The Konica AR 1.8/52mm was for nearly ten years the "budget" standard lens in the AR system. It was manufactured in several slightly differing sub-variants (as shown below). Its performance is slightly better than that of the later, lighter and much smaller AR 1.8/50mm, but slightly inferior to the AR 1.7/50mm.
The lens barrel is well made (full-metal), but not as precisely machined as with later AR lenses from the mid-late 1970s. Focusing is slightly stiff, and the aperture ring is difficult to use (as with nearly all other AR primes). The seems to be single coated.
As usual with fast vintage lenses, the AR 1.8/53mm is pretty soft wide open. Stopping down to f2.8 increases the central contrast quite a bit, but the center still improves a lot when going from f2.8 to f5.6 (tested on 43 MP FF).
Corner resolution is low at f1.8 as well as at f2.8, but it improves a lot at f5.6. At f11 it is very good, but still a slightly inferior to the AR 1.7/50mm at f5.6!
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KONICA HEXANON 52mm 1:1.8 |
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KONICA HEXANON 52mm 1:1.8 |
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KONICA HEXANON 52mm 1:1.8 |
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