Anyone care to share their experience with the 80-200mm f/3.5 Hexanon Zoom Lens? I already have an 80-200 f/4 Tokina, but have an opportunity to snag the f/3.5

-- tm

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2001

Answers

80-200 f3.5 Hexanon

Tom,

This lens is huge and heavy. It was made without compromize for it's time. While I don't photograph lens charts, it seems to be to be sharper and more contrasty than many other zooms, including the f4.5 Hexanon. I haven't used that Tokina, but the one (28-85) that I use is excellent. That said, the f3.5 usually sits on the shelf, and the f4.5 does the work, just becaues that one fits my bag!

-jwk-

-- Anonymous, February 02, 2001

Hexanon 80-200 f/3.5

Hi Tom,

An 80-200/3.5 rubber focus/zoom ring model, purchased used, was a big part of my very first 35mm system, back in my poor college student days (T3, 80-200, 57/1.2 & 24-40 Sun Zoom, Vivitar flash). I still have it, but it is pretty much worn out (along with the 57/1.2 & flash)!

Like the other response... I'd have to say first that it's big & heavy: 67mm filter size, solid metal, lots of glass, about 9 or 10 inches long. But, I personally prefer a heavier lens and camera for shooting, so that never bothered me. It uses a screw-in lens shade, which I like since it protects the lens better, IMHO (I still use screw-ins with nearly all my lenses, even the ones with built-ins).

I took some great shots with the 80-200, mostly B&W, a lot of nice, sharp Tri-X negs. It's definitely a better lens than several 3rd party zooms I've used over the years.

Still, I've pretty much converted to strictly fixed focal length lenses in the never ending quest for better, faster, sharper... and I'm shooting mostly slide film these days. I personally think that most of the zooms of 15 or more years ago (meaning just about anything in K/AR mount) are less capable than some of the "modern" zooms available today.

If I were to incorporate more zooms into my camera bag and continue to use Konica, this lens would be near the top of my list, with the Tamron 80-200/2.8 or a Vivitar Series 1 the other likely contenders in that focal range. Still, I think I personally would concentrate on a wide zoom first. It's always seemed to me that the wide ones are the most useful. But the evident wear & tear on my 80-200 would tell you I worked that lens pretty hard, too!

So, it's a mixed bag... depends a lot on what you need for your personal style of shooting. If an 80-200 fits into your plans and you're sticking with Konica, this is a good user lens. Of the 3 I mentioned, this one probably has the best price/value ratio, based on what I've seen them sell for on eBay & elsewhere. But, if you do get one, be prepared for a "workout" carrying it around!

Cheers!

Alan Myers San Jose, Calif.

-- Anonymous, February 02, 2001