The Konica IIIA Review...An Exceptional 35mm Film Street Photography Camera...
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- Опубликовано: 24 ноя 2024
- Howdy folks! This week I talk about my photographic engagement with the wonderful Konica IIIA. It's an incredibly well thought through 35mm film camera that is best at home in the streets and for casual documenting of your life. Speaking of documenting, the Konica IIIA is exceptionally well suited for documentation style shooting out in the field. Due to its frame lines which not only adjust parallax error but also for the image circle which slightly changes when the lens moves in and out, in order to focus, this wonderful 35mm camera is also well suited for portraits out in the streets.
Now, is this the ultimate camera for me? Out on the streets, yes. But as you guys know, I love SLRs and to me they still have a bit more value when it comes to purely being a tool for the photography I love shooting best, portraiture. The Konica IIIA is amazing, the results are stellar...but it is just one tool in my line-up of photography gear. #konicaiiia #leicaalternative #rangefindercamera
/ the_film_fellow
/ thefilmfellow
Simplicity is such a great feature in a camera. You’ve convinced me to buy one.
Yes one of the best aspects about this camera is its simplicity. It does what it has to do therefore incredibly well. Congrats on your purchase and I think you’ll enjoy shooting it.
Nice review of one of my favorite cameras. I have purchased about a dozen cameras from Jeff and always been pleased. I loved my IIIA so much, that I also bought a IIA and a Konica I from him. They are all wonderful machines.
Hi Andrew yeah Jeff is a great guy to deal with. I totally love my IIIA. It’s my favorite camera for sure. The results speak for itself. Thanks so much for watching!
I own the Konica III it is an amazing piece of kit and wonderful example of mid century engerneering.
Yes both the Konica III and IIIA are cameras at the absolute pinnacle of mechanical technology. They represent an incredibly effective, elegant and satisfying way to produce a photo! I will certainly never get rid of mine and with minimal care these wonderful cameras will outlast us all. Thank you so much for watching!
I have the IIIA with the 48mm f/2 which I use for landscape photography. I havent developed any street cred yet but simply e the camera at f/8 at infinity should do the trick with fast framing. The f/2 is working awesome with exceptional quality wide open with Fuji Neopan Acros 100 and Kodak Portra 400. Your street candids are remarkable. I should be so privileged to take such empathetic photos.
Thanks so much for your wonderful compliments. My apologies for my late response. Recovering from a nasty bacterial infection. I’ve heard and read nothing but good about the 48mm. There is a video on RUclips where that lens is removed and adapted to a Sony digital camera and its performance is incredible. It’s real high quality glass. Thanks so much for watching.
Another great video. I also purchased the Konica IIIA a while ago (from the same seller which was also uncoupled) but with the 48mm lens which was made for the domestic market in Japan. Like you, I was blown away by how great the lens is on the camera. Your review was very thorough and touched on some of its weak points but if you use the camera enough, like you say, with familiarity, you soon get used to that focus lever. A brighter more defined rangefinder spot would be great but overall, it's such a lovely camera, it has a solid high-end feel to it. Keep up the great work.
Hi Alex! Thanks so much for your wonderful compliments. Yes Jeffrey is a great guy to purchase a camera from. Great customer service. I must admit that I’ve been salivating over that 48mm f2 version. It’s probably more true to that form factor in its size and that particular lens was a tried and true winner and remains a tried and true winner. They were designed to directly compete with the Leica lenses. That should say enough. They posses not only immense detailed sharpness but also tons of character and yes once you accept some of its idiosyncrasies it becomes an amazing shooting experience. Thanks so much for watching and happy shooting!
Thank you for this excellent review. I’ve long lusted after one of these, but I’ve held off because because I really enjoy my 1954 Contax IIIa, and I have way too many cameras. That said, I may not be able to resist hunting for of these. BTW - your photos are impressive!
Where did you get the slotted lens hood? I have the iiia, and I am such a proud owner.
