Share your photos with legacy lenses

Travis Butler · Mar 9, 2025

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 · Mar 10, 2025

Travis Butler said:
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 · Mar 10, 2025

Jonathan-Mac said:
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.

Jonathan-Mac said:
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.

Travis Butler · Mar 11, 2025

And here's some more with the Hexanon 28/3.5:

20250308-SDIM3217 by Travis Butler, on Flickr
Sigma fp, Konica Hexanon 28/3.5 (last 7-element version, which frankly I like better than the earlier 7-element version I had for a while - and the 5-element version is no slouch either.)

20250308-SDIM3219 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20250308-SDIM3223 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

The National World War I Museum has reworked its section on hospitals and medical treatment since my last visit; I think the new displays are much more effective at displaying the horrors of the war.

20250308-SDIM3234 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20250308-SDIM3235 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

And a couple from Liberty Memorial, the outside of the museum, with the Hexanon 40/1.8:

20250308-SDIM3269 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20250308-SDIM3275 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Travis Butler · Thursday at 03:16

Jonathan-Mac said:
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?

...well.

In the department of 'it never rains but it pours'... are you interested in the 135/3.2? I just found another copy, in a bit better condition than this one, for a very good price, so I grabbed it. Would you be interested in this copy?

Jonathan-Mac · Thursday at 12:42

Travis Butler said:
...well.

In the department of 'it never rains but it pours'... are you interested in the 135/3.2? I just found another copy, in a bit better condition than this one, for a very good price, so I grabbed it. Would you be interested in this copy?

I'm very tempted. I know I shouldn't - I have a bargain Auto Revuenon 135/2.8 waiting to be picked up at the post office as I type, and the superb Pentax K 135/2.5 and very good Pentax M 120/2.8 - and it's not even a focal length I use very often. Send me a PM with where you're based and how much you're looking for and I will let you know.

On the subject of Hexanons, I had the 50/1.7 on the S5 this morning for some funky bokeh with the last gasp of the cherry blossom

Konica cherry blossom bokeh by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Konica cherry blossom bokeh II by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Jonathan-Mac · Thursday at 13:07

I forgot to mention, the other day I saw a Konica 35-105mm f/2.8 for sale for €100. I had never heard of it so had a quick look and it seems quite rare, big and heavy but optically better than other fast zooms of the day. I should maybe have bought it as it seems they go for much more than that usually but I'm hesitant to buy to sell with lenses I'm not familiar with. It might have been fun to use but if it's as heavy and tricky to use as they say then it likely would have sat on the shelf if I'd kept it.

Travis Butler · Thursday at 14:25

Jonathan-Mac said:
I forgot to mention, the other day I saw a Konica 35-105mm f/2.8 for sale for €100. I had never heard of it so had a quick look and it seems quite rare, big and heavy but optically better than other fast zooms of the day. I should maybe have bought it as it seems they go for much more than that usually but I'm hesitant to buy to sell with lenses I'm not familiar with. It might have been fun to use but if it's as heavy and tricky to use as they say then it likely would have sat on the shelf if I'd kept it.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

I already had 2 of the 3 35-70s Konica put out, the constant f/4 and the late plastic fantastic 3.5-4.5 Macro; according to those sites, the third, the constant f/3.5, was the best of the batch, so I bought a full kit - a camera, 50/1.4, and 28/3.5 in a nice metal case that unfortunately had disintegrating foam - just to get one at a local estate sale.

Of course, when I actually went out to shoot with it, it was nothing special, and indeed a step below the other two. ^^;; Not sure if I got a bad copy or what.

(Oh, and also got another copy of the 65-135 f/4 with the kit; that one I have no regrets for, I love the lens and don’t mind having a backup copy!)

Jonathan-Mac · Friday at 10:33

Some photos with the Auto Revuenon 135mm f/2.8 in K-mount that I got yesterday. It's a bit glowy wide open but that's completely gone by f/4 so that's where I used it for these tests.

Last of the cherry blossom by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Last of the cherry blossom II by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Last of the cherry blossom III by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Signs of spring by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Signs of spring II by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Signs of spring III by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

This last one is a crop to 25% of the frame

Green bird by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Travis Butler · 2025-03-31T04:35:24+0200

Some more with the Hexanon 135/3.2. Most of them aren't much better than test pics, the wind was fairly gusty, but perhaps of interest.

20250330-P1022654 by Travis Butler, on Flickr
Lumix S5, Hexanon 135/3.2

The lens does handle better on the S5, but it still got tiring (at least in my current condition) to aim up for long periods of time.