Konica I

I have a Konica I rangefinder from early 1950s. Anyone know how its collapsable 50mm lens compares to vintage Elmars? The camera is elegant in its simplicity.

A coated Hexar will easily outperform any uncoated Leica lens, and

match the equivilant Leica lens. Konica used to advertise "The lens

alone is worth the price." True, but unfortunately it put Konica

products on the high side of pricing for similar Japanese eqipment,

and see where they are now.

Yes, producing the camera Leica should have.

I always wonder at statements such as 'producing the camera

Leica should have'. I work at Western Canada's largest photo

retailer - since we got our full Hexar line over a year ago it tallies

up as such: M6 (all types) 8 bodies plus numerous lenses - -

Hexar 0 (did I say 0). Even heavily discounted we can't get rid of

them. Maybe it's regional, but the Hexar 'ain't' no Leica.

HOW discounted?

What do retail numbers have to do with it? By those standards, Leica

SLRs are a miserable failure compared to Canon, Nikon, etc. Maybe

Leica should resell Nikon? Is that really what you want to say?

Jeff, firstly, going by much of what was said in the recent Leica

Chat on the Leica Homepage, many Leica owners do feel Leica

is falling behind such cameras as the F5 and Eos 1n Hv. As for

the Hexar v.s. Leica debate, in my mind it's as simple as this--if

you want an Hexar, buy a Hexar. Why would Leica go to the

expense of producing a camera that is already out there. Many

Leica users appreicate the mechanical wind and rewind. No

batteries to buy, and I do hope that when the next great battery

invention occurs that CR2's, 123A and CR5's don't become any

harder to find than they are now. Yes the Hexar is a good

camera, but to say it is what the Leica should be because it has

a few features you like is immaterial. And by the way - M6 sales

were up substantially world-wide last year, where-as most

Konica sales agents (and I deal with them regularily) do not

consider the Hexar RF to be nearly as successful as the original

fixed lens version.