Konica FS-1 35mm SLR
A.K.A.: Another Vintage Camera Post that Nobody Asked For :)
A few months ago, I was forum surfing, and I happened to see a few threads about the optical quality of Konica Hexanon lenses. The posts were supported by superb examples of shots taken with Hexanon lenses adapted to various digital cameras. This prompted me to do more research and I found this excellent German site devoted to Konica 35mm slr equipment: Buhla.de
The Konica AR-mount slr system is no longer made, and in fact, the Konica photography equipment division no longer exists. Konica merged with Minolta in 2003 to form Konica-Minolta. In 2006, Konica Minolta closed its photography operation, and sold its digital imaging operation to Sony Corp. The last year for the Konica AR-mount slr was 1987 which means that any equipment found today is at least 25 years old, and most likely older and well-used.
My first attempt at acquiring a Hexanon 40mm ended up just a bit sour. I found a Konica Autoreflex TC w/40mm on Ebay, and I won the auction for the ridiculously low price of $26. However, when I received the package, I found the filter ring on the lens was dented, and the focus ring was unacceptably stiff and turned unevenly. The lens obviously took a serious hit and was damaged. It was barely usable and not what I had hoped for. The TC body was okay, and it seemed to be working. I decided to give the whole thing away, which I did on the local freecycle list. I resumed my search.
I subsequently found a 40mm lens on Ebay and this time the lens was in great shape. And right after the 40mm, I found a great deal on Ebay for the FS-1, the 50mm f1.7, a unknown-name 80-200 f4.5, flash, teleconverter, and camera bag, all for less than $60.
The seller said that he got it from a guy who only used it 10 times, and judging from the condition of the camera, I would have to believe that claim. The camera is in excellent condition for its age (about 30 years old now).
Here are some notable features on the FS-1:
- Shutter Priority Automatic Exposure, plus fully manual mode
- Integrated motor winder, manual rewind.
- Uses 4 AAA or 4 AA batteries, mine came with the four AA battery grip
- The ground glass focusing screen has a central split image surrounded by a microprism collar
- Aperture indicator in the viewfinder (left side), numeric scale with individual red LEDs next to the selected aperture.
- Shutter lock/on-off switch concentric to the shutter release
- Drop in film loading
The FS-1 was an advanced, almost revolutionary, electronic camera when it was released in 1979, incorporating the latest innovations of that era. It was the first 35mm slr to feature an integral motor drive, and the first Konica slr with electronic shutter, LED display in the viewfinder, drop-in film loading, and many other innovative features that you can read more about in this FS-1 page on the Buhla.de web site. With innovation, also comes the inevitable downside. The FS-1 was known to have problems with its bleeding-edge electronics which made the earlier examples unreliable. The serial number on mine indicates that by the time mine was built, the problems had been sorted out, luckily for me :).
I found the FS-1 to be relatively compact, about what you would expect for a standard sized 35mm slr body, similar in size to the Nikon F3HP, but with a larger hand grip which conceals the 4 AA batteries. The grip is well shaped, and makes the FS-1 very comfortable to hold with one hand. It is not much larger than my Lumix G1, and smaller than my Nikon D100. Fit and finish are good with the exception of the latching mechanism of the battery grip, which to me seems like it would belong on a prototype, not a production camera. The latches are not easy to operate, and the grip attaches with some play. This was probably one of the first designs for these parts on a camera so it's not surprising that the engineers didn't quite get it right yet.
Since this is a shutter-priority AE oriented camera, the top deck is dominated by a huge shutter speed dial. The dial is well damped and it rotates freely for 360 degrees because it is connected to electronics, not mechanical shutter innards. My preference is for either manual exposure or aperture-priority AE on a camera body, so I had to adjust my thinking a bit when I used the FS-1 in AE mode. The merits of shutter vs. aperture priority AE is a topic for a whole article in itself.
The FS-1 has one of the smoothest shutter releases that I've ever had the pleasure of using. The button is large, smooth, and electronically actuated. I found the shutter of the FS-1 to be pleasingly quiet and well damped with minimal mirror slap. Overall, I was very pleased with the handling and ergonomics, and even the aesthetics, of the FS-1.
The Hexanon 50mm f1.7 lens is supposed to the sharpest lens ever made by anyone (according to a magazine report from that period). Now that's quite a hefty claim, and whether it's true or not, the results from my test roll using Fuji Superia 400 show the lens to be an excellent performer. Even on the low-res Walgreens scans, you can see excellent resolution, low distortion (I didn't see any on my test shots), and clean colors.
For the test roll, I went out to the Presidio near Fort Point. It was a very nice, early spring day with blue skies and crisp, clean air. The FS-1 is so cosmetically clean that I did not feel like putting a strap on it, so I simply hand carried the camera the whole time. To see a gallery of shots from the test session, go to my new web galleries site here: FS-1 Test Shots.
Well, if you made it this far in the post, I thank you for putting up with my long-winded summary of my experience with this camera. I plan to use it regularly in my film camera rotation even as my film usage has gone down a lot over the last year or two. In fact, just yesterday, I made a trade deal online with a person who was trading away a mint condition Hexanon 28mm f3.5. I'll be receiving the lens in a couple of days, and you can be sure that I'll be putting it through its paces on the FS-1.
For the rest of the photos from that session, please visit my new web gallery site at:
I'm sure most of you have checked it out already.
--Warren
Photo taken with Konica FS-1, Hexanon 50mm f1.7, Fuji Superia
Labels: Camera Story, Konica FS-1
posted by Warren T. at 9:45 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Hi Warren, that's a great review of the old KM SLR gear. I'm really enjoying my 40/1.8 pancake, and also have the AR 57/1.4 which is known to be less sharp than your 50/1.7, but for portraits, it might be just right for my 90+ yr. old parents. My nikkor 105/2.5, and lux 75/1.4 were definitely much too sharp!!
Look forward to more of your reviews of the Hexanon SLR gear. Have you tried mounting these pieces to your u4/3 gear? It should probably work well.
Thanks Ted. I have a handful of posts in the last 3 months that were taken with Hexanon on u4/3. It does work very well, and it was the reason that I acquired the lenses. Getting the FS-1 was a bonus. --WT
Ted, here's one from last Month, taken in Sausalito with the Hexanon 50mm f1.7:
http://fpcf.blogspot.com/2011/05/clouds-over-sf-bay.html
Glad to see you are expanding your 35mm film kits Warren. At least we may be able to keep some semblance of a market for film. I have read about Konica for several years and most folks still speak in reverential terms. Good find and look forward to posts with this kit.
Dan
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