Second rangefinder - which old Konica?

stephen_lumsden

stephen_lumsden

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I have been thinking about getting a second Contax ii or a Kiev ii as a backup. That said I am not sure I can justify the cost of a good body. I have got to the stage where I would like to have the option of getting it CLA'd at a later stage and I think just using one lens is ok sometimes. I was out with just my Jupiter 12 last week and found it a bit too wide. I was looking at the Konica iii/iiia but think the size and lever advance may annoy me, so the ii,iia or even iib may be better. I then found the Konica I which seems really simple and basic, but well made and smaller than the rest. I have a Yashica D and B, so do not think cocking the shutter separately an issue. I am tempted going for one with a Hexar 3.5 from a reputable UK seller on ebay which comes with the case (which seems to be rare when getting a I or II). So, if speed is not an issue, which one would be best for a Contax shooter? Also who repairs them in the UK. I would not like to get anything that cannot be fixed.
 
The Konica S2 has a great lens, and well-built. Many made, no too expensive. That would be my choice.
 
I bought an auto S2 off eBay which arrived jammed, but I'd did look quite solid if a little big, so may reconsider. I would prefer something without a meter as they are not always reliable after a certain age.
 
If going for a 50s RF, I would go with the IIIA/M over the I or II. The IIIs are far better in every regard. In the 60s, I like the Auto SE, which has the legendary 38mm f/1.8 Hexanon that can RF couple down to 0.6m. The S2 is great but for me, its lens is too long for general use.
 
The lever advance of the IIIa is actually nice and easy to adapt to, plus it has that wonderful 1:1 viewfinder.

It is bigger than the Konica I though which has the collapsible lens and a much smaller viewfinder. On the I you have several steps between shots are you have to unlock the film advance, wind and then cock the shutter.
 
Is there any difference between the iii and iiia apart from the viewfinder? The iii seems to be a bit cheaper and I am eyeing a good deal which comes with case hood and filter.
 
You should look at Konica S or Konica SII with the 48/2 lens. The 48mm f/2 Hexanon lens is probably an optical copy of the earlier version offered with Konica II and Konica III models, which is of legendary quality. I made a test of this camera with the Konica S2 and Minolta AL, and I did like the results of the S better. Since is not much of a sought after camera is relatively inexpensive. It is also very well build and rugged. I got mine with no need of a CLA, and it's still going strong...A real treasure from 1961
 
I love my Konica II with 50/2.8 Hexanon lens. I bought it for something like $12 on ebay from a seller in Japan. It came in the case which is still in good condition, and the camera was in rough shape but it cleaned up very well. The rangefinder is nice, focusing is “backwards” but not a bother. It is a really fantastic small camera, only a few millimeters higher than a Barnack and a full centimeter narrower.
Both the 2.8 Hexanon and the 3.5 Hexar are fantastic lenses. I have the Hexar mounted on a Leotax K and it is a brilliant package.
Phil Forrest
 
While I absolutely agree that the 50mm f/3.5 Hexar lens is fantastic (also have one in M39), the 50mm f/1.8 on the IIIA is better. The II is ok but very archaic in operation and also lacks framelines and thus no parallax correction. The IIA with the 48mm f/2 would be the one to get if you go that route. The IIIA and IIIM are worth every penny of the upgrade over the regular III.
 
The old Konica rangefinders are great cameras. I have and use a bunch of them.
My fav is the IIIA. The IIIA finder is really great. The three best finders (on rangefinders) of all time in my experience are the Leica M, Konica IIIA, and Bronica RF645.

The IIIM finder almost the same as IIIA but has half frame lines added, which can be a bit distracting (but easy to get used to). Also, I find that I often bump the tab that turns on the shutter timer on the IIIM, which I don't notice until the camera starts buzzing when I press the shutter button. Have to hold still for about 10 seconds when that happens, which is all too often. I'll make a little device to block this some day. It does not happen on IIIA because the control is in a different place.