Hi Bradley I just bought it off of EBay. It’s just a 43mm slotted hood which screws right on to the lens. I couldn’t get myself to use the original hood in case I would drop the camera. This slotted hood is inexpensive and ubiquitous. I’m a very proud owner as well. The IIIA is phenomenal.
Thanks so much for watching.
Great video, just bought a Konica IIIA, and seeing this video make me so look forward to using the camera
Congratulations on your purchase. It’s an amazing little shooter and the results really speak for itself. Thanks so much for watching.
Another fantastic video babe! Your passion for photography is on display not only in your videos but also in the quality of your photos. I’m lucky to have a front row seat❤️
Thanks babe 😘
Excellent. I was also considering buying this camera, but as it is the size on my two SLRs that already has 50mm lenses, I decided to get a tiny Ricoh 500G (also a highly underappreciated manual camera that can be had for a really small amount of money) to see if I like rangefinder focusing experience first. However, what makes this so interesting is that like my SLRs (Ricoh Singlex TLS and Minolta SRT 303) it is fully mechanical cameras. No need for any electronics (apart from a light meter, but if it break you can still use them) and they are built like tanks. Lastly, simplicity as you mentioned. It is so so nice to feel total control and have only the tasks of exposure, focus and composition to get right.
The Ricoh 500G seems like a fun little camera. The good news about buying a Konica IIIA is that prices are holding steady and that they are actually creeping up a little. But it’s a good idea indeed to see first if you like rangefinder shooting. I think if you do you won’t regret the Konica IIIA due to its excellent viewfinder and amazingly sharp lens and yes there is no substitute for a very well designed and logically implemented, all mechanical camera. Thanks so much for watching!
@@TheFilmFellow Yes and that it doesn't have electronics that can break. Is the focus patch nice to focus with? Read in another review that he couldn't split focus, but that was perhaps that copy.
@@innstikk It is indeed incredibly reassuring to have an all mechanical camera which doesn’t need batteries to operate. For a 64 year old camera my Konica IIIA is a joy to focus. It’s really only in real bright light or when shooting directly into the sun that the focusing patch is hard to see but lining up the ghost image is a breeze. If you buy one I suggest you purchase one from Jeffrey Guthrie whom I purchased mine from. He completely overhauls the camera and it really shoots like new. Completely aligns the rangefinder for complete accuracy. Excellent customer service as well. But yes, the Konica IIIA has an amazing viewfinder.
@@TheFilmFellow I found and watch his video on how to decouple and service the shutter and rangefinder prism. After watching it I decided to pull the plug on a Konica IIIa from Japan for $99 that had some slight sticking shutter blades (according to seller). So with postage and VAT it doesn't become too expensive and I can take it apart to learn to CLA it myself. Have you tested if it helps holding sunglasses in front of the viewfinder? Just as a proof of concept if the patch gets brighter then?
@@innstikk Congratulations on your purchase! You won’t regret it and his video is indeed very detailed and once the shutter assembly is serviced it truly shoots like new.
Never considered putting sunglasses in front of the viewfinder window but I’ve read online that some put a tiny piece of blue cellophane on the front element.
If you like the Konica IIIa, you might also want to look at the Aires 35 IIIc. They share a lot of the same parts, but the Aires doesn’t require any mods to the ev system and it’s more ergonomic.
The Aires is a wonderful camera but I must admit that after a year with the Konica IIIA I have found my 35mm rangefinder camera. It works great for my needs on the streets. Thanks so much for watching!
@@TheFilmFellow I can understand that.
@@Flying4Film Yes at this stage in my photographic journey so to say I’ve been simplifying the gear as much as possible in order to really focus on just photography. With social media nowadays it’s so easy to get distracted and the irony of me saying this making RUclips videos is not lost on me. Of course, for me personally and for my needs there is never just one camera that can do it all but I’m in a good space at the moment gear wise. Things are always subject to change of course.
what parts are shared?
