Konica Minolta Hexar Rangefinders

Konica Minolta Hexar Rangefinders 

DESCRIPTION

The HEXAR features a beautiful mechanical design and lets you take exactly what you have framed when you release the shutter. Konica has won accolades among photography enthusiasts for its line of high-performance HEXAR compact cameras.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 31-40 of 69  
[Mar 24, 2000]
Art Salmons
Intermediate
Model Reviewed: Hexar

Strength:

Camera with a terrific lens, ease of use, and great rangefinder. I use this as a street camera and it takes great pictures.

Weakness:

250 top shutter speed and the flash unit is under powered.

The autofocus is a big help on this camera as focusing is quick and sure. the lens is very sharp and produces images with great color and contrast. I love how quiet the camera is and how people feel relaxed around you when you use it verses when I have a large SLR and 3 pound L lens.
I bought my Hexar Silver used for $325.00 and I feel like that is a steal for the quality rangefinder camera with a fabulous of this quality.

Customer Service

none required so far

Similar Products Used:

Konica S2
konica S3
Minolta 7S
Minolta 7S II

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 01, 2000]
Bob Todrick
Expert
Model Reviewed: Hexar

Strength:

Excellent lens. Small and unobtrusive. In some situation the A/F is a godsend.

Weakness:

I use my cameras a lot. After 2.5 years of use my Hexar was noticeable noisier and 'looser' than when new. After 40 years my Leica IIIg still feels new.

At the price, if you can live with the 35mm lens, it is probably one of the best buys in photography!

Customer Service

Very good.

Similar Products Used:

Leica M4, Leica CL, Leica IIIg

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 05, 2000]
Alan Macdonald
Professional
Model Reviewed: Hexar

Strength:

Fast high-resolution lens

Ease of use

Well built & understated design

Weakness:

None

At Aus$500 (US$350 approx.) for a mint condition second-hand kit, the Hexar is probably the best kept secret in professional rangefinder photography!

Customer Service

?

Similar Products Used:

Leica M6
Leica M4P

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 23, 1999]
Vincent Tjon Pian Gi
Intermediate
Model Reviewed: Hexar

Strength:

It´s small and excellent for use with black ´n white films. I use it a lot when travelling. It´s realively small and easy to use.

Weakness:

Indeed the close up picture´s are a pain.

It´s a good buy for demanding and traveling people.

Similar Products Used:

Former camera: Minolta X-700

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Dec 22, 1999]
G. G. Allen
Professional
Model Reviewed: Hexar

Strength:

Silent operation; fantastic lens; well-finished body; very durable

Weakness:

Buttons are small, but who cares--they work.

The Hexar (I have the Black original version, with silent mode) is a very discrete, silent camera with a very sharp and contrasty lens. It is not an exaggeration to think of the Hexar as a modern silent auto-focusing Leica. I use mine for street shooting and just plain wandering around. Very nice viewfinder--unlike the G2.
I think most people underestimate the value of having a truly silent camera. If there is any ambient noise in the room, the Hexar cannot be heard. Sometimes it seems too quiet--it is difficult to tell when I take actually take a picture. Amazing candid camera for taking pictures of people--no one can hear you take the picture.
My black model looks like a generic camera. Attracts no attention on the street, or anywhere else.
But again, the lens is very sharp. Very nice bokeh and colour rendition.

I cannot recommend this camera high enough. It is unfortunate that it is commonly thought of as a point and shoot. It is clearly not. For anyone wilingl to work with a rangefinder and a 35mm lens, you cannot find anything that will approach the quality and features of the Hexar.
A truly unique camera. I only wish that Konica had decided to make the new Hexar with interchangeable autofocusing lenses.

p.s. The original black models are commonly available on eBay. Otherwise they are very, very difficult to find. Incredible value in a $500 camera.

Customer Service

Very fast service--they sent me the filter adapter rings in 2 days as requested.

Similar Products Used:

Contax G2, Rollei QZ

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 10, 2000]
Nathan Wong
Professional

Strength:

The lens is as sharp as a tack. The ability to use filters is a real plus and it is one of the reasons why it surpasses regular point and shoots if used in that mode. The ability to switch between a P&S, Aperture priority or full manual is a huge plus. Silent mode on the original model is second to none. I just wish Konica paid off the people who own the patent and make newer models with silent mode.

Weakness:

None

This has been one of the best purchases I've ever made in photographic equipment. It's worked well for me over the years and it still acts and feels new. One of the best cameras I've ever bought. I've owned it for over 3 years and it's actually my primary camera and I own Nikons and Hasselblads. Some of my best pictures have been taken with the camera mainly because it's silent and unobtrusive and the fact that it's with me so often. Silent mode is THE BEST and nobody knows you're taking pictures. It also looks like an amature camera so nobody really pays much attention to you.

