Konica IIIM1959

History

The IIIM followed directly from the IIIA (1958). Where the IIIA had no metering at all, the IIIM integrated a selenium cell on the front face of the body. The meter is uncoupled - it gives an EV or aperture/shutter recommendation that the photographer dials in manually, similar to the approach used by the Leica M5's meter being added later to an otherwise manual system. After the IIIM, Konica shifted to the Auto S (1963) and Auto S2 (1965), which featured auto-exposure and a new 45mm Hexanon lens. The IIIM is consequently the last fixed-lens Konica rangefinder in the classic body style.

Why It Matters

The IIIM occupies a narrow collector niche: the IIIA without a meter is already sought after; the IIIM adds selenium metering in the same body without compromising the battery-free mechanical operation. Selenium meters degrade over decades, so many surviving IIIMs have a dead or unreliable meter cell - this is worth verifying before purchase, though the camera functions perfectly without it. The Hexanon 48/2 glass is the same optically excellent formula found on the III and IIIA.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Late-1950s to early-1960s Japanese advanced amateur photography.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Konica IIIM
• Wikipedia: Konica