What I've Been Shooting With
You can read a deep dive into what cameras I've used throughout my life in an earlier blog post
here, but lately I've been carrying around a Pentax 17. What I really
like about it is the smaller size (not as small as a lot of compacts, still smaller and lighter than a typical SLR),
but I really wish there were real manual controls and a way to confirm focus in the viewfinder. The Leica M3 my grandfather
graciously gifted me fulfils all my wishes with superb execution. However, I'm just too sentimental about that camera
to take it out very much.
I want a similar camera to the M3, but something I wouldn't be so precious about (and wider
framelines would be nice too).
Running in the 90's
In the 1990's, Japanese camera manufactures released a bevy of compact and rangefinder cameras that
are still highly regarded by present-day photographers. The Contax G1 and G2, Voigtlander Bessa-L (and later, a whole
series of 35mm film rangefinders), Olympus mju II, Ricoh GR1, Konica Hexar AF and RF. These are just as celebrated as Japan's
sports cars from the era.
Like a lot of 90's tech, the Konica Hexar RF has a feature-set that seems both modern and old-fashioned.
For me, it's a wonderful balance, and I'll get into that next.
How's it Compare to the M3?
The Leica M3 is the yardstick (or meterstick) by which any camera of mine must be measured, consciously or not. It's the gold standard. And since the Konica Hexar RF is also an M-mount rangefinder, it's a much more apples-to-apples comparison (than, say, the Pentax 17). In the hand, it's not too dissimilar; they're both very close in size, shape, and weight.
The Konica has auto wind-on, advance, and rewind, as well as aperture-priority auto-exposure (plus AE lock) and DX code reading, but it's still utilizing a manual-focus lens-mount from the 1950's. There are a lot of conveniences here, but the camera doesn't take away any control.
The lack of a film advance lever, the on/off switch, and auto-exposure all make for a workflow
quite different from the M3. While I'm not favoring one over the other (yet), I am having to adjust a little.
The biggest difference of all, though, is the viewfinder. The Hexar has a wider selection
(both in amount and focal length) than the M3's 50, 90, 135. Each framline set on the Hexar
shows two focal lengths: 28/90, 35/135, 50/75.
The viewfinder's magnification is a much wider .60x, compared to the M3's .91x magnification.
This is really nice for someone who wears glasses, like me. Many people tout the M3's higher magnification, especially
for shooting those longer focal legnths, but I don't feel like it's such an advantage when I'm having to hunt around
for the corners of the 50mm framelines.
Any Downsides?
So far, so good. Everything feels high-quality, and the controls are laid out well. The issue that
first comes to mind, is that this camera is quite a bit louder than the M3, and unlike some other auto-advance cameras,
you can't just hold down the shutter button to advance later; it happens immediately after you take a photo, and it
is noticeable.
There is one more downside with the Hexar RF, more in theory than in practice: Fear!
This camera was produced for only 4 years, starting 25 years ago, by a company that's now defunct. Repairability
is a major concern, and unlike other similar cameras that can still be used if the electronics fail, the Hexar
becomes a paperweight.
Then why even bother? Let's be real, everything is temporary (yes, even that
camera you're thinking about right now). When this one breaks, I'll be sad, especially since it's already shaping up to
be one of my most favorite cameras ever! And to top it off, I'll probably have to consider replacing it with something
much more expensive, like an M6 or MP.
But there's no reason to dwell on that; I'll just happily shoot with the Hexar for as long as I can!
Let's Look at Some Photos Now
I shot these on Kodak UltraMax 400 with a Voigtlander Color Skopar 28mm f/2.8 v1. I really
love how small this lens is, and I think it looks cool. Wait, actually the first two photos below were taken
with one of my grandfather's old lenses, a Leica 35 f3.5 Summaron (goggles included!). This is a perfectly good
lens, and I'm actually much more experienced and comfortable with this focal length, but it brings up 50mm framelines
in the camera (since it's designed to be used with those goggles).
This roll was processed by my local lab (shoutout to
Apertures Photo in Tulsa!), scanned on a Plustek 8200i, and
converted with Negative Lab Pro.
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