I bought one of these when they first came out and enjoy my poor man's Leica, however, mine is now suffering from the dreaded "push the shutter button and nothing happens" disorder. When I'm feeling brave, I'll pull it apart and fix the problem. Hexanon lenses are 2nd to nobody and generally out-perform any of my Nikon or Canon counterparts. When I bought the camera, I was told that I'd need 3 hands and an engineering degrees to perform some of the functions (LOL!!), but since I normally shoot on manual or aperture preferred, that's never been an issue. LOVE the silent mode!Great video on a great camera! Thanks!
Mike, you have a nice way of presenting this camera. Your video was informative and entertaining. I am looking for a nice Hexar AF. However, I am always afraid it will one day disfunction and become a paperweight. And the prices these things cost nowadays make that a real concern…..
Mike I have a g1 with the 45 , I like this camera and sometimes my mind goes crazy ejjejs, I can't decide, I love the image of the Carl Zeiss you think the hear RF will be a good idea for me thanks for your reviews
Pablo César Gutiérrez García you lose autofocus with the Hexar RF, so if that’s important to you, hang onto the G1! Personally I enjoy manual focus rangefinders!
Speaking of repair reliability. Do you think Nikon would even repair a camera like the F100 today? I kind of feel like repair of any film camera today is a crap shoot. I got lucky with my Bronica RF645. Contacted Tamron back in January and was able to get the winder mechanism repaired a month before they discontinued servicing them. And that camera was made after 2003.
Great question--I'm not really sure, but I have a feeling they do, since they still manufacture the F6. I don't see F100 repair/support as being a far cry from something they still manufacture!
I had a Hexar RF for 2-3 days before returning it. It had a problem where it just shut down after a few seconds, losing frame counter. Contact problem somewhere perhaps, but if it is faulty electronics, it's not guaranteed that the part is made anymore. I bought a Leica M3 instead and while it also had a slight problem, it could be and can be fixed easily. No electronics. I'm almost sure that when I retire, every digital camera I have either does not work or is laughably obsolete, whereas my mechanical film cameras are as relevant as they are today. Maybe new light seals and adjustment here and there, but hopefully no parts that can't be replaced. A film camera with electronics is not as bad as a digital camera in what comes to obsoleteness, but electronics seem to age worse than mechanics.
It's a shame that Leica does not make a camera like this. I think that they could sell a lot of them, and they could also make the motor winder even more discrete.
I know this is 4 years old, but if you are reviewing a camera you should shoot and operate the camera in the video so that viewers can get a sense of how the camera sounds and operates, especially considering this is a rangefinder many people will be trying to be stealthy with. More close up and macro shot needed too! maybe a slideshow of macro images of the body as you are speaking... Also Id say there is really no point in reviewing a lens if you don't include any sample images to present how you feel about its optical properties. Otherwise well done and nicely in depth.
Hi, I currently have a: Contax G1 + 45mm f/2 & 90mm f/2,8 and want to switch to a: Konica Hexar RF + Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 Would you recommend doing this? I am very keen on the Konica due to its higher shutter speed and manual focus ability (which the Contax does terribly).
John Smith the big question is, do you like the rangefinder shooting experience? Even though the G1 is capable of manual focus it’s really not made for that-it’s made to be experienced as an autofocus camera as to where the Hexar is a manual focus rangefinder but with auto exposure and auto film advance. My personal opinion on the the G1 is, if I’m going to use an autofocus camera, I’d rather just use a tiny point and shoot, and if I want manual focus I’d use a true rangefinder system like the Hexar
agreed. although i have grown fond of the amazing zeiss glass that does come with the contax. i guess i should save money and convert them to m-mount ! thank you for your speedy response! :)
was a good camera. lots of variants; professional: limited $ paid for this? oh, lens make pronounced "fot-lander" - in german. van gough, "van goff" your left finger annoyingly rubs vf window a lot, camerabugitus? :). good luck with 10 yr old film lol!