The photos are amazingly sharp, I'm starting to get interested and want this camera
Yes this lens, the 50 1.8 is incredibly sharp. It easily rivals Leica lenses and potentially even outperforms them. They also have tons of characters and in addition to that you can sync flash up to 1/500 of a second! You won’t be disappointed! Get one which has been given a CLA. These cameras are 60+ years old and some of them might have been sitting somewhere in a closet for quite some time. Thanks so much for watching.
Thankyou for this video. You spoke so well about this camera that I just got one on ebay complete with yellow filter & lenshood. Can't wait for it to arrive & use that lens!
Thanks so much for the kind words. I truly cannot praise this camera enough especially after they have received a thorough CLA. These are older cameras so they might need some love but the results it produces in combination with the shooting experience is really second to none. Congratulations on your purchase and thanks so much for watching.
Thanks again for taking the time to make a video about it. Never seen a camera before with a film advance like that, I’m sure it will be fun to use. Already watched the video how to decouple the speed & aperture-even more fun !
The shutter is quiet, but the film advance is the loudest I have ever heard!!
🤣
True! That’s why I was poking a little fun with it in the video towards another major rangefinder camera manufacturer. Sure the shutter is really quiet but the advance will give you away 🤣.
Anecdotally I have held the camera really close to a person and they had no idea I took a photo. About 3 feet away. You just save the advancing for later.
Hey I’ve recently disassembled the advance mechanism, cleaned and lubed it and she’s definitely much more silent in advancing. You’ll hear it in some of my future videos.
Thanks, this is a great camera. I love your night shot of the McDonalds--was that downtown Dallas? I used to work in the federal building right next door.
Hey thanks so much and that’s correct. It is the McDonald’s downtown Dallas. And indeed the Konica IIIA is an absolutely amazing camera. It’s one of the finest cameras ever build. Thanks so much for watching.
I now own one and like it! Easy to work on too.
Yes it’s a great camera. One of my favorite all time shooters. Been shooting it rather heavy 😀. Enjoy and thanks so much for watching!
I’m looking for a quality budget rangefinder. The fixed lens makes more sense than say the Leica III where if you wanna shoot anything besides 50mm you’re gonna have to shell out for the rangefinder to go with that lens. The lens sharpness is impressive on the Konica but the colors are so vivid too. Nice review and I like your portraits.
Hi John I would consider the term “budget” a bit of a misnomer with regards to the Konica IIIA. When they were new they kost about $1200 in today’s money. The build quality is also second to none. So is the viewfinder and certainly the lenses. If you wanna have a high quality rangefinder experience with indeed the 50mm you can’t go wrong with the Konica IIIA. And remember, Leica M bodies don’t have a true 1/1000 max shutter speed. It’s more so around 1/800 due to the now more than aging drum shutter design which they seem to hang on to for dear life. It only has a 1/50 shutter speed flash sync. The Konica syncs all the way up to 1/500!
Thanks so much for watching.
What a great video. You now have another subscriber to your channel! So informative and well supported by the excellent pictures you've got out of this camera. Yes, I certainly agree with you on its quality. I wear spectacles and there is no rangefinder camera, I've used, that can match the size and clarity of the viewfinder. It's perfect for me. One question for you though; what film did you use for these shots? The saturation suits my tastes really well so I must give it a try. Thanks again and I look forward to following your work.
Hi Charles! Thanks so much for your wonderful compliments. I wear glasses as well off and on and the Konica IIIA indeed does really well for glass-wearing folks.
The Konica IIIA is currently my main camera. I’m always astonished when I scan the negatives.
I’ve used a variety of films in this video.
I’ll make a little chronological list.
