The Konica Chronicles: New Glass, A Dog, and More Missed Focus

[bozaman]

Hey Folks!

I’m back for more manual focus punishment! This time, I’ve moved on from the shiny new budget lenses to some legendary vintage "Hexanon" glass.

A massive, heartfelt shout-out to fellow board member @Travis Butler , who has officially become my favorite enabler. He kindly offered me a trio of Konica Hexanon lenses—the 40mm f/1.8, the 57mm f/1.4, and the 135mm f/3.2—to add to my growing collection of "Things That Make Me Work Too Hard." I cannot thank him enough for the opportunity to play with these.

I haven't had much time for a proper outing yet, but I spent a few minutes this past weekend performing a "focus suicide mission": shooting each lens at minimum focus distance, wide open. My long-suffering (and very sleepy) dog, Arya, was the captive audience for this experiment.

The Proof of My Incompetence:

• 40mm f/1.8: Tiny, punchy, and surprisingly sharp for its age.
• 57mm f/1.4: A bokeh monster. Trying to hit a dog's eye at f/1.4 at minimum distance is basically like trying to thread a needle during an earthquake.
• 135mm f/3.2: A lovely perspective, though I had to stand in the next county to hit the minimum focus distance.

Disclaimer: These are not masterpiece pet portraits. My skill level is still firmly in the "accidental" category, but I felt obligated to show @Travis Butler that his lenses are being put to work (even if I'm currently the weak link in the chain).

With the holidays coming up, I’m excited to actually test these in the real world rather than just harassing my pets. I’m still learning, still failing, and still loving every minute of it.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

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Konica Hexanon 40/1.8:

Arya | Portrait of a German Shepherd (2025) by Joe Boza, on Flickr

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Konica Hexanon 57/1.4:

Arya | Portrait of a German Shepherd (2025) by Joe Boza, on Flickr

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Konica Hexanon 135/3.2

Arya | Portrait of a German Shepherd (2025) by Joe Boza, on Flickr

 

[pdk42]

Very cute ! Old dog and new tricks!

 

[Travis Butler]

Poor, long-suffering Arya.

Well, if you feel like a 2-hour drive, there's always the Pima Air & Space Museum... <ducks>

But yeah, the 57/1.4 definitely takes some practice wide-open at MFD. It can be worth it.

• SIGMA SIGMA fp
• 1/60s
• ISO 400

Sigma fp, Hexanon 57/1.4

And I've posted this one here before, but it illustrates the tonality I love in Hexanons.

20251025-SDIM8678 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

I love the smooth rendering on the hood sections, the matte glow as the light plays across the curves, and the lack of distraction in the bokeh.

(And yeah, I do really wish the 135/3.2 had a shorter MFD... but I love the way it handles tonality and glossy surfaces.)

 

[Jonathan-Mac]

Hey Folks!

I’m back for more manual focus punishment! This time, I’ve moved on from the shiny new budget lenses to some legendary vintage "Hexanon" glass.

A massive, heartfelt shout-out to fellow board member @Travis Butler , who has officially become my favorite enabler. He kindly offered me a trio of Konica Hexanon lenses—the 40mm f/1.8, the 57mm f/1.4, and the 135mm f/3.2—to add to my growing collection of "Things That Make Me Work Too Hard." I cannot thank him enough for the opportunity to play with these.

I haven't had much time for a proper outing yet, but I spent a few minutes this past weekend performing a "focus suicide mission": shooting each lens at minimum focus distance, wide open. My long-suffering (and very sleepy) dog, Arya, was the captive audience for this experiment.

The Proof of My Incompetence:

• 40mm f/1.8: Tiny, punchy, and surprisingly sharp for its age.
• 57mm f/1.4: A bokeh monster. Trying to hit a dog's eye at f/1.4 at minimum distance is basically like trying to thread a needle during an earthquake.
• 135mm f/3.2: A lovely perspective, though I had to stand in the next county to hit the minimum focus distance.

Disclaimer: These are not masterpiece pet portraits. My skill level is still firmly in the "accidental" category, but I felt obligated to show @Travis Butler that his lenses are being put to work (even if I'm currently the weak link in the chain).

With the holidays coming up, I’m excited to actually test these in the real world rather than just harassing my pets. I’m still learning, still failing, and still loving every minute of it.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

--

Konica Hexanon 40/1.8:

View attachment 16088Arya | Portrait of a German Shepherd (2025) by Joe Boza, on Flickr

--

Konica Hexanon 57/1.4:

View attachment 16089Arya | Portrait of a German Shepherd (2025) by Joe Boza, on Flickr

--

Konica Hexanon 135/3.2

View attachment 16090Arya | Portrait of a German Shepherd (2025) by Joe Boza, on Flickr

Some nice photos, well processed.

I have a couple of Konica lenses, the 40/1.8 and a 50/1.7 (the older one with shorter minimum focus distance), and I rather like them. I tend to use them for their funky flaring but they're actually very sharp and nice to work with as long as you can keep the sun out of the frame. I read somewhere that the 135/3.2 is the best Konica 135mm, though slower than the f/2.5. Pentax's 135mm f/2.5 is a superb lens but apparently Konica's not so good.

I fancy getting a hold of one of those 57mm f/1.4 or f/1.2 lenses as the unusual focal length appeals to me, same as the Minolta 58mm f/1.4 Rokkor, but so far they have eluded me. I thought I had a 57/1.4 for a good price a few months back but when I turned up I found it was full of fungus. Yuck.

 

[bozaman]

Well, if you feel like a 2-hour drive, there's always the Pima Air & Space Museum... <ducks>

I love Pima Air & Space, although like most things these days it's been a minute since I've visited. It got me thinking though, so I pulled a couple of old favorites from the archives. These are from 2008 and were taken with a Nikon D300 with the Nikon 17-55/2.8 zoom lens. Neither image is related to Lumix, L mount, or even Konica so apologies for the tangent. LOL.

I still really like the images and post-processing I managed to perform from that time, so much so that I have these printed and mounted on the wall of my man cave, if that tells you anything.

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Pima Air & Space by Joe Boza, on Flickr

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Pima Air & Space by Joe Boza, on Flickr

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[bozaman]

Some nice photos, well processed.

I have a couple of Konica lenses, the 40/1.8 and a 50/1.7 (the older one with shorter minimum focus distance), and I rather like them. I tend to use them for their funky flaring but they're actually very sharp and nice to work with as long as you can keep the sun out of the frame. I read somewhere that the 135/3.2 is the best Konica 135mm, though slower than the f/2.5. Pentax's 135mm f/2.5 is a superb lens but apparently Konica's not so good.

I fancy getting a hold of one of those 57mm f/1.4 or f/1.2 lenses as the unusual focal length appeals to me, same as the Minolta 58mm f/1.4 Rokkor, but so far they have eluded me. I thought I had a 57/1.4 for a good price a few months back but when I turned up I found it was full of fungus. Yuck.

We took a quick overnight trip to Williams, Arizona for the Polar Express just before Christmas. It was a great chance to test out the Konica 40/1.8 and 57/1.4. I’m still working on my focus technique, so I don't have any keepers to share, but I can already tell I’m going to love these lenses.

The 135/3.2 stayed home this time—navigating tight quarters with toddlers made a compact setup a necessity! That said, I’m planning to use the 135/3.2 for some birthday portraits in March. It should be a fantastic performer for that once I get a little more experience with it.