Konica Autoreflex T3

[Filmsir1]

Your thoughts and hopefully any first hand experience shooting with the Konica T3. I have two versions, one of which has a spilt image view. Solid and well built.

 

[Paul Howell]

I have 2 T3s, both with the split image, mine meter well with Zinc Air hearing aid batteries, both are split image, the 57mm 1.7 is an outstanding lens, the 1.4 is also very good, both out resolve Tmax 100. No real issues, as well made as any 70s vintage 35mm, the big plus are the Konica lens, I don't know of any that are dogs, I have 28 2.8 and 3.5, the 57 1.7 and 1.4, (in 1970 I had the 1.2 best 50mm lens I have ever owned) 100 2.8 , 135 3.5 and 200 F4. Only down side is no auto winder or motor drive, which I why I traded my T and lens set for a Nikon F with drive and lens in 72. I also have a T4 with winder, not as big as a fan as the T3. For second body the A3, stripped down version of the T3 is a good buy.

 

[maximumPhoto]

Paired with the right lens, and you have yourself a solid camera. I have a T3 that I almost sold, but kept so I could test thrift find lenses on it. It's a sleeper of a camera.

 

[dynachrome]

Konica's f/1.2 standard lens was a 57. The f/1.7 Hexanon standard lens was a 50. I have many T3s and my experience with them over the years has been mixed. I think the T2 was better made. The T2 would work equally well with original Konica Hexanon lenses and with third party lenses. The mount and aperture system was changed on the T3 and the T3/A3/T3N cameras do not work properly with some third party lenses. After the shutter is tripped, when using a third party lens, the film is advanced and at the end of the advance lever's travel, the shutter trips again. This was a major oversight on Konica's part. Why? A person with a Nikon F2 might also have many or all Nikkor lenses. A person with a Konica might have had a Hexanon standard lens and then a 28 or a 135 from Vivitar or Soligor. Konica also didn't make certain lens types. In 1973 when the T3 came out, the 28/1.8 UC Hexanon was still several years away. The 28/3.5 was their fastest 28. Vivitar had the nice 25/2.5 Fixed Mount. Vivitar had a 55/2.8 Macro which went to 1:1 without an additional extension tube. Konica's 55 Macro was an f/3.5 and only went to 1:2 without the 1:1 extension tube. Vivitar had a 90/2.8 Macro which went to 1:1 by itself. The 105/4 Macro Hexanon with the Auto Helicoid was a competent set-up but didn't get near 1:1. Later Vivitar would have a 135/2.3 Series 1 and a 200/3 Series 1. These were faster than the 135/2.5 and 200/3.5 Hexanons. There was also one of my favorite Vivitars, the 135/2.8 Close Focusing. It went to 1:2 by itself. The 135/3.2 Hexanon went only to three feet. Another nice lens was the Sigma 200/3.5 with Internal Focusing. It focuses to .85 meters or about 34 inches. That's even closer than the Vivitar 200/3 Series 1, which goes down to four feet. My favorite Hexanon may be the 35/2. I like the 85/1.8 but don't use it much. I used my father's Konica Auto S1.6 as far back as 1968 and a T2 starting in 1971. I still use Konicas but also many other brands now.

 

[eric antonio]

All my Konica's have be CLA'ed by WeberCamera. He's still on the internet. However, the prices to CLA these are kinda expensive these days. The lenses are so underated, I want to keep it that way so I can buy them cheap!!! Sadly, I sold my 21mm f/4. Regrets.....
They are heavy and hefty. They feel solid.

 

[Filmsir1]

Thanks for the advice, particularly as it relates to the lenses. It is certainly built like a tank.

 

[Filmsir1]

Here a picture of it. Ran a roll of expired Konica VX 400 through it shot at 200.

 

[dynachrome]

I have now known Greg for 25 years. During that time he has worked on many things for me. The last, earlier this year, was a 35/2.8 F mount Hexanon. It's part of my small pre-Auto Reflex collection.

 

[Filmsir1]

How much is a CLA on the T3 and is Greg from WeberCamera?

 

[Jarrett]

I had my nT3 converted to accept new style batteries. I believe it's a underrated camera that suffered from poor marketing during it's time.

