Konica Autoreflex

Key takeaways

Konica Autoreflex belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Konica Autoreflex to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Konica Autoreflex from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Auto-Reflex and Autoreflex is a series of 35mm SLR cameras made by Konica from 1965 to 1988. All these models have the Konica AR bayonet.

Konica AR-mount

The Konica AR camera lens mount was introduced in 1965 alongside the Konica Auto-Reflex (Autorex for the Japanese market). Konica sold a range of lenses for the AR-mount branded Hexanon, joined later by a budget line branded Hexar. The AR-mount features a relatively short flange focal distance of 40.5 mm for a 35 mm film SLR camera. Its diameter is 47 mm. The focal lengths offered by Konica ranged from 21 mm to 2000 mm along with a 15 mm fisheye lens; from the start, one zoom, the 47-100mm f3.5 Hexanon AR-H, was offered. In addition, Konica also initially offered a line of Hexanon lenses with preset diaphragm operation, which were optically identical to the preceding Konica F-mount lenses, updated with mechanical interfaces directly compatible with AR-mount cameras. Adapters were available to mount older Konica F-mount lenses on AR-mount bodies. The Konica AR-mount SLR camera and Hexanon lens lines were discontinued in late 1988.

Mount types The AR-mount lenses may be divided into several types, based mostly on cosmetics. When the Autoreflex T was introduced in 1967, Konica added a lever to signal the widest aperture setting for the through-the-lens (TTL) in-body light meter; Konica also offered a free service to retrofit the earliest AR-mount lenses with the new lever.

List of Konica AR-mount lenses

Konica AR-mount SLR cameras

Konica Auto-Reflex, Autorex, and Revue Auto-Reflex

The Konica Auto-Reflex of 1965 was the first focal-plane-shutter auto exposure 35mm SLR; hence the name. This model and its rarer, meterless companion the Konica Auto-Reflex P are the only models where "Auto-Reflex" is hyphenated. These are also the only two SLRs that ever offered a choice of full- or half-frame exposures, switched by a lever on top of the camera. The frame size can be changed between 24×36 landscape and 18×24 portrait in mid-roll. Autorex is the name for the domestic Japanese market. In Germany the camera was also sold as Revue Auto-Reflex. For the Auto-Reflex, the meter sensor is mounted on the front, right-hand side of the camera. This is not TTL metering, although it does offer a shutter-preferred, auto-exposure mode. TTL auto exposure appeared in a Konica a few years later, with the Autoreflex T (FTA in Japan). It has the new Konica Bayonet II mount, which is also often called K/AR mount. PX675 type mercury batteries are only needed for the light meter. Shutter speeds run from 1s to 1/1000 and B. Lenses, Konica named them Hexanon, with focal lengths from 21 mm to 1000 mm and a 47-100mm f3.5 Hexanon AR-H were offered; additionally a bellows and an angle viewfinder. All versions of this model were available in both matte chrome and all-black finishes. All-black cameras are considerably rarer and tend to be more valuable. Lenses offered with the Auto-Reflex/Autorex are a bit unusual, too. They originally did not have a registration notch on the rear, which was needed with latter TTL metered models but was unnecessary on this model. The notch tells the camera the lens' maximum aperture. At the time the later models were introduced, many Auto-Reflex/FTA lenses were sent in for a service upgrade to modify them for use with the TTL models. For a period of time, factory service facilities performed this service for free. The result is that un-modified original Auto-Reflex/Autorex lenses are somewhat unusual today. Also, normal lenses sold with the Revue version of this camera were often unlabelled, fitted with a plain finish ring that did not have the Hexanon name on it. Konishiroku apparently did not rebrand any of their K/AR mount SLR models for sale through Montgomery Ward in the United States, as they had with the FP in the earlier mount. They did continue to market a number of rebadged rangefinder cameras through Wards, however (EEMatic and Auto S models, for example).

Konica Auto-Reflex P, Autorex P, and Revue Auto-Reflex SP

The Konica Auto-Reflex P is basically a stripped-down Auto-Reflex without light meter and therefore without auto-exposure. In Japan it was sold as Autorex P, in Germany as the Revue Auto-Reflex SP. It is fully mechanical and therefore does not have batteries. The shutter speeds are the same: 1s to 1/1000 and B. As with the Auto-Reflex, the frame size can be switched between 24×36mm landscape and 18×24mm portrait mid-roll. There is a special accessory light meter offered for use with the P models. It is believed all versions of these models were only offered in matte chrome finish. There is in existence a black finish Konica Auto-Reflex P camera which has just come to light. Serial number 857560. This camera is in full working order and good cosmetic condition. Picture can be made available.

Autoreflex T, FTA, and Revue TTL

The Autoreflex T was the first focal plane shutter 35mm SLR with auto-exposure and TTL metering combined in one body. In Japan it was sold as FTA, in Germany as Revue Autoreflex TTL. It is fully mechanical with shutter-priority auto exposure. The batteries (two PX 675 type mercury cells) were only needed for the CdS light meter. The shutter speed range was from 1s to 1/1000 and B. There is one rare and special version of this model, known as the Autoreflex W. This is a camera fitted with a special timing back, for use at sporting events. It imprints the time of the exposure on each frame of film. The back is similar in function to the one offered in 1963 on the Konica FS-W, an F/FS mount camera.

Autoreflex A

The Autoreflex A is a stripped-down Autoreflex T without self-timer, mirror lock-up, depth-of-field preview, on/off-switch, and battery control, and with 1/500 top shutter speed.

Autoreflex T2 and New FTA

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Konica Autoreflex

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Konica Autoreflex claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Konica Autoreflex before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Konica Autoreflex ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Konica Autoreflex

In research: Konica Autoreflex appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Konica Autoreflex in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Konica Autoreflex is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cameras introduced in 1965, Konica AR-mount cameras, Products introduced in 1965, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Konica Autoreflex outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Konica Autoreflex in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Konica Autoreflex means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Konica Autoreflex out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Konica Autoreflex in simple terms?

The Auto-Reflex and Autoreflex is a series of 35mm SLR cameras made by Konica from 1965 to 1988. All these models have the Konica AR bayonet.

Why does Konica Autoreflex matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Konica Autoreflex?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Konica Autoreflex.