@Vincent Walter This is a really good question and deserves an explanation. First, it was two rolls shot. I tend to give cameras a very thorough going-over before I even shoot it. Learn what every button is, every setting, every quirk. I take my "economy" pretty seriously. If it will shoot without film in it, I will fire it (usually many times) to get a feel for any amount of lag, how it advances, what the shutter button feels like, and even what it sounds like. After having done this with the Hexar RF, and putting a couple of rolls through it, I discovered it behaves very "predictably." It's not a "quirky" camera that takes any amount of time to learn if you're well versed in the combination of automatic point and shoots AND rangefinders--of which this is essentially a hybrid. If it makes you feel better: after the video, I owned this for another couple of months and put just under 40 rolls through it--and after having gained more experience with the camera, I wouldn't change anything about the review. In fact, I'm willing to bet that if YOU shot one or two rolls through this essentially very simple camera, you'd be able to give a quality, detailed overview/review of what it does, how it does it, and how it feels to shoot it. Thanks for checking it out!
@@themikepadua Not until I reviewed a couple rolls of film under a loupe or actually making prints. Anyway... I've been round the block a few times... I mainly wanted to hear how silent or not it is.
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Wanna see more close up of the camera and samples :)
you should narrate audiobooks man...hahaha your voice is very soothing...thanks for the review! super useful
Thank you so much for your kind words, it is truly appreciated. Thank you for watching!
I bought one of these when they first came out and enjoy my poor man's Leica, however, mine is now suffering from the dreaded "push the shutter button and nothing happens" disorder. When I'm feeling brave, I'll pull it apart and fix the problem. Hexanon lenses are 2nd to nobody and generally out-perform any of my Nikon or Canon counterparts. When I bought the camera, I was told that I'd need 3 hands and an engineering degrees to perform some of the functions (LOL!!), but since I normally shoot on manual or aperture preferred, that's never been an issue. LOVE the silent mode!Great video on a great camera! Thanks!
def on my bucket list.
you own so many camera i would love to own
Mike, you have a nice way of presenting this camera. Your video was informative and entertaining. I am looking for a nice Hexar AF. However, I am always afraid it will one day disfunction and become a paperweight. And the prices these things cost nowadays make that a real concern…..
Thanks for watching! Expensive autofocus cameras are pretty much a non-starter for me because of reliability vs. repair cost
Great review. I love your clarity when explaining!
Thanks Kevin!
Some parts of it reminds me of Contax cameras like the shutter speed dial, film door thing and the shutter selector.
Apparently it took a lot of ideas from contax's G2!
great review! Thinking of getting either this or Bessa R2M/R3M, but batteries only is a bummer
hey guys, do you have by any chance step by step or video tutorial for focus calibration ?
that'd be great !!! thanks. an RF lover :)
anyone ?
ua-cam.com/video/MvA64Ksvnsk/v-deo.html
35 1.4 is super rare too. I'll be in Benicia for Christmas. Let's kick it. Remember when we thought was saw Keskeys is front on Max's house? LOL
Let's absolutely kick it! Dude, that was so hilarious. That guy must have thought we were nuts.
@@themikepadua classic memory.
@@sonomama82 that was amazing!!!
Cool video Mike! Now I want one of these! Not helping with the G.A.S. lol
Mike I have a g1 with the 45 , I like this camera and sometimes my mind goes crazy ejjejs, I can't decide, I love the image of the Carl Zeiss you think the hear RF will be a good idea for me thanks for your reviews
Pablo César Gutiérrez García you lose autofocus with the Hexar RF, so if that’s important to you, hang onto the G1! Personally I enjoy manual focus rangefinders!
thanks a lot Mike im gonna try to get one and see what happend
Speaking of repair reliability. Do you think Nikon would even repair a camera like the F100 today? I kind of feel like repair of any film camera today is a crap shoot. I got lucky with my Bronica RF645. Contacted Tamron back in January and was able to get the winder mechanism repaired a month before they discontinued servicing them. And that camera was made after 2003.
Great question--I'm not really sure, but I have a feeling they do, since
they still manufacture the F6. I don't see F100 repair/support as being
a far cry from something they still manufacture!
Thats ridiculous. There are a million film cameras that can be repaired for relative ease.
I had a Hexar RF for 2-3 days before returning it. It had a problem where it just shut down after a few seconds, losing frame counter. Contact problem somewhere perhaps, but if it is faulty electronics, it's not guaranteed that the part is made anymore. I bought a Leica M3 instead and while it also had a slight problem, it could be and can be fixed easily. No electronics. I'm almost sure that when I retire, every digital camera I have either does not work or is laughably obsolete, whereas my mechanical film cameras are as relevant as they are today. Maybe new light seals and adjustment here and there, but hopefully no parts that can't be replaced. A film camera with electronics is not as bad as a digital camera in what comes to obsoleteness, but electronics seem to age worse than mechanics.
it doesn’t have to go to Nikon for a repair.
is the auto focusing better than contax G2?