 

[Alan W]

I have had two T3 cameras,a regular and a T3N and both developed the Pre fire shutter trip problem.When the frame was wound on the camera tripped the shutter on its own.This also happened with 2 TC's.The T2 I had never did this.The only Konica camera I have now is the full and half frame auto-reflex.This is a fine camera.As stated above Konica lenses were first class,the camera bodies however.....

 

[Jarrett]

You can always send them in to get fixed or upgraded. Greg Weber did my body. He specialize in Konica cameras.

 

[Cholentpot]

Solid camera. I gave mine away to a kid. It had the 40 1.8 on it.

 

[Jarrett]

You don't see many portraits taken with this camera despite having such awesome lens.

 

[John Wiegerink]

The T3 is a good camera, but the T2 was and is a better camera. I believe Konica and other camera manufacture's started to cut back on quality for cost about that time frame. Competition was stating to put a pinch on sales for some of them. As for Konica's lenses? They were always first rate optically and as good, if not better than most from other manufacture's at the time. I owned most of the Konica lenses and never ever felt under gunned. I also hated to sell my 21mm f4 and still say it was the very best 21mm I have ever used. I have thought about getting another and adapting it to my digital camera.

 

[Trask]

I've got a T3N specifically because it has a split-image focusing device -- the T3 did not. Oddly, I also have an Auto Reflex full/half frame that only has a microprism, and I have little trouble focusing with it except in low light levels, unlike microprism screens in some other cameras I could name.

 

[Cholentpot]

I've got a T3N specifically because it has a split-image focusing device -- the T3 did not. Oddly, I also have an Auto Reflex full/half frame that only has a microprism, and I have little trouble focusing with it except in low light levels, unlike microprism screens in some other cameras I could name.

I always wanted one of those Auto half/full frames. I love shooting half frame and have been on the lookout for an Auto Reflex.

 

[BrianVS]

The Konica 50/1.7 is one of the best 50s offered for 35mm SLR's.

konica_a by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

It compares well with the Leica Summicron. Inexpensive. I converted mine to RF coupled M-Mount.

 

[Paul Howell]

Over the years I have read from different sources that the 50 1.7 was used by the Japanese government as the bench mark for testing all 50mm lens. Don't know if it is true, I have 2, sharp as a tack , the 1.4 is just a tad short of the 1.7, the other sleeper is the Miranda 1.7 EE and of all makes Petri 1.8 and 1.4, the 1.8 is 6 elements, cant recall if the 1.4 is 6 or 7 elements, too bad the bodies are so poorly made.

 

[Helge]

Just got one today.
Is it normal for the shutter to sound off like the faint reverberations after banging on a wire fence?
It has to be quiet around for you to hear it, but it’s quite distinct.

Probably not, but just checking.

Is the camera about to break?

 

[Paul Howell]

I have 2, no sounds as you describe, not sure what it means in terms of shutter going bad.

 

[grat]

Should be a fairly crisp, mechanical sound. This video has a few nice examples starting around 1:10.

edit: New CSS isn't quite there yet. Click "This video" for a youtube video.

 

[Helge]

I have 2, no sounds as you describe, not sure what it means in terms of shutter going bad.

Should be a fairly crisp, mechanical sound. This video has a few nice examples starting around 1:10.

edit: New CSS isn't quite there yet. Click "This video" for a youtube video.

Thanks, got my ≈$100 back.
Pity, good looking camera.

 

[grat]

It's a good, solid camera. The light meter is frequently DOA, but requires mercury cells anyway. It can be fixed, and calibrated for 1.5V batteries, but the process is tedious, as it requires a major disassembly. As the camera is shutter-priority only, I've never had mine repaired.

Yours is the first one I've heard of with a mechanical problem.

The Hexanon lenses are amazing, and relatively cheap.

 

[Helge]

There is something slightly chintzy about Konica SLRs compared to my beloved Minolta.

There is always something slightly or worse, wrong. And the build seems overall less solid, less thought through and ambitious.

Been through several FS-1, FT-1, TC, A3 and T3.

Their compacts are fine, but the search continues for a good, solid, working Konica SLR.