The konica hexar af viewfinder is not as good as a leica m7, but miles ahead of the contax g1 t2 t3, yashica t4, or nikon 35ti. Sep 05, 2011 i bought my hexar af over ebay from japan, very happy indeed with the picture quality of the lens. The contax t2 is a autofocus 35mm compact camera released in 1991 by kyocera under the contax brand. It was the second of the t series of highend compact film cameras targeted at the professional and luxury consumer markets. Apr 24, 2019 some might be wont to suggest the konica hexar af as a companion machine, but such a camera lacks the triangulationfocusing characteristic of a rangefinder. Contax g2 19962003 intro specs performance recommendations. This konica hexar rf is leicamount, manual focus rangefinder camera. Konica hexar instruction manual, user manual, pdf manual. The contax cameras i have a g1 are quirky, and learning to get your subject exactly in the viewfinders little sights takes some practice, but once you understand how it works you will find it can auto focus just fine. Feb 14, 20 it was slower than the olympus stylus epicmju2. New hostgator website hence the gator icon any online donations always went to paypal and their secure site will come up. Lastly, manual focus with this camera is kind of a joke. Contax t2, a titanium body autofocus compact camera, featured a retracting 5 element. The only thing i dont like about the xa is the wheel to advance the film.
The konica hexar af has a distance scale and parallax correction. Apr 02, 2017 the contax t2 and fuji klasse s both have viewfinders that are big, bright and beautiful for a compact camera. For the same price, you can get a real used leica, which is a superior camera, or even better, for much less. The first contax t was a 35mm rangefinder camera released in the 1980s.
I actually had great luck with the af on my hexar, way more accurate than my yashica t4 or contax pecially great in low light because of the active af though you cant shoot through windows or mirrors. I know nothing about the nikon, except i believe according to tests i saw some time ago, its lens is not the equal of the aforementioned. Superior, mainly where the lens, metering system and af system are concerned. I was just wondering which compact 35mm film camera do you consider to be the best. Apr 19, 2017 but with the nikon 35ti, quite often i would prefocus manually when doing street photography as manual focus is fast and easy with this camera. The konica hexar, first released in 1993, is a fixedlens, autofocus camera from. The rollei has a distinct look and feel all its own. Dec 20, 2018 the contax t2 is one of those cameras that has skyrocketed in price due to its recent popularity in media and partly from influential celebrities. Both cameras produced tack sharp images that compare very similarly to the t3.
Only real prob i saw was the top shutter speed of 1250th. I shoot my personal work on it, along with a contax t2. Jan 26, 2020 the hexar offers little value advantage and loses to the t2 on near every other count in my book. John webers camera collection john webers homepage. The konica hexar af is a wonderful available light candid camera, yet deceptively simply and deceptively complex. Ie, set the aperture to f8, switch the camera on, set the focus to 5m and you will have everything from around 2. I bought mine at this link directly to them at ebay see how to win at ebay.
Its the easiest and most pleasant to hold compared to the contax g2s harder, smooth rubber not as well sculpted, or the leicas 1950s flat, fake leather. The t3 lacks the manual focus override with rangefinder system which is uniquie to the t2 upon pns cameras. The contax t2 has metering information in the viewfinder. It has long been understood as a great compact film camera within the film community itself, but lately it has become more known to those who arent necessarily in the club. Jun 08, 2018 my contax t2 60th anniversary is by far one of my favourite 35mm film cameras despite the price tag.
Nikon 28ti vs 35ti vs contax t2 vs t3 vs leica minilux vs. The final products under the contax name were a line of 35 mm, medium format, and digital cameras engineered and manufactured by japanese. Switch film and or processing, and give it another try before. The fujifilm klasse s is put alongside the ranks of the contax t3 series, ricoh gr1, and konica hexar cameras. Dec 20, 2019 contax t2 instruction manual pdf download. The konica hexar is a 35 mm fixedlens, fixed focal length autofocus camera which was produced through the 1990s. Jul 03, 2020 the contax t2, first introduced in 1991, is a compact point and shoot camera with retracting 5element carl zeiss sonnar t 38 mm active. Thankfully i seem to have got over my fathanded behaviour and now appear to be able to handle the camera better. Another way to look at the hexar rf is as a grown up minolta cle with ae lock, metered manual, a wider shutter speed range, and motorized.
I do have the olympus xa but was thinking of getting the xa2 for the af convenience. The hexar af features a way to set your focus manually but it is sluggish and requires time to achieve. One way or another, i do prefer the handling of the ricoh gr1 and think its a shame. This page was last edited on 12 novemberat on second thought, in silent mode i zf hear the camera operate i have never found a quieter 35mm camera. The hexar rf, and the konica m lenses, seem the same as any other lowmaginification leicamount camera and lenses. So the only camera i ever regretted selling was my contax t3 with its jewel of a 2. I recently acquired a hexar af, which i believe isnt easy to source for. Konica hexar af was peter lindbergh using one in nyc when i. Contax t2 instruction manual, user manual, pdf manual, free.
Better and more intuitive manual overrides across the board. Mar 31, 2018 vs olympus stylus epicmju prior to owning and shooting with the t3, i had been using an olympus stylus epic dlx gold and black versions for a few years. I take great care to give accurate descriptions and i make sure that everything i sell is in full working condition. The hexar is a much larger and heavier camera, if this matters to you. This resulted in my getting my own hexar af silver copy, which is the last model sold i believe. Fuji viewfinder is better for those, who wear glasses, because of bit lower magnification, a bit higher eye relief and presence of protruding frame around the eyepiece. Something not possible with a yashica t4, contax t2, or even a nikon 35ti. Contax had other models in its t series, namely the contax t, contax t3, and contax tvs. In this episode of film photography friday i talk about why i bought it, why i love using it. While styled like a rangefinder camera, and intended for a similar style of photography, in specification it is more like a larger point and shoot camera. A big difference if you are interested to have detailed subjects with an amazing bokeh. Especially useful if youre shooting with tricky lighting and require more manual control with exposure. I have total respect for leica, so much so that ive just become a m6 user.
