I have a Konica I rangefinder from early 1950s. Anyone know how its collapsable 50mm lens compares to vintage Elmars? The camera is elegant in its simplicity.

-- John Galloway (jgall30125@aol.com), May 07, 2001

Answers

A coated Hexar will easily outperform any uncoated Leica lens, and match the equivilant Leica lens. Konica used to advertise "The lens alone is worth the price." True, but unfortunately it put Konica products on the high side of pricing for similar Japanese eqipment, and see where they are now.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), May 07, 2001.

Yes, producing the camera Leica should have.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 07, 2001.

I always wonder at statements such as 'producing the camera Leica should have'. I work at Western Canada's largest photo retailer - since we got our full Hexar line over a year ago it tallies up as such: M6 (all types) 8 bodies plus numerous lenses - - Hexar 0 (did I say 0). Even heavily discounted we can't get rid of them. Maybe it's regional, but the Hexar 'ain't' no Leica.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), May 08, 2001.

HOW discounted?

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), May 08, 2001.

What do retail numbers have to do with it? By those standards, Leica SLRs are a miserable failure compared to Canon, Nikon, etc. Maybe Leica should resell Nikon? Is that really what you want to say?

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), May 08, 2001.

Jeff, firstly, going by much of what was said in the recent Leica Chat on the Leica Homepage, many Leica owners do feel Leica is falling behind such cameras as the F5 and Eos 1n Hv. As for the Hexar v.s. Leica debate, in my mind it's as simple as this--if you want an Hexar, buy a Hexar. Why would Leica go to the expense of producing a camera that is already out there. Many Leica users appreicate the mechanical wind and rewind. No batteries to buy, and I do hope that when the next great battery invention occurs that CR2's, 123A and CR5's don't become any harder to find than they are now. Yes the Hexar is a good camera, but to say it is what the Leica should be because it has a few features you like is immaterial. And by the way - M6 sales were up substantially world-wide last year, where-as most Konica sales agents (and I deal with them regularily) do not consider the Hexar RF to be nearly as successful as the original fixed lens version.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), May 08, 2001.