Hexar lenses
From Camerapedia.org
Hexar lenses were made Konica and its predecessors from 1931. This page is on the Hexar lenses made until 1959, based on the original four-element design, and on the Tele-Hexar made during the same period. The company would use the name again on three Hexar AR lenses for SLR cameras, and on the Hexar 35mm f/2.0 lens of the autofocus Hexar camera, but these have a very different optical design.
Name and origin
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| Hexar f/4.5. (Image rights) |
The name Hexar is derived from the Greek radical "hexa" meaning "six". It was adopted after the character roku (六), which means "six" and is the first character of the name of Sugiura Rokuemon VI (6代杉浦六衞門).
The first Hexar lens, released in 1931, was designed by Mōri Hirō (毛利広雄), with the help of Yamada Kōgorō (山田幸五郎).[1] It was first mounted on the Tropical Lily hand camera. The design was a copy of the Tessar formula, with four elements in three groups.
The 1931 Hexar is usually described as the first Japanese camera lens commercially available. A few other Japanese lenses were actually sold before that date, such as the Cadenza soft-focus lens distributed by Asao Tenchidō from 1924. However the Hexar was indeed the first Japanese camera lens made in some quantities, and certainly the first Japanese four-element lens sold to the public.
Hexar lenses in leaf shutters
For 6.5×9cm and 8×10.5cm hand cameras
The Hexar was first made in 11.5cm and 13.5cm focal length for daimeishi (6.5×9cm) and tefuda (8×10.5cm) Lily cameras. It seems that the 11.5cm f/4.5 was quickly replaced by the 10.5cm f/4.5, a focal length which was certainly considered more usual on 6.5×9cm cameras (see Tropical Lily). The lens numbers perhaps started at 10001: one surviving example of the Hexar Ser.1 13.5cm f/4.5 has no.10039 and is considered to be one of the first produced.[2]
List of lenses:
- Hexar Ser.1 10.5cm f/4.5, for 6.5×9cm size:
- Tropical Lily, with rim-set Compur
- New Lily, with Durax, rim-set Compur or Compur-Rapid
- Hexar Ser.1 11.5cm f/4.5, for 6.5×9cm size:
- Tropical Lily, with rim-set Compur
- Hexar Ser.1 13.5cm f/4.5, for 8×10.5cm size:
- regular Lily, with rim-set Compur
- Tropical Lily, with rim-set Compur
- Military Lily, with KTI-Tiyoko
- Hexar Ser.II f/3.8, focal length unsure:
- Interchangeable Lily, with rim-set Compur
The 10.5cm or 11.5cm lens was certainly also mounted on the regular Lily, but no surviving example has yet been found to confirm this.
For 6×9cm rollfilm cameras
The Hexar Ser.1 was offered on the Pearl 6×9cm rollfilm folder from 1936 onwards, in 10.5cm, 11.5cm and 12cm focal lengths, all f/4.5. (It seems that the 11.5cm came first, followed by the other two.)
List of lenses:
- Hexar Ser.1 10.5cm f/4.5:
- Pearl, with Durax
- Luxury Pearl, with Durax, also advertised with Compur-Rapid
- Hexar Ser.1 11.5cm f/4.5:
- Hexar Ser.1 12cm f/4.5:
For 6×6cm TLR cameras
The Sakura-flex TLR prototypes have Hexar Ser.II 7.5cm f/3.5 taking and viewing lenses.
The Koniflex has a View Hexar 85mm f/3.0 viewing lens, and its tele attachment set has a View Tele-Hexar 135/4.
For 4.5×6cm rollfilm cameras
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| Hexar 7.5cm f/4.5 lens no.38527, Durax shutter, on a Semi Pearl. Picture courtesy of Geoff Cliffe, Melbourne. (Image rights) | Hexar Ser.II 7.5cm f/3.8 lens no.4154, Compur-Rapid shutter, on a Semi Pearl. Picture courtesy of R. Hunter. (Image rights) |
The Hexar Ser.1 7.5cm f/4.5 was mounted on the Semi Pearl from the start of its production, at the beginning of 1938. The early examples have a chrome bezel, which was replaced by a black bezel after some time. The production started again after 1945, with Konishiroku instead of Rokuoh-sha markings.
