RE: [Leica] Hexar re-appraisal

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

Erwin - This is a really terrific review, but then what else would I have
expected from you. You've managed to give the Hexar what anyone with a
vaguely open mind would have to view as extremely positive, yet at the same
time you've raised the kind of asthetic questions and doubts that a diehard
M user would likely raise.

As I read your write-up I come to the conclusion that a Hexar body is a
"must" for the bag of any serious, high-volume, M shooter doing PJ or
documentary work.

Thanks.

B. D.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Erwin Puts
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 1:06 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Cc: leica@topica.com
Subject: [Leica] Hexar re-appraisal


I have the Hexar RF now for a long period and will report on it in
several parts. Handling and use now, measurements of lenses and other
functions later.
First of all some observations. The noise of the motorwinder is very
low and while in two very distinct clicks, is on M level per click.
The viewfinder is bright and the rf patch is yellowish and certainly
not as clear as the  M version. The framelines are a bit distorted,
but it depends how close you can get your eye onto the ocular. The
rangefnder alignment has a slight insecurity when you want to do
precise aligning, but for most situations the rf measurement is quick
and seems to be accurate for the lenses employed. (Accuracy
measurements later).
In practical use the viewfinder is very nice to work with and when
you forget about the inevitable comparisons should be considered as
excellent.
The exposure measurement is done with two white painted shutter
blades, so not a spot but a vertical area.  Again in practical
shooting the number of success pictures is very high.
The automatic exposure is a real pleasure to work with.  It is fast,
troublefree and your shooting becomes relaxed and intuitive. No
anxiety about exposure errors or manual adjustments. For street
scenes and all kinds of casual photography the Hexar is a serious
consideration and a competitor to Leica, without any doubt. It misses
TTL, which I do not overvalue. Any flash can be tuned to service you
in those situations.  The lack of a flash synch shoe is more a
problem. No studio flash or professional  flash equipment.
Handling the camera can be done without a 100 page manual, all
controls are as far as possible conform Leica layout and switching
from M to RF is easy.
The body cover is quite rough and the matte-black topcover also shows
a fine granular pattern. This makes touching the camera  a bit
strange at first as your fingers are accustomed to Leica surfaces.
The Konica then is a very fine mix of M body and RF system, Contax G
shutter and electronics. It is not the best of both worlds but a
viable alternative, a kind of third road so favored in politics.
A non-Leica user who wishes to downgrade from a complex SLR or to
upgrade from a compact or lowlevel SLR might be more tempted to buy a
Hexar than a Leica M. Which is fine with me. More RF system buyers
will broaden the market niche.
On a more philosophical level there is one very clear distinction
between the Hexar and Contax on one side and the M on the other side,
Handling the Hexar is smooth, convenient but there is one issue I
would like to emphasize. The controls of the Hexar are remote as far
as tactility goes. You touch the button, but there is no feedback, no
response. Here the mechanical operation of the M gives a finer
haptics. You feel you are using the instrument, where with the Hexar
your senses do not get the feedback and touch you want to get that
feeling of using a high precision mechanical instrument. It is
difficult to express, but here is the core of the different
philosophies. As a photographic tool the Hexar is an admirable piece
of work. It lacks the feel of an exquisitely engineered mechanical
instrument as the functions work in a  more remote fashion. The motor
works deep down in the body and you no longer register the winding on
of the film. Press the release button and you do not feel the
mechanism anymore, you hear a click. So you need your auditory senses
to register a manual act, pressing the shutter. There is also a
slight delay between pressing the button and the sound of the click.
These remarks are of course outside the functionality of the Hexar
which can hardly be flawed. But then current japanese technology for
producing fine photographic equipment needs no praise anymore. The
philosophical comments are relevant however.
The Hexar is at least functionally capable of challenging one segment
of the Leica domain: the casual and intuitive shooting style.


Erwin