I own the Autoreflex T3 and really enjoy shooting with it. I do agree with you about the light meter - It's rubbish full stop, and the viewfinder on my copy is a little foggy - that said I don't have any issues nailing focus, and that's why the T3 is a keeper for me. I love that it's fully mechanical (apart from the inaccurate light meter). I ended up purchasing a ttartisans small light meter that slides right into the hot shoe mount. It works really well and it's easy to use. I shoot a lot of film (both 35mm and medium format) and the shots I get back from the T3 paired with the 24mm f2.8 are some of the sharpest I've ever taken for 35mm film. The light meter in the camera is off almost 2 stops - so for me it's unusable - maybe I should get the T3 CLA'd and the light meter re-calibrated (I'm currently using Weincell batteries (1.35volts) so I I dont think it's a voltage issue) Anyways - that's my view of my Autoreflex T3. The reason I went with the T3 is that it was the last of the T line that was fully metal with very little plastic and I'm glad that I did.
My Konica was recalibrated, but I shot other cameras that weren't and the pictures turned out fine. I'll have to check the ttartisan light meter you mentioned!
I have experienced in low light scenarios what you described (about the light meter reading issue). To be fair, those cameras are just a fully mechanical shutter + an incorporated needle light meter, with no LEDs, no electronics. In those low light situations, improving the source of light is mandatory and manual adjustments on the flash and the camera are required. On the other hand, under well illuminated scenarios, the camera provides good shutter priority exposure, depending on the quality on the light meter adjustment (aka voltage conversion)
Indeed! The Yashica FX-3 I've showcased this summer had LEDs and it was very clear to read, but alsoy Praktica MTL5, which is fully mechanical as well, has a very bright viewfinder and I had no issues shooting at night.
No one really talks about Konica. The TC was is one of my favorite all time cameras. It's small, looks really cool and has everything you need. The lenses are just amazing. They're cheap and really sharp.
These film images are furrier than a Muppet show. I love it! Either way - I think I'll stick to adapting to digital. tyvm! The image at 0:4:11 - at first I thought your video blocking was a set of columns you used for framing. I was thinking wow, he really got those columns straight! Thanks for a fun diversion in film!
I've got a T4 which I inherited, with a few lens. I've used the lenses a lot on my fujifilm xt-2 but as yet, not used the T4. Beautiful camera though and nice video Marco.
Konica Hexanon lenses are pretty good, right? I feel like they've been gaining popularity in the last couple years, I'm glad I managed to put together a kit, just in case prices rise XD
Nice video sir! :) I'm curious though how you shot that roll, e.g. did you manually expose or were you using the AE shutter-priority. If you were using shutter priority it almost seems like you were trying to keep your shutter speeds very high to keep aperture value low as possible for shallower DoF, no? Though hard to figure out exactly since you had several lenses and I'm not sure which shot is with which lens. As someone else pointed out in another comment, those examples all looked quite soft to me compared with all or most results I get from any one of my several Konica bodies over the past 5 years. That is to say it almost seems something is a bit off - was the only the lightmeter repaired or did you receive a full CLA with mirror alignment check etc.?
I manually exposed all the shots, I actually forgot to try AE 😅 The camera fully serviced, but the film was expired and had not been stored properly, so some sharpness might have been lost there, as the same lenses are very sharp on digital.
@@MarcoAries 😲🥲Brother! You need to take it out again. That's the whole point of fixing the meter in those! NOW I UNDERSTAND why you didn't like the meter shown in aperture scale in the viewfinder. Ahhhhhh..... Yeah because I agree... shooting manually takes getting used to with the meter scale setup in this way. It's rather weird. But it's meant to make it *easier* in AE mode. I shot, for many years, using only manual or aperture-priority, but it was Konicas that (very slowly) made me come around to actually *preferring* shutter-priority. Here's the thing. You know what shutter speed roughly you want, and you set that... When it's in AE mode you *always* know at a glance in the viewfinder what the aperture being chosen it... and you can lock exposure with the half-press if you like, or if you want to lower the aperture then you just raise the shutter speed with your finger. I find it faster overall but I'm still in control. And the plus side is that your shutter is, well, the priority, so instead of a blurry shot (like happens with aperture priority so often) you get a shallower depth of field sometimes than you wanted. In my experience the shallower depth is preferable to blurry..... it just saves more shots from being missed, for me at least. It took me some time to adjust but I honestly love the system now and it's still amazing to me that it's all happening mechanically.... the meter must be powered but the aperture is selected with the trap-needle system. It's just super cool. OK.... I've rambled too long. Go try that thing in shutter priority. I bet money your results are better. 100%. 😁
Recently acquired 2 Autoreflex TC cameras, I've put about 3 or 4 rolls through them but have yet to get them developed. Personally I don't have an issue with the viewfinder, and I use an external light meter so I can't really comment on that haha. I really like how nimble they feel, and the short throw of the film advance is very handy. I hope it grows on you! Always appreciate your great content, take care.
