

[DwF]

Hexar affirmation

Hexar affirmation

Yes I am considering selling my Hexar (as per Tajart's post. He didn't tell me he posted this. funny).... but I can never bring myself to do it. Regradles of whether I put mine on ebay, no rangefinder enthusiast should pass up the opportunity to own one of these at some point. It is a wonderful tool, the lens, shutter and metering are superb and so shooting chrome is a joy with the Hexar.

The camera is so quiet that I almost never resort to stealth mode. In addition to how quiet the stealth mode is, you hold the shutter release down after shitter has exposed the film and closed to then move the camera away from "the action" to behind your back to advance the film.

I particularly enjoy the spot meter, the built in hood, A mode..the list goes on. Great camera. If I sell it is because I am feeding a digital habit currently.

 

[FrankS]

"...am feeding a digital habit currently."

My deepest sympathy.

 

[DwF]

Why sympathy? I have a Hexar, have had a Hexar and whether I keep this one, I have made silver prints with this camera that will stay with me for as long as I live to enjoy them. The print is always the true indicator of a camera's value. If a camera sits....I usually sell it. Cameras should never sit but since my life is full of activity (work and otherwise), cameras tend to sit.

I'm okay with this Frank but thanks for the sentiment 🙂

 

[Doug]

DwF, welcome from another Washingtonian. Being an "accumulator" I suggest that selling your Hexar for a briefly enjoyed financial influx would be a short-sighted move. 🙂 You will likely regret it later. How about taking out its battery, wrapping it securly (with a fresh dessicant packet) inside a plastic bag secured with rubber bands, and then stashing it in the dark corner of your closet shelf? Pretend you sold it but blew the money on concert tickets or a root canal or something. What a pleasant feeling in a few years when you get the urge to silently burn some film... maybe developing it yourself... Hey, times change!

 

[DwF]

The only downside to this camera is that it is so easy to use. It focusses for you and it has an aperture-priority auto-exposure system. You get to select the aperture, point the camera to frame an image, and press the shutter release. When there is time, I often prefer to be forced into making more decisions and manually manipulating the camera's controls and experience the fullness of the photographic process. Of course, this automation is a huge advantage in situations where you don't have the time to do all this manually, or when you want to be as discrete as possible. With the Hexar AF it is so easy to shoot from the hip. The icing on the cake is that it is so quiet. This complements the discrete picture-taking abilities of this fabulous camera.

While this is true that it can be a shoot from the hip camera, it can also be a contemplate the scene camera. Using the spot meter in manual mode brings a whole other level of potography to this camera especially if you take advantage of filters.

 

[DwF]

Thanks for that Doug.

Actually I doubt I will let it go but every once in a while, I decide that something has to go. Everything is on the table, leica 11a, M2 (never) and M6. I mentioned the hexar to Tajart and that is why this conversation is even happening.

You are right it is just money, and I have over extended (temporarily) on the digital side;(
This too will pass and I will survive. I have begun to accumulate lenses there that will go before I let the Hexar go.

d

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Sorry, don't want to be completely discordant but this camera turned me off... There was a time in which I was literally hunting for one, as I saw it as the best Canonet incarnation there is, but when I finally got to handle one in a store... I just didn't like it. Too big, too plastic, and at times a bit limited. And I have thick fingertips so the little buttons just didn't click to me.

Notice I'm not blaming the camera, but my personal impression of it.

However, the set for that price is a real bargain... Did you buy it jbw?