Konica IIIa Review - A true Leica M3 alternative?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 17 тра 2024
- In today’s episode, I review the Konica IIIa, arguably one of the best fixed lens 35mm rangefinder cameras ever created. It was introduced in 1958 and positioned as a direct competitor to the Leica M3 released four years earlier. In contrast to the interchangeable lenses on the M3, the Konica IIIa was available with either a 50mm f/1.8 or 48mm f/2 fixed Hexanon lens which aimed to perform on par with the 50mm Summicron available back then. Thanks to its bright viewfinder with 1.0x magnification and parallax compensation as well as its excellent build quality and smooth mechanical operation, this camera is considered by many collectors and photographers to be outstanding - even from today’s perspective.
I purchased the camera in great condition from a Japanese dealer for a premium of around 270 Euro. My credo is condition over price. So if you are a 50mm shooter and look for a rangefinder camera, the Konica IIIa is worth a very close look as it offers an even larger viewfinder magnification than the M3 and obviously costs significantly less.
I took the camera with me on a trip to Berlin shooting some Ilford Delta 100. On the way back, I stopped in Dessau to take some photographs of the Bauhaus Master Houses. I also used it for some black and white street shots in my hometown Munich and some color shots with Kodak Gold 200 at a lake nearby.
Find the Oberwerth Colorado strap here:
oberwerth.com/?sca_ref=869298...
Get 10% off on Oberwerth.com using the code ANALOGINSIGHTS during checkout.
References:
camera-wiki.org/wiki/Konica_(I...
Films used:
Ilford Delta 100
Kodak Gold 200
Gear used:
Konica IIIa
Hedeco Lime II
Oberwerth Colorado
If you enjoy our videos and like to follow us on Instagram, find us here: / analog_insights
I had this camera and it was amazing. So solid and heavy in hand and lots of fun to shoot.
Been waiting for this one. I adore my IIIA. A point of contention, however: You mentioned that only the IIIA and IIIM featured the double stroke film advance at the front, perhaps I misunderstood. The Konica III includes this feature as well. Still, another superb video!
P.S. - decoupling the aperture and shutter mechanism is very easy to do, and does not take extra special skills or tools particularly. Just JIS standard screwdrivers, to my recollection. I performed this simple surgery and it renders the camera so much easier to shoot, albeit less collectable. Those interested in pursuing this route might check out the video posted by Japan Vintage Camera on the procedure.
I actually prefer the III vs the IIIA because it was easier to use with glasses due to lower magnification. I own two copies of the III, an f2 and an f2.4. They have the same shutter. I intend to shoot a lens test between them sometime soon. The less common 2.4 is even smaller than the f2. It's actually easy to modify the IIIA to use the half frame film gate, although I've not done it personally.
That's a great discovery for myself, I heaven't heard of this camera before! Thanks for the vid
So glad to hear that. Thanks for your kind comment.
absolutely beautiful camera. Konica has its own style and character. I have a Konica EE Matic de luxe rangefinder. Beautiful
A true classic in both form and function. Very handsome camera that highlights just how the simplicity of operation and controls allows the small eloquences to shine (e.g., the top nameplate script).
Excellent review.
Very true. Thanks for your comment.
A beautiful piece. My first introduction to Konica, was with the Hexar AF back in the early 90s in NYC. Everybody raved about the lens quality of the Hexar. Thinking about it I think Leibovitz was seen with one.
Back to the IIIA inscribing font very elegant. Malcolm X, owned one dope to the max. The Delta 100 looked very professional clean good work thanks for the info.
Wow the images are fantastic! Great review. I love it that you guys are breathing new life into these gems.
Thanks for a very enjoyable video. I have a 'history' with the IIIa going back to buying a scruffy one many years ago in a basement camera store in Tokyo itself. The IIIa is one of the most under rated cameras ever!
I've just bought another one via eBay from a store in Japan and that had one advertised problem - the outer viewfinder window glass and surround were broken. I notice your example does not have the plastic surround at all so presumably it suffered a similar fate. Why this was a quite common thing to happen i don't know. In fairness the camera looks pretty cool without the plastic.
The camera I bought has quite a few 'not advertised' problems but only those to be expected for a camera of this age.
Amazing image quality of this fine camera. Definitely a worthy contender with the M3
I have a standard Konica III , beautifully crafted , works excellently and produces some of my favorite black and white images I’ve ever taken
So nice to hear that. I didn’t get a chance to test the standard Konica III but this sounds really good.
@@AnalogInsights hopefully one day you’ll get the chance !! It has the same double stroke advance , a little smaller but still has that heft
Got mine with an original leather case , the original Konica lens cap and the camera for $10 at a flea market !!
