Konica Hexar RF: Iconoclastic RF
March 21st, 2008
The Three Year Anniversary Review
Raxeh is Hexar spelled backwards!
I bought my first Hexar RF in March, 2005. I’d just sold back to KEH the Canon 10D I’d bought a few months earlier. I’d also sold them both my Nikon FM2s and a number of lenses for a ridiculous pittance. I’d decided that what I really wanted was a rangefinder, but even with the money in hand from the sale of the Nikons and the Canon, a Leica was out of reach. Ah, but the Hexar RF, that I could afford. I already owned a Hexar AF, and Dante said the RF was a fine camera, so I gave KEH $889 for a Hexar RF and a 50 Hexanon. I was so excited that I skipped worked the day the UPS guy was schedule to bring them. A few short minutes after he left, the box was open, and I was nearly heartbroken. The shutter was too loud, so much louder than the Hexar AF was even in its ‘loud’ mode. That would have been the end of it if I hadn’t been too poor to buy the Leica. I could have sent the Hexar back, but I knew that I would just be tempted to buy that Leica that I couldn’t afford. So I kept the Hexar out of self-defense.
Fast forward three years. I’ve now got two Hexar RF bodies, three of the Hexanon lenses, but still no Leica. I could afford that Leica now, but I’ve grown to appreciate the Hexar. It’s an entirely unique camera, combining modern materials and technologies with one of the oldest focusing systems around. It’s a combination that for me works better than either an entirely manual camera or one of the button and dial encrusted monstrosities that now populate the B&H catalog.
An Iconoclastic Design
The Hexar RF’s appeal has a lot to do with the iconoclastic nature of its genesis. If the admittedly excellent Zeiss Ikon was an attempt to make evolutionary improvements on the Leica M6, the Hexar RF was an attempt to make an entirely new species of camera by crossing the unique focusing system of the M6 with the automation and controls of the Canon T90 - for those not up on their history of the modern SLR, the T90 was the ergonomic inspiration for the auto everything SLRs or the 90’s and, eventually, every DSLR you’ve ever fondled. The result was something like learning Zen archery by doing industrial time-motion studies. The Hexar RF abandoned all the ancient conceits of the Leica - clumsy film loading, peculiar metering, limited shutter speeds - while hanging onto the small size and excellent rangefinder. Along the way, the automation and modern materials led to improved ergonomics and handling. It was, and still is, a revolutionary design, which is perhaps why it ultimately failed to find a place in the market. It turned out that the photographers who still appreciated the rangefinder’s benefits also happened to be in unhappy but ultimately faithful marriages with the all of the Leica’s shortcomings.
serial photography courtesy of the motor-drive
Commercial failure aside, the Hexar RF’s unholy marriage of rangefinder focusing and modern features actually works as a photographic tool. To understand why it works, it’s first necessary to understand what the contemporary Leica did and did not offer. The Leica has always enjoyed a reputation as the fast working camera for the discrete, natural light photographer. The lack of shutter vibration - a feature of it’s mirror free design - meant that you could hold it steady at much slower shutter speeds. The rangefinder itself made it possible to focus in much lower light levels than an SLR. The quiet shutter and small size allowed photography in places that larger and louder cameras would not be appropriate. The ability to see around the edges of the frame had serious compositional benefits. What you traded for all this was ease of use, a certain amount of framing inaccuracy, a minimum focusing distance of .7m and maximum focal length of 135. The last three are inherent to rangefinders, but there wasn’t much reason for all the usability oddities of the Leica. The Leica’s cumbersome film loading, slow and inaccurate shutter, lack of AE or integrated winder were all design choices specific to the Leica.
hexar rf, 28mm hexanon, neopan 1600
The Hexar RF discarded many of those design choices. The rangefinder was retained, but pretty much everything else went. In the place of a mechanical cloth shutter with a max speed of 1/1000th was a titanium bladed electrically controlled shutter capable of 1/4000th of second. In place of the silky smooth manual advance was a an automatic winder capable of slightly better than two frames a second. In place of manual metering with a semi-spot was a center-weighted meter and shutter priority AE. In place of bottom loading and manual rewind were an automatic loading and rewind system. In place of brass and leather were titanium and synthetics.
Wine, Beer and MD 20/20
For many Leica users, these were not improvements, and I’m not such a zealot that I can’t see why. There is something immensely satisfying about photographing with a precision mechanical instrument like the Leica. It taps into some lower part of our brain, the part of our brain that recognizes that small and heavy and full of springy bits is a very good thing. The Hexar RF is still small and heavy, but it doesn’t hit the same part of the brain. If the Leica is a fine wine, the Hexar is just a really good beer (by extension the average DSLR is some sort of cheap swill like Mad Dog).
