Pekka Buttler, 11/2023
Specifications
The table below summarizes the lens’ key specifications:
| Brand: | Konica | Lens name | HEXANON 1:3.5 f=200mm |
| Focal length(s)1 | 200 mm | Angle-of-view2 | 12 ° |
| Maximum Aperture | f/3.5 | In Production | 1965–1977 |
| Lens mount | Konica AR | Subfamily (if applicable) | –– |
| Length3 | 151,2 mm | Diameter4 | 74,0 mm |
| Filter ring diameter | 67 mm | Weight | 883 grams |
| Lens element count | 5 | Lens group count | 4 |
| Aperture blades (S/R/C)5 | 6 S | Focus throw | 230 ° |
| Minimum focusing distance | 2,5 m | Maximum magnification | 1:10,4 |
| Has manual aperture ring | YES | Has Manual focus ring | YES |
| Aperture mechanism type | Auto | Aperture click stops | 3.5-•- 5.6-•-8-•-11-•-16 (with half-stop clicks) |
Further notes:
• The lens has a built-in (pull-out) lens hood.
• The 200 mm f/3.5 design is a venerable Konica lens, and remained in the lineup through a lot of design and ergonomic changes. Hence, it exists in a range of different cosmetic variations. See more below.
• This lens was replaced with the (1978-1987) Konica Hexanon AR 200 mm f/4 [data sheet] in Konica’s lineup. The successor was a fraction less bright (f/4 vs. f/3.5), but was also significantly lighter (513 grams vs. 855 grams) and more compact (55 mm vs 67 mm filter thread)
Versions
First, there are two fundamentally different types of lenses that are both Konica 200 mm f/3.5 lenses.
One is a preset aperture design that reaches all the way back into the era of the Konica F mount. That lens uses a 5 elements in 5 groups design and was available first for the Konica F mount, and later for the Konica AR mount.
The second is an automatic aperture design using a 5 elements in a 4 groups design that was designed from the ground up to use aperture automation. This is the type that we will focus on here.
This later, auto aperture lens remained in production from 1965 to 1977, when it was replaced with the f/4 design. That era (1965–77) was an era of both constant refinement as well as a shift in cosmetic trends – for Konica as well as the rest of the photo industry. Hence, it is no surprise that you can find the Konica Hexanon 200/3.5 in a broad range of outwardly different guises. The table below tries to summarise these:
Variant 1: 1965–1967 [this lens]
• Name ring says “Konica Hexanon 1:3.5 f=200 mm”
• Silver ring with focal length prominently displayed; glossy black finish,
• Metal focus ring.
• Yellow EE
• Lens elements single-coated
Variant 2: 1967–1970
• Name ring says “Konica Hexanon AR 200mm F3.5”
• Silver ring without focal length; matte black finish,
• Metal focus ring.
• Yellow EE
• Lens elements initially single-coated, later multicoated.
Variant x: 1970–1971
• Hybrids combining elements from Variants 2 and 3.
• One typical hybrid element is the combining of rubber focus rings with silver ring barrels, but others exist too.
• Lens elements typically multicoated.
Variant 3: 1971–1977
• Name ring says “Konica Hexanon AR 200mm F3.5”
• All-black matte finish,
• Rubber focus ring.
• Initally Yellow EE, later green AE
• Lens elements multicoated.
History of Konica AR lenses
Konica is one of those names that will not ring any bells to those who’ve only recently started photographing, but for many years Konica was one of the ‘Great Japanese camera companies’.
After a short-lived and only moderately successful line of SLR cameras known as the Konica F-line (1960-1965), Konica hit pay dirt with the introduction of the Konica Auto-Reflex in 1965 and its new, Konica AR mount. The Auto-Reflex was at the time the first affordable system camera with integrated auto-exposure (albeit the exposure metering was not yet TTL). The Auto-Reflex was followed by a two lines of successful cameras – the more ambitious Autoreflex T-line and the more pedestrian Autoreflex A-line – before Konica (along with the rest of Japanese camera companies) stepped up the automation of their SLR cameras with the 1-series (FS-1, FC-1, FP-1, and FT-1).
But while Konica had often been at the forefront of automation (first shutter priority auto-exposure system, first SLR with integrated winder), Konica’s star had been waning, and Konica decided to not compete against the likes of Minolta, Nikon, Canon, and Pentax in autofocus technology. Instead Konica withdrew from SLR and SLR lens manufacture and focused on compacts and other optoelectronics. Two decades later Konica merged with Minolta to form KonicaMinolta, which subsequently sold its camera business to Sony. So, after a fashion, the DNA of Konica’s camera business lives on in Sony’s camera division.
Relevantly, the Konica AR mount had a relatively good and long (1965–1987) run, and stayed remarkably unchanged throughout. Hence, while Konica changed the design of their AR lenses during those years – moving towards lighter constructions, rubber focus rings, and a more modern look (for more detail, look here) – all AR lenses are physically entirely compatible with all AR-mount bodies.´
Adapting
n.B! The following applies to all Konica AR mount lenses.
This lens cannot be used natively on any current SLR or dSLRs. To use it in its native environment, you will need a Konica AR-mount film body.
Thanks to being a fully manual lens (manual aperture, manual focus), the lens can be adapted to all mirrorless cameras using a suitable adapter. Moreover, Konica AR lenses are so uncomplicated that a simple ‘dumb adapter’ will do the job perfectly. However, due to Konica AR lenses not being among the most numerously manufactured, special adapters (helicoid adapters, tilt/shift adapters) are not easy to come by and speed boosters are currently unavailable.
Using Konica AR lenses on dSLRs is possible, but difficult. Due to the exceptionally short flange focal distance of the Konica AR mount (at 40,5 mm, a lot shorter than that of any full-frame dSLR mount), any adapter will necessitate some optics to achieve anything near infinity focus.
Footnotes
1 Focal length is (unless stated otherwise) given in absolute terms, and not in Full-frame equivalent. For an understanding of whether the lens is wide/tele, see ‘Angle-of-view’.
2 Picture angle is given in degrees (based on manufacturers’ specs) and concerns the diagonal picture angle. Rule of thumb:
> 90 ° ==> Ultra-wide-angle
70–90 ° ==> Wide-angle
50–70 ° ==> Moderate wide-angle
40–50 ° ==> ‘Standard’ or ‘normal’ lens
20–40 ° ==> Short tele lens
10-20 ° ==> Tele lens
5-10 ° ==> Long tele lens
< 5 ° ==> Ultra-tele lens
3 Length is given from the mount flange to the front of lens at infinity.
4 Diameter excludes protrusions such as rabbit ears or stop-down levers.
5 S=straight; R=rounded; C=(almost)circular at all apertures.