The major difference, for me, is the color rendition. Please note that i use av for most of the time on the minilux. While styled like a rangefinder camera, and intended for a similar style of photography, in specification it is more like a larger point and shoot camera the konica hexar enjoys something of a cult status among film camera aficionados. The hexar is silent, while the contax is a little sound machine, buzzing and whirling. The chassis of the hexar rf appears to be identical to that used by the contax g2, with different top and bottom plates and similar but not identical film transport and shutter mechanisms. This simple operation also lends its self perfectly to street or candid shooting. I used to have a yashica gsn, which is like an older, manualfocus, 50mmfixedlens version of those two. Instruction manual bedienungsanleitung contax t3 has been designed according to the basic the contax t3 is a 35mm lensshutter. The konica hexar af the quietest camera in the world. It can be compared to the nikon 35ti, the contax t2 or the ricoh gr1, but the. In this way, the g1 and g2 are in their own domain. Jun 27, 2019 contax t2 camera 31 user manual the t2 has, if anything, become more popular, desired, and expensive on the used market since the last time i wrote about it here.
Konica hexar rf instruction manual, user manual, pdf manual. Find the user manual you need for your camera and more at contax t3 film camera user manual. The early cameras were among the finest in the world, typically featuring high quality zeiss interchangeable lenses. Contax t2 instruction manual pdf download manualslib. Free camera instruction manuals, camera instructions, free. While the hexar rf appears in some ways similar to the earlier autofocus konica hexar camera, it seems to share few if any components with that camera. The contax t2 is one of those cameras that has skyrocketed in price due to its recent popularity in media and partly from influential celebrities. I had 3 of them, sold them all, kept contax t2, hexar and mju ii but mjuii sees the least of. Contax t2 is the ultimate pointandshoot, or at least, the most enduringly popular one. Mar 09, 2011 i love love love my hexar and just got the x100 yesterday. To find an autofocus rangefinder camera, one can look only to the contax g series. Contax stylised as contax in the kyocera era began as a camera model in the zeiss ikon line in 1932, and later became a brand name. The 10 best 35mm compact cameras ever made digitalrev.
The contax t2 isnt the only af compact with manual focus modes, but from the. Konica hexar af was peter lindbergh using one in nyc when i first. The other thing i really like about the t is that, unlike the later contax t2, t3, tvs and g series, it is a true manual focusing rangefinder. Contax g1 camera is a 35mm titanium autofocus electronic. In fact, i just did a shutter lag ranking between the contax tvs3, minolta tc1, leica cm, ricoh gr1, yashica t4, and stylus epic and found the minolta tc1 to be the fastest, with the ricoh gr1 2nd. Its certainly a step down from the manual focus control of the contax t2, which is a much smaller camera. From contax t2 is a compact 35mm autofocus camera launched. Contax vf is bit brighter and bigger compared to klasse s. If the image below looks like your camera, click below to see the full manual. Yashica t4, contax t2 or konica hexar af i shoot film flickr. Its deff on a par with leica m glass, the build quality is not the same as leica though but hell, its as tough as i need it. The hexar af camera i owned was pretty quick to obtain good focus, probably due to its wide lens. In some ways it has no peer, justifying its cult camera status as the ideal stealth street camera. It has a wider range of slow and fast shutter sppeds, which may or may not be important to you.
The black data back hexar af tested was a loaner from my favorite local camera shop to run a roll or two through to see if i would like it. Mar 17, 2020 camera manuals and free digital camera pdf instructions. High points include a fast sharp lens combined with. Never, ever, had a problem nailing the focus right away. I should next compare the tc1 with the hexar af and contax t should be close.
It uses all leica lenses, as well as leicamount lenses from konica and others the konica hexar rf is a great camera on its own, but sadly collectors have bid the used price up to levels that make it silly to buy. The contax t2 arguably has the best lens, or at least equal to that of the hexar af. 158 + fujifilm camera manual, download user guide pdf. The hexar is covered in nice rubber and its perfectly sculpted. Just press and hold the af button, turn the main control dial and check the large analog dial at the top of the camera until the needle points to your preferred focus distance. The minolta tc1 has a distance scale and a shutter speed indicator, despite being significantly smaller than the minilux.
Then i recall what a superior camera the hexar af is, and buy another one. The yashica series of cameras are like budget contax t2 3sthey come loaded with lasersharp carl zeiss lenses, but unlike the contaxs, are housed in plastic bodies. Mar 31, 2018 in p and a modes, the hexar af will use a 15 degree centerweighted area. Sep 04, 2020 the contax t2 had a 38mm sonnar not 35mm. The hexar offers little value advantage and loses to the t2 on near every other count in my book. In its day, some called it the best hikers camera ever.
There were other compact ff 35mm film cameras of superb iq, like the nikon 35ti and. It has a most sophisticated af system than the t2, which again may or may not be important for you. The konica hexar af they have a manual focus one, is sort of a point and shoot. Welcome to the jch sale items page, please feel free to contact me with any questions and for more pictures. Konica hexar af was peter lindbergh using one in nyc when. The konica hexar rf is a 35 mm rangefinder camera which was sold by konica.
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