Retrofocus KM HEXANON 35
A review and photo examples using the KONICA M HEXANON 35mm F2 with film and digital cameras.
Table of contents
Gallery
- The film photo examples were shot on HEXAR-RF + KODAK PKR-64 reversal film.
- Digital photo examples taken with the LEICA M9.
Review
1．Overview
The Hexanon-M 35mm is a wide-angle lens for the Leica M mount released in 2000.
Detailed specifications are listed in the table, but the main specifications are as follows:
- Lens construction: 7 groups, 8 elements, retrofocus type
- Minimum shooting distance: 0.7m
- Aperture value: F2
- Aperture blades: 10
- Hood: Dedicated circular slit, screw-in type
After screwing the lens hood into the end of the lens barrel, the end of the hood can be rotated 120° to move the hood slit to a position that does not interfere with the viewfinder. There is no device to fix the end of the hood, so the position may shift inside the camera bag.
The exterior design is almost the same as the Hexanon, 28mm, 50mm, and 90mm, but the lens barrel is equipped with a focus lever similar to that of the Summicron 6-element lens. This is thought to be a response to the lens barrel being thicker than other Hexanons.
2．Usability
This is an excellent lens that can obtain uniform images from the widest aperture, and there is little change in image quality due to aperture changes.
This is due to the use of a retrofocus lens structure.
The L39 screw-mount lens with the same specifications, focal length 35mm and maximum aperture F2 released by Konica in the past was a modified Xenotar lens, so this lens has a completely new lens structure.
The Xenotar type is a hybrid with a Gaussian type front group and a Topogon type rear group, and Zeiss’ Biometar has a similar structure. Konica’s L39 Hexanon 35mm F2 is called a modified Xenotar because it adds two lenses to the Topogon type rear group.
The previous L39 Hexanon 35mm F2 changed its depiction when the aperture value was changed, but it had sufficient resolution and beautiful bokeh for both film and digital cameras.
The new M Hexanon 35mm F2 does not follow the lens construction of the past, but challenges itself with a new lens construction.
As a result, the imaging performance has improved flatness, which is appropriate for the digital camera era.
However, the lens barrel is larger than the conventional compact 35mm F2 lens, despite the same specifications, and is thicker than other M Hexanon lenses.
The lens specifications were probably released for various reasons, but it is disappointing from the user’s perspective that the lens barrel has become larger without any changes to the specifications.
If the lens barrel was going to be larger, I would have liked to see the M Hexanon 35mm F1.4, which goes beyond the previous lens specifications and expands the maximum aperture to F1.4.
Perhaps because this lens was released later than other lenses, there seem to be fewer of these lenses on the market, and they are less commonly seen on the used market than other Konica M-mount lenses, and are more expensive.
3．Add Info.
The latest Carl Zeiss Biogon 35mm is almost the same length as this lens. Although the Biogon 35mm is called a Biogon type, the overall length of the lens is longer due to a design that takes the lens’ back focus longer.
I understand that lenses can be larger for the sake of performance, but as a photographer, I would like lenses for 35mm F2 class rangefinder cameras to be compact.
Leica’s latest APO-Summicron is impressive in that it packs 10 lenses in 5 groups into a lens length of 41mm, but it also costs a fortune.
Specification
| Item | M HEXANON | CARL ZEISS BIOGON | LEICA APO SUMMICRON |
| focal length(mm) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| Maximum aperture | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Minimum aperture | 16 | 22 | 16 |
| Leaf blade | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Lens configuration | 8 elements in 7 groups | 9 elements in 6 groups | 10 elements in 5 groups |
| Minimum distance(m) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| Lens length(mm) | 45.1 | 43.3 | 40.9 |
| Lens max diameter(mm) | 55.7 | 52 | 53 |
| Filter type | 46 | 43 | 39 |
| Weight(g) | 260 | 230 | – |
| Hood | Circular slit/Screw-in | Bayonet | Screw-in |
| Lens mount | KM | ZM | M |
| Release date | 2000 | 2005 | 2021.4.21 |
| Production numbers | – | ? | ? |
| Price | – | ¥95,000 | ¥960,000-(2021) ¥1,300,000-(2024) |
| 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
- 2025.3.18
- 2024.03.02:Update the article
- 2022.05.25:First draft
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