Konica FT-1 Motor

Last September, I spent $54 (plus VAT and shipping) on a Konica FT-1 Motor. It came bundled with a 50 mm f/1.4 Konica Hexanon (the middle revision, with thoriated glass in its construction and the smallest aperture of f/16), which is worth more than the camera sold for. The glass was in good shape, with just the focus ring missing its rubber sleeve, which I easily replaced. Regardless of the camera's condition, the purchase was a good deal.

The camera body I bought is the more common silver variant. Most FT-1s operate on four AAA batteries, but I was lucky to get the rarer version that uses AA ones. The larger batteries are a handy bonus because they last longer, and I have plenty of spare Eneloops.

Some Specs

The camera was ahead of its time, bringing many professional features to an advanced amateur body, including shutter priority and a fully metered manual mode. I'm only interested in the latter. Other specs include:

• Konica's AR bayonet mount
• Motorised film loading and advance - but rewind is still fully mechanical
• Exposure compensation dial, -2 to +2 EV
• 10-second self-timer with an indicator LED
• Matte focusing screen with a split image and a microdiaprism patch around it
• Bright viewfinder with 92% coverage
• Centre-weighted light metering with an LED indication of the correct aperture value in the viewfinder
• Konica's proprietary shutter release cord port
• A grip that doubles as a battery compartment
• PC sync port for a modern flash
• ISO hot shoe.

Here's what the camera lacks that I wish it had:

• Depth of field preview
• Integrated eyepiece curtain
• Mechanical shutter release cord port
• Shutter speed scale on the light meter

Overall, I'm happy with the feature set. The bright viewfinder is a notable improvement over the much dimmer Autoreflex T3. Easy film loading and a motorised film advance are also useful additions.

At the same time, I wish the camera had a mechanical shutter release cord port. Without a proprietary cord, the usable shutter speed range is what's on the shutter speed dial: 2" to 1/1000". Bulb mode is pointless when hand-held. The Konica cords aren't manufactured anymore, so obtaining one is a problem and an additional expense, but there are usually a few on sale on eBay.

It would also be useful to have a depth-of-field preview button and an eyepiece curtain. An ersatz curtain, a plastic cover attached to the camera strap, is available provided the camera is sold with the original Konica strap. It's a gimmicky tool that can be split into two parts to fit over the sides of the viewfinder eyepiece. It relies on the strap itself to act as the cover. I have one, but it's short, narrow, and impractical, so I prefer to use my own strap. The eyepiece cover contraption won't fit on it though.

A proper eyepiece cover could be 3D-printed. I'll make one when I buy a 3D printer.

Light Meter and Electronics Issues

The FT-1's light meter is different from what I'm used to. Konica chose to implement shutter speed priority in their cameras instead of the more common aperture priority. It's no wonder the light meter's reading shows the correct aperture rather than the shutter speed.

Half-pressing the shutter button triggers the light meter. I took my first pictures slowly, careful not to press the button too deeply. Ultimately, I avoided misfires and learned that the button needs to travel a considerable distance before engaging the shutter.

My unit came with a non-functional light meter — or, to be precise, with non-functional light meter LEDs inside the viewfinder. From what I can tell, this is an overwhelmingly common issue with the FT-1. The electronics on Konica's F series of cameras weren't robust enough to work well after over 40 years. The electrical paths on some of the circuitry tend to break. They can be fixed by rewiring the contacts of the faulty paths, but this requires skill and knowledge that I don't possess. I dropped the camera off at a repair shop, and the LEDs were revived.

The light meter readings and shutter speeds were accurate. I shot several rolls of film with the FT-1 and haven't noticed problems with incorrect exposure (except for one roll I shot using a light meter app on my phone).

Film Loading and Rewinding

The film chamber opens via a slide tab on the side of the camera. It's one of the simplest mechanisms I've seen. The camera lacks security measures to prevent accidental opening of the back, but I don't think they're necessary. The slide tab is additionally protected when I put an L-bracket on the camera.

