Konica Hexanon 50mm f/1.7 Heritage

Overview

The Konica Hexanon 50mm f/1.7 was the standard kit lens for Konica SLRs throughout the 1970s and 80s. While it lived in the shadow of the faster 57mm f/1.4, this lens earned its own following for being one of the sharpest kit lenses ever made. Konica's optical engineers took pride in their Hexanon designs, and this humble 50mm shows why. It routinely outperformed more expensive lenses from other brands.

Verdict: The sleeper kit lens. If you want sharp, clean images without the vintage character, this delivers. Excellent for documentary work, street photography, or anyone who values technical quality over 'look.' Criminally underpriced.

Optical Character

Bokeh

Pleasant background blur, but hexagon-shaped highlights when stopped down

Color

Contrasty and sharp images with a neutral-warm color rendition

Sharpness wide open

Very sharp, especially when stopped down from the wide-open aperture

Flare resistance

Prone to flaring when shooting into the sun, but can be used creatively

Contrast

High contrast

Vignetting

Strong vignetting when wide open, but improves at smaller apertures

Community Insights

What people love

Exceptional sharpness for a kit lens
Very affordable ($30-60)
Excellent build quality
Compact and lightweight
Neutral, versatile rendering
Great value for the performance

What people dislike

Not as fast as f/1.4
Konica AR mount less common
Less 'character' than some vintage lenses
Hexagonal bokeh stopped down

Sources (4)

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https://thenoisyshutter.com/2022/07/22/legacy-lens-review-konica-hexanon-ar-50mm-f1-7/

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https://lenslegend.com/konica-hexanon-50mm-f1-7-ar-review/

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https://thrumylens.org/photography/review-of-the-konica-hexanon-50mm-f1-7/

Lens Heritage 2nd JSONsecondary

The Konica Hexanon 50mm f/1.7 was the standard kit lens for Konica SLRs throughout the 1970s and 80s. While it lived in the shadow of the faster 57mm f/1.4, this lens earned its own following for being one of the sharpest kit lenses ever made. Konica's optical engineers took pride in their Hexanon designs, and this humble 50mm shows why. It routinely outperformed more expensive lenses from other brands.