Konica's electronic M-mount rangefinder — the Hexar RF, motorised, aperture-priority, 1999.
The Konica Hexar RF is a 35mm rangefinder introduced in 1999, a modern M-mount body from Konica offering autoloading and a built-in motorised film advance. It arrived as film-era rangefinders were becoming rarer and combined the M lens standard with electronic automation not usually found on classic mechanical rangefinders.
It is a 35mm coupled-rangefinder camera using the Leica M bayonet mount, with a combined rangefinder-viewfinder and projected bright-line frames. It has an electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter with aperture-priority and manual exposure, a TTL meter, and a built-in motor for loading, winding and rewinding. Because the shutter and drive are electronic, it depends on a battery to fire.
The motorised advance and aperture-priority metering make the Hexar RF fast and convenient for street, travel and reportage work while retaining M-mount lens compatibility. It suits photographers who want rangefinder handling with modern automation, though its reliance on electronics differs from the fully mechanical bodies in this class.
Check the rangefinder patch for contrast and accurate vertical and horizontal alignment, and inspect the finder for haze around the bright-line frames. Because the shutter and film transport are electronic, confirm the camera loads, winds, rewinds and fires correctly with a good battery, and test the meter and battery contacts; this body will not function with a dead or missing battery.