Konica Hexar tips?

[rubric]

Hi guys! Finally got my Konica Hexar! I've been reading the comments to the Hexar review on photonet. Not sure when I can finish reading it and the learning curve does seem to be a little steep! Does anyone have tips to share so that I can start using the camera soon? My camera doesn't come with a manual and I can't seem to find one on the internet for free download. Another question: is there anyway I can make the black non-metal parts cleaner looking? Right now it seems to have some smudges that are hard to remove. Lastly has anyone ever sent the camera to Konica Minolta for servicing/updating? TIA!

 

[CaeSiuM]

Just a question out of curiosity.

You bought the one on display at Alex Photo?

 

[rubric]

Yeah. Is it yours? Or know anything about it?

 

[sabahan]

Have you check the focusing before buying,there is alot of complain about the focusing of this camera,the superimpose image will 'mismatch' after sometime of use,I have one myself and sent in for repair twice in malaysia and HK.

 

[rueyloon]

you got the Hexar AF ? or RF ?

 

[ratboy]

Try this link for the hexar AF
www.35mm.v.pl/k_hexar.pdf

 

[rubric]

Hi Rueyloon it's the AF! Just read about your new venture the other day. All the best! :cheergal:

 

[rubric]

Thanks Ratboy! Someone on photonet responded very quickly to my email so i've now got the original version in English. Yours will make good supplementary reading!

 

[rubric]

Have you check the focusing before buying,there is alot of complain about the focusing of this camera,the superimpose image will 'mismatch' after sometime of use,I have one myself and sent in for repair twice in malaysia and HK.

Sabahan are you talking about the RF?

 

[rueyloon]

ah good
enjoy yourself with the camera

 

[sabahan]

I thought is the RF,soli.

 

[StreetShooter]

Try updating to stealth mode.

I can vouch that it works:

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=50699

 

[rubric]

Hi doc, thanks for the link. I'm aware of it. Mine is the black model, so I doubt if it will make a difference. Or would it? I wouldn't mind if it were even quieter! Reading the reviews made me think that the camera is 'mute', when t's not much quieter than most AF cameras. Still, it's a quirky camera crammed with features.

 

[rubric]

I'm ploughing through the manual now. Two things that caught my eyes so far:
1. It says battery must be loaded with switch at 'M'. What's the rationale? What will happen if one doesn't?

2. Under 'Standard photography P Mode', it's stated 'set the aperture dial to a standard set value', and the picture shows f8 (next page shows f5.6-8). I was under the impression that I can leave the aperture at any value and just point and shoot. Which is correct?

One scenario--when I leave the aperture at f2 and focus on my room light, the display panel says 'f34'. Does this mean the camera will expose at this aperture?

Sorry for the newbish/'dumb' questions. ;p I'm hoping to bring it out for street shooting this week, so need to understand the camera better. Thanks guys!

 

[czeyang]

In P mode, the camera will try to shoot at the aperture you set, but if it is unable to because of over or under exposure, it will change the aperture setting. It's like Aperture priority but with safety shift. You can set the minimum shutter speed it'll use before changing the aperture too.

 

[rueyloon]

Hi doc, thanks for the link. I'm aware of it. Mine is the black model, so I doubt if it will make a difference. Or would it? I wouldn't mind if it were even quieter! Reading the reviews made me think that the camera is 'mute', when t's not much quieter than most AF cameras. Still, it's a quirky camera crammed with features.

this camera SHOULD be mute, press MF and turn the camera on to use the silent mode. You should See an "L" in the LCD, think it stands for Low Noise.

cheers

 

[rubric]

Thanks! It does sound quieter, but there's still some noise during focusing. Is the camera faulty or is that normal? It's silent when I press the shutter button, and then there's a short interval before a whirrling sound. The whirrling sound is film advance right?

I'm a little concerned because I can see that someone has removed/tried to remove the retaining ring in front of the lens.

 

[StreetShooter]

For all practical purposes it's silent. I have to strain my ears to hear anything, and my ear is next to the camera! I doubt anyone else can hear the camera working.

The ring is for rangefinder wannabes like myself to pretend it's a focusing ring. It also helps distract the subject from the fact that the photo was taken long before he noticed the cameraman.

 

[rubric]

It's not the built in lenshood. It's after that & holds the lens in place I think. You'll see two notches facing each other. I'm wondering whether to bring the camer to Konica/Minolta for a check up or to bring it back to the camera shop. The guy does not seem very familiar with the camera himself, as he could not set the ISO manually. Not that I blame him!

 

[igpenguin]

Another thing is that you can hold the shutter button after you pressed it. The film won't advance until you release the shutter button. This might be useful if you want to time the film whirrling when someone is talking etc to try to mask the whirrling. This works in the L-setting.