January 19, 2021

From Gerald R. Lucas
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

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.


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-ElementAsahi Super-Takumar 1.8/55Asahi Super-Takumar 2.5/135Canon 1.4/50 LTM Helios 44m-4 2/58Industar 61 2.8/55Jupiter-8 2/50Jupiter-9 2/85Konica Hexinon AR 1.8/40Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 2.8/100Olympus Zuiko 2.8/24Olympus Zuiko 2.8/28Olympus Zuiko 1.8/50Olympus Zuiko 2/85Vivitar 2.8/28 • Voigtländer Nokton Classic 1.4/40 MC • Voigtländer Ultron 1.8/21Voigtländer Ultron 2/28. Processed with Capture One Pro.