Konica Eye
Konica Β· Fixed lens Β· 18Γ24 mm on 35mm film Β· 1964
Also known as: Konica EYE Β· Konica Eye 2 Β· Konica Eye 3 Β· Wards Eye Β· γ³γγ« γ’γ€
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eye (1964) | Half-frame | 1964 | β | No figure published |
| Eye 2 (1967) | Half-frame | 1967 | β | No figure published |
| Eye 3 | Half-frame | 1968 | β | No figure published |
- The lens is why the Eye is here