Perhaps I’m revealing my middle-class, mid-west roots, but I drink a lot more beer than I do wine. By the same token, I like my cameras to have some limitations, but not quite as many as the Leica has. I regularly use 1/4000th to keep my aperture wide in bright light. I can load my Hexar one handed while walking. The auto winder means that I’m ready when Kate’s expression changes. The auto-exposure keeps me from doing dumb things like leaving the shutter at 1/8th of second. I’m convinced I make more successful photographs because of the Hexar’s enhanced features.
Lenses and Other Lenses
hexar rf, CV 35mm F1.4 SC, TriX
Yes, the Hexar RF can focus Leica lenses and Cosina lenses and Zeiss lenses too; I know because I’ve successfully used lenses from all three manufacturers. Despite that, the Hexar’s KM mount is not entirely compatible with other manufacturers lenses. For an explanation of why these two statements are not mutually exclusive, see Hands off my flange!. This also explains why the M8 can’t focus the Hexanon lenses.
hexar rf, 90mm hexanon, provia 100f
The Konica Hexanon lenses are excellent. The 50mm in particularly is a sleeper of a lens although prices do seem to be climbing. The 35 remains somewhat rare, but I’ve never talked to someone who didn’t love it. The 90 is grand portrait lens, although framing is a bit tricky with the Hexar’s gestural 90mm frame lines. The 28 is a 28 and nobody seems to get excited about 28mm lenses. If you never used anything other than the KM lenses, you wouldn’t be missing much, but if you do want to use that Sumilux, you can as long as you are up to the challenge of focusing a fast lens on an rangefinder. It isn’t exactly an easy task, so don’t be surprised if it takes practice.
The Future of the Rangefinder of the Future
Hexar RF, CV 35mm F1.4 SC, TriX
As of this writing the Hexar RF has been out of production for five years. Konica no longer makes cameras, having sold its camera line to Sony in the great digital shake down of the last few years. There are rumors of a Sony warehouse in Germany full of Hexar spare parts, but as far as I can tell, spare parts are nearly unobtainable. I harbor no illusions that anyone will be able to repair my Hexars. That said, I’ve been able to do little things myself. When I lost the eyepiece lens on one of mine last year, I was able to replace it with an over-sized lens purchased from an optics warehouse. I’ve also repaired a sloppy winder mode selector dial and recalibrated one of the rangefinders. Neither was too painful, but eventually something is going to break that I can’t fix. I’m betting that the shutter release button will be the first thing to go; the similar shutter release on the Hexar AF has a troubled history. The only reasonable option is to stockpile Hexar RF bodies, but prices have been going up. The last one I saw at KEH was listed at $800, I think. That’s better appreciation than a Leica, but it doesn’t bode well for my future use of Hexars. When the day comes when both mine die and no replacement is available, I probably will break down and buy that Leica, likely an M6TTL - I like the that the shutter speed dial turns the wrong way. By that time I may also be drinking more wine, so perhaps its limitations will appeal to me.
Other Hexar RF Reviews and Resources:
- The Hexar RF wikipedia entry
- Cameraquest Hexar RF page
- Irwin’s Review
- Dante’s Review
- Washington Post Hexar RF page
- realigning the vf
- Possible Resource for Hexar RF Repairs and Parts
- Last (?) of the New Stock Hexars
- Mega Pearls webshop carries an VF magnifier for the Hexar
- Other Hexar RF posts on this site
June 8th, 2007
Great review Matt. I have owned a Hexar RF since Dec, 2001. My lenses are the 50/2 and 35/2 Hexanons and use the 35 the most. I have not experienced any significant problems except the sensitive rf patch as I also wear glasses. You emphasize some very useful features such as the 1/4000 shutter speed and motor drive that help to maximize the performance of this camera. To be honest, I have not used the MD to any extent but will certainly do so in the future. With regard to the AE lock, I too use it in almost all cases but have also relied on exp comp in difficult lighting situations. What is your experience with AE lock, focusing on the subject and recomposing the shot in high contrast conditions or backlighting? Again, thanks for this commentary. I love this camera and will probably be looking for another.
Best regards,
John Bayard
June 10th, 2007
John,
Glad you enjoyed the review. I’ve had good luck using the AE lock in difficult lighting. I’ve been using centerweighted metering systems for years, so this has just become habit. Find the middle tone, meter it, half press the button and recompose. The only caveat with the Hexar seems to be to make sure that the dial is actually on AE lock as opposed to just AE; the interlock on the dial doesn’t prevent it from moving between these two positions. I’ve developed the habit of checking the dial position with my thumb as I bring the camera up.
