Konica Hexar Impressions: 10 Rolls of Love and Frustration
2 months and 10 rolls with the Konica Hexar let’s talk about the experience of working with it. While the start was initially rocky, after my Hexar's shutter button stopped acting sticky, the camera went from feeling like a frustrating point and shoot to one that feels like it could have just come out in recent times.
This camera has been called a cult classic by many but to me, I think it may be worthy of just being called a classic.
TL;DR: The Hexar feels decades ahead of its time. Superb autofocus, near silent operation and excellent optics. The caveat: this is only true if your Hexar is serviced and in good condition.
Quick Specs
Name: Konica Hexar, AKA Konica Hexar AF
Type: Point And Shoot 35mm Fixed Lens Camera
Lens: 35mm f2 with 0.6m - infinity focus range
Metering: Center weighted (P/A), Spot (M) NOT TTL
Autofocus: Yes (Manual focus mode supported too)
Flash: No, there is an official flash accessory that can communicate with the Hexar though.
Year Released: 1992 (Original) / 1997 (Silver)
Typical Used Price: ~$800 in mid-2026
Misc: The newer silver version features a date back. Various models exist at different rarities and may affect price.
Konica Hexar Silver | Kodak Pro Image 100 | Yeonnam Film
Initial impressions
I. The Purchasing Experience
I picked up the Hexar while I was visiting my mom back in my hometown. The local shop had a supposedly minty copy in stock from "a trusted regular." I asked the shop owner if the camera had been inspected for its capacitors leaking or any internal issues. He responded it was "too much of a can of worms" to check it.
If you can take anything away from this, DO NOT BUY A HEXAR JUST BECAUSE IT LOOKS MINT.
This ended up being the start of the snowball that initially tainted my perception of the Hexar. My copy had a sticky shutter. Around 75% of the time it could snap a shot no issue, the other 25% of the time resulted in frustration.
II. First Roll
I got my first roll back and was shocked by how much I wasn't impressed with the Hexar. It felt like my Fujifilm Tiara II, another point and shoot (and cheaper at that) was just as sharp and handled better while being like 1/3 of the price. Realistically speaking, the unimpressive performance was likely because I was trying an early batch of Lucky 400 but it made me notice early on that it was kind of hard to tell how the Hexar metered complex contrasty scenes.
Luckily, for scenes with easier lighting, the Hexar did great with beautiful exposures, blazing fast autofocus and the biting sharpness I was hoping for.
III. When It Clicked
When I got my shutter button working, I felt as if my attitude towards the Hexar flipped in the blink of an eye. My main frustration was simply gone. The camera felt so insanely responsive that it was like I was using a camera made in the 2020's rather than the 1990's; I could point the Hexar anywhere and it would instantly lock on and take the shot in less than half a second. Honestly, there were times when the autofocus felt faster than what my X100VI could offer, haha.
Even at night, I feel like the Hexar doesn't miss. The focus is fast, responsive and accurate with the only real pain point being trying to shoot photos that involve glass. If you want to shoot through glass you might as well not bother as the Hexar can't seem to do that via its IR autofocus and you have to manually focus for that. Outside of that scenario, the Hexar exceeded my expectations for my use cases as a travel camera for someone who loves exploring cities and a bit of nature.
Knowing what the Hexar feels like at its best made me understand the hype around it; when it was working as expected it made the frustration I had been feeling seem like it was never a thing to begin with. I still feel apprehensive with the metering since I haven't gotten the feel for it yet but as long as the handling is good then the metering is something I can work out with time to suit my style.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
The autofocus is so fast it almost feels like the Hexar is a camera made in recent years rather than being an early to mid 90's camera
One of the brightest fixed lens autofocus cameras with a max aperture of f2
The lens utilizes a leaf shutter allowing for flash syncing at all speeds
Exposure compensation and ISO override (not a given on point and shoots)
Parallax correction helps you frame shots accurately when you get close
The camera isn't much louder than a digital camera using a mechanical shutter, so you don't stick out when shooting in public
Cons:
Maintenance is a MUST, a sticky or unreliable shutter button can ruin your experience and if your OEM capacitor isn't replaced your camera will be dead sooner than later
Metering can feel unpredictable when shooting a complex or contrasty scene; it's center weighted but I've yet to get the hang of it… (maybe due to the metering not being TTL?)
No exposure information within the viewfinder meaning checking your settings before shooting is clumsy and frustrating
The autofocus visual indicator doesn't always feel entirely accurate; the closer something is, the more likely the AF point in the view finder seems to be inaccurate
The autofocus literally doesn't work when there's glass involved, you must use manual focus to shoot through glass
Obtuse controls and menus, you'll often be referring to guides and searching online for basic functions like manual ISO selection
What to Check Before Buying a Konica Hexar
If you can, try to find out what sort of service has been done to the Hexar you're looking at. These cameras are 3 decades old at this point and will need work done on them.
Ask if the shutter button has been cleaned to avoid the sticky shutter issue.
Ask if the capacitors have been replaced.
Ask if the capacitors have at least been checked for leakage as that's what kills the camera.
You want to buy from someone who took care of and serviced their camera. This isn't always possible but if you're going to buy from someone who hasn't done maintenance, you should plan to do that work yourself ASAP.
Image referenced from Mr. Butkus
Final thoughts
For anyone who wants a film point and shoot camera with top of the line autofocus and optics, then the Hexar is worth consideration. Do factor in the cost of servicing the camera when estimating what you'll spend, though.
Consider something else if you're looking for something more size conscious, with a built in flash or want something that's a better bang for the buck. For a fraction of the cost you can get other cameras that are still good in autofocus and lens quality.
The Hexar's strengths seem straightforward and some are admittedly minor but come together to make a brilliant camera. When serviced, the Hexar makes you want to keep shooting and makes burning through film all too easy.
Additional reading
Fujifilm Tiara II Impressions - Another Point and Shoot that's still an underrated gem as of time of writing.
Lucky 200 (135) Impressions - One of the newest film emulsions to come out recently and one of the cheapest films you can get in Asia.