As you say, they are nimble indeed! Using an external lightmeter sure is a solution, plus you don't have to worry about camera batteries, especially those of us using different cameras with different batteries. What lightmeter do you use?
@@MarcoAries I'm so sorry I didn't see your response! I've just been using a light meter app on my phone as I just got into film photography (it's incredibly addictive as I'm sure you know, I'm already going on 4 cameras haha), but I'm hoping to get a Lime One light meter soon. Happy shooting!
11/28/21 Not sure if it's UA-cam or your Konica camera, but the images seemed soft. I own several models of Konica Auto-Reflex T and lenses and my photo was a lot sharper than your experience with it. If the camera is working all you had to do was put the lens on AE exposer and choose a shutter speed that was within the acceptable f stop range and focus the shot. I shot many a wedding and the photos which were of pro-quality. The reason I went with Konica cameras is because of their very sharp lenses and the auto exposed compared to other cameras of its time. The Auto-Reflex T series was slightly bigger and heavier than the later models.
UA-cam compression does make the pictures a bit softer, yes. To be honest I never use auto exposure on film cameras, and very rarely on digital, for the simple reason that I prefer to set it myself 😉
I've only recently discovered your channel. I am not an analog photographer, I shoot Olympus OMD but I am a fan of analog lenses which I love to adapt on my Olympus system. Keep up the hard and precious work. From what I see many enjoy these videos and I am including myself in that "many" pileup.
I love the Konica line up very underrated and under appreciated.
It is, but it has a core of people that really love it!
I own the Autoreflex T3 and really enjoy shooting with it. I do agree with you about the light meter - It's rubbish full stop, and the viewfinder on my copy is a little foggy - that said I don't have any issues nailing focus, and that's why the T3 is a keeper for me. I love that it's fully mechanical (apart from the inaccurate light meter). I ended up purchasing a ttartisans small light meter that slides right into the hot shoe mount. It works really well and it's easy to use. I shoot a lot of film (both 35mm and medium format) and the shots I get back from the T3 paired with the 24mm f2.8 are some of the sharpest I've ever taken for 35mm film. The light meter in the camera is off almost 2 stops - so for me it's unusable - maybe I should get the T3 CLA'd and the light meter re-calibrated (I'm currently using Weincell batteries (1.35volts) so I I dont think it's a voltage issue) Anyways - that's my view of my Autoreflex T3. The reason I went with the T3 is that it was the last of the T line that was fully metal with very little plastic and I'm glad that I did.
My Konica was recalibrated, but I shot other cameras that weren't and the pictures turned out fine. I'll have to check the ttartisan light meter you mentioned!
Very nice results, I should shoot more film too
Thanks! It's true what they say: film has its own vibe. Although, it gets expensive fast, sadly...
I have experienced in low light scenarios what you described (about the light meter reading issue). To be fair, those cameras are just a fully mechanical shutter + an incorporated needle light meter, with no LEDs, no electronics. In those low light situations, improving the source of light is mandatory and manual adjustments on the flash and the camera are required. On the other hand, under well illuminated scenarios, the camera provides good shutter priority exposure, depending on the quality on the light meter adjustment (aka voltage conversion)
Indeed! The Yashica FX-3 I've showcased this summer had LEDs and it was very clear to read, but alsoy Praktica MTL5, which is fully mechanical as well, has a very bright viewfinder and I had no issues shooting at night.
No one really talks about Konica. The TC was is one of my favorite all time cameras. It's small, looks really cool and has everything you need. The lenses are just amazing. They're cheap and really sharp.
Yes, it is an underrated brand indeed
These film images are furrier than a Muppet show. I love it! Either way - I think I'll stick to adapting to digital. tyvm!
The image at 0:4:11 - at first I thought your video blocking was a set of columns you used for framing. I was thinking wow, he really got those columns straight!
Thanks for a fun diversion in film!
Yeah, adapting to digital is the most efficient way to use vintage lenses, but I like to dabble in the (expensive) analogic world from time to time 😅
I've got a T4 which I inherited, with a few lens. I've used the lenses a lot on my fujifilm xt-2 but as yet, not used the T4. Beautiful camera though and nice video Marco.
Konica Hexanon lenses are pretty good, right? I feel like they've been gaining popularity in the last couple years, I'm glad I managed to put together a kit, just in case prices rise XD
@@MarcoAries very good lenses!
