[Leica] Hexar RF Field Report

[Thomas Kachadurian <tom@kachadurian.com>]

Hello Luggers:

Nearly three years ago I posted a message here that if any company 
would build an M6-like body that had four things I would buy it on 
the spot. Those things were: A decent motor, a matrix meter with 
aperture priority AE, a 1/250th flash sync, and auto bracketing. I 
had in mind something like a G2 with a mechanical rangefinder and an 
M mount. The Hexar RF is close enough that I was the first kid on the 
block to have one, and here is my field report.

Consider the source: I am a photographer, not a collector. I have no 
brand loyalty at all, and will frequently buy a camera and/or lenses 
to use them for a specific project and sell them three months later 
(it's cheaper than a rental). I consider any camera not available in 
black to be silly at best. I love technology. So there I am, feel 
free to discount my opinions based on this profile.

The Hexar is nicely finished and well made. I prefer the black finish 
to that of the Leica M cameras (The M finish being so prone to fine 
scratches that people leave the plastic packing material on the 
bottoms  of their cameras to protect them). I think in the long run 
the Hexar may not wear as well as the Leica finish, but it doesn't 
show fingerprints or tiny marks. The body is covered with a nice 
rubber cover that has a great feel. For the first week or so the 
rubber was out-gassing a pretty strange smell, but that wore off. The 
seams are parallel. The switches and knobs are tight and smooth.

This isn't a G2 with a rangefinder. You couldn't call it whiz-bang; 
technology wise, it could have been made in 1985.  It's an M6 with a 
few feature improvements.

Changes over the M:

1. It makes much more sense to set the film speed on the top of the 
camera where the shutter speed dial is located than on the back of 
the camera. The addition of DX coding is a convenience with no down 
side.

2. The drop in loading removes one of the great flaws of the M 
system. Ted Grant notwithstanding, a photographer should not have to 
devote significant time to learning how to load any camera. It 
certainly shouldn't require practice.

3. The Hexar has an off switch. You don't have to twist the shutter 
speed dial to get the meter to go off. On the M there is no way to 
assure that an exposure won't be made by brushing up against the 
camera. You can bring the Hexar to the eye and turn it on in the same 
move.

It's EXACTLY the same size as the M6, clearly Konica was making a 
copy. The corners are less rounded, but it has an excellent feel.

The motor is fast and not too loud, certainly quieter than any of the 
M winders, and quieter than any SLR. However, It isn't the lovely 
"thunk" of the M shutter. And if you're into the sound of your camera 
the Hexar will give you the heebee jeebees. It isn't the volume, it's 
the pitch. It's high and shrill. In a room with any ambient noise you 
don't notice it. And it doesn't draw attention, but you won't like it.

The rangefinder is every bit as goods as the M rangefinder, and 
better than the later M6 rangefinders. I have tried hard to get it to 
flair out as will the M6, but it won't, even in sun on snow 
situations. The frame lines are identical to the Leica frame lines. I 
personally like the lower magnification for the 35mm lens, but when 
you get to using a 90, it's a turkey shoot. They clearly need to make 
a Hexar RF-HM. Also, the shutter speed in the finder is great to 
have, but, as with all diode displays, hard to see in bright light, 
like on snow. For me, I'll give that up not to have the M6 diodes 
blinding me in dim light.

The meter isn't Nikon Matrix, but it works. I have long been critical 
of the spot in the M6 meter, I just could make it work. The Hexar is 
like a mid-1970s center-weighted meter (like the FE). It's not great, 
but it's what I cut my teeth on, so I have the instincts for it.

Bad things:

1) The release isn't threaded so I can't use my softie. And to get 
the meter to light you can't just touch it, as with most electric 
releases, you need to give it a real push. The shutter release itself 
is smooth, positive and quick, but the meter activation is not 
precise. There is a standard cable release socket, but it's on the 
side of the camera as with the Mamiya rangefinders.

2) on single shot, it winds as soon as the exposure is made, unlike 
cameras where you could hold down the release and it wouldn't wind 
until you let it up (again the Nikon FE and MD-12 comes to mind). 
That would have made it a functionally silent camera.

3) The location of the strap lugs makes the Hexar balance at about a 
25 degree angle back toward you. It doesn't sound like much, but it's 
odd, and feels really funny.

You'll notice I haven't commented on the 50mm lens, or on photographs 
made with the Hexar. That's because I haven't made a single 
photograph with the Konica glass, and I probably won't. And the 
photographs as are the same lovely photographs my Leica M lenses 
always make.

The Hexar RF is the best thing that ever happened to my Leica lenses. 
All of my lenses have seen more use in the last month than they had 
in the previous six. If the Hexar was exactly the same, but rebadged 
Leica, the zealots on this list would be speaking in tongues. For me, 
it's my new standard body.

PS: the little flash that came with the kit is just outstanding. Tiny 
and quick. I wouldn't pay $150 for it alone, but I'm using it often.

Anyone want to buy a 50mm f2 Hexanon in an M mount?

Tom
Thomas Kachadurian
- -------------------
www.kachadurian.com