Isolated examples of the Hexar Ser.II 7.5cm f/3.8 were mounted on Semi Pearl cameras after 1945. These were perhaps originally intended for use in a military camera with a Compur-Rapid shutter. The adaptation on Semi Pearl bodies, either with the Compur-Rapid or with the camera's regular Durax shutter, perhaps took place at the Konishiroku factory, but this was not an official version (see Semi Pearl).
For 4×6.5cm rollfilm cameras
The Hexar Ser.II was briefly mounted in 1932 on some Pearlette cameras, in f/6.3 maximal aperture, with a Pegasus shutter and fixed focusing. The focal length is presumably 7.5cm, but it is not engraved on the lens itself.[3]
The Hexar Ser.1 was mounted on the Luxury Pearlette released in late 1937, in f/4.5 maximum aperture, with an Apus shutter and a front-cell focusing mount.
For 3×4cm rollfilm cameras
The Hexar was made in 50mm focal length for the Baby Pearl 3×4cm folding camera. The Hexar Ser.1 50mm f/3.5 was offered from 1934 to the war, and its production was resumed after 1945. Very few examples were equipped from 1937 with f/3.8 lenses.
List of lenses (all on the Baby Pearl with Rox shutter):
- Hexar Ser.1 50mm f/4.5
- Hexar Ser.1 50mm f/3.8
- Hexar Ser.II 50mm f/3.8
For 24×36mm cameras
To be continued
Tele-Hexar lenses in leaf shutters, for hand cameras
 
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| Tele-Hexar 30cm f/6.3 no.3301 in KTI-Tiyoko shutter, with bayonet mount. Pictures courtesy of Wenbiao Liang. (Image rights) | ||
Tele-Hexar lenses certainly has a different formula, probably inspired by the Tele-Tessar. The Tele-Hexar 30cm f/6.3 is found in leaf shutters, certainly for use on hand cameras. Two examples have been observed in a Compur shutter, of which at least one fits the Interchangeable Lily.[4] A third example is known in a KTI-Tiyoko shutter made by Chiyoda Kōgaku Seikō (predecessor of Minolta), the same as on the Military Lily, with a bayonet mount on the rear, perhaps for the Interchangeable Lily again.[5] These lenses were perhaps made for military use only.
Hexar interchangeable lens, for rangefinder cameras
See the Hexar 50mm f/3.5 for Leica screw mount.
Hexar lenses in focusing mount, for strut-folding cameras
The Hexar was supplied on the Idea Spring strut-folder and its military version the Handheld Land Camera. These lenses are attached on a focusing mount, which also contains the diaphragm and has the focal length inscribed on the fixed and moving parts.
List of lenses:
- Hexar Ser.1 13.5cm f/4.5, on the tefuda size Idea Spring and Handheld Land Camera
- Hexar Ser.1 18cm f/4.5, on the kabine size Idea Spring and Handheld Land Camera
Hexar barrel lenses, for enlargers, view cameras or SLR cameras
The Hexar were also offered as barrel lenses. At an unknown date, an advertisement was offering the Hexar f/4.5 lenses in four focal lengths: 5cm (¥35), 7.5cm (¥40), 10.5cm (¥53) and 13.5cm (¥80).[6] The 10.5cm and 13.5cm were presented as suitable for general photography and for enlarging purpose, and the 5cm and 7.5cm were presented as enlarging lenses for smaller format negatives.