I’d use exposure compensation more often if I wasn’t afraid I’d forget to zero it out when I’m done.
I’d be interested in knowing your impressions of the Hexanon 35. I’ve looked around for one, but I never seem to find one when I have the money.
cheers,
Matt
July 7th, 2007
[…] It’s fairly hard for me to justify buying an M8. I’ve gone through three digital cameras in as many years. The Canon 10D lasted 4 months before I traded it in for my first Hexar RF. The KM 7D a year later followed on the heels of the great gear purge of ought-five that saw the mad sale of my Hexar AF and Nokton 35 F1.2. The 7D fared poorly; I’m fairly certain I’d sold it within three months at least in part out of bitterness over the lost Hexar AF and Nokton. My current digital, a D80, I’ve had for almost a year, but it’s been sitting unused on the shelf for most of that time. It doesn’t know it yet, but it’s days are probably numbered. […]
August 28th, 2007
Just checked back in here…I’ve had a pair of Hexar RFs as my mainstay since 2002, and really can’t see myself working with anything else unless forced to.
It’s funny about the 35/2 M-Hex: the scarcest lens often becomes the most-desirable, sometimes on account of it being so damn tough to find. ‘Twas always thus, it seems: way back in ‘02, when I was buying my first HRF body, I asked about the 35: they apparently had seen one, and that was it. All they had on hand was a lone 28, which of course I bought as well, and I can;t say enough nice stuff about it. Same for the 50 and 90.
And, yes, the Hexar is what the M7 shoulda been in a number of ways (never mind the M8).
August 29th, 2007
Hey Barry,
Thanks for stopping in. Although the cosmetic condition of my Hexars is getting pretty ropey at this point, they are still ticking. I can’t imagine replacing them an time soon. There’s just so much right about their ergonomics. And yes, the M8 should have been a hexar.
I’m still curious about the 35 Hex. The ZM Biogon is a fantastic lens, but the look isn’t entirely coherent with the Hexanons.
October 3rd, 2007
[…] Last night I was printing a few pictures of the Milwaukee Museum of Art that my mom had requested. These are a couple of years old at this point, but after reworking them for printing, I felt like they were worth posting again. I think these were shot with the Hexar RF and CV Nokton 35 1.2 on Neopan 400 developed in D76. This is still one of the coolest buildings I’ve ever seen. […]
October 6th, 2007
Hey Matt, nice work on your pages and I like your equipment reviews!
If you’re interested in tracking down brand new Hexar RFs, Leo’s Camera Supply in Vancouver BC has a bunch of the kits with the 50mm lens and flash in stock.
www.leoscamera.com
Cheers!
October 24th, 2007
Matt,
Could you please refer me to the place where you’ve seen a used Hexar RF for $600 ($800 with a lens)? The prices which I’ve seen so far are unfortunately way higher…
October 24th, 2007
Yulia, at the time this was originally written almost 18 months ago, the stated prices were valid for ebay or a number of the photo forums like photo.net or rangefinderforum. At that time, even keh.com was selling bodies for $650. When I looked at keh.com a couple of months ago, a LN body was $750, so perhaps prices have gone up.
October 31st, 2007
I have one for sale if anyone is interested. I am asking 750 for it.
Feel free to telephon or email.
917-208-5644
tahlulah@concentric.net
December 3rd, 2007
Hi Matt,
I was thinking about getting an RF and sticking a 40mm Summicron on the front. I remember reading somewhere (I think!) that the 40mm brings up the 50mm frameline on the RF and, because the frameline is quite conservative, it’s just about bang on for the 40mm (my favourite focal length). Can you please comment on this or do you know where I’ve read this info?
Kind regards,
Bruce
December 3rd, 2007
Sorry, I got it wrong. It was of course the 35mm frameline I was thinking about on the RF and not the 50mm.
Bruce
December 4th, 2007
Colin Jago has written on his blog about using the Zeiss Ikon with a 40MM, but I don’t know how it would work on the Hexar RF. If you find out, let me know.
