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[Travis Butler]

Main thing I was hoping to do today (yay having energy!) was test out a Konica Hexanon 135/3.2 I picked up a few weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to shoot with yet. It's supposed to be the best of Konica's 135mm lenses and something kinda special... we'll see!


20250308-SDIM3153 by Travis Butler, on Flickr
Sigma fp, Konica Hexanon 135/3.2

...and it has my attention. This one's a little soft, which I put down to a combo of low-light and having trouble holding it steady on the fp in vertical orientation; it's just a little too big and heavy to be comfortable on the fp. But the tonality is everything I love in a lens; it captures all the subtle variations in the gloss on the helmet.


20250308-SDIM3199 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Another one softer than I'd like, but I like the color. The Hexanon 28/3.5 for comparison:


20250308-SDIM3174 by Travis Butler, on Flickr


20250308-SDIM3195 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And it can be pretty sharp when I manage to hold it steady.

Take it outside where there's good lighting and a faster shutter speed, and it can be quite crisp, even at 100%:


20250308-SDIM3255 by Travis Butler, on Flickr


20250308-SDIM3259 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

So yeah, think this one has promise.

 

[Jonathan-Mac]

Main thing I was hoping to do today (yay having energy!) was test out a Konica Hexanon 135/3.2 I picked up a few weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to shoot with yet. It's supposed to be the best of Konica's 135mm lenses and something kinda special... we'll see!

View attachment 8838
20250308-SDIM3153 by Travis Butler, on Flickr
Sigma fp, Konica Hexanon 135/3.2

...and it has my attention. This one's a little soft, which I put down to a combo of low-light and having trouble holding it steady on the fp in vertical orientation; it's just a little too big and heavy to be comfortable on the fp. But the tonality is everything I love in a lens; it captures all the subtle variations in the gloss on the helmet.

View attachment 8839
20250308-SDIM3199 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Another one softer than I'd like, but I like the color. The Hexanon 28/3.5 for comparison:

View attachment 8843
20250308-SDIM3174 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

View attachment 8840
20250308-SDIM3195 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And it can be pretty sharp when I manage to hold it steady.

Take it outside where there's good lighting and a faster shutter speed, and it can be quite crisp, even at 100%:

View attachment 8841
20250308-SDIM3255 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

View attachment 8842
20250308-SDIM3259 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

So yeah, think this one has promise.

Since I got the 40mm f/1.8 Hexanon (and therefore the AR to L adapter for it) I've had more interest in Konica lenses and 135mms are probably the most common after the 50/1.7s and 28/3.5. I haven't gotten around to looking into which are better or worse though so good to know about this f/3.2. Is there only one 135/3.2 or are there different versions?

* * * * * *​

In the interests of properly trying out the Pentax A 28mm f/2.0 I picked up in mint condition last year I took it to the area around my dentist, which is a really good area for pictures of architecture, new and also going back to the 1960s and 1970s. The weather was grim, which is perfect for urban photography.


Sticker by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Concourse by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Urban blossom by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Keep the flowers behind concrete by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Weed by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

 

[Travis Butler]

Since I got the 40mm f/1.8 Hexanon (and therefore the AR to L adapter for it) I've had more interest in Konica lenses and 135mms are probably the most common after the 50/1.7s and 28/3.5. I haven't gotten around to looking into which are better or worse though so good to know about this f/3.2. Is there only one 135/3.2 or are there different versions?

The best references I’ve found on Hexanons are http://www.buhla.de/Foto/Konica/eHexanonHaupt.html and http://www.konicafiles.com/ - according to buhla.de, there’s three versions, but all appear to share the same optical formula.

I also like the 65-135/4, despite it being fairly long; it’s not too heavy, and there’s something I just like about the rendering. The 28/3.5 I used above is another one I like a lot, and the newer versions are fairly small - though not as small as the 40/1.8 - and fairly common last I checked. The 57/1.4 isn’t bad if you want a more vintage rendering, though it’s a bit bulky; it’s supposed to be particularly good for b&w and IR. And I love the 100/2.8 - it was the first Hexanon I ever tried - although I don’t shoot at that length very often.

In the interests of properly trying out the Pentax A 28mm f/2.0 I picked up in mint condition last year I took it to the area around my dentist, which is a really good area for pictures of architecture, new and also going back to the 1960s and 1970s. The weather was grim, which is perfect for urban photography.

View attachment 8916
Weed by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

I’m usually not one for b&w or industrial settings, but I really like this one.