[Leica] Canadian Hexar RF hands-on (longish)

["Emanuel Lowi" <mano@proxyma.net>]

I realize several other people have recorded their impressions here already, but for
what it's worth, here are mine...

Construction, finish, ergonomics: Seems really excellent. The slightly textured black
finish and the rubber body covering are both attractive yet discrete and also very
grippable. Camera feels very solid, back opens and shuts every bit as positively as
my N***n F5. Camera shape is very nice, if not quite Leica-feminine.
Speed dial and shutter release are very well located for both horizontal and vertical
shooting. Dial controls turn with the right stiffness, unlock (when necessary)
easily. Shutter release itself has that little wobbliness I find with most
electro-magnetic buttons, yet there is an obvious release point in the downstroke
which allows for easy "decisive moment" pressure.
Lens release button spring seems too weak, although all the Leica lenses I tried did
seem securely fastened. Would like to see a guard around the lens release button to
protect against accidental "lens changes" due to the weak spring.
Bayonet mount itself, in mirror-bright chrome, is butt-ugly but...

Rangefinder/viewfinder: VF is bright and clear, equivalent to the M6, although there
is definitely a bit more wide-angle distortion visible in the .6x magnigication. The
framelines are very nearly as bright and distinct as the Leica. The 90 and 135mm
frames are too small to be useful in my view. 
The RF patch is as good as on the M6, although it has slightly rounded corners and
this is a bit odd-looking at first. Perhaps (but not sure) the edges of the RF patch
are infinitesimally less sharp-edged than Leica's. 
I used the camera in both very bright sunshine from many angles and in dim indoors -
no fussiness about eye centering and no flare. Quite impressive.

The 28mm frame's lack of a full left-hand line is more awkward than the M5's lack of
a bottom line at 35mm. There is just a brief dash at the top left of the Hexar's 28mm
frame. Maybe this is compensated for by the fact that you can use a Leica 24mm
without an accessory finder on this camera (?).

I focussed Leica 28mm, 35/2 ASPH and 90/2 APO ASPH with no problems in all light
conditions. I liked the view with the 35mm best. 

Shutter/motor: In single-frame advance mode, I found the camera adequately quiet in
situations where there is just a little ambient noise. Shutter seems Leica-quiet and
the motor is certainly quieter than the M-Winder. In continuous advance, I did not
like the noise level and found the motor rate not really fast enough to make that
mode all that useful. 
Film rewind was nearly 15 seconds for a 36 exp. roll shot until the end. I wish they
could quicken this a bit. Loading itself was easy enough and fast.

50/2 lens: Nice enough, but focus action a bit cheap feeling while f-stop ring had a
more positive feel. Very nice built-on shade, no chance of turning or going askew.
Good grip surfaces.

Exposure: I'll  let you know when the film comes back - shot everything on AE at full
aperture.

Other comments: My dealer says Konica has always provided excellent product back-up
and that the original Hexar was notably trouble-free. this is good news. 

But as others had remarked, this camera does not provoke a clear yes/no reaction in
me. I'd hoped the choice would be simple but it isn't. 

If the body only sold for anything under $1500 USD this would be a no-brainer. Also,
if Konica issues something like a .85x version I might switch to the two cameras. As
things stand now, I'll wait and see what happens.



Emanuel Lowi
Montreal