85/1.8  KONICA HEXANON AR

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

28,5º

6/5

Automatic

1.8 to 16 + AE

At full aperture

1.0m

Screw-in, 55mm

Screw-in, 55mm

67mm

65mm

420g (390g)

1965-87

4

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                    ●

The Hexanon 85/1.8 is another legendary lens with a cult following and one of the most desirable Hexanon AR lenses. In my opinion, once a user decides to experiment with lenses other than the standard that comes with any camera, this is the lens to get first. It is considered one of the best 85mm portrait lenses ever made and holds its own even in comparison with the better lenses of its kind made today. It has just enough softness wide open to hide unnecessary details. It renders skin tones beautifully and produces a most delicate and dreamy bokeh in the background areas. Stopped down a couple of stops it becomes extremely sharp, which makes it a good lens for medium distance landscapes. A great lens for crisp and vivid slides. Of the Hexanon lenses that can be said to enjoy a cult following, this is probably the most affordable.

 100/2.8  KONICA HEXANON AR

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

24º

5/4

Automatic

2.8 to 16 + AE

At full aperture

1m

Screw-in, 55mm

Screw-in, 55mm

62mm

63mm

310g (290g)

1966-87

3

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                     ●

The Hexanon 100/2.8 often fails to receive the recognition it deserves, overshadowed as it is by the superb 85mm and the excellent 135mm Hexanons. Yet, it has very similar applications to the 85mm. It’s a good lens for portraits – although it can be excessively sharp if one isn’t careful – and medium distance landscapes. It does not have the 85mm’s unique personality, but it has its own qualities. It is much smaller and lighter than the 85mm, which makes it easier to carry around and it costs much less too. It is a very sharp lens that produces excellent images with vivid color rendition.

 135/2.5  KONICA HEXANON AR

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

18º

4/4

Automatic

2.5 to 16 + AE

At full aperture

1.2m

Screw-in, 62mm

Built-in

96mm

69mm

650g

1973-87

1

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                    ●

Of all the Hexanon 135s, this one is the least common and the best for portraits. It produces very pleasant skin tones and a nice bokeh that is beyond the reach of the other, slower, 135s. With a widest aperture of f2.5, it is over a third brighter than f2.8s commonly encountered in this focal length. This makes it well-suited for low light photography and is convenient on the earlier Autoreflexes, whose viewfinders are a bit dimmer. It is ill-served by its built-in light hood which has only half the required depth and which leaves the lens’ wide frontal element unnecessarily exposed. When used outdoors, it requires an auxiliary light hood, thanks to which it produces images with great color rendition. A great performer optically, its only drawbacks are its light hood and weight.

 135/3.2  KONICA HEXANON AR

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

18 º

5/4

Automatic

3.2 to 16 + AE

At full aperture

1m

Screw-in, 55mm

Built-in

95mm

63mm

390g

1970-76

3

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                     ●

This excellent lens has two very convenient attributes. It is razor sharp – sharpest of all the Hexanon 135s – and it has a very short focusing distance – 0.5m shorter than the 135/3.5 it replaced. Both of those traits make this popular lens ideal for both general close-up photography and more distant scenic shots, where sharpness is crucial. It has a built-in lens hood that is far more effective than that of the 135/2.5. It weighs a little over half as much as the f2.5 version, making it easy to carry around. For some reason, this particular lens seems to develop sticky aperture blades over time, an otherwise rare occurrence for a Hexanon lens.

135/3.5  KONICA HEXANON ARP

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

18 º

4/4

Preset

3.5 to 22

Stopped down

1.5m

Screw-in, 55mm

Screw-in, 55mm

92mm

60mm

370g

1965-69

1

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                    ●

Preset lenses were quite common in the sixties. Most of the Hexanon AR preset lenses seem to originate from the F-mount period (1960-1965), when several lenses were offered in two versions – automatic aperture operation and manually preset aperture. All of them have an elegant high-gloss black finish and were manufactured at the time of the Auto-Reflex double-format. Their slower operation makes them better suited for unhurried and studied photography. They all have an aperture made of 12 blades which form an almost perfect circle and which close down to f22. The 135/3.5 preset is a carry-over from the F-mount era, when it was offered in automatic and preset versions. Its optical formula was also used for the Hexanon AR 135/3.5 made until 1970. 

 135/3.5  KONICA HEXANON AR                                                                     Earlier model

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

18º

5/4

Automatic

3.5 to 16 + AE

At full aperture

1.5m

Screw-in, 55mm

Screw-in, 55mm

92mm

65mm

370g

1965-70

6

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                    ●

The 135/3.5 is the oldest of all the Hexanon 135s. It was introduced at the time of the Auto-Reflex double-format SLR and exists in only the high-gloss black version and the flat finish with aluminum ring version. It was not made in the all-black and all metal version. Six years after its production ended, it was replaced by a compact version with a simplified optical formula. It does not have a personality as pronounced as the f2.5 and f3.2 versions but is nevertheless a very solid performer that produces sharp images. There is also a preset version of this lens.

 135/3.5  KONICA HEXANON AR                                                                        Later model

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

18 º

4/4

Automatic

3.5 to 22 + AE

At full aperture

1.5m

Screw-in, 55mm

Built--in

82mm

63mm

310g

1978-87

1

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Optical diagram:                                                                  

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                    ●

The Hexanon 135/3.5 is one of three compact lenses manufactured by Konica and introduced in 1978, the other two being the 28/3.5 and the 200/4.0. This lens is a compact version of the 135/3.5 whose production ended in 1970. During the intervening years, the only 135s made by Konica were the f2.5 and the f3.2 versions. Its optical construction is simpler than the 135/3.5 it replaced and it is perhaps the least exciting of all the Hexanon 135s. It is a solid all-purpose lens in this focal length with no features that make it stand out in any particular way.