Hello and thank you for another excellent review. I have a Konica III with the 48mm f2 lens and a decoupled EV lock. I agree with your assessment of the EV lock and how it affects the camera's function for most people. The Konica III has a smaller viewfinder but still very bright with a contrasty rangefinder patch and is a pleasure to use. The lens is very sharp with the same tonality and look as your IIIA. I also use Delta 100 as it seems to compliment the Hexanon lens perfectly. It's a beautiful classic rangefinder to use and just to admire.
Thanks for your comments and kind words. Really helpful additions regarding the Konica III. Thanks. And yes, Delta 100 works really well with it.
This couldnt come at a better time! I'm also looking in to this exact camera, thanks for the review!
Glad I could help! Thanks for your comment.
Thank you. A wonderful presentation regarding this classic camera. Love the image quality. Thank you very much
Thank you for your kind comment. Means a lot.
Really nice review of the Konica IIIa. Been expecting this one and really enjoyed watching as always ! Really wonderful tones in the colour pictures. The tones of colour photos of my childhood.
I am firmly in the Pentax camp starting with my Spotmatic II that I bought 39 years ago when I was 16. Of all my pentax cameras it is still is my mainstay camera. However, my only non-pentax and only rangefinder is a Konica IIIa with 48mm lens. I also bought it from Japan about a year ago and had narrowed down to this model if I only have one rangefinder. It is absolutely mint and had the original lens filter, cap and very nice case, but, no lens hood! Those are too expensive for what they are so testing an machined aluminum one ftom China right now. Picked up a set of Zeiss coloured filters as to date have only shot B&W. Now after watching your review I feel I must try some colour film! I really like the style, quality, bright viewfinder and rangefinder lines with field size correction.
Note that the manual can be found online. It's almost 50 pages long ! They expected a certain intelligence back then. But with the 500/sec shutter speed it says explicitly that you must select this speed Before cocking the camera. I believe it engages a booster spring for that speed.
My EV is coupled and I find it ok to " juggle" the shutter speed and aperature rings as you demonstrated by holding back the ev ring. The manual describes this, and although not fast it works ( A little fiddly when used to a SLR). Once set they are locked in relation to each other.
Thanks again for the review, I really enjoy the calm and thorough presentation alternated with photos.
Kaj
Sweden
I love the Konica rangefinders. I have the IIIA, along with the I, II, IIA, and the IIIM (with the rare half frame mask). You can easily remove the EV lock, see some youtube videos on this. The IIIA is a fabulous camera. And I'm speaking as someone who has owned and used the Leica M2, M3, M4, M5, and IIIf, plus the Contax IIA, Nikon SP and Nikon S3.
Thank you for your comment. I wasn’t aware that it is so easy to remove this connection. Good to know. 👌🏻
Yes, Japan Vintage Camera's channel has a video on it. Jeff Guthrie there is whom I've bought most of my vintage Japanese cameras. He's great to buy from.
another great review. for a camera that is quite unknown, some great images , camera is has a nice design and quite good looking, 1950s was the pinnacle of camera design and manufacturing quality there is no doubt!!
Thank you for your comment. The 1950s and 60s really brought about some incredible cameras.
Just a heads up about the 1/500th, if you select it and then cock the shutter, you shouldn’t move it for any reason or you could break the spring mechanism. This is also why they made it harder to select. Also, I’ve decoupled mine myself, it is fairly straightforward and reversible. Now the camera is much easier to use.
I read that the 500th uses a different mechanism and you should move into that speed _before_ arming the shutter only? I have a note in my phone to remind me when I haven’t shot it for a couple of months and have forgotten how not to ruin this ace camera.
Sort of like Zorki 4K. Never change speed and wind until cocked. I hate to imagine how many cameras were damaged by this esoteric quirk and people not knowing
Sorry but just to clarify…after taking a shot, you wind on using the lever and then move to the 1/500th or, after taking a shot you don’t wind on and move to 500th and then wind on?
@@5on-of-Fire the latter.
@@5on-of-Fire no, what I meant is: if you select the 1/500th and then cock the shutter, you shouldn’t change the speed and leave it on 1/500th, or you can break the spring
Thank you very much for your highly informative review. I have seen most of your excellent reviews and come to the conclusion that you prove the statement: the quality of a picture depends mostly on the photographer´s skills and only to a lesser degree on the gear used. You always use a camera fully knowing what can be done with it.
What a beauty, I have had one for 20 years.
Sehr gute Fotos, herzlichen Dank!
Hey Max what a wonderful review. Completely agree with all your sentiments and findings. Very well done. I will never part with my Konica IIIA. It’s such a genuine way of taking photos on film. Lovely review Max! Very deserving. Couldn’t have done it any better myself 😆
Thank you for your kind words. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it and can relate so well to my findings. Really appreciate your comment. 🙏🏻
Over the years I have been following you the cameras reviewed have often matched my own choices. I bought my 111A a few months ago and am not surprised that you are now talking about this model. I also have an M3 and can agree that that the build and lens qualities are very close to Leitz.
