Well, the Konica Hexanon Lens deals are really rare on eBay these days I'll tell you. But I did manage to snag a Konica Hexanon 135mm f2.5 lens up in my very first "Buy It Now" auction for $30. It needed cleaning on the rear element and since the seller was a photo store, they compromised with me (since it wasn't in the discription at the time when I bought it) and they will take it apart and clean it for me.

Total price with Hexanon 135mm f2.5 cleaning and shipping: $45. Was this a "good" deal? I checked ofcourse in my Blue Book and on eBay, and didn't have a price for this lens, so I have no idea what it is "really" worth.

Mike Photography Blue Book web site. Server #1 Photography Blue Book web site. Server #2

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2001

Answers

Konica 135mm f2.5

Mike, you beat me to it! Last f2.5 on eBay was new in box and went for more than $250. Normally goes for upwards of $100 in decent shape.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2001

Hey, wadda ya know. You CAN still get a good deal on eBay!

Hi David,

Sorry about that chum, it was right there when I clicked on it, and it was soooo tempting. It said "But It Now" for $30. I missed a 200mm Hexanon f4 at a "buy it now" price of $40. (that was a good one too).

I will have to see what it is like compaired to the 135mm f3.2 lens I already have, along with the Vivitar 135mm 2.8, and the Carl Zeiss 135mm f3.5. Do you think Hexanon lenses will beat the Carl Zeiss glass?

Mike.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2001

Hexanon/Zeiss

"Do you think Hexanon lenses will beat the Carl Zeiss glass?"

Sure. If it's a late model Zeiss, they're both from Japan. (Carl moved, I think.)

-- Anonymous, January 26, 2001

Zeiss Glass.

The Zeiss lens I have I don't know how old it is. I guess about 10 years old. Its a Carl Zeiss Jena DDR 135mm f3,5 MC S. I use it on the screw mount Konica adapter.

Well, the "magic" light will be here soon, so I'm off to shot some photos, see you all later.

Mike.

-- Anonymous, January 26, 2001

Zeiss Glass

Mike, If your lens states Carl Zeiss Jena, it's a sure bet it is older than 10 years. Postwar CZJ lenses are of East German origin. They lost the battle for the Zeiss name by the 60's, although they continued for some time to use it in some manner. In more recent times, the lenses were named to reflect the camera line they were used for (Practikar for Practika, etc.) Another giveaway is the use of DDR on the lens bezel. DDR stands for German Democratic Republic (East Germany to Cold Warrior types in the US). Pentacon VEB (the umbrella organization of East German camera production) is currently gone, but I believe Practika is still in biz in Dresden. Zeiss (the official one, that is) is still making optical glass (at the Schott works) and lenses and other optics. They do use Japanese glass in their lenses as most everybody else does, usually for the simpler elements, and mostly done by Tamron right now.

Jon from Deepinaharta, Georgia

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2001