I have similar to you: 28mm 3.5 and 50 1.7 52 1.8 and 135 2.5. Love them all!
I just bought this camera and I would like to know if I need battery to take pictures? Thank you 🙏🏼
Yes, you can take pictures without batteries, but the lightmeter won't work.
@@MarcoAries thank you for your reply !
Nice video sir! :) I'm curious though how you shot that roll, e.g. did you manually expose or were you using the AE shutter-priority. If you were using shutter priority it almost seems like you were trying to keep your shutter speeds very high to keep aperture value low as possible for shallower DoF, no? Though hard to figure out exactly since you had several lenses and I'm not sure which shot is with which lens.
As someone else pointed out in another comment, those examples all looked quite soft to me compared with all or most results I get from any one of my several Konica bodies over the past 5 years. That is to say it almost seems something is a bit off - was the only the lightmeter repaired or did you receive a full CLA with mirror alignment check etc.?
I manually exposed all the shots, I actually forgot to try AE 😅 The camera fully serviced, but the film was expired and had not been stored properly, so some sharpness might have been lost there, as the same lenses are very sharp on digital.
@@MarcoAries 😲🥲Brother! You need to take it out again. That's the whole point of fixing the meter in those! NOW I UNDERSTAND why you didn't like the meter shown in aperture scale in the viewfinder. Ahhhhhh..... Yeah because I agree... shooting manually takes getting used to with the meter scale setup in this way. It's rather weird. But it's meant to make it *easier* in AE mode.
I shot, for many years, using only manual or aperture-priority, but it was Konicas that (very slowly) made me come around to actually *preferring* shutter-priority. Here's the thing. You know what shutter speed roughly you want, and you set that... When it's in AE mode you *always* know at a glance in the viewfinder what the aperture being chosen it... and you can lock exposure with the half-press if you like, or if you want to lower the aperture then you just raise the shutter speed with your finger. I find it faster overall but I'm still in control. And the plus side is that your shutter is, well, the priority, so instead of a blurry shot (like happens with aperture priority so often) you get a shallower depth of field sometimes than you wanted. In my experience the shallower depth is preferable to blurry..... it just saves more shots from being missed, for me at least.
It took me some time to adjust but I honestly love the system now and it's still amazing to me that it's all happening mechanically.... the meter must be powered but the aperture is selected with the trap-needle system. It's just super cool.
OK.... I've rambled too long.
Go try that thing in shutter priority. I bet money your results are better. 100%. 😁
Again, the beauty of old gear: there's always something to learn, every system is a little different 😄
Recently acquired 2 Autoreflex TC cameras, I've put about 3 or 4 rolls through them but have yet to get them developed. Personally I don't have an issue with the viewfinder, and I use an external light meter so I can't really comment on that haha. I really like how nimble they feel, and the short throw of the film advance is very handy. I hope it grows on you!
Always appreciate your great content, take care.
As you say, they are nimble indeed! Using an external lightmeter sure is a solution, plus you don't have to worry about camera batteries, especially those of us using different cameras with different batteries. What lightmeter do you use?
@@MarcoAries I'm so sorry I didn't see your response! I've just been using a light meter app on my phone as I just got into film photography (it's incredibly addictive as I'm sure you know, I'm already going on 4 cameras haha), but I'm hoping to get a Lime One light meter soon. Happy shooting!
No worries, notifications are a bit unreliable 😅
11/28/21 Not sure if it's UA-cam or your Konica camera, but the images seemed soft. I own several models of Konica Auto-Reflex T and lenses and my photo was a lot sharper than your experience with it. If the camera is working all you had to do was put the lens on AE exposer and choose a shutter speed that was within the acceptable f stop range and focus the shot. I shot many a wedding and the photos which were of pro-quality. The reason I went with Konica cameras is because of their very sharp lenses and the auto exposed compared to other cameras of its time. The Auto-Reflex T series was slightly bigger and heavier than the later models.
UA-cam compression does make the pictures a bit softer, yes. To be honest I never use auto exposure on film cameras, and very rarely on digital, for the simple reason that I prefer to set it myself 😉
I've only recently discovered your channel. I am not an analog photographer, I shoot Olympus OMD but I am a fan of analog lenses which I love to adapt on my Olympus system. Keep up the hard and precious work. From what I see many enjoy these videos and I am including myself in that "many" pileup.
Thank you so much for the support! Olympus OMD are a great platform to adapt vintage lenses ;)
Hey, that's us! XD
Yep!
Your camera is out of alignment. I have the same exact model and all my shots have no focusing issues. I do agree the meter is hard to read though.
The camera was inspected and adjusted before shooting by professionals and they've always done a perfect job, so...