KONICA Hexanon L 50mm F1.9
Review and Photo example of the Hexanon 50mm F1.9 with LEICA M9.
Table of contents
Gallery
- The sample photo were taken with the LEICA M9
Review
1．Overview
The Hexanon 50mm F1.9 is a standard lens with a Konica L39 screw mount.
The main specifications are as follows, and are listed in the table below.
- Aperture: 1.9
- Lens construction: 6 elements in 5 groups
- Aperture blades: 10
- Minimum focusing distance: 1.0m
- Leica M rangefinder camera rangefinder coupling: 1.0m
2．Usability
After using all the major lenses for rangefinder cameras, you start to look at minor lenses that are sold randomly on the market. This lens is one that I came across during such a lens gourmet.
When I used it with a Leica M9 with a 35mm full-size sensor, it gave me the impression that it was difficult to use with a digital camera, as it produced ghosts in backlighting and reduced contrast in the captured image. This is thought to be due in part to the fact that the lens is a double Gauss type, and clouding occurs at the bonding surface due to balsam separation.
As far as I can tell, there seem to be two variations of the lens barrel, with different designs for the focus ring and aperture ring. The one I’m introducing here appears to be the early model.
The early model had a special filter size of 39.5mm, which was an unusual size, so there was no filter that fit it, so I put a series filter in a 50mm diameter split-type cover hood for Canon’s 50mm F1.8 to protect the lens.
Lens information for this lens is well summarized in “About Konica LTM Interchangeable Lenses,” which is also listed in the reference link. Since it is a Japanese-made lens, it is relatively easy to find on the second-hand market. There are plenty of lens reviews and information available, including on the aforementioned site, for an old lens.
3．Summary
It was an old 50mm standard lens that didn’t leave a particularly strong impression on me, and I wasn’t particularly drawn to its depiction, so I sold it pretty quickly.
In practical terms, the latest 50mm lenses can be bought quite cheaply, so unless you want to enjoy old lenses, there’s no reason to actively choose it. But still, I end up buying lenses that I’m drawn to because I’m a lens gourmet addict.
Specification
The Hexanon 50mm is a modified Gaussian lens, while the Hexar 50mm is a Tessar lens. These two lenses evoke the heyday of Leica copies in Japan.
Until Konica released its own Hexar RF, they did not release any rangefinder camera bodies and focused on supplying lenses, and I learned from a reference link that this lens was sold bundled with other companies’ cameras.
| Item | Hexanon | Hexar |
| focal length(mm) | 50 | ← |
| Maximum aperture | 1.9 | 3.5 |
| Minimum aperture | 22 | ← |
| Lens configuration | 6elements in 5groups | 4elements in 3groups |
| Leaf blade | 10 | ← |
| Minimum distance(m) | 1.0 | ← |
| Lens length(mm) | ? | ? |
| Lens max diameter(mm) | 49 | ← |
| Filter diameter(mm) | 39.5 | 19 |
| Weight(g) | 270 | 145 |
| Release date | Year 1955 | Year 1953 |
| List price(Yen) | 23,500 | ? |
Reference links
- KONICA @ wiki About Konica LTM Interchangeable Lenses(Japanese)
- Camera wiki.org Konica-lenes(English)
- A soliloquy from the seller…Konishiroku (Konishi Roku Photo Industry) Hexar 50mm/f3.5《Retractable type》(L39)(Japanese)
Update
- 2024.04.24:Update the article
- 2022.05.31:First draft
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