KONICA HEXANON L 60mm F1.2(2nd)
Konica Leica L39 large aperture semi-standard lens
A review and photo examples of Hexanon 60mm F1.2.
Table of contents
Gallery
- Photo example1（KONICA HEXAR-RF +VELVIA 50 +NIKON LS-50）
- Photo example2（LEOTAX F +lomography Lady grey B&W400 +DiMAGE Scan Multi PRO）
- Photo example3（LEICA M10）
Review
1．Usage
I bought the Hexanon 60mm F1.2 second-hand at a camera shop in Ueno in February 2008. The lens serial number is a two-digit number out of 800 produced.
A feature of this lens is that while most large-aperture lenses have a minimum shooting distance of 1m, this large-aperture lens can get as close as 0.8m. This extra 0.2m is very reassuring, and the focal length of 60mm is 10mm longer than the standard 50mm, so you can take larger pictures of the subject.
The lens is also resistant to backlight, so there is almost no need to attach a huge lens hood.
With an M-type Leica, you shoot a little inside the 50mm frame or use an EVF, so you rarely use this dedicated viewfinder. I thought I would, but I used it when using this lens with the LEOTAX F, a Barnack Leica compatible camera. It goes without saying that the mount of the Hexanon 60mm is an L39 screw mount, so it can be attached to a Barnack Leica and used.
The 50mm viewfinder of the LEOTAX F was not very attractive, so I attached a 60mm viewfinder and was able to check the shooting range quite well. The LEOTAX F is a full gastroscope, but there was no problem with focusing the Hexanon 60mm.
When I used it on a Hasselblad X1D via an X-M mount adapter, the image circle of the lens seemed to have room, and there was no extreme vignetting or image distortion in the shooting results. The FUJIFILM GFX has the same sensor size, so it may be possible to use it without any problems.
When I was creating an introductory page for this lens on another site, I received an email from an overseas enthusiast asking me to sell him the lens. There are lens enthusiasts all over the world. Due to the extreme increase in price, this lens has become relatively common on the used market, but if I were to pay that price, I would rather buy a Noctilux.
Also, in the 2020s, the predecessor of this lens, the old Hexanon 60mm F1.2, was traded in perfect condition for about the same price as a decent luxury car.
2．Overview
The Hexanon 60mm F1.2 is a Konica Leica L39 screw mount lens, limited to 800 units, planned by Fujisawa Shokai and a reproduction of the 60mm F1.2 lens with the same specifications previously released by Konishiroku Photo Industry.
The lens hood is a cylindrical hood with slits, and because the hood diameter is large, it covers the eyepiece of a rangefinder camera, making it difficult to see through.
This lens comes with a dedicated 60mm finder.
3．比較
Japanese camera manufacturers prefer to release large-aperture models for standard lenses, and there are many 50mm large-aperture lenses for the L39 mount, such as the Zunow 50mm F1.1, Canon 50mm F1.2, Fujifilm 50mm F1.2, and Nikon 50mm F1.1. Lenses other than Zunow could be purchased at a reasonable price in the 2000s, but as of 2024, more than 50 years after their manufacture, the prices of these large-aperture lenses have risen significantly due to a decrease in their numbers.
All of these lenses have old designs and the glass is likely to deteriorate, so they are not suitable for normal photography, and are therefore likely to be valuable as museums or as part of enthusiast collections.
There are many options for modern large-aperture standard lenses, starting with Leica’s Noctilux, followed by the 50mm F1 and 50mm F1.1 from Voigtlander, the Sonnetar 50mm F1.1 and GA-ISM 50mm F1 from Ms-optics (Miyazaki Optical), and a number of F1-class lenses from Chinese manufacturers.
Specification
| Lens name | HEXANON 60(Old) | HEXANON 60(New) | HEXANON 50 |
| Focal length(mm) | 60 | 60 | 50 |
| Max aperture | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Min aperture | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Lens Construction | 8elements in 6groups | 7elements in 6groups | ← |
| Leaf blade | ? | 10 | ← |
| Min distance(m) | 3.5feet(1m) | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Lens length(mm) | 55(from L39 mount) | 51.5(from L39 mount) | 52 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 60 | 64 | 68 |
| Filter Size(mm) | ? | 58 Special silver filter | 62 Special black filter |
| Lens mount | L39 screw | L39 screw | M mount |
| Weigjt(g) | ? | 388 Lens +L/M adapter | 390 |
| Release date | Year 1956(or 1955) | Year 1999 | Year 2001 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax) | ¥78,000- | ¥190,000- | Sold as a set with body |
Reference links
- 60mm F1.2 in the Konishiroku era / Camera-Wiki.org（英語）
- Konica HEXANON 60mm F1.2 / Camera-Wiki.org（英語）
Uodate
- 2024.11.9
- 2024.02.07:Update the article
- 2022.02.01:First draft
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