January 19, 2021

Hexanon 40mm f/1.8 covid-19: day 302 | US: GA | info | act

Finally. I finally got the correct adapter for my Hexanon 1.8/40. Henry was kind enough to indulge me in some photos after school. I wanted to try the lens before I sent it back to the seller—I discovered some fungus in it when I examined it, but he’s going to clean it for me—so this afternoon might be the only time for a while. I’ll be waiting again.

At first, it seemed a challenge to focus. My images were looking hazy in the preview. Yet, I was hitting it pretty well, even wide open. OK, here’s a sample.

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It’s a nice lens. The focus is a bit stiff—I’m thinking it was stored for a while, explaining the fungus and rigidity. The colors are nice, and the bokeh is interesting—it get creamier as the subject gets closer. I like the 40mm length, though I think my favorite is still 35mm. It focuses pretty close, about .45 of a meter, and it’s also a pretty compact lens—I wouldn’t call it a “pancake,” but it’s close. It makes me want to try more Konicas, particularly the 57mm f/1.2.

And like all of the other photos I’ve been taking lately, these small samples do not do them justice. Seeing them on a bigger screen before I export them to JPGs is the way to go. Still, be sure to click the images above for a larger sample. All were taken at f/1.8 with slight sharpening and contrast tweaking in Capture One.

Leica Camera and Lens Information

📷: Leica M8 (09/2022–) • Leica M (Typ 262) (01/2017–12/2020) • Leica SL (Typ 601) (12/2020–). Leica Lenses: Leica Summicron-M 2/50 (Typ IV) • Leica Summicron-M 2/35mm ASPH (Typ V). Other Lenses: Asahi Super-Takumar 1.4/50 8-Element • Asahi Super-Takumar 1.8/55 • Asahi Super-Takumar 2.5/135 • Canon 1.4/50 LTM Helios 44m-4 2/58 • Industar 61 2.8/55 • Jupiter-8 2/50 • Jupiter-9 2/85 • Konica Hexinon AR 1.8/40 • Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 2.8/100 • Olympus Zuiko 2.8/24 • Olympus Zuiko 2.8/28 • Olympus Zuiko 1.8/50 • Olympus Zuiko 2/85 • Vivitar 2.8/28 • Voigtländer Nokton Classic 1.4/40 MC • Voigtländer Ultron 1.8/21 • Voigtländer Ultron 2/28. Processed with Capture One Pro.