The model

Konica Hexar AF

Konica · Black model from February 1992 in Japan according to Mike Eckman (Wikipedia, Cameraquest and Lomography give 1993); Hexar Silver from April 1997. Exact end of production not documented

A heavy, largely metal compact with a 35mm f/2, full manual control, and a silent mode that Konica disabled at the factory on the Silver model of 1997.

Format: 35mm film
Made by: Konica

What it was

Konica launched it in Japan in February 1992, according to Mike Eckman; Wikipedia, Cameraquest and Lomography date it to 1993. It had a fixed 35mm f/2 lens with a built-in hood, a leaf shutter that syncs flash at every speed, programme and aperture priority, manual film speed from 6 to 6400, and an active infrared autofocus with 290 discrete steps and temperature compensation. Manual exposure with spot metering is also there, though Wikipedia says it arrived on later-production cameras and Konica offered it as a retrofit for earlier ones. The thing it is famous for is quietness. In silent mode the film advance, the shutter cocking and the focusing all run slower and quieter, and the whole operation is close to inaudible. Konica shipped the Silver model of 1997 with that mode switched off. Cameraquest and Wikipedia give a patent or intellectual-property dispute as the reason. We have not found that confirmed by Konica anywhere, so we are calling it unverified. Do not confuse this camera with the Hexar RF of 1999, an interchangeable-lens rangefinder with Konica's KM mount, a copy of the Leica M mount, and a focal-plane shutter. When you search for Hexar parts, check which camera they are for.

What it is good for

Working quietly. In silent mode it is nearly inaudible, as Wikipedia puts it, because it runs the film advance, the shutter cocking and the focusing slowly to keep the noise down. Control in a compact. Programme, aperture priority and full manual, manual film speed from 6 to 6400, spot metering in manual, and a programmable minimum shutter speed. Flash at any shutter speed. It is a leaf shutter, so fill flash in daylight works at 1/250 without the usual argument. The lens. A 35mm f/2 of seven elements with its own built-in hood, and the autofocus applies a correction for each aperture. Where it falls short: 1/250 is the top speed, and that is the real limitation of the camera — f/2 in bright sun needs a filter. Active infrared autofocus cannot work through glass and is reported to struggle in low light. Several settings depend on the small top-plate LCD, and we have found no source of new panels. And it weighs about 490 grams without a battery, which is a lot of compact.

Troubleshooting

It misbehaves on a brand-new battery

The 2CR5 is a 6 V lithium cell and is still made, so there is no adapter to hunt for. The repairer behind the jabcam blog found the Hexar runs only up to about 6.4 to 6.5 V, and that above that the LCD acts up. If you are using a rechargeable 2CR5-size pack, measure its voltage, and try a standard non-rechargeable 2CR5 before suspecting the camera.

It focuses, then loses focus when I recompose. Or it focuses and the shutter does nothing

This is the fault owners report most often, and it is one part: the two-stage shutter-release switch. Owners who have opened them describe dirty or worn contacts. Owners report cleaning the contacts themselves in about half an hour, without desoldering. Owners also report technicians replacing the whole switch. It is not a dead camera and it should not be priced as one.

It will not focus through the window, in the museum, in the car

Active infrared cannot see through glass. By design. It is also reported to struggle in low light when there is no clear subject.

The lens jammed and threw an error code

Owners report that with a standard 46mm filter fitted, the front of the lens can strike the filter at close focus, jam the autofocus and show an error code. The usual advice is a spacer or a step-up ring. One owner recovered by taking the battery out for a while, then putting it back.

Silent mode is broken — I cannot hear it

It is meant to be nearly inaudible. Silent mode also slows the film advance, the shutter cocking and the focusing, so the camera feels sluggish as well as quiet. Both of those are correct behaviour.

Silent mode is missing on my Silver

It is disabled, not absent. See “Silent mode on the Silver, explained” under What goes wrong.

The LCD has gone

This matters more than it sounds. Film speed, manual focus and exposure compensation are set by reading the small LCD on the top plate, so a faulty panel makes the camera hard to control. We have found no source of new panels. Check that every segment shows before you buy.

It is completely dead, fresh non-rechargeable cell, no LCD at all

See “Completely dead with a good cell” under What goes wrong. It may be repairable by somebody who can solder.

What goes wrong, and what fixes it

The shutter-release switch

The fault owners report most. Symptoms are described three ways — it will not focus, it focuses but drops focus when you recompose, it focuses and holds but the full press does nothing — and owners trace all three to the same two-stage switch, with dirty or worn contacts. Owners report cleaning it at home without desoldering. Owners also report technicians replacing the switch outright.

