Last Updated on 03/14/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
Care for a super rare and fast Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2 for your Leica thread mount camera?
If you still have one of those Leica screw mount cameras, our latest ebay find is certainly a very rare glass you might be interested in. This beautiful Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2 lens makes a fine pair for L39/LTM mount cameras. But you need to be fast, as this lens doesn’t go on sale very often.
A little information about the item on auction – the Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2 for L39/LTM mount listed by Japan-based world-style is in new and perfectly working condition, with no dust, no balsam separation, no fungus, and no scratches. It comes with its pouch, accessory eye piece, and original box. It can be yours if you have around $10,000 to spare.
Now, what exactly makes this lens rare and worth the price? According to this CameraQuest article, this Konica lens was a limited edition that went on sale in March 1999 for 190,000 Yen (around $1,600). There were only 800 units of this lens made, each of them marked “xxx/800.” It may also very well be the only 60mm f/1.2 lens ever made for the L39/LTM mount, possibly even for any rangefinder mount, said CameraQuest.
As for the technical specifications, this rare multi-coated Hexanon lens has 7 elements in 6 groups, 10 aperture blades, f-stops of 1.2 to 16, and a closest focal distance of 0.8 meters. It’s said to be a rare lens even in Japan, and even more difficult to find elsewhere, as it wasn’t officially exported outside Japan. Looks like collectors are holding on to theirs, so this listing may be the only chance for you to snag this lens.
Want to satisfy your curiosity of this rare Hexanon lens? Japan Camera Hunter has a write-up about it that you can read, while this Flickr group has a lot of sample photos taken with this lens. And when you’re ready, go ahead and check this ebay listing to buy it now or make your best offer.
All images from the ebay listing by world-style
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