Konica IIA1958

History

The Konica IIA appeared alongside Konica's larger III-series rangefinders in the late 1950s. It updates the Konica II (which used a slower lens) by fitting the brighter Hexanon 45/1.8. Production was brief; by ~1960, the line was superseded as Konica shifted engineering resources toward the III-series refinements and eventual move to the SLR market. Exact production years and unit counts are not well-documented.

Why It Matters

The IIA offers one of the faster fixed lenses of any Konica rangefinder - f/1.8 gives a full stop over the Konica III's 48/2 and two stops over many contemporary competitors. For collectors, it represents Konica's brief experiment with a compact, faster-lens RF before the III/IIIA dominated the lineup. In 2026 it is less sought-after than the IIIA but optically interesting, and used examples run lower.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Japanese amateur and photojournalist market, late 1950s.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Konica IIA
• Wikipedia: Konica