December 4th, 2007
Matt,
Here’s what one guy says about it:
“I wish I used it more, but I don’t, so I’m selling my Hexar RF w/ 40mm lens. Price is $975, plus shipping. The camera is in exc++ condition–some standard cosmetic signs of use, but mechanically terrific. (Only flaw I’ve noticed is that occasionally the frameline lever will stick between two sets of lines. Just touching it makes the correct frame snap into view.) The lens is a 40mm Rokkor from the CLE series–which means it’s the latest 40mm M lens, & multicoated. What’s especially nice about this outfit is how accurately the rangefinder works with this lens (or other M lenses, for that matter). Infinity on the rangefinder equals infinity on the lens scale, and there’s no overlap on the double image. I even checked rangefinder accuracy with a ground glass, focused on a resolution target. Also, I modified the lens cam so it brings up the 35mm frameline, which, in this case, matches the lens perfectly. On the Hexar RF, the framelines only show about 85% of the image area. From 15ft to infinity, the 35mm frameline is an exact match for a 40mm lens. The lens is in virtually perfect shape (I’ve always kept a UV filter on it), and it’s truly as sharp as my 35mm pre-asph. Summicron. The lens comes with the Minolta rubber shade; camera includes all the original stuff–box, strap, cap, manual.”
That was here: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=007yJj
I’d love to have a Hexar RF with a 40mm Summicron-I love that focal length-but I’m not sure I’d want to modify the lens to bring up the 35mm frameline (presumably it normally brings up the 50mm one). Another alternative would be the Hexar and 40mm f1.4 Nokton-with Tri-X at 1250 and Diafine for low light work. Nice.
January 15th, 2008
Having just bought a Hexar RF + 50mm Hexanon kit, I am wondering what’s the optimum aperture for this lens. I am guessing f8 should provide the nice balance between subject sharpness and lovely bokeh? I should obviously run a few tests but just have put my first roll through it.
January 16th, 2008
Sunny, I’m not sure what the optimum aperture is, but I know I rarely shoot at F8. F2.8 to F5.6 suits me.
March 24th, 2008
Interesting post. I’ve never tried the Hexar RF but I have used a few of the Hexar AF fixed lens cameras and I think they’re fantastic. Great lens and very quick and quiet. The downsides of that camera are the limited shutter speed (1/250 is the max), and they wear down quickly. I am hard on cameras and wore through two Hexars before finally investing in a Leica. The other camera in this equation is the Contax G2. I wore through one of those too. It is nice but not as good as the Hexar AF.
March 26th, 2008
Your thorough and insightful review has me thinking about the Hexar again. Great. Just what I need…
I used one belonging to a friend for awhile but never really warmed to the feel of the camera. It was so quiet that it almost felt like I wasn’t shooting. Perhaps my ego is formulated in such a way that I need the sound of the shutter to tell people I am alive and on the earth. The “silence” of the M6 shutter is just a poor attempt at masking the ego needs maybe..
But what really struck me in your review was the wild pictures you posted in it with technical captions about the camera. I was looking at you getting your head shaved and chuckling at the caption “serial photography courtesy of the motor-drive” or the color shot of your wife (?) with the mask and “hexar rf, 90mm hexanon, provia 100f”. I wanted to know more about the mask than the camera. I suppose that says something about my technical indifference I guess.
Anyways, just a great post to read with my morning bowl of cereal! Thanks!!
Steve Williams
Scooter in the Sticks
April 9th, 2008
Matt, seems we have similar taste in gear. The Hexar RF was my first film camera purchase, way back in 12/2002 from Kurland Photo. I have gathered a few other RFs along the way but the Hexar is still a favorite.
I can’t seem to part with the Hexanon 50mm/2.0 because it is such a crisp lens with great fidelity for color. But my favorite on the Hexar is the Zeiss ZM 50mm/1.5 Sonnar C. Un-effing-believable.
Megaperls makes an eyepiece adapter that slips over the outside of the Hexar eyepiece and allows you to screw in a standard Leica-thread magnifier. HK Supplies sells a decent one for under $100 shipped. This takes the mag to 0.75x, kicks the EBL up to 51.4mm, and the 50mm framelines fill the VF - very helpful in focusing these fast lenses in the dark. I’m thinking of gluing the Megaperls adapter on.
BTW - For the “Leica Experience” that will convince you why these cameras have such a following, but won’t break the bank - Leica IIIf thread-mount. An absolute mechanical jewel. Wicked fun.
April 10th, 2008
John, I’ve wondered about those HK Supplies magnifiers. Maybe I should give one a try.
April 10th, 2008
Matt, you have to get one of these things:
http://www.unicircuits.com/shop/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=15&products_id=139
to make any of the leica-thread magnifiers work on the Hexar. $38 seems spendy for what is essentially a nicely-machined washer, but what are you gonna do?
I was thinking about your “wine, beer, MD 20/20″ analogy. To my thinking Leica is like an expensive Bordeaux - think Latour - while the Hexar RF is one of the cult Napa Cabernets, like Harlan or Screaming Eagle. Comparatively, a dSLR is Japanese whiskey.
May 23rd, 2008
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June 5th, 2008
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