I also have the earlier 11A which has a stylish curved front plate design and is a real gem. These cameras are massively undervalued today but that is not uncommon for high quality cameras of this era (late 50's) such as the superb Kodak Retina 111c/C models.
Thank you for your kind comment. I couldn’t agree more and there will be a review of Kodak Retina as well at some point.
Hi Max, what a beautiful camera, I love cameras with EV values like my 500cm. I wish more cameras would use them. I never spent the time to learn sunny 16 and thats why I sold my M3, just too slow. thank you for the video....
Thank you for your comment and highlighting the EV values. It is indeed starting to grow on me as an interesting alternative.
I like using the EV system and I set my light meters to ev numbers. My favourite meter and Ikophot works naturally with EV numbers.
Beautiful camera.
very good review!
Thanks for your comment. Really appreciate it.
Thank you for another great review video. I was happy to learn about a camera that I never heard of before. I am a big Olympus fan, have been using Olympus film cameras for over 40 years, so I am very curious how this camera compares to my beloved Olympus 35 SP. I always thought of the 35SP as the top fixed lens rangefinder out there, with its 42mm f1.7 possibly being one of the best lenses ever made, solid build, and the spot metering. It is also about 200grams lighter than Konica IIIA at about 600gr vs 800gr you mentioned in this video. Even more so my Olympus 35RC which is practically pocketable, though lacks the spot metering and is f2.8 compared to SP. I would love to see a comparison review if possible, or at least your thoughts on it. Which one of these reigns supreme :) ?...
Thanks for another enjoyable and informative video.
My 'new' Konica IIIa is on it's way from Tokyo as I type this! I have one already that I bought in person from a store in Tokyo about 10 years ago but that one no longer works ( long story). The one I have just bought is a bargain because the viewfinder eyepiece and surround are broken. These I can easily salvage from the earlier one. I notice that your IIIa has no eyepiece surround at all. So Presumably it got broken and the previous owner removed it and glued the glass element to the top housing directly. To my mind that's better than leaving the ugly broken piece in place. For some reason this is a quite common thing to get damaged.
Just bought one. Really looking forward to getting the camera back in fighting trim so i can shoot it.
Fantastic. I hope you enjoy the camera as much as I do.
Geil! Sehr schönes Video. Wie so oft von euch. Die Konica IIIA ist echt eine Ikone finde ich. Und eine echt wunderbare Möglichkeit für die 50ger Leute. Eine Kamera welche der IIIA nicht nachsteht, aber die 35mm Brennweite bedient ist eine sehr schöne und nicht oft gesehene Olympus Kamera. Die Olympus Wide S hat eines der besten 35mm F2.0 Linsen, welche Olympus gebaut hat. Sehr gesucht und das aus gutem Grund. Wer 50mm sucht, Konica IIIA, wer es etwas weitwinkliger mag die Olympus Wide S. Gut Licht euch Allen!
Very nice. It is very easy to remove the EV lock on these cameras. Japan Vintage Camera has video showing how to do it. The shutter on these cameras is quite easy compared to a lot of other cameras. I had to CLA my Konica IIIA 48mm f2 and it was very easy to do.
Thanks for your comment and sharing your experience. Really appreciate it. 🙏🏻
관심 있는 모델이었는데, 역시 클래식 카메라를 쓸 때 가장 중요한 건 파인더인 것 같습니다. 리뷰 고마워요
Glad to hear it was beneficial to you.
I dislike the EV system because I feel that it is somehow constraining. With a simple (and easily reversible) operation that removes a little metal tab, you can free the aperture from the shutter speed, which is what I have done with mine. Works great.
Another great video! Would love to see you review a Zorki 4 for fun someday.
Thank you for your comment. Yes, that would be nice indeed.
When you set a leaf shutter to 1/500 you load a very stiff spring. That's why it takes some extra force. The usual (and IMHO good) advice is to avoid using the top speed. First, even if you do it in the only correct order, you are putting the shutter to a stress test. Second, it isn't really worthwhile, since no leaf shutter will deliver that nominal speed, even if new. BTW, thinking of exposure in EVs is very easy. You just use the progression of natural numbers instead of odd combinations of f and t. And the locking of equivalent f and t combos is of great advantage, if you think about it. Never heard of anyone hacking a Hasselblad lens so as to disable the EV locking. Someone who understands manual exposure should have no problem whatsoever with an EV dial.
Thank you for your comment and taking the time to make a case about the EV dial. The longer I use it, the more I can follow that point. It really is easier once you are used to it.
Love your reviews. I"m subcriber sicnce... Years ago.
To be honest, the Title is a little bit a... Click Bite... There is no alternative to Leica m3, even in M system itself. I thing, you know it ;)
Otherswise, great review, great photos. You are the ABSOLUTELY top!
