Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I had my first opportunity to fondle the new Konica Hexar RF over the weekend. A camera that was described by the dealer as the Konica M6...what a load of hooey that is.. Sadly the camera looks a lot better on the net than it does in your hands. The squared frame makes is look like a plank of wood, and it feels a bit like one in your hands. The lens mounted in a very un-Leica way...Sticky! It felt like I was jamming a chisel into a block of wood.. The viewfinder was bright and clear, with only a hint of pincussion distortion of the 28mm frames. The rangefinder was a little antsy. It may be the shorter base line, but it was easy to overshoot your target of focus. The biggest flaw with the finder to me was the lack of contrast in the focusing patch. Focusing an M6 is really easier in low contrast situations. My biggest gripe is with the shutter speed dial placement. It is a thumb wheel and it is very difficult to work the dial while keeping your index finger on the shutter button. Clearly Konica expects users to keep this thing in Aperture Priority most of the time. The meter is a bit hard to get used to, with shutter speed numbers dancing up and down on the left side of the veiwfinder. The shutter and motor were about as quiet as the Contax G's, and the quality of materials was similar but without the beautiful shape and color. I know this sounds pretty negative, but I really expected more considering the hype and the price of this camera (1950.00 with 50mm F2). The handling really leaves something to be desired, especially considering the fact that all they had to do was match a camera that has been on the market since the 50's. The excitment over this fairly average camera really points out the void in the market for an Aperture Priority M...Leica, are you listening? Contax should also be looking at this market. I'll wager that a manual focus G would out-sell the auto be a large margin.. Best wishes Dan States ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com