Review of the Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.7

I recently wrote about the decent into madness which is the rabbit hole of vintage camera lenses.  I’ve been reading all sorts of articles, reading posts on Reddit and Facebook, and watching every video I can find on the best vintage camera lenses to acquire and adapt to a modern mirrorless camera.  One of the most well respected and revered vintage camera lenses comes from Konica and their Hexanon line of lenses.  I can remember the Konica name from when I was growing up, but hadn’t heard the name in decades.  That’s because Konica (a Japanese camera manufacturer founded in 1873) merged with Minolta to form Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. in 2003.  Just three years later Konica Minolta announced its exit from the camera and photo business, focusing on digital imaging, office equipment, and medical imaging.  In 2007 Sony acquired Konica Minolta’s camera business, including technologies and patents.  So while the Konica Minolta company continues to exist today producing industrial imaging products, from a consumer camera manufacturing standpoint, they ceased to exist just over 20 years ago.  But back in 1960 the first Hexanon lenses were developed for the Konica F, which was Japan’s first focal-plane shutter SLR camera. These lenses were known for their sharpness and build quality, establishing the Hexanon brand as a mark of excellence.  1965 saw the introduction of the Konica Auto-Reflex (Autorex) SLR camera, which used a bayonet mount called the AR mount. Hexanon lenses for this system became renowned for their exceptional optical performance.  During the 1970’s, the Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.7 was introduced and has since become one of the most celebrated and highly sought after vintage camera lenses.  Not only due to color reproduction, sharpness, and overall image quality that rivals practically any lens produced during this era, but also because of the tremendous value it offers.  I picked up my near-mint condition copy of the lens off eBay from a respected seller for an astonishing $35.00.  I’ve been on record saying that I don’t really consider myself a 50mm guy (prefer 35mm) – but as much as I didn’t need yet another 50mm lens (I now apparently have four of them) I had to experience the Konica Hexanon 50mm 1.7 for myself – $35.00 is just too good of a deal to pass up.  Of course, I also had to order a Konica AR to Canon RF adapter to be able to use the lens on my Canon RF cameras.  Having previously purchased and used a Pholsy FD to RF adapter, I purchased a Pholsy AR to RF adapter.  Again, there seems to several Chinese brands that sell these types of adapters, but I strongly suspect they’re most all coming from the same Chinese manufacturing facility.  The package I received not only had the lens, but also the original lens cover, tail cap, and leather carrying case:

When the lens and adapter arrived, I decided that an evening shoot in Miamisburg would be in order.  Readers may recall that when I got my Voigtlander 50mm Fl earlier this year, I tested it out in downtown Miamisburg as well but went back home not long after the sun set due to the cold that time of the year.  That certainly wasn’t an issue on this particular evening as we’ve had a dreadful heat wave the past several days.  Here are some sample photos – none of which have been color corrected in any way.  Only minor adjustments in exposure have been made.  All were shot wide open at F1.7.

There are several buildings that have some really nice murals on them in downtown Miamisburg.  Just look at the fantastic color rendering on this photos.  Now here’s another on the backside of a gym in downtown Miamisburg:

Even in these low-light conditions, the lens rendered absolutely amazing images with remarkable sharpness across the entire frame for being shot wide open.  Here’s a few more pictures I got walking around the downtown area:

Note that the above image was the only one I shot not at F1.7.  In order to produce the star patters, I fully stopped down to F 16 which produced stunningly beautiful and crisp star patterns.

I was positively blown away by these images when I got home and got them into Lightroom.  The colors in particular are breathtaking to see.  The bokeh is both smooth and pleasing with nice round bubbles of light.  Clearly this lens is everything it’s reputed to be and then some.  Distortion is minimal and not noticeable in most real-world scenarios. Vignetting is present at f/1.7 but diminishes significantly when stopped down to f/2.8 and beyond.

The Konica Hexanon 50mm F1.7 is a lens that stands the test of time. Its combination of sharpness, build quality, and affordability makes it a fantastic choice for both vintage lens collectors and modern photographers seeking high-quality glass on a budget. While it may lack the convenience of autofocus, its optical performance and the joy of manual focusing more than make up for it.

Whether you’re shooting portraits, landscapes, or exploring creative photography, the Hexanon 50mm F1.7 delivers stunning results that belie its modest price. This lens is a testament to Konica’s legacy in the field of optical engineering and remains a beloved piece of photographic history.  I’m super happy that I was able to obtain a copy of this lens in such great condition and would encourage anyone regardless of what camera system you’re currently using to pick up one of these lenses.  So much joy for so very little money.