Konica Hexar AF
Ever read an espionage thriller where the spy is not described as a James Bond-esque figure, cutting a striking figure and drawing attention in a crowd, but rather appearing as an ordinary individual, blending in, diverting attention but all the while possessing hidden depths and abilities? That is the Konica Hexar in a nutshell.
This rather unassuming camera was introduced in the early 1990s (1993 to be precise) and was modeled after popular rangefinders of the time. It is more or less the same size and weight of a Leica M6, but designed to operate more like an autofocus point and shoot. In so many different ways though, the Konica Hexar earns a reputation for being a stealth camera. For starters there is the ultra-fast 35mm f2 lens, which can operate even in dim light without using a flash to give away your position. There is the shockingly fast autofocus, allowing you to grab focus and expose in the barely more time than it takes for you to raise the camera to your face. And then of course is the famed "stealth" mode that has really given the Hexar its cult following. By holding down a specific button while the camera is powered on, the Hexar is put into an even more silent mode where film advance, focus and shutter resetting become even quieter than the already quiet nature they posses outside of stealth mode. In any real world scenario, the Hexar is inaudible from more than a foot or two away.
Even if spycraft isn't you cup of tea, the Hexar has a lot to offer. The quality of its lens is legendary. That aforementioned fast autofocus makes using the Hexar a breeze. The molded right-hand grip means the camera feels good in hand. It's aluminum body lends a sense of strength and reliability. And the versatility of its many different exposure modes gives room for much creative control.
Now the tricky part is spying one of these elusive cameras. But if you can find one, you will have a camera that would have made Q proud.
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