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Hexanon 28ish Millimeter Shootout
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 10:25 pm    Post subject: Hexanon 28ish Millimeter Shootout Reply with quote
Haven't found any head to head comparisons of the affordable 24-28mm Konica Hexanon AR primes. Compared Hexanon AR 24mm f2.8 AE, Hexanon AR 28mm f3.5 AE 5 Element, and Hexanon AR 28mm f3.5 EE 7 Element with an Topcon RE Auto Topcor 25mm f3.5 which is our sharpness benchmark in this focal length (sharper than Distagon 25/28!).

(Lens data corrected per forum feedback)

The 24/2.8 and 28/3.5(s) AR Hexanon lenses are far and away the most affordable wide angle Hexanon primes, and because Hexanon primes are generally of high optical standards (and high build quality prior to roughly 1980) and are (IMO) under valued in the used market a shoot-off between these three lenses might help us locate a low cost high value "sleeper".

Camera: Sony A7II
ISO: 50
SteadyShot Off
Lens Comp Off
NR Off
Tripod Mounted

Summary:

Hexanon AR 24/2.8 - Somewhat rare and more expensive than 28mm Hexanon primes puts forth underwhelming performance with tons of CA and soft images until at least f5.6. Poor sharpness and heavy CA have taken this lens off of my list of beloved Hexanon's and will make its way to eBay shortly. This lens is fairly large, around the size of the 35/2.8 Hexanon and looks to be the first of the two versions. Could be a dud copy but since it is in 99/100 original condition it is doubtful the image issues are due to abuse and as such I suspect this lens is just not up to the standards of other Hexanons and suffers from image issues at large aperture consistent with cost conscious wide angle lens designs from 1970s. A much sharper option in a similar price point would be a Vivitar Kiron 24mm f2.

Hexanon AR 28/3.5 AE 5 Element - Cheapest, easiest to find version of the Hexanon 28/3.5 which was switched to a 5 element design at the time that the mount was changed to the AE version. Has slightly more modern coatings than the 7 element EE version with moderately improved contrast/saturation but has noticeably less sharpness across the aperture range than the 7 element EE version of the lens. Still considering that this lens is the most compact of the 3 and puts forth a decent performance a sub $50 asking price makes this a pretty good deal.

Hexanon AR 28/3.5 EE 7 Element - Slightly more expensive and harder to find than the 5 element EE version this is the sharpest of the 3 affordable Hexanon's in this focal length. Very slightly reduced contrast and saturation vs. the 5 element AE version on account of its older coatings is more than made up for by markedly better sharpness at all apertures vs. the other 2 Hexanons. At $50-75 or even $100 this is a VERY sharp 28mm lens for the price. This lens appears to be single coated when compared to other Hexanon lenses it looks more like a single coated 35/2.8 than a newer multicoated Hexanon like the 40/1.8. According to forum feedback the last version(s) of the 7 element lens should have multi coating on them that is very similar to the 5 element 28/3.5 and is probably the most desirable version from a sharpness/contrast standpoint.

Topcon RE Auto Topcor 25mm f3.5 - Between its 4.5" MFD and insane wide open sharpness this lens is likely our all time favorite in this focal length class. It is as sharp or sharper than a Zeiss Contax Distagon 25/2.8 or a Zeiss Contax Distagon 28./2.8 from f3.5-f11 and about as sharp after that. Throw in a near macro MFD and this is an incredibly versatile and razor sharp photographic instrument that speaks to the Topcon reputation as the "Japanese Leica" of its day. Optically Topcon lenses of a similar vintage generally outperform every other brand of the era, yes that includes Leica, Contax, Nikon, etc. Topcon almost without exception OWNS them all between 20-100mm from an optical quality standpoint.



Hexanon AR 24/2.8

f2.8
#1


#2


#3


f4
#4


#5


#6


f5.6
#7


#8


#9


f8
#10


#11


f11
#12


#13


f16
#14


#15



Hexanon AR 28mm f3.5 AE Five Element

f3.5
#1


#2


#3


f5.6
#4


#5


#6


f8
#7


#8


f11
#9


#10


f16
#11


#12


f22
#13


#14



Hexanon AR 28mm f3.5 EE 7 Element

f3.5
#1


#2


#3


f5.6
#4


#5


#6


f8
#7


#8


f11
#9


#10


f16
#11


#12


Topcon RE.Auto Topcor 25mm f3.5

f3.5
#1


#2


#3


f5.6
#4


#5


#6


f8
#7


#8


f11
#9


#10


f16
#11


#12


f22
#13


#14

[/code] Like 1

Last edited by retrooptical on Wed Feb 01, 2017 6:45 pm; edited 4 times in total


PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 1:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice work.


PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 1:53 am    Post subject: Re: Hexanon 28ish Millimeter Shootout Reply with quote
retrooptical wrote:
Haven't found any head to head comparisons of the affordable 24-28mm Konica Hexanon AR primes. Compared Hexanon AR 24mm f2.8 AE, Hexanon AR 28mm f3.5 AE 6 Element, and Hexanon AR 28mm f3.5 EE 7 Element with an Topcon RE Auto Topcor 25mm f3.5 which is our sharpness benchmark in this focal length (sharper than Distagon 25/28!).

Camera: Sony A7II
SteadyShot Off
Lens Comp Off
NR Off
Tripod Mounted

Summary:

Hexanon AR 24/2.8 - Somewhat rare and more expensive than 28mm Hexanon primes puts forth underwhelming performance with tons of CA and soft images until at least f5.6. Could be a dud copy but I suspect this lens is just not up to the standards of other Hexanons and suffers from image issues consistent with cost conscious design choices in the 1980s. Poor sharpness and heavy CA have taken this lens off of my list of beloved Hexanon's and will make its way to eBay shortly. A much sharper option in a similar price point would be a Vivitar Kiron 24mm f2.


Hexanon AR 28/3.5 AE 6 Element - Cheapest, easiest to find version of the Hexanon 28/3.5 which was switched to a 6 element design at the time that the mount was changed to the AE version. Has slightly more modern coatings than the 7 element EE version with moderately improved contrast/saturation but has noticeably less sharpness across the aperture range than the 7 element EE version of the lens. Still considering that this lens is the most compact of the 3 and puts forth a decent performance a sub $50 asking price makes this a pretty good deal.

Hexanon AR 28/3.5 EE 7 Element - Slightly more expensive and harder to find than the 6 element EE version this is the sharpest of the 3 affordable Hexanon's in this focal length. Very slightly reduced contrast and saturation vs. the 6 element AE version on account of its older coatings is more than made up for by markedly better sharpness at all apertures vs. the other 2 Hexanons. At $50-75 or even $100 this is a VERY sharp 28mm lens for the price.

Topcon RE Auto Topcor 25mm f3.5 - Between its 4.5" MFD and insane wide open sharpness this lens is likely our all time favorite in this focal length class. It is as sharp or sharper than a Zeiss Contax Distagon 25/2.8 or a Zeiss Contax Distagon 28./2.8 from f3.5-f11 and about as sharp after that. Throw in a near macro MFD and this is an incredibly versatile and razor sharp photographic instrument that speaks to the Topcon reputation as the "Japanese Leica" of its day. Optically Topcon lenses of a similar vintage generally outperform every other brand of the era, yes that includes Leica, Contax, Nikon, etc. Topcon almost without exception OWNS them all between 20-100mm from an optical quality standpoint.

Results can vary substantially with sample variation, but I strongly suspect there is something technically wrong with your Hexanon 24/2.8 that goes way beyond this. I must say I’ve never seen horrible CA like this on a Hexanon lens.

There are a few technical inaccuracies about Hexanon lenses in your comments:

- Which Hexanon 24/2.did you test? The first, made from 1973 to 1980 is large, like the earlier Hexanon 35/2.8. The later one was a compact version introduced in 1980. The smallest aperture of the first is f16, and of the second f22. Your reference to the 1980s would seem to indicate you mean the second one, but this isn’t clear (incidentally, please note that both have the AE indication on the aperture ring).

- There is no 6-element Hexanon 28mm. The earlier version is a 7/7 construction and the little one introduced in 1978 has a 5/5 construction. There is also a preset version from the 1960s with a 7/6 construction.

- All Konica lenses are forward and backward compatible on all Konica bodies made between 1967 and 1988. There was no mount change during this period.

- The earlier Hexanon 28/3.5 of 7/7 version came in four versions between 1965 and 1978, and all of them had EE on the aperture ring. Same goes for all other Hexanons made during this period. Similarly, Hexanons ov all versions made after 1973 will all have AE on their aperture ring, In short, whether a Hexanon lens has EE or AE on the aperture ring is not an indication of that lens’ version.

- What “3 affordable Hexanons in this focal length” do you have in mind? So far you’ve mentioned the 7/7 and the 5/5 versions.

