Konica Hexanon AR 50mm 1:1.7, A Second Look

The Vintage Enthusiast: Image making with a Konica Hexanon AR 50mm 1:1.7, testing a fully functional second copy.

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After the failure of the first Hexanon AR 50mm 1:1.7 which came with a faulty aperture ring, I had a second copy ordered and it came in through the mail a couple of weeks later. This one is definitely better physically than the earlier one and is a full working copy with clean and clear glass, glide-smooth focus, and a fully functioning aperture ring and blades.

My first chance at testing the lens was, as usual,  out in the mini garden in front of the house, shooting away at the few and only plants available in the garden, and the mango tree just outside the yard. Initial images do show the indication that the lens may be true to its words as one of the sharpest 50mm lenses ever produced during the era.

Olympus E-P5, Konica Hexanon AR 50mm 1:1.7

The earlier version of the lens was first introduced in 1973 as a kit lens for the Autoreflex T3, gaining a reputation for its optical performance, particularly its sharpness. The lens was later updated as a smaller and lighter version for the Autoreflex TC, as seen here, mounted on the Olympus Pen E-P5 with a hood on the front end.

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