Konica Autoreflex T / Autoreflex FTA
Feeling the limitations of their Autorelfex camera, introduced in 1965, Konica decided that an upgrade was in order and, thus, the Konica Autoreflex T was born in 1968 - known in Japan as the Autoreflex FTA and the Revue Autoreflex TTL in Germany. This camera would be a first: the first 35mm SLR to combine autoexposure with TTL metering! But even more than that, the Autoreflex T proved to be a substantially redesigned and improved SLR camera that could compete with the likes of the Minolta SRT101 and Pentax Spotmatic.
While TTL light metering in 35mm SLRs was rapidly becoming commonplace, the Autoreflex T's ability to offer both, along with a shutter priority autoexposure mode, was truly revolutionary and years ahead of its time. Add to that the fact that the camera's shutter and aperture were still fully mechanical in nature! The Autoreflex T is a reliable camera capable of offering full manual exposure control, or a form of automatic exposure, that is not dependent upon batteries to function in its most basic modes. Konica fitted their Autoreflex T cameras with a Copal Square-S shutter that has proven over the following decades to be a workhorse. Pick up an Autoreflex T 50 years later and, odds are, the shutter works just fine.
The Autoreflex T also includes the additional features commonly sought on such SLR cameras; namely a self-timer, mirror lock up, and depth of field preview. The notable omission from this list is a hotshoe. The Autoreflex T has PC sync sockets for both M and X, but the lack of a hotshoe, while not too unusual for the time, is a feature that may be missed by modern photographers picking one of these cameras up.
The odd co-star to the Autoreflex T, and offering a secondary argument for delving into this system, is the series of Hexanon lenses that Konica made for these cameras. While often overlooked, the Hexanon A/R mount lenses have gone on to acquire a certain degree of cult fame and are usually hunted down for adaptation onto modern digital cameras. Konica made a large selection of lenses for their Autoreflex cameras and they tend to be quite excellent in image quality and character. While the Autoreflex T is a solid camera in its own right, buying one to enjoy as a native platform for some Hexanon A/R lenses would be a swell idea all its own.
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