Konica M-Hexanon 35mm f/2

Konica M-Hexanon 35mm f/2

Unlike Konica's better known screw-mount 35mm f/2 lenses, which descend from the W-Nikkor and Hexar AF optic, the M-Hexanon 35mm f/2 is a distinct bayonet-mount design made for Konica's own M-compatible rangefinder system. It was released in 2001 as part of the M-Hexanon range built around the Konica Hexar RF, a rangefinder body Konica developed independently of Leica using a mount the company called KM, intended to be compatible with the Leica M standard [1][2]. The lens shares the classic 35mm wide-normal angle of view with rivals from Leica and Cosina, but reaches it through a new optical formula of eight elements in seven groups rather than the six-group screw-mount Hexanon and UC-Hexanon designs.

Construction is metal and notably solid; in side-by-side handling some observers have judged the Konica M lenses to be more heavily built than contemporary Leica offerings of the period. The lens is finished in black, focuses by a coupled rangefinder cam, takes 46mm filters, and stops down through a ten-blade diaphragm to a minimum focus of 0.7m. It mounts on any Leica M body as well as the Hexar RF, though Konica's KM mount has been the subject of long-running discussion about whether it focuses with full precision on Leica cameras. The reported errors, where they appear at all, tend to show up only wide open at the closest focusing distances; many users find the lenses entirely usable on Leica film and digital bodies, and an electronic viewfinder removes any doubt on later cameras.

The whole M-Hexanon line had a short commercial life. Konica's M-mount system was wound down in the years after 2001 and was officially discontinued in 2003, around the time of the Konica and Minolta merger, which brought an early end to the first M-mount rangefinder system developed without Leica's involvement. That brief production run, combined with limited distribution outside Japan, is the main reason the 35mm f/2 and its siblings now circulate mostly on the used market.

Optical qualities

Rendering Detailed published testing of the M-mount M-Hexanon 35mm f/2 is limited, and much of the available commentary concerns Konica's separate screw-mount 35mm f/2 lenses rather than this design, so claims should be treated with care. As a multi-coated late-production rangefinder optic it is generally regarded as a competent modern 35mm in the Konica M line, which reviewers describe as capable, well-built tools suitable for everyday and reportage use. Specific, repeatable observations about its sharpness, bokeh, flare resistance, and distortion are not well documented in independent sources, so no detailed performance claims are made here.

History

Development and Launch Konica entered the M-mount world with the Hexar RF rangefinder, introduced in 1999, and supported it with a family of M-Hexanon lenses using the KM mount. The system grew over the following two years, and a newly designed 35mm f/2 was added to the range in 2001, alongside other additions such as a limited 50mm f/1.2 and, in 2002, the unusual 21-35mm dual focal length lens. The 35mm f/2 was positioned as a fast wide-normal prime, a focal length long established as a staple of rangefinder photography.

Production Evolution The M-Hexanon 35mm f/2 should not be confused with Konica's earlier screw-mount 35mm f/2 optics. The Hexanon L and UC-Hexanon screw-mount lenses use a 35mm f/2 design derived from the W-Nikkor and the Hexar AF compact, built as seven elements in six groups, whereas the M-mount M-Hexanon uses its own eight-element, seven-group formula. The line as a whole did not survive long: Konica's M-mount range disappeared in the years after 2001 and was formally discontinued in 2003 during the Konica Minolta merger.

Special editions No major factory special editions of the M-Hexanon 35mm f/2 are widely documented. The best known limited release within the broader M-Hexanon line is the 50mm f/1.2 millennium kit rather than the 35mm, and the screw-mount UC-Hexanon 35mm f/2 was a separate small-batch product unrelated to this M-mount lens.

Collector Notes Buyers should first establish which 35mm f/2 they are looking at, since the screw-mount Hexanon L and UC-Hexanon are commonly confused with this bayonet M-Hexanon and have a different optical design and mount. Because of the long-standing KM-versus-Leica-M compatibility debate, a practical check is to test a given lens wide open at its closest focus on the intended body, as any rangefinder calibration error is most visible there. As with any later multi-coated lens, confirm clear glass free of haze and clean coatings, and verify that the correct black finish, filter thread, and any hood or caps are present and original before purchase.