 135/3.5  KONICA HEXAR AR

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

18 º

4/4

Automatic

3.5 to 16 + AE

At full aperture

1.5m

Screw-in, 55mm

Built-in

96mm

68mm

545g

1975-1978

1

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                  ●

The three Hexars were apparently intended as entry-level lenses for budget-conscious users willing to consider slight technical compromises. Their optical construction is simpler, with fewer elements, which reduced manufacturing costs. Cost-saving measures included the elimination of half-stop detents on the aperture ring, delivery in a vinyl case instead of a leatherette-clad one as for the Hexanon lenses and a soft plastic front lens cap. Although the three Hexars are not quite as sophisticated as their Hexanon counterparts, they are nevertheless very good lenses that perform very well. Today the three Hexar lenses cost as much, and often more, than their Hexanon equivalents. This is mainly due to the renown the Hexar brand has acquired in the nineties with the Hexar rangefinders, and to the fact that the Hexars are rarer than their Hexanon equivalents. They were possibly manufactured by Tamron. The Hexar 135mm is a bulky and heavy lens for its day. It resembles far more the Hexanon 135/3.5 whose production ended in 1970 than the compact 135/3.5 which was introduced in 1978. 

 200/3.5  KONICA HEXANON ARP

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

12º

5/5

Preset

3.5 to 22

Stopped down

2.5m

Screw-in, 67mm

Screw-in, 67mm

148mm

70mm

870g

1965-69

1

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                   ●

Preset lenses were quite common in the sixties. Most of the Hexanon AR preset lenses seem to originate from the F-mount period (1960-1965), when several lenses were offered in two versions – automatic aperture operation and manually preset aperture. All of them have an elegant high-gloss black finish and were manufactured at the time of the Auto-Reflex double-format. Their slower operation makes them better suited for unhurried and studied photography. They all have an aperture made of 12 blades which form an almost perfect circle and which close down to f22. The 200/3.5 preset is a carry-over from the last of the three 200mm lenses of the F-mount era.

 200/3.5  KONICA HEXANON AR

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

12 º

5/4

Automatic

3.5 to 16 + AE

At full aperture

2.5m

Screw-in, 67mm

Screw-in, 67mm / built-in

145mm

75mm

855g (880g)

1965-77

3

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                     ●

The Hexanon 200/3.5 is an excellent lens, with very good contrast and beautiful color rendition. It is extremely sharp, even wide open. It is by far the best of all Konica’s 200mm lenses. It just may have been one of the best 200mm lenses available in its day. It is a heavy lens whose design goes back to the middle sixties and which should have been provided with a tripod collar. From the very outset, this lens was equipped with a built-in hood.

 200/4.0  KONICA HEXANON AR

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

12 º

5/5

Automatic

4.0 to 22 + AE

At full aperture

2.5m

Screw-in, 55mm

Built-in

121mm

65mm

515g

1978-87

1

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                     ●

The Hexanon 200/4.0 is one of three compact lenses manufactured by Konica and introduced in 1978, the other two being the 28/3.5 and the 135/3.5. It is the second Hexanon automatic 200mm lens. It is smaller, lighter and easier to handle than the 200/3.5 and a quite good lens, but its performance is not up to the outstanding standards exhibited by its larger cousin. 

 200/4.0  KONICA HEXAR AR

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

12 º

                                  4/4

Automatic

3.5 to 16 + AE

At full aperture

2.5m

Screw-in, 55mm

Built-in

150mm

74mm

810g

1975-1978

1

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Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                    ●

The three Hexars were apparently intended as entry-level lenses for budget-conscious users willing to consider slight technical compromises. Their optical construction is simpler, with fewer elements, reduced manufacturing costs. Cost-saving measures included the elimination of half-stop detents on the aperture ring, delivery in a vinyl case instead of a leatherette-clad one as for the Hexanon lenses and a soft plastic front lens cap. Although the three Hexars are not quite as sophisticated as their Hexanon counterparts, they are nevertheless very good lenses that perform very well. Today the three Hexar lenses cost as much, and often more, than their Hexanon equivalents. This is mainly due to the renown the Hexar brand has acquired in the nineties with the Hexar rangefinders, and to the fact that the Hexars are rarer than their Hexanon equivalents. They were possibly manufactured by Tamron. The Hexar 200mm is a relatively heavy and bulky lens, especially considering that the Hexanon 200mm it resembles most in terms of size and weight has a widest aperture of f3.5 instead of f4.0. 

 200/5.6  KONICA HEXANON ARP

Specifications:

Field of view

Elements / groups 

Aperture system

Aperture Scale

Metering

Closest focusing distance

Filters

Hood

Length

Diameter

Weight (~)

Years of production

Number of versions

Rarity

12 º

6/4

Manual, preset

5.6 to 22

Stopped down

2.5m

Screw-in, 46mm

Built-in

119mm

52mm

335g

1965-69

1

● ● ●

Optical diagram:

Comments:                                                                                                                                                                   ●

Preset lenses were quite common in the sixties. Most of the Hexanon AR preset lenses seem to originate from the F-mount period (1960-1965), when several lenses were offered in two versions – automatic aperture operation and manually preset aperture. All of them have an elegant high-gloss black finish and were manufactured at the time of the Auto-Reflex double-format. Their slower operation makes them better suited for unhurried and studied photography. They all have an aperture made of 12 blades which form an almost perfect circle and which close down to f22. The 200/5.6 is one of two Hexanon prime preset lenses that had no corresponding lens in the F-mount era, the other being the 28/3.5. Its principal advantages are its tiny size and weight – it fits in a small pocket. It is perhaps the only lens of its kind in existence.