Thank you for your comment. And yes, point taken. ✌🏻
Schöne Kamera und tolle Bilder.❤
keep up the great work!
Thank you, Jan. So kind of you.
@@AnalogInsights you are welcome… I know it’s a lot of work and dedication..
A true classic!
Great video! F8nal pics are very beautiful.
What scanner do you use to digitalize the negative film?
Thank you for your comment. These were either scanned by MeinFilmLab using a Frontier or FilmSpeedLab using a Noritsu. I hope this helps.
Bought a Konika lllM more the 10 yes ago and never use it. After viewing the video, I took it out to clean, removed the meter, loaded it with Fomapan B&W 400 to test the camera.
So glad to hear that. I hope you enjoy it.
I recently bought a Konica IIIA and it looks like a really high quality camera. However, I'm in the process of shooting my first roll of film in the camera and I know the rangefinder calibration is off. I only notice this when focusing at infinity, but I assume the focus is off overall. Does anyone know of a guide to calibrating the rangefinder as I hope to do this myself.
that 3m Halfframe adapter!!! where do you get one of those???
Hi Max , Will you be doing anymore of your “ Story behind the shoot series “ ? Thank you
Thanks for your comment and interest. Probably not. These were simply way too much effort to organize and produce.
@@AnalogInsights Thats too bad as I really enjoyed watching them , but I realize there was a lot of effort in making them . Maybe if you’re bored you could review a few of the really cheap cameras from the past as I think people would be interested in what the less well off used . Thank you
Guys - have you heard of the Bertram Press / Reporter Camera. Sometimes called the Bertram Munchen BCI Camera or Bertram Lensmaster Camera?
Had never heard of it. Very interesting. Thanks for mentioning it.
@@AnalogInsights Many thanks for reverting. I have not been able to find much about it and you confirm it seems uncommon. I picked up the camera with complete set at an auction recently: it is stunning. I haven't used it yet. No doubt CLA might be in order...
Keep up the great work!
It’s straight up a better camera than an M3 if you shoot flash.
The first thing I do with these is disable the EV interlock 😊
Mentioned towards the end of the video. :)
But what if the true Leica alternative is the camera you've had/carried all along?
Uh! That hit home.
Lmaoo my “Leica Alternative “ is an Argus C3 with all the lenses. 😂
No
If someone would offer to trade a Leica m3 for my iiia, I would turn them down.
I read that it is the 48mm which is the better lens. You can decouple the ev .
Yes, the 48mm is a hair better wide open but they are basically the same once you get to f2.8. The shutter on the 48mm is more prone to issues and more difficult to repair. All of these mechanical Konicas are pretty easy to tear down and repair if something goes wrong.
Dear everyone! We must not be put off by everything that is said about the EV lock system. It's easier to live with than we think. If it becomes too difficult for us, we can watch this instructional video; ua-cam.com/video/HtlTCrc_u5c/v-deo.html. I'm no mechanic, but this video was all I needed to untangle the connection between aperture and shutter speed on the Konica IIIA. It made an already fantastic camera even a little better - at least a little more similar to other cameras we use. If we don't loosen the EV lock, it's still a fabulous camera with the best viewfinder I know of with parallax correction, image size adjustment when the distance changes, crystal clear frames in the viewfinder and 1:1 magnification of the viewfinder image. On top of it all, the lens is just as good as described here in the Analog Insight video and the brave comparison with the 50 Summicron is, for once, completely fair. I hope we all soon discover this gem of a camera, even if the price will then rise dramatically - perhaps finally to the heights it deserves...
Are You at all aware whether this camera will accept non-conventional film stock such as Kodak Vision 3 250D?
Hi Max. Unfortunately, the Konica III A is hard to find in germany. You mentioned, you bought your Konica from a japanese dealer. I know it‘s hard to give a recommendation and may be, its forbidden, but can you give an advice or name a dealer, you can trust?
I won’t be able to make a recommendation but most trustworthy ones offer very good images of the camera and in some cases even short video snippets. A few even offer free returns which might be an interesting option if you are in doubt.
Thank you so much
These were dirt cheap but now you’ve got the Japanese camera sellers licking their lips. EX+++++ some fungus, $499.
M3 Alternative? No
Its a decent camera, but an alternative to M3 it is not, by a long margin.
what a coincidence !!!
my Konica IIIa was just delivered and unboxed and I am feeling good cuz It cost me 100$ though it's very mint-level.
and I found this video in homepage of youtube.
but I don't like EV locking system.
Do you find the HYDECO meter accurate ? I use that meter on my Leica MA and M3 ... I wondered , how accurate it is , on that 3 A it looks terrific , timeless on that body.
Great video .. I am all for a good alternative for my Leica's when carrying in certain locations.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I find the meter quite accurate and didn’t encounter any problems with it. Really reliable and visually a great fit to these older cameras.