Why I hate the Konica Hexar.
by Adi Soon
On paper the Hexar seemed a worthy proposition. It had all the things I needed for my photography, a compact and silent body, fast 35mm lens and what seemed to me by the reports of other users, a bright viewfinder. Furthermore, It was cheaper than a 35mm Summicron lens for the Leica! Mind you, for that money you're getting a body with lens. Cult followers of it had even claimed that it's Leica M like design had even extended to the lens, where it was said that Konica lens designers had made its' lens simulate the "bokeh"* of the legendary 35mm Summicron.
Then there were the other things like the silent advance or rewind mode that could be set, that was so silent that even someone standing close to you could not hear it. Well as I said, all this sounded good on paper, and even more so for the street shooting that I did. I had never seen it in the flesh though, but could cult followers and a strong but small market be wrong? I thought not.
As fate would have it, my Leica 35mm Summicron lens when into a spasmic fit, and though useable, could not be so relied upon anymore (that story another day). So I was put in a unique position to consider either a new 35mm Summicron, or to check out the Hexar. Of course that meant putting my Leica body out of action if I did choose the Hexar, but at close to $400 less than a new 35mm Summicron, it was somewhat tempting.
So I went down to the local camera shops to have a look at the Hexar. The shop that I knew that had told me it was out of stock, but could get one for me by the next day. So I walked around further and as luck would have it, I saw a Hexar in the window of a second hand camera shop. I asked to look at it.
My impressions? Well, it was weighty, but compact, but did not have a feeling of solidity that the Leica M's have. Furthermore, the viewfinder was a dismal disappointment, blurry and dark, it could hardly compare to that on my M6. At this point I was asking myself if perhaps I had been spoilt by the brilliance of the M6 viewfinder. How could so many others and even the American magazine "Popular Photography" say that the Hexar had a bright viewfinder?
Then to the most irritating thing about the Hexar, that "yee, yee" sound when it focuses. Like some miniature robotic function, it put me off. Even when set to it's so called silent mode, the Hexar failed to impress. That silly noise was still evident, although in a smaller dosage. I left the shop disappointed and on my renewed quest for a Leica M 35 mm lens. By feel of the Hexar alone, I realized that it did not have the things that I had always enjoyed about my Leica body, that aside from the pictures it gave me, it had it's own tactile qualities that the Hexar could never have. My conclusion is that I hate the Hexar. Press reports? All lies. This is just my opinion. The link below is to an example of someone who actually likes the Hexar.
*bokeh- Japanese term for the out of focus rendition of a lens.
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