Konica Autoreflex T21970

History

Konica entered the interchangeable-lens SLR market comparatively late, launching the Auto-Reflex (without TTL metering) in 1965 and the Autoreflex T with TTL shutter-priority AE in 1968. The T was notable as one of the earliest production SLRs with genuine TTL shutter-priority automation -- a feature that competitors like Canon and Nikon would not match until the mid-1970s.

The T2 appeared in 1970 as an incremental refinement addressing the chief complaint about the T: its relatively dim viewfinder. The brighter finder made manual focusing and composition more comfortable, particularly with the faster Hexanon lenses the AR system could accept. The T2 was superseded in 1973 by the Autoreflex T3, which introduced open-aperture metering -- a significant metering improvement that allowed exposure to be assessed without stopping down the lens. The T3 went on to become the benchmark Konica SLR of the decade; the T2 is today somewhat overshadowed by it.

Why It Matters

The Autoreflex T2 represents Konica's commitment to shutter-priority automation at a time when most Japanese SLR makers were still selling meter-only or aperture-priority designs. Shutter-priority AE suited photojournalists and action photographers who wanted reliable control over motion blur without sacrificing automation.

The AR mount was engineered with a relatively large flange focal distance, making it adaptable to many other mounts with appropriate converters -- a quality that later gave AR-mount Hexanon lenses a second life as adapted optics on mirrorless digital cameras. The T2's brighter finder, though modest by later standards, was a meaningful ergonomic improvement over the T for photographers working in low or mixed light.

Lenses & Accessories

The Konica AR bayonet mount accepts the full range of Hexanon AR lenses. Notable options include:

• Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.4 -- standard lens; smooth rendering, well-corrected wide open
• Hexanon AR 57mm f/1.2 -- fast portrait lens; one of the faster Konica AR offerings
• Hexanon AR 28mm f/3.5 and 35mm f/2.8 -- wide-angle options
• Hexanon AR 135mm f/3.2 -- short telephoto

The AR mount's generous flange focal distance allows adaptation to many modern mirrorless systems (Sony E, Fuji X, Micro Four Thirds) using commercially available adapters, though full AE integration is not available.

Motor winder and power winder accessories were developed for the AR system in later iterations of the line; compatibility with the T2 specifically should be verified.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Specific documented use by named photographers has not been verified.
• The Autoreflex T-series was popular with Japanese press and commercial photographers in the early 1970s; individual attribution is not well documented in English-language sources.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Konica Autoreflex T2