This post is the second in a series for three vintage Konica lenses I picked-up for about $17/each. It's turning out to be a real home run. Read on...
The lens featured here is the Konica Hexanon 52mm f1.8 lens with and aperture range of f1.8 to f16 with a serial number of 7414893. It has a bayonet-style mount and was essentially a kit lens coupled with Konica camera bodies. The lens construction is made up of 6 elements in 5 groups and the filter ring size is 55mm. The lens was made in Japan and was made for consumer and prosumer 35 mm SLR camera systems.
A detailed history of this lens is hard to find, research suggests that the lens was from the early 1970's. However there is a website that has a page with details (specs) of this lens and the other versions in it's family can be found following this link: https://www.buhla.de/Foto/Konica/Objektive/e52_18.html
I attached a Konica-to-Samsung NX mount adapter and took the Samsung NX1 camera out on a walk in downtown Phoenix close to sunset. I like to photograph architecture and the changing landscape of a city that is growing and redeveloping. I also look for artistic opportunities, especially if the subject has color or definition that will help me better understand how the lens performs.
A 52mm lens designed for a full frame camera is a 78mm equivalent with the Samsung NX1's APS-C size sensor.
The photographs below will demonstrate that this lens 50-years later produces a sharp image with good contrast while balances colors definitively.
The bottom line: This is a beautiful vintage lens - A keeper!