The III is a very nice camera to use, just with a bit smaller finder. Note that there are four types of III, oldest with a Konirapid shutter, two versions with Seiko shutters, the older of these with aperture scale on bottom of lens, the newer version with aperture scale on top of the lens. There is a 4th version with a 48mm f2.4 lens. That one also has no self timer.

All of the III, IIIA and IIIM often have oily shutter and aperture blades and need cleaning. Some have slowness of the trigger wind, which is tedious to clean (at least for me).

The IIA and II are very nice to use as well. No trigger wind. Finder is a lot like the III and very good. The rangefinders in all of these cameras use the sliding lens or prism between the two mirrors, rather than the rotating mirrors as in a Canonet. The collapsible lens of the II and IIA make then smaller to carry.

My only Konica I has some additional quirks (e.g., method of winding) that make it slower to use, but the rangefinder is remarkably good, albeit small. Konica I is a nice size to carry.

The Auto S2 a bit bigger and is also a very good camera. The Auto S3 is meter dependent.

I don't think you will be disappointed by any of these.
 
I like my Konica I quite a bit. It's very much an "old fashioned" rangefinder like the Barnack Leicas, but the viewfinder and rangefinder are perfectly usable. Most importantly, it takes nice photos.
 
The build quality of the I is really high -- very simple camera, but made to a high standard. One thing that's not so great is that the shutter release is on the lens; it takes a careful hand to trip it smoothly. Rather like getting used to the shutter release on a Rolleicord. A body-mounted release would have been great. Also, it has an old style flash connection, so keep that in mind if you want flash capability.
 
Thanks. It looks like all options are good. I do like the real basic look and size of the I. Having to cock the shutter separately helps a more mindful approach.
 
Love my Konica Auto S3, it is fast and intuitive to use. Greg Weber has parts and still fixes them. I had mine CLA'd and upgraded to modern batteries, but need to send it back to him as it had a tumble.
 
I have a IIIa and find it's a great camera. The shutter is so quiet I can hardly hear it even with the camera at my eye. When I had the camera CLA'd by Greg Weber, I asked him to remove the interlock between the aperture ring and the shutter speed ring, as I found pulling back one of the rings (spring loaded) to change the time/F-stop relationship was not what I wanted. It's a matter of choice -- my Hasselblad lenses have the speed and f-stop interlocked, as do some Rolleiflex cameras, though Rollei wisely built in a means to disconnect the interlock on some models. To each one's own -- but as a walk-around camera, the Konica IIIa is great. No poking yourself in the eye when you advance the film!
 
j.scooter said:
Love my Konica Auto S3, it is fast and intuitive to use. Greg Weber has parts and still fixes them. I had mine CLA'd and upgraded to modern batteries, but need to send it back to him as it had a tumble.
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I don't think Weber will still fix them. I sent my IIIA to him 15 months ago. When I called to ask what is going on, he said that illness will prevent him from doing any more camera repairs. He said he'd send it back to me. That was three months ago. I've called twice more to request camera and haven't gotten it back. So I'd suggest not sending any cameras to him that you wish to ever get back.
 
Trask said:
I have a IIIa and find it's a great camera. The shutter is so quiet I can hardly hear it even with the camera at my eye. When I had the camera CLA'd by Greg Weber, I asked him to remove the interlock between the aperture ring and the shutter speed ring, as I found pulling back one of the rings (spring loaded) to change the time/F-stop relationship was not what I wanted.
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To disable the interlock is fairly easy. You just need to take the shutter speed selector ring off, unscrew a part from it and then reassemble it. You don't have to dive deep into the shutter.



My IIIa was from a seller in Japan who sort of specialized in the IIIa and sold CLA'd cameras that he had stripped down the shutter to fully clean it. Part of that was removing the interlock.
 
lohrentz said:
I don't think Weber will still fix them. I sent my IIIA to him 15 months ago. When I called to ask what is going on, he said that illness will prevent him from doing any more camera repairs. He said he'd send it back to me. That was three months ago. I've called twice more to request camera and haven't gotten it back. So I'd suggest not sending any cameras to him that you wish to ever get back.
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Thanks for that update. I sent him an email earlier this week trying to send in my S3 and he has not responded yet. I hope he is alright.
 
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