The results in the photos are so sharp that even with 3200ISO b/w film at f/2.8 the results are awesome. I have a night photo taken at 1/60 at f/2.8 handheld and it was very sharp even when looking at buildings that were over a city block away AND when the print was enlarged to 16x20! I could see individual closely spaced bars in a balcony that was pretty small in the negative. Amazing.

Customer Service

Well...I've actually had to use them quite a few times mainly because the camera would stop working for some reason. The last time it went in was last year. The tech insisted that the battery was dead. I couldn't believe it since it was a new battery. He said I could get about 7 rolls out of a new battery before it died. I didn't believe it. However, it's worked since it came back.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta HiMatic

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 10, 2000]
Mark Adam
Expert

Strength:

Superb Lens, Great "retro" look

Weakness:

Quirky controls

Can't beat the Hexar for price/optics. great camera for street shooting and just carrying around. Retro look makes people think that it is old and not worth much (good for street shooting). I wholehearted reccommend this for people who want superb optics w/o the price of a Contax or Leica

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Contax G2, Leica M

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 19, 2000]
Christian del Rosario
Professional

Strength:

Brilliant Optics
Excellent combo of auto-manual flexibility
Classic styling belies it's fantastic state-of-the-art performance
Nobody gives a d*** if you are shooting with it since it doesn't look expensive

Infra-red focusing correction (rhodium)

SILENT MODE (rhodium, original) the MAIN reason for my purchase, it is truly awesome

You can use just about any flash due to manual GN ability

you can bias aperture priority and min shutterspeed in program mode, pretty trick feature!

Weakness:

Even though it doesn't look expensive, it IS ( my Rhodium was one of the last available in the country when I bought it...almost a grand!!! But, after three+ yrs, it has prven to be SO worth it)

Flash sync tops out at 1/200

dust gets in viewfinder very easily, hard to blow out.

rubber eye-surround twists off/tears easily (been throgh 3 so far)

This camera is pretty d*** sweet. It isn't for everyone, as it does take some getting used to. My two major gripes are the shutter buttons are too small (a dial would be nice), and the flash sync is too slow. However, everything else is just short of brilliant. The lens is phenomenal. Compared next to high-end leica 35mm, the Hexar holds it's own (maybe even better?)...it's that d*** good. Actually embarrasingly good considering it can be almost 1/6th the price of a similar Leica M setup (silver model). Aperture locks-in as you dial it so minimal lag-time as you shoot in A mode. Super parallax framing feature that also ties in to focus distance. manual focus a plus, but quirky (who knows the corellation between feet vs. AF steps???) IR correction a BIG plus (on rhodium, from what i understand other models can be re-programmed). Small and compact like a PS but has the heart of a true pro-level tool. There is just so many things to fall in love with this camera. They may not be evident right away, but after lenghty use, this camera grows on you. I always have it on me. But, the main feature that is a shame they did not include with the Silver model is the SILENT MODE. EXCELLENT feature. Not only can you snap away almost in near silence, you can actually pause film-winding by keeping the shutter depressed after the photo has been taken so you can further muffle the noise by inserting the camera in a jacket pocket. This is the kind detail that happens when passionate engineers/photographers get together and createa cult-status tool. I REALLY hope they further the AF series. The new interchangeable lens Hexar is cool, but the concept behind the AF Hexar is still pretty sweet.

Customer Service

Fine, nothing special, but not bad either.

Similar Products Used:

Leica M series, Contax G2

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 23, 2000]
gil ogden
Casual

Strength:

THE BEST->35mm/2.0 Lens
Infrared auto focus
Program Mode & Manual
Ergomomics Simple
Precise Auto Focus
Quick & Quiet Shutter

Weakness:

"A faultfinder will find fault even in paradise." H.D.T.

I have used the hexar silver in many types of situations and the performance has been remarkable. Camera is very intuitive after getting the feel for it. Highly recommended. In fact, I am currently looking for a used "silent" classic to use as a back-up. Definitely worth a look.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Stands Alone

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 22, 2000]
Björn Stridh
Professional

Strength:

Small, relaible, quiet, fast handling, sharp optics, easy to use.

Weakness:

Nearly none, should be the not changeable lens

Of all my cameras this is the best. For the price much more valuable than the leica. I had unfortnuneatly bought the leica before I found this great camera. However, the leica I can proberly use for all my life wich I doubt I canwith the Konica, but so what. Value rating belove should definetly be much more than these 5 stars.

Customer Service

Very good.

Similar Products Used:

Leica M6, Ricoh gr1, Nikon Fm2, F3, F100, F5.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 31-40 of 69  

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