Talk me out of this (shouldn't be too hard, I think)

[v_roma]

So, I've been having some GAS lately day-dreaming about a "proper" rangefinder. I say proper in quotation marks because I am quite happy with my current film cameras (Hexar AF and Olympus XA) even if neither is really pleasurable to fiddle with, if you know what I mean (hold the jokes, please, I have them all running through my head already 😛). So the question, I guess, boils down to this: should I expect a noticeable increase in (the subjective and often vague term called) image quality over the Hexar AF if I get a Hexar RF to use with a 35mm lens, which together would have to cost about ~$1,000?

I should probably really be upgrading my now dated digital camera (X100 is looking good though I don't want to start that discussion) since that is probably what I use to take 90% of my pictures. Shooting film is really more of a treat. So, if a $1,000 Hexar RF/35mm lens combination is not really going to give much more than what I'm getting the Hexar AF, it will probably make it easier for me to pass the GAS...

 

[Pablito]

you won't be able to tell the difference.

 

[Ranchu]

All that matters is the lens...

 

[Pickett Wilson]

It's not going to make any significant difference. Stick with what you have.

 

[v_roma]

Yes, thank you, I understand this. 🙄 I did not make this clear but I guess the Hexar RF seems like a camera I'd like to get to know so the lens is the variable. It would have to cost $1,000 minus whatever Hexar RF's are going for these days.

All that matters is the lens...

 

[v_roma]

Ranchu and Pickett, thanks. That was my gut feeling too. I feel a little better already 🙂

 

[KoNickon]

The RF is a great camera, and the M-Hexanon 35/2 is wonderful. But then so is the AF, and its lens also. Save your money.

I have to say that the XA produces images as good as either of the above. Really.

 

[raid]

I sold my Hexar AF and got a Hexar RF. It allows me more options in choosing lenses for use.

 

[kzphoto]

What Raid said: Best of both worlds.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

The choice is yours and yours only.

Now, if as your title indicates, you want to be "talked out of it," so be it: don't buy any more gear unless you're absolutely able to afford it, or you cannot sleep at nights thinking about it. It may happen that once you get that so much longed for camera, it's not as "nice" or magical as you thought. Besides, at least in my neck of the woods, nothing can be more off-putting than buying gear in winter: there are very few opportunities to test it.

Besides, a camera with interchangeable lenses will only make you long for lenses you don't have, and you'll enter the interminable anxiety of Gear-Acquisition-Syndrome, aka GAS.

Pick your torment. But then, don't complain later if you get no magic bullet. Take care! 🙂

 

[Pablito]

I seem to be in the minority on this, but the Hexar RF was not for me. All sorts of problems I had with it, and at this point, I'd hate to try and get one fixed...

 

[v_roma]

Thank you for all the input. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I am sticking with what I have for now. Selling the Hexar AF was never really an option. That camera's autofocus is probably the best I've seen in any camera and it would just feel like a loss to give the AF up for another camera.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I handled one Hexar AF in a store. To me, it was too big (I was too used to the Canonet size) and it simply didn't do it for me. To think now I carry a big sticky Leica M5 all over the place...

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I sold my Hexar AF and it is the one camera, above all the others, that I wish I still had.
Keep it.

Phil Forrest

 

[sanmich]

The Hexar AF is a unique camera, and a great one.
it's lens is fantastic, it's automation is very smart. The finder is good enough. The framing accuracy is so-so, but you can learn to compensate.
Would it be my only camera? No. (M2 please)
would I part from it for an RF. Certainly not...

 

[Arvay]

Keep Hex AF. It's very capable.
You'll miss it.

 

[pb908]

i was on the same route, first I have HAF,then M2, sold the M2 for rd1, then thinking of getting either M2 or Hexar RF.
Firstly, I was worry the same as your point here. 2ndly, the viewfinder, is that going to be improved. 3rdly,at the end, which one will I keep?
Finally, as my friend offered me his mint H-RF for 550$, why not to try?
Whe it came, i can say i was impessed with the build quality (titanium), the clearness of VF (i modify it for 35mm only, 50mm only, and 28-90 combo, easy mod!) and it never flare as it is coated, and then later on, the high speed shutter allow me to do MORE than what HAF allows me to.

Last year end, I pull my HAF (silver) and snaped one roll of film. At the same time, i do the same with HRF+VC 35mm f1.4..
I just finish scan their result, and I can say:
-Hexar AF lens is Great, but Nokton f1.4 give more puch for color
- bokeh, Nokton give me swirly bokeh that I don't like, I prefer HAF lens for bokeh
- usability, for my running around son, I choose HAF (lightning fast focus), but other that, I have no problem with H-RF
- speed wise, I choose HRF. It allows me do MORE !

At the end, i sell HAF, sold for 500$, not because I hate it, but because HRF is a better replacement for it. For the lens, yes i made a big loss selling it, but with RF i can get another lens to match it, later.
Enjoy whatever you have ! But if you want, RF can give you more.

 

[mtargz]

No idea about the Hexar AF, as I've never handled nor seen one - though I'd love to give it a roll in my lifetime.

But the Hexar RF and a 35mm lens are a match made in heaven. I have a Cosina/Voigtlander 35/2.5II Pancake, and it's a truly swell combo. The low-mag viewfinder shows 35mm lines clearly (and I use glasses), and the AE+1/4000 shutter combo is truly unbelievable. I shot some film at EI50 today and didn't hit the ceiling, wide open, in broad daylight - exactly what I needed. On the other hand, I shot a roll at EI1600 at a pub the other day, yet still had the leeway to open up the aperture a bit in daylight when I wanted to finish it this morning - something I wasn't able to do on my 1/1000 shutter cameras, nevermind a Hexar AF's shutter.

 

[RayPA]

While it is an excellent shooter, the HAF is not for everyone. The camera has some compromises, but the glass is not one of them. You would probably have to pay more to shoot with equal quality on a body with lens interchangeability. I think it's smart to hang on to it, if you can.

If you can't and you have to sell it to finance another camera, then the HRF is a good trade off, especially if you can get one with a Hexanon lens. The camera is usually kitted with the Hex 50/2. The main drawback of the HRF is its battery dependency. Other than that, it's a very classy camera. If you are going to get one, spend some time and find one you can handle and test. They can be finicky cameras when something goes wrong, and repair services are hard to find.




/

 

[alexnotalex]

You've got fine cameras. Use the money to go on a trip to take great pictures of interesting things. Northern Lights? Pyramids? Baby Lions? Lady GaGa? there will always be more gear to buy.

(he says checking ebay again for a 1970 M4)

🙂