Film loading is a breeze. There's no indicator telling me how far I have to extend the film leader but the rubberised takeup spool grabs it without problems. There's no easier way to load film than this. A similar mechanism is present in much newer cameras that I also own: the Pentax P30N and the Nikon F100. As far as I know, Konica was the first to introduce this solution.

While film advance and shutter cocking are motorised, rewinding is fully manual. There's a clutch button on the bottom and the exposure compensation knob on the left contains a traditional folding rewind crank. There's a spinning indicator on the camera's back telling me when the film leader has left the takeup spool. It allows me to leave the film leader sticking out of the canister, which makes it easier to retrieve the film leader before development.

Ergonomy and Ease of Use

In terms of ergonomy, I am happy with the FT-1. It's small, but the battery compartment provides a decent grip. While not as deep as in modern camera bodies, it ensures a firm hold. The raised edge on the back also acts as a thumb rest. The camera has quite a bit of heft, especially with the four AA batteries. Without a grip, it would have been a nightmare to hold.

A complaint I have is regarding the placement of the tripod mount thread. It's so far off-centre that a short Arca Swiss plate fails to keep the camera balanced on the tripod. Most generic L-brackets won't even fit since the screw thread is too far away. Luckily, I eventually managed to buy one that was long enough.

Focusing is similar to other cameras. The FT-1 has a horizontal split prism and a microdiaprism collar around it. It benefits from good lighting and clearly defined lines on the subject but is usable in most situations. I'm quite used to this type of focusing aid.

Note on the Flash

I don't have a macro lens with the AR mount and I'm unlikely to use the FT-1 in a studio setting as often as other cameras. Still, when using a lens with sufficiently close focusing abilities (such as the Hexanon AR 135 mm F3.2, or any other lens with a screw-on close-up filter), the camera performs admirably when using a modern flash.

The PC port allows synchronisation with even the most modern speedlights. Additionally, I've tested the hot shoe; it communicates fine with Nikon flash units. Better yet, it communicates with my wireless trigger, which lets me control the flash power remotely, just like on a modern Nikon body. I don't think TTL flash will work, but I don't use that function anyway.

Summary

Overall, the FT-1 is a fine camera. However, its electronics tend to deteriorate, at least judging by the common light meter issues. I can live with its limitations, and I'm overjoyed to have the light meter fixed. Due to the limited range of AR lenses I own, it won't be my main workhorse, but I'll use it occasionally.

• + comfortable to hold
• + fool-proof and easy to use
• + ISO hot shoe and PC port
• - shutter speed priority light meter
• - no depth of field preview
• - proprietary shutter release cord
• - unconventional placement of the tripod mount thread
• - heavy when loaded with AA batteries

Photos

As with my previous camera reviews, I want to emphasise that the camera body does not significantly influence photo quality; the photographer, the lens, and the film stock matter.

For interest's sake, here are the details about each photo:

1. Konica Hexanon AR 40 mm F1.8 | Foma Fomapan 400 "Action" | 1/250 s | f/1.8
2. Konica Hexanon AR 50 mm F1.4 | Foma Fomapan 400 "Action" | 1/250 s | f/1.4
3. Konica Hexanon AR 28 mm F3.5 | Santacolor 100 | 1/8 s | f/8
4. Konica Hexanon AR 28 mm F3.5 | Santacolor 100 | 1/15 s | f/3.5
5. Konica Hexanon AR 28 mm F3.5 | Santacolor 100 | 1/125 s | f/3.5
6. Konica Hexanon AR 50 mm F1.4 | Santacolor 100 | 1/15 s | f/5.6
7. Konica Hexanon AR 28 mm F3.5 | Santacolor 100 | 1/8 s | f/8
8. Konica Hexanon AR 135 mm F2.5 | Santacolor 100 | 1/15 s | f/8
9. Konica Hexanon AR 135 mm F2.5 | Santacolor 100 | 1/60 s | f/8 | Godox TT685 II + Godox XPro 2 remote trigger (via hot shoe)