It is worthwhile to note also that the Hexanons 28/3.5 of 7/7 construction made in the second half of the 1970s has much better coatings than those made in the early part of the decade. These coatings are not necessarily worse than those found on the first Hexanons 28/3.5 of 5/5 construction made, say, in 1980.

Also, half your photos don’t load for some reason.


PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 1:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Like Dog


PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 3:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, all i can say that my 24mm Hexanon is a superb lens! I did a simple comparison some time ago agaist the Minolta MC 24mm, you can find it here:
http://forum.mflenses.com/hexanon-2-8-24-vs-mc-w-rokkor-2-8-24-t74287,highlight,%2Bhexanon.html

Here some more with the Hexanon 24mm: https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=81437390%40N03&sort=date-taken-desc&view_all=1&text=konica%202.8%2F24

Cheers, René!


PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 5:52 pm    Post subject: Re: Hexanon 28ish Millimeter Shootout Reply with quote
[quote="konicamera"]
retrooptical wrote:
There are a few technical inaccuracies about Hexanon lenses in your comments:

- Which Hexanon 24/2.did you test? The first, made from 1973 to 1980 is large, like the earlier Hexanon 35/2.8. The later one was a compact version introduced in 1980. The smallest aperture of the first is f16, and of the second f22. Your reference to the 1980s would seem to indicate you mean the second one, but this isn�t clear (incidentally, please note that both have the AE indication on the aperture ring).

- There is no 6-element Hexanon 28mm. The earlier version is a 7/7 construction and the little one introduced in 1978 has a 5/5 construction. There is also a preset version from the 1960s with a 7/6 construction.

- All Konica lenses are forward and backward compatible on all Konica bodies made between 1967 and 1988. There was no mount change during this period.

- The earlier Hexanon 28/3.5 of 7/7 version came in four versions between 1965 and 1978, and all of them had EE on the aperture ring. Same goes for all other Hexanons made during this period. Similarly, Hexanons ov all versions made after 1973 will all have AE on their aperture ring, In short, whether a Hexanon lens has EE or AE on the aperture ring is not an indication of that lens� version.

- What �3 affordable Hexanons in this focal length� do you have in mind? So far you�ve mentioned the 7/7 and the 5/5 versions.

It is worthwhile to note also that the Hexanons 28/3.5 of 7/7 construction made in the second half of the 1970s has much better coatings than those made in the early part of the decade. These coatings are not necessarily worse than those found on the first Hexanons 28/3.5 of 5/5 construction made, say, in 1980.

Also, half your photos don�t load for some reason.


I'm not sure why the photos aren't loading as they are working fine on my end. The full size photos are 12MB each so that may be part of the issue.

I'm pretty sure its the first version of the 24/2.8 as it is a rather large lens, roughly the same size as the 35/2.8 as you indicated. Visually the lens is mint mechanically and optically and I cannot find any signs whatsoever of previous abuse. Stopped down to f5.6 the lens compares favorably with the 5 element 28/3.5 but larger apertures not so much. I will try to test the lenses at infinity focus this evening or tomorrow as it could be that the 24mm design is poorly corrected for close focus at large apertures and may be sharper at infinity.

The 7 element 28/3.5 I tested is in mint condition, all black with a scalloped metal focusing ring, no rubber. It's coating looks to be a single coating very similar to my early Hexanon 35/2.8 EE. Definitely more reflective than other Hexanon glass I have that dates from a later period like the 40/1.8 or 50/1.7.

I actually have 2 copies of the 5 element 28/3.5 which perform identically. Thanks for the clarification. Earlier research (incorrect it appears) seemed to indicate that the large 28/3.5 EE was a 7/7 design with the compact 28/3.5 being a 6 element, and the 5 element design belonging to the 28/3.5 Hexar. I have corrected the original post based on your feedback.

As to your question about which affordable primes? 24/2.8 vs. 28/3.5(5) vs. 28/3.5(7) to fill out the 28mm(ish) focal length slot in a budget Hexanon prime set. I would love to test a second version of the 24/2.8 against the copy I have and will try to dedicate some resources to locating an affordable copy.

I will post some photos of the lenses a bit later after work.


PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 5:59 pm    Post subject: Pics of tested lenses Reply with quote
#1


#2


#3


#4


#5


PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 6:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I like the Hexanon 28/3.5 7-element as well, cheap and very sharp.


PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
padam wrote:
I like the Hexanon 28/3.5 7-element as well, cheap and very sharp.


Indeed a very good 28mm! http://forum.mflenses.com/konica-hexanon-28mm-f-3-5-7-7-version-t71738,highlight,%2Bhexanon.html
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