Two Very Different Konicas & CatLABS X320 B&W: Another Ridiculous Comparison.
In a recent post I outlined how my pursuit of a Hexanon lens landed me a Konica Autoreflex TC.
The other Konica. Had a few to choose from:
I went for the most ridiculous pairing.
The lenses.
For the Autoreflex TC, I went with the only lens I have for it.
It may be the best $30 I have spent on a lens ever.
For the Hexar RF, I went with the Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.2. My one normal-ish M mount lens.
The film.
A great film rated for ISO 320, but after an underexposed test roll I found it plays much better with Cinestill df96 when using ISO 100.
The rules.
Since the Voigtlander is much faster I used it at a maximum aperture of f/2.
Take photos back to back with the same framing as much as possible.
The where.
Where else? Duke Gardens of course.
Here are the pics followed by some thoughts. I will go back and forth starting with the Autoreflex TC and then the Hexar RF. Due to the focal length difference, the framing will not match exactly.
Thoughts.
No surprises. Same film. Same bloke behind the camera. Whether a $62 SLR or a rangefinder the results will be similar.
Th reason I did it.
Not that I needed much provocation, but the seed for this endeavor started while talking with a youth member of the male chorus I sing with. Looking at the camera he assumed it was costly. I understand why. It is a handsome little rig.
He was happy to hear that the camera and lens together were around $100. So I shared a card and recommended he read about a few more inexpensive film cameras in a recent post.
To which he asked if he could keep it and sincerely thanked me when I said yes… Young people are the best. Do not fall for the hype. Between witnessing the young folks in our chorus and the young men in the internship program at my job that I have mentored and other young folks in my family, the future is doing fine. I wish folks spent less time complaining about the young folks and more time talking with them. <Puts away tiny soap box.>… Where was I?
Right.
I not only enjoy photography. I enjoy using various tools to do so. The latter is not necessary for the former. Nor is latest and greatest required. Nor are the priciest implements. Nor are the greatest specs required. While I do prattle on about all types of gear, that is because I enjoy doing so. For those not so inclined with the various tools one would do well with concentrating on the process rather than the tools. <Puts away second tiny soap box.>
As usual run what you bring. Lastly…
SLR and Rangefinder Focusing.
A wash. Had no issues with either. Any misses you see above can be chalked up to impatience and insistence on using two film cameras and one digital one that day. Said more plainly, user error.
I had a great time. A wonderful distraction.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 
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