1. Fuji Pro 160S
2. Agfa Vista 200
3. Kodak Ultramax 400
4. Kodak ProImage 100
5. Kodak ProImage 100
6. Fuji Pro 160S
7. Fuji NPS 160
8. Kodak ColorPlus 200
9. Kodak ProImage 100
10. Fuji Pro 160S
11. Kodak ProImage 100
As you can see there are some expired stocks. Fuji Pro 160S used to be my all-time favorite stock but alas fell victim to discontinuation.
Thankfully ProImage 100 is still available.
Lately though I’ve become enamored with the Kodak Vision3 stocks.
Thanks so much for watching and subscribing!
Lovely photos man.
Thanks so much! Thanks for watching and commenting. The Konica IIIA really makes me wanna go out and shoot.
I recently bought one of these with a "broken shutter" for a cheap price. I was hoping it would just be the usual sticky shutter blades. Unfortunately though, one of the tiny springs in the shutter mechanism is completely mangled and another spring appears to be missing. Damn it!
I’m very sorry to hear that. I’m absolutely sure that Jeffrey Guthrie can repair it for you. Or get one that’s cheap with a working lens and swap the lens. You’ll love the Konica IIIA. It’s such a gem.
@TheFilmFellow Thank you. I knew the risk I was taking when I bought it, so I'll have to take it on the chin. Professional services are so expensive (understandably so), so I won't rush into that, but thank you for the name. As I'm sure you know, these things are pretty hard to come by, even broken ones, but I'll keep my eyes peeled for possible parts donors. You are right, they are wonderful cameras. I'd heard all about the viewfinder, but I was still amazed when I looked through it. With my left eye open, it's like having a head up display built into my right eye 😄.
I have that camera on order from Japan. It should be here in a few days. I also have an M6 and I added the leather case from the same guy who made the case for your Konika. I want to buy one of his cases for the Konika too... Only I don't remember how to get ahold of him. Do you have that information?
Hi John, congratulations on your purchase! Curious to see how the Konica IIIA compares to your M6. I bought my case off of a guy on EBay from China. Here’s the link. www.ebay.com/itm/285536279638?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=e7jourvxtmc&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=HOLIYS1NQd-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY.
Good luck and thanks so much for watching.
Subscribers might want to know that there was a variation of the IIIA, the IIIM. The "M" model is the same camera with two differences. (1) It had selenium light meter which was coupled to the aperture and shutter. The rather large cell was mounted in its own housing which attached to the camera with a hinge between the bottom of the cell and the front top edge of the body. It swings forward and down to cover the viewfinder, and up on top of the body for use. The problem: They never work, ever. I looked at doing a repair on mine and backed off, as I'd have to disassemble the top and front of the body to access the interior. (2) It is set up for user conversion to half frame format. It came with a mask which inserted into the back. When inserted, it hits a button which triggers internal changes to the mechanism for frame alignment and frame counting. In that mode, you pump the advance lever once rather then the usual twice. The problem: I've looked a fair number of IIIM cameras, and I've never seen the half frame insert. I guess folks bought it for the meter, left the insert in the box, and eventually tossed it out. A lot of the IIIM bodies have the dead meter removed, which leaves it looking and working like the IIIA. They are exception cameras, the best of their type, and worthy of the love shown here.
Hi Randall, yes the M version exists as well as a version with a 48mm Hexanon f2 lens. As you can imagine a video can get rather lengthy were I to mention every version. I just stuck to the version I have which deserves nothing but praise. I assume once one arrives here a minimal amount of research has been done thus guiding to a certain version of these cameras. Indeed if you can find that half frame insert which you’ll probably need a metal detector for and a few months in Tokyo, consider yourself real lucky as well as a working meter on the M version. More interesting to me is the equally illusive Konica LV meter which is mounted on the cold shoe. I almost won a bid on EBay but, alas. Thanks so much for watching!
I bought a practically unused IIIM in the original box, with case, instructions, inspection certificate, and the half frame mask, still in its plastic bag inside of its original plastic case. I think the original owner never used it and just left it in the box. I love half frame, so this was a special bonus for me.