This camera uses Leica M-mount lenses, which are manual focus.
🤦🏻♂️
I think that lens has contrast off the scale
This camera only for 35mm or other focal lengths?
It has frame lines for 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 90mm and 135mm lenses. Quite a range! And it's a joy to shoot with.
It's a shame that Leica does not make a camera like this. I think that they could sell a lot of them, and they could also make the motor winder even more discrete.
Karim Ghantous they do. It’s called the m7
They would rather make $7000.00: digital cameras
Nitro Spice they don’t make the m7 anymore
I know this is 4 years old, but if you are reviewing a camera you should shoot and operate the camera in the video so that viewers can get a sense of how the camera sounds and operates, especially considering this is a rangefinder many people will be trying to be stealthy with. More close up and macro shot needed too! maybe a slideshow of macro images of the body as you are speaking... Also Id say there is really no point in reviewing a lens if you don't include any sample images to present how you feel about its optical properties. Otherwise well done and nicely in depth.
Hi, I currently have a:
Contax G1 + 45mm f/2 & 90mm f/2,8
and want to switch to a:
Konica Hexar RF + Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4
Would you recommend doing this? I am very keen on the Konica due to its higher shutter speed and manual focus ability (which the Contax does terribly).
John Smith the big question is,
do you like the rangefinder shooting experience? Even though the G1 is capable of manual focus it’s really not made for that-it’s made to be experienced as an autofocus camera as to where the Hexar is a manual focus rangefinder but with auto exposure and auto film advance. My personal opinion on the the G1 is, if I’m going to use an autofocus camera, I’d rather just use a tiny point and shoot, and if I want manual focus I’d use a true rangefinder system like the Hexar
agreed. although i have grown fond of the amazing zeiss glass that does come with the contax. i guess i should save money and convert them to m-mount ! thank you for your speedy response! :)
nice review
Would be pretty cool if you did a video about expired film!
Eric Tsai what do you want to know ?
Once it broke, it is hard to be fixed as electronic film camera, so I only consider Leica M, especially pure mechanical
Very true--a risk we take with all electronic devices.
PPP Repairs in England services Hexar cameras and most of film cameras no more serviced by no one else like Contax T series and G series
Good to know!
was a good camera. lots of variants; professional: limited
$ paid for this?
oh, lens make pronounced "fot-lander" - in german.
van gough, "van goff"
your left finger annoyingly rubs vf window a lot, camerabugitus? :). good luck with 10 yr old film lol!
Ever heard of B-roll ?
Nope
How can you review a camera you have only one roll of film through?
SMH. I'm just here to hear what it sounds like.
@Vincent Walter This is a really good question and deserves an explanation. First, it was two rolls shot. I tend to give cameras a very thorough going-over before I even shoot it. Learn what every button is, every setting, every quirk. I take my "economy" pretty seriously. If it will shoot without film in it, I will fire it (usually many times) to get a feel for any amount of lag, how it advances, what the shutter button feels like, and even what it sounds like. After having done this with the Hexar RF, and putting a couple of rolls through it, I discovered it behaves very "predictably." It's not a "quirky" camera that takes any amount of time to learn if you're well versed in the combination of automatic point and shoots AND rangefinders--of which this is essentially a hybrid. If it makes you feel better: after the video, I owned this for another couple of months and put just under 40 rolls through it--and after having gained more experience with the camera, I wouldn't change anything about the review. In fact, I'm willing to bet that if YOU shot one or two rolls through this essentially very simple camera, you'd be able to give a quality, detailed overview/review of what it does, how it does it, and how it feels to shoot it. Thanks for checking it out!
@@themikepadua Not until I reviewed a couple rolls of film under a loupe or actually making prints. Anyway... I've been round the block a few times... I mainly wanted to hear how silent or not it is.
@@fez3327 Well, it doesn't seem like I'll be able to make you happy then, so I wish you best and I hope you find what you're looking for elsewhere.