Konica Hexanon 35-70 f3.5 constant aperture

[Attila]

#1,2 are wide open rest of it F8

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[iangreenhalgh1]

Very nice series, this looks to be a pretty impressive lens, congrats. It doesn't have any of the problems you expect with old zooms - distortion, CA, low contrast, poor colours. I had one but sadly it had a scratch on it like the Grand Canyon.

Now I've seen how yours performs I shall have to find another one for myself!

Cat in the window shots are very nice!

[Excalibur]

I was reading on a site that this lens was made by Tokina and Tokina made quite a few lenses to Konica specs including 40mm f1.8....erm better to read the paragraph as I'm just the messenger and have no idea if this is fact:-

The Tokina-Konica relationship began in 1978 or so and lasted until Konica abandoned the SLR market a decade later. Not unlike other OEMs, Konica found it cheaper to entrust the manufacturing of some of its new lens designs to Tokina than to invest in the technical line necessary to make them on its own. Konica commissioned roughly a dozen lenses from Tokina, more than half of which were zooms. Those lenses were designed by Konica and manufactured to Konica technical specifications. The most famous Tokina-made Hexanon is undoubtedly the 40/1.8 pancake, called in some tests of the late 70s the sharpest 35mm lens ever made by anyone. Other lenses made by Tokina for Konica include the outstanding 21/2.8, the compact 35/2.8, the excellent 35-70/3.5 zoom and the 28-135/4-4.6 zoom. With a couple of exceptions, all Tokina-made Hexanon lenses share two traits: The f22 aperture setting and the narrow aperture ring with a thin rectangular AE lock button. The latter trait is a tell-tale sign of a Tokina-made Hexanon lens although three Tokina-made Hexanon zooms (the 28-135/4-4.6, the 80-200/4 and the 80-200/4.5) have a very wide aperture ring with a round AE lock button. This is due to the fact that Tokina also sold those three zooms in other mounts and the thickness of their aperture ring was calculated to accommodate different film to flange (register) distances. The bayonet mount on those three Tokina-made Hexanon zooms is held in place by three screws instead of four. The Tokina-made Hexanons are the 21/2.8 (1979), 24/2.8 (1982), 35/2.8 (1981), 40/1.8 (1978), 50/1.8 (metal and plastic barrel models, in 1978 and 1985, respectively), 28-135/4-4.6 (1983), 35-70/3.5 (1978), 35-70/4 (1981), 35-70/3.5-4.5 (1985), 70-150/4 (1982), 80-200/4 (1983), and the 80-200/4.5 (1985). It should be noted that many Konica-made lenses also have the f22 aperture setting: The preset lenses from 60s; the compact versions of the 28/3.5, 50/1.7, 50/1.4, 135/3.5 and the 200/4; the 300/6.3, 400/4.5, 400/5.6 UC, 800/8, 1000/8 and 2000/11 telephoto lenses; and the 55/3.5 and 105/4 macro lenses.

[Attila]

I can imagine this is true, Tokina made 17mm lens pretty stunning too, they are prove it they can make good lens if you wish. Another evidence is Cosina, they can make own branded pretty good and crap lenses and they are produce Voigtlander and Zeiss lenses also.