@@andrewrothman7805 Wow, that is a first for me, and it may be a last too. I had completely forgotten about the half frame feature, which was only on the IIIM. I've never come close to a IIIM with a half frame mask. I think I saw one or two on ebay about thirty years ago. There are collectors out there who would pay more for the mask than for the camera. By chance do you own the only IIIM with working meter? For those wondering how that half frame works, when you install the mask in the back of the camera film gate, it depresses a switch which causes the camera on one stroke of the advance lever to cock the shutter and advance the film 1/2 the normal distance, thus the half frame spacing. Ordinarily, the camera would require a double stroke on the advance lever to cock shutter and advance a full frame.
@@randallstewart175 the meter is dead. In fact, I have sent the camera to Konica expert Greg Weber, and I asked him to remove the meter as I think it is ugly as well as inconvenient. I've also toyed with the idea of having the mask reproduced and selling them to IIIM owners for a reasonable price. Speaking of half frame and Konica, I also own the original Auto-Reflex (hyphenated model) and an Autorex-P. They are the only SLR that let's you switch between whole and half frame on the same roll of film. The Autorex-P is the JDM version, without a built-in meter.
Hi, I was just wondering where you bought the vented hood for the Konica iiia? Thanks
Hi I bought it on EBay. I literally just typed 43mm vented hood and I got some results.
This is that link:
www.ebay.com/itm/263071739493?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=zQwOvo97RGm&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=HOLIYS1NQd-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
FYI - I have yet to see modern color, polarizing, ND, or UV filters degrade an image. I use either Hoya or B+W and test on a 30 megapixel digital camera and I can see no image degradation even at 300%. Not that it's a big deal, I just wanted to mention it, digging into it for myself it definitely is a myth these days. I couldn't live without my filters to mitigate the relatively slow shutter speed on cameras such as this one and my GW680:)
Hey Jeremy I tend to agree with your statement. I use an orange Cokin filter all the time for black and white work and I see no degradation at all which I stated in my Lucas B&B Restaurant sign video. Filters are incredibly useful and sometimes inescapable. I also use a polarizing filter often. I guess with the Konica IIIA I just love that beautiful glass too much to have a permanent filter on it 😃. Thanks so much for watching!
Hi, do you know what konihood fits a 48mm/f2 Konica III lens? Where can I buy one? Thank you.
If I’m not mistaken Konica only made one Konihood but there is a step up ring so the hood can be used both on the 48mm and 50mm lenses which of course have different outer diameters.
www.ebay.com/itm/405268422283?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ckczcl6sq_u&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=HOLIYS1NQd-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
@@TheFilmFellow Thank you very much again!!
hello, what is the thread on the 50mm lens? im finding a lens cap for this and an old konihood? is the thread the same for both the lens cap and konihood? thank you
Hi Dominic the filter thread for the 50mm lens on the Konica IIIA is 43mm. The konihood itself doesn’t attach to the lens via a tread but through an ingenious pressure clamp style system. This leaves the thread of the lens free to have filters attached when the konihood is mounted. Konica really thought of everything when designing this camera and I’ve never seen an all-metal hood as well implemented as with the Konica IIIA.
@@TheFilmFellow hello! thats neat to hear; i recently found a konihood with 45mm clamp (?) so will that even fit it (it was also stated that it was made for IIIA and IIIm) thank you again!
also nice shots! im still learning this camera for portraits (some images were soft and some were sharp when i took some shots in portrait - it must be my zone focusing tbh)
@@dominicchuaa I think it should fit. It seems like the outer diameter of the lens is about 45mm.
I wish the rangefinder patch was not so dim
It could be just your copy. These cameras are upwards of 60 years old.
What's the filter thread size?
Hi, on the version I have with the 50 1.8 it’s 43mm which makes the filters very affordable. They are nice and small so they hardly take up any space in the camera bag. Thanks so much for watching.