Konica Hexanon and Hexar 200mm lenses

konicamera · Expire: 2014-06-14

Konica introduced five 200mm lenses in AR mount

1) Hexanon ARP (preset) 200/3.5-22, with a 5/5 construction. This lens dates from the F-mount era. In 1965 it was fitted with the AR mount and was commercially available until about 1969. Elegant shiny black finish. 15-blade aperture and 67mm filter threads. If serial number range is any indication, about 6,000 made, so not very common but seen on Ebay quite regularly. See Andreas Buhlï¿½s website to see what it looks like.

2) Hexanon ARP (preset) 200/5.6-22 with a 6/4 construction. It was a new design introduced in 1965 and also remained in trade until about 1969. Small and inconspicuous, with 46mm filter threads and a built-in hood, very sharp. Quite rare, probably only about 1,000 were ever made. Shows up on Ebay about once a year. There is a thread about it on this forum (thanks TLO!): http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic.php?t=66315 .

3) Hexanon AR (automatic) 200/3.5-16, with a 5/4 construction and 67mm filter threads. Introduced in 1965, it remained in production until 1977 and during that time it went through 4 versions distinguished only by outer appearance (A, B, C, and D types) See details here; http://konicafiles.com/3-hexanon-ar-lenses/-lens-types (scroll down to where things get colorful). This was Konicaï¿½s basic 200mm workhorse for nearly 15 years. Excellent lens with minimal CA, beautiful color rendition and progressively better coatings as the years went by. Definitely one of the Hexanons with its own distinct personality. If weight (~875g) is no object, this is the Hexanon 200mm to get for IQ. About 35,000-40,000 were made, so it is very common one of the best bangs for the buck available in 200mm IMO.

4) The Hexar 200/4.0-16, with 4/4 construction, with 55mm filter threads, one of three Hexar entry-level lenses (with the 28/3.5 and 135/3.5). Made from early 1975 to late 1977, big and heavy for a f4.0 of the day, with very respectable performance. About 12,000 made, not terribly common but cheap. Possibly made by a third party manufacturer.

5) Hexanon AR (automatic) 200/4.0-22, with a 5/5 construction and 55mm filter threads. This compact lens was introduced in early 1978 to replace the 200/3.5-16 (no. 3 above) and was made until the end of 1981. Opinions vary about this lens. Some claim it is great while others say there is its performance is modest, if respectable. I find it a very good lens, but one that isnï¿½t any better than scores of other 200/4s out there. About 25,000 seem to have been made.

You can see what all these lenses look like (without the 200/5.6) on Andreas Buhlï¿½s website: http://www.buhla.de/Foto/Konica/Objektive/e200_35.html

jamaeolus · Expire: 2015-08-20

Good info. I really like konica lenses. The 57mm 1.4 is my go to fast normal. It's big and heavy but images definitely pop. Grossly undervalued you can get a good copy on e-bay at any time for 45 usd.