Completely dead with a good cell

The jabcam repair blog identifies two 100 microfarad, 10 volt electrolytic capacitors, and repairers there and at awayrepairs have found them leaking, with corroded tracks around them. Jabcam also found broken vias in the flexible circuit board. The hexar-resurrection project on GitHub advises replacing the capacitors before they leak. Jabcam's repair was to clean with isopropanol, fit new capacitors and run jumper wires around damaged tracks. Not every body recovers: jabcam examined one whose processor would not start.

The LCD

Awayrepairs has found the LCD window come unglued. Film speed, manual focus and exposure compensation are set by reading the top-plate LCD, so check that it shows every segment.

Lens, shutter and aperture damage

Awayrepairs has documented bodies with liquid in the shutter and damage from earlier repair attempts: broken aperture-blade pins, stripped threads, and a motor magnet come unglued from its gear. Independent specialist only.

Battery contacts

Check them for corrosion. Light deposits can be cleaned at home.

Light seals

We have found no repair write-up that names perished seals as a Hexar AF fault. The seal supplier Ausgeknipst does list the Hexar AF among the cameras its material fits. If a body leaks light, find where before replacing anything.

Silent mode on the Silver, explained

Silent mode was not removed from the Silver model; it was disabled at the factory, which is also how Wikipedia describes it. Owners have re-enabled it through a published button sequence entered in the camera's ROM mode; several reported on ClubSNAP that it worked, and Wikipedia notes it is not without risk. On a body where it is enabled, silent mode is engaged by holding the MF button while switching on. The reason usually given for the factory disabling is a patent or intellectual-property dispute. We have found no Konica source that says so.

And one lens myth

The lens is often called a copy of the Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron; Cameraquest repeats it as reputation. Wikipedia says this does not appear to be the case and notes a similarity to a Nikon 35mm f/1.8, and Mike Eckman describes it as based on the W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8. It is seven elements in six groups.

Every one of these we list has been through the checks on this page first, and what we found is written on the listing.

Written once and kept up to date. It applies to every example of this model, not only to the one in the photograph. The facts were last checked on 23 September 2026, against the maker’s own published figures where they exist; where sources disagree, the page says so.

More like this: 35mm film cameras, or every model we have written up.

Specification

Lens — fixed Konica Hexanon 35mm f/2, 7 elements in 6 groups, 46 mm filter thread, built-in hood, minimum focus 0.6 m Shutter — electromagnetic stepper leaf shutter in the lens, stepless. 30 s to 1/250, plus T. Flash syncs at every speed Aperture — f/2 to f/22 Modes — programme, aperture priority, manual (Wikipedia: manual mode with spot metering on later-production cameras, offered as a retrofit for earlier ones). Programmable minimum shutter speed from 1/4 to 1/60 Film speed — DX 25–5000, manual override ISO 6–6400 Metering — centre-weighted; spot (4°) in manual mode only. EV 0–16 at ISO 100 centre-weighted, EV 3–18 spot Focus — active two-channel infrared, one central emitter and two receptors, 290 discrete steps out to about 10 m, with aperture-dependent focus correction, temperature compensation, and a setting for infrared film. Manual focus via the MF button, the up and down buttons and the LCD Viewfinder — reverse Galilean with projected, automatically parallax-corrected brightlines and a distance scale. 0.59x magnification according to Mike Eckman. We have not found a coverage figure Flash — hot shoe, dedicated Konica HX-14, which takes two AA of its own. No flash built in. Cannot take high-trigger-voltage flashes Power — one 2CR5 6 V lithium cell. Optional date back takes one CR2025 Weight — 490 to 495 g without battery Dimensions — 137.5 x 76.5 x 64.5 mm Body — Wikipedia says cast aluminium; The Machine Planet says all metal except the top and bottom covers, which are plated polycarbonate Variants — black standard and autodate; Hexar Classic 1993, chrome; Gold 1993; Rhodium 1994; Titanium 1995; Hexar Silver 1997. Production figures vary by source: Wikipedia and Cameraquest give 2,000 Classic and 500 Gold, a Japanese dealer gives 1,500 and 300, and 1,200 Rhodium. The dealer and johanniels.com give 1,000 Titanium

Here now

None here at the moment. They come through a few times a year, and this page stays up so you can find it when one does.