Recommendations

This is the Konica recommendation/suggestion page. Click Here For Nikon Suggestions.

So, with all Konica SLR equipment now becoming old, and some very hard to come by, what would I recommend, you might ask. As for cameras, that's easy. Regardless of their age, the most dependable Konica cameras are the T and T3 models, and their various counterparts (A2 A3, etc.). The T4, TC, and TC-X would be next in line. The electronic models, like the FS-1 and FT-1 Motor, are wearing out because of their electronic parts and/or battery compartments, which are virtually impossible to replace, although good working copies can still be found of these cameras.

Rather than the four printed pages this was previously, I've simplified this page as follows.

It's best to stay with Konica Hexanon lenses, but there are good Third Party lenses available for Konica cameras, most notably Vivitar.

A good basic lens kit should include at least one wideangle, normal, and telephoto lens. The best in such a three lens kit would be Hexanon 24mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.7, and 200mm f/3.5 lenses.

However, it would be good and wise to fill in those gaps somewhat. Between 24mm and 50mm, a 28mm and 35mm lens comes quickly to mind. A 28mm is not that important if one has a 24mm, but a 28mm is also a very good alternative to the harder to find 24mm as your wideangle lens. A 35mm, however, makes a very good gap closer between 24 or 28mm and 50mm, and, in fact, is often thought of as a "normal" by many. Another lens in this category is the Hexanon 40mm. It's an excellent lens, being as sharp, or more so as some claim, than any of the various 50mm lenses available. The best Third Party lenses I've found in wideangle are Vivitar's 28mm f/2.5, and the Asanuma (Tokina) 35mm f/2.8

Filling the gap between 50mm and 200mm, there are three excellent lenses available. Those are Konica's Hexanon 85mm f/1.8, 100mm f/2.8 and 135mm f/3.2 lenses. It would be nice to have all three, but if you can get only one, the 100mm would probably be the most useful. However, I would suggest trying to get at least both the 85mm and 135mm. The former is an excellent portrait lens, while the latter is a nice short to medium zoom with close focus ability. I've also found Vivitar's 100mm f/2.8 and 135mm f/2.8 to be very good.

Going wider than 24mm is not something I would recommend for most people. That's a very specialized field of photography, and is something one must decide for themselves if that is what they want to try. Going longer, on the other hand, would be wise if one wants to do any kind of wildlife photography. However Konica's 300mm and 400mm lenses are becoming very hard to find. If you could find one, the best of Konica's long telephoto lenses are the 300mm f/4.5 and 400mm f/4.5. A couple of fair alternatives are Vivitar's 300mm f/5.6 and 400mm f/5.6, the latter being the better of the two.

Zoom lenses are a mixed bag. Most zooms around during the Konica era are not that good, with a few exceptions. Konica's best zoom is the Hexanon 80-200mm f/3.5, and is really the only Konica zoom I recommend. Another excellent zoom is Vivitar's Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5 or f/2.8-4. Both versions are excellent if you can find one in Konica AR mount. Another I've found most recently is a Tokina 60-120mm f/2.8, but they are also very hard to find in Konica mount. Any others, you take your chance with.

Using Tamron's adaptall system (T-Mount), new Tamron lenses can be bought for use with Konica cameras, and some of these lenses are quite good.

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