One example of the barrel Hexar Ser.1 13.5cm f/4.5 (no.12849) is known complete with its original box, inscribed Hexar 1:4.5 f=13.5cm Rokuoh-sha Tokyo MADE IN JAPAN inside the lid.[7]
Other focal lengths are reported, for use on view cameras: 15cm, 18cm, 21cm, 25cm, 30cm and 36cm.[8] An example of the Hexar Ser.1 21cm f/4.5 (no.34701) is pictured here at ksmt.com. An example of the Hexar Ser.1 25cm f/4.5 (no.5259) is pictured in Yazawa.[9]
Finally, one example of the Hexar Ser.II 75mm f/3.5 is pictured in barrel mount in this page of the R. Konishi website.
Hexar lenses for aerial cameras
One example of the Hexar Ser.II 75mm f/3.5 is pictured in this page of the R. Konishi website on a KOO-Tiyoko shutter giving only 1/100, 1/200 and 1/400 speeds (surely made by Chiyoda Kōgaku Seikō). It was certainly mounted on some military camera, presumably for aerial use.
The Hexar Ser.II 7.5cm f/3.8 pictured in this page in a Compur-Rapid shutter was perhaps made for an aerial camera too, before it was adapted on the body of a Semi Pearl.
To be continued.
See also
- Lily (metal)
- Pearl (6×9 self-erecting)
- Baby Pearl
- Semi Pearl
- Pearl (I), II and III
- Pearl IV
- Sakura-flex
- Konica (I), II and III
- Koniflex
- Yallu Flex
- Hexar lenses for Leica screw mount
Notes
- ↑ Yazawa, p.13 of Camera Collectors' News no.56. See also this page of the R. Konishi website.
- ↑ Example pictured in Tanaka, p.89 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Example pictured in this page at R.Konishi Rokuoh-sha.
- ↑ Lens pictured in Baird, p.82, together with an Interchangeable Lily, and lens observed in an online auction.
- ↑ Lens pictured in this page.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Inoue, p.128 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.14, and in an incomplete form in Tanaka, p.88 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Example pictured in this page of the R. Konishi website.
- ↑ See this page of the R. Konishi website.
- ↑ Yazawa, p.15 of Camera Collectors' News no.56.
Bibliography
- Baird, John R. The Japanese Camera. Yakima, WA: Historical Camera Publications, 1990. ISBN 1-879561-02-6. Pp.60–1 and 82.
- Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), ISBN 0-935398-16-3 (hard).
- Inoue, Mitsuo (井上光朗). "Shashin renzu no yoake. Renzu-ya Funsenki" (写真レンズの夜明け・レンズ屋奮戦記, Dawn of the photographic lens — Fierce war tales between lens shops). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no. 14, October 1989. No ISBN number. Rikō kamera no subete (リコーカメラのすべて, special issue on Ricoh). Pp.128–132.
- Sakai Shūichi (酒井修一). "'Anbako' kara 'ōtofōkasu' he: kamera no hensen to tomo ni ayunda 114-nen" (「暗函」から「オートフォーカス」へ・カメラの変遷と共に歩んだ114年, From 'camera obscura' to 'autofocus': 114 years of camera evolution). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no. 10, September 1987. No ISBN number. Konishiroku kamera no rekishi (小西六カメラの歴史, special issue on Konishiroku). Pp.8–13.
- Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen (写真とともに百年, 0ne hundred years of photography). Konishiroku Shashin Kōgyō, 1973. Pp.403–4, reproduced in this page of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website].
- Tanaka Masao (田中政雄). "Hekisā F4.5 no tanjō" (ヘキサーF4.5の誕生, The birth of the Hexar f/4.5). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no. 10, September 1987. No ISBN number. Konishiroku kamera no rekishi (小西六カメラの歴史, special issue on Konishiroku). Pp.88–9.
- Yazawa Seiichirō (矢沢征一郎). "Shashin renzu hattatsu-shi dai-12-kai: Kokusan renzu no rekishi (zenpen)" (写真レンズ発達史第12回・国産レンズの歴史[前編], History of the development of photographic lenses no.12: History of the Japanese lenses [first part]). In Camera Collectors' News no.56 (February 1982). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Pp.11–6.
Links
In Japanese:
