Electronically controlled RF camera HEXAR RF Limited
A review and sample photos taken with the KONICA HEXAR RF Limited, the included HEXANON 50mm F1.2 Limited and Kodak film
Table of contents
Gallery
- The photographic examples were taken by
- KM HEXANON 50mm F1.2 +Kodacrome64 +NIKON COOLSCAN-V
- KM HEXANON 50mm F1.2 +KODAK E100VS +NIKON COOLSCAN-V
Review
1．Overview
The Hexar RF Limited is a limited edition product that Konica produced in 2001 as a set with a dedicated Hexanon 50mm F1.2, with only 2001 units produced.
The limited edition and regular edition have the same camera specifications and performance, the only difference being the exterior.
The camera’s specifications and usage are also introduced on the regular edition page, so please take a look.
2．Usability
The HEXAR RF is a well-made rangefinder camera, and before the complete transition to digital, I used it as my main camera, loading it with reversal film including Kodachrome.
I have purchased the HEXAR RF Limited twice. The first time was in 2006, when I was still able to buy optional items such as a body case and a flash, so I bought a lot of them. However, those optional items were worth next to nothing in 2010, so they were left unused in a box.
The second time I purchased it was in 2024, when I got tired of digital cameras and wanted to use a film camera, so I purchased only the HEXAR RF Limited body without any accessories.
The body with the Summilux 35mm shown in the overview is from 2006 and has a serial number in the 1900s, and the body with the Elmarit 28mm 1st is from 2024 and has a serial number in the 500s.
I took the unused options out of the box and am using them on the current body.
The leather body case has been on the market for over 20 years, but it can still be used without any problems. I was surprised at how durable the leather products are, considering that a synthetic body case would have deteriorated by now.
The titanium-colored exterior of the HEXAR RF Limited matches well with the titanium-colored Leica lens, so I went around taking pictures with the titanium version of the SUMMILUX 35mm.
I realized from the description on this page that film without a DX code does not wind the film automatically, Camera Talk 10, 1999, Leica Boogie Woogie Conclusion (Field Cameraman note by NAGY), and I was relieved to find out why the film does not wind when using a suspicious film. It does not wind automatically, but if you set the film correctly and release the shutter, you can take pictures.
While still using film cameras, Leica was actively moving towards digital cameras, so there was a time when people were hoping for a HEXAR RF Digital, but that never happened.
Konica and Minolta were camera manufacturers with unique styles. The two companies missed out on the digital age and merged to survive, but they were unable to create a product that would sell as well as they had hoped. Sony, which bought them, focused on their specialty, mirrorless cameras, which are a mass of electronic devices, and quickly rose to become one of the top three mirrorless cameras.
Unfortunately, Sony has never released a rangefinder camera, which has many mechanical elements, and it is unlikely that they will do so in the future.
3．Summary
As the name suggests, the HEXAR RF Limited is a limited edition of the HEXAR RF. The camera functions inside the case are the same as the regular HEXAR RF, so the 0.6x viewfinder is suitable for using wide-angle lenses from 28mm to 35mm. The viewfinder can be used comfortably up to about 50mm.
It is an excellent rangefinder camera for everyday use such as snapshots.
The titanium-colored exterior is not too flashy, but has a calm color, which gives it a good appearance as an object, and it also looks natural when combined with other Leica lenses.
Specification
| Camera | Rollei 35 RF | Zeiss Ikon | HEXAR RF |
| Finder Mechanisim | Real-image reverse Galilean perspective finder | ← | ← |
| Viewfinder Magnification | x0.7 | x0.74 | x0.6 |
| Finder Frame | 40 / 50 / 80 | 28,85 / 35 / 50 | 28,90 / 35,135 / 50,75 |
| Baseline length(mm) | 37 | 75 | 69.2 |
| Effective baseline length(mm) | 25.9 | 55.5 | 41.5 |
| Shutter Mechanisim | Vertical travel laminar metal focal plane shutter | Electronically controlled vertically moving metal focal plane shutter | ← |
| Shutter speed(sec) | 1/2000〜1 | 1/2000〜1 | 1/4000〜16(Auto) 1/4000〜1(Manual) |
| Photometry method | Center weighted TTL average metering upon light depression of shutter release | ← | Shutter curtain, TTL direct metering |
| Battery | LR44/SR44 x2 | CR-1/3N x1 SR44 x2 LR44 x2 | CR2-3V x2 |
| Size(mm) W x H x D | 135.5 × 81 × 25.5〜33.5 | 138 × 77.5 × 32 | 139.5 × 80 × 35 |
| Weight(g) | 440 | 460 | 560 |
| Release date | 2002 (2006 sales end) | 2005.10 | Normal (1999.1） Limited（2001） |
Option
- Electric Flash (HX-18W)
- leather case
- Lenes
交換レンズ
専用レンズは21-35Dual以外はすべて購入して使用した。いずれのレンズも質実剛健という言葉が似合うレンズで、個性的ではないが堅実な描写をする。
21-35 Dualは2焦点レンズで、それぞれの焦点距離で画質の最適化が図られているわけでは無く、1.5倍ズームの両端を使うだけのレンズだ。21mm時の歪みも大きいとのことで購入に至らなかった。
2000年から2010年にかけては10万円に近いプライスで見ることもあったけれど、2020年代はレンズ流通本数の少なさからか定価を上回る中古プライスを見かける。
| Focal length | Lens name | Release date | Technical Report |
| 28mm | M-HEXANON f28 / F2.8 | 1999年 | 28/50/90mm-PDF |
| 50mm | M-HEXANON f50 / F2 | 1999年 | 28/50/90mm-PDF |
| 90mm | M-HEXANON f90 / F2.8 | 1999年 | 28/50/90mm-PDF |
| 35mm | M-HEXANON f35 / F2 | 2000年 | 35mm-PDF |
| 50mm | M-HEXANON f50 / F1.2 | 2001年 | 50mm/F1.2-PDF |
| 21-35mm | M-HEXANON f21-35 / F3.4-4 | 2002年 | 21-35mm-PDF |
Reference links
Update history
- 2025.4.23
- 2024.05.19:Update the article
- 2024.02.08:Update the article
- 2023.04.25:First draft
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