Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.2 Lens Review
This lens is like a tank —
robust and hefty piece of Japanese engineering featuring world-class glass. One
look at the imposing front element proves this lens means business. Konica
Hexanon AR 57mm f1.2 was at the top of the standard lens lineup, aimed at
professional use. And it shows.
The rear element is unique
– part of the glass is cut to accommodate the aperture pin. Similar to the
Tomioka 55mm f1.2, but in a straight line instead of a curve. The cut-off shape
can show up in the bokeh, if the lighting is right, which might be a potential
issue for some people.
Aperture
has half stops, making it easy to get the desired value. Blades are snappy and
well made. The ring is not too damped, and can feel a little loose – it’s easy
to go too far when changing the aperture.
I prefer a focal length
which is slightly longer than 50mm for a standard lens. In this case, 57mm is
just right for me. Focusing is easy, and smooth – there is ample sharpness to
show the clear plane of focus using the focus peaking. Some softer lenses don’t
trigger the peaking, and they are never truly sharp, especially wide open.
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.2 – Back view showing the cut off element
Image
quality
I can’t take this lens off
the camera! Figuratively – in reality, I take it off after shooting to protect
the camera’s electronics, as the lens is quite radioactive. The thorium in the
lens irradiates the images with life. A subtle yellowing of the elements acts
as a warm filter. Some people decide to ‘de-yellow’ the thorium glass, but I
prefer to keep it. There is plenty of clear modern glass on the market and only
a few warmly glowing thoriated lenses from the bygone era. Nobody makes them
anymore, except for the military.
Even the weird cut-off
bokeh shape does not bother me too much. There are other lenses for that sort
of photography, where the bokeh becomes the main subject. Konica Hexanon AR
57mm f1.2 is not suited for that type of photography unless you want to see the
cut-off circles for some reason. However, it manages to blend the background
into a smooth soup of colour in a very pleasing way when there are no
highlights.
Image
quality wide open is pleasing – acceptably sharp, albeit a little on the softer
side. OK for portraits, but could be too soft for other subjects. Sharpness
improves dramatically in the centre of the frame from about f2.8, while still
retaining the excellent bokeh rendering. From f4 most of the frame is
pin-sharp. Most of my photos are within this range unless I need a more
significant depth of field.
So yeah, to sum it up – I
appreciate the images this lens produces time and time again.
Adapting
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.2 to Mirrorless
Konica AR mount flange
distance limited the usage of the excellent Konica glass on a modern DSLRs.
Flange distance was way shorter than Canon or Nikon, which meant there is no
space remaining for the adapter. Konica lenses would either need special corrective
adapters which I am unsure ever existed. And without a viable adapter, Konica
lenses would either not focus to infinity or even hit the camera’s mirror.
Luckily, that is no longer
the case, and we can readily adapt the Konica AR lenses to most mirrorless
cameras, like my Canon EOS R.
I use a Fotasy Konica AR to EOS RF mount adapter. It was
affordable – cost about 20 USD from Amazon USA. The quality is excellent,
though – there is absolutely no play between the lens and the adapter, or the
adapter and the camera. Everything is snug and firm. Exactly what you need when
mounting a precious lens such as this.
Fotasy Konica AR to Canon RF adapter
Radiation
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm
F1.2 is radioactive – more than all other lenses measured. A reading of the
lens’ front is about 37,662 CPM and 26,000 CPM at the back. Typically, lenses
have thoriated elements either at the front or at the back of the lens, unlike
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.2, which is radioactive from both ends. Thorium is
added intentionally to improve the optical properties of the glass. Konica even
boasted about it in their promotional material.
“Not the least important is the production of
several types of optical glass, many of which embody rare earths. Exotic
elements such as Thorium, Lanthanum and Zirconium are added to glass mixtures
to create the high refractive indexes necessary in sophisticated lens designs.
Selection of premium quantities of glass from the large glass pots, stringent
spectrophotometric tests after stress and strain checks provide the valuable
raw glass for ultimate use in lens elements.” – KONICA HEXANON LENSES FOR AUTOREFLEX
CAIVIERAS, Konica Camera Company, 1972.
Apart
from a few precautions, radioactive lenses are generally safe to use, after all
– they are consumer devices. You can read my article about radioactive
lenses to find out more.
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.2 – Front element emitting over
37,000 CPM of radiation
A reading of over 26,000 CPM at the back element
Price
and availability
Bought for £450 from eBay
UK. You can also find it for about €500 on eBay DE, and $600 on eBay USA. Look
around, and be prepared to wait a litte until you find one appropriately
priced. It is not too rare, but finding one in a good condition for the
acceptable price can be a little difficult.
Similar lenses
Conclusion
What a lens! Konica
Hexanon AR 57mm f1.2 ticks all my boxes and I don’t intend to sell it. I prefer
the images taken with it over a lot of other vintage lenses. Must be the
thorium! This lens is a 5 / 5 for me.
Have you used
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm F1.2? Let me know what you think about this review and
leave a comment!
Sample
Images
Shot at about f4
Plenty of sharpness and a silky smooth background
The hexagonal aperture shows when the lens is stopped down
I particularly like the background rendition of this lens
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.2 is extremely sharp when stopped down
Nguồn: https://lenslegend.com/