![]() Since both of these are optically identical, it might make more sense to discuss the ways in which these are similar to, or different from, the vaunted Summicron v4 King of Bokeh License to Print Money®. The new lens was priced at 144,000 yen, which in dollars would have put it at just under the cost of a clean used 35/2 Summicron v.4 (at the time, these ran from about $700-1,200) and about half of what a Leica 35mm Summicron-M ASPH would cost. The close-focus distance (what would be the third leg of a UC designation) and focusing rate of the helicoid (0.9m to ∞ in about 1/4 turn) and overall length did not change. The coatings changed to a purplish red to help support the notion of “ultra-coating.” As you might know, multicoating can be customized for color.The focusing mechanism changed to a tab (which helped justify the thinner focusing ring and lighter action).The filter size decreased to 43mm, the aperture ring moved back, and the focusing ring thinned out to give the impression of “compactness” and justifying the “ultra compact” – UC designation that was historic to some Konica SLR lenses.The enamel in the engravings is almost exactly the Leica color scheme. At the time, black paint was all the rage, so the lens was executed in gloss black enamel and brass.These were at least superficially different from the silver ones: In 2000, around the time that Avenon was re-releasing its 21mm and 28mm lenses as “millennium” models, F-S had another run of the 35/2 made. The 50/2.4 will get its own article here. The latter is famously expensive now I have an email from F-S where it was 178,000 yen (about $1,400). This lens shipped with a black flared lens hood (no vents) and a bright sandblasted chrome “Hexanon” lens cap that fit over the hood.į-S would then go on to commission the 50/2.4L (collapsible) and 60/1.2L Hexanon lenses. ![]() ![]() None of this, of course, will disabuse you of the notion that the Japanese lens production industry revolves around common suppliers. The chrome finishing on an alloy body is reminiscent of modern-day ZM lenses. On close inspection, the scalloped focusing ring looks like that on a Canon 35mm f/2 rangefinder lens, or more contemporaneously, the 21mm Avenon/Kobalux lens. Consistent with some other contemporaneous LTM products, it did not have a focusing tab. The coatings look identical, which is not a surprise. This lens is simply a clone of the Hexar AF lens, right down having the same filter size. The first product of this program was the 35mm f/2L Hexanon, which looked like this: called a “rangefinder renaissance ” in fact at the time, very little in LTM was being produced in Japan, with the exception of the Avenon/Kobalux 21mm and 28mm lenses. ![]() This was long before the what people in the U.S. F-S, as we will call it here, commissioned in 1996 a run of Hexar lenses in Leica thread mound (LTM). Recall that by 1992, Konica had made what was seen as its last serious film camera, the Hexar AF, with its legendary 35mm f/2 lens. The former Fujisawa-Shoukai had quite a bit of pull over Konica. This is an article originally written in 2001 with a lot of updates. This isn’t a commercial site, and F-S is gone from this earth, so here we are! The above is #0000 of the UC Fujisawa-Shoukai (which commissioned the lenses) gave me explicit permission, back to 2001, to use this product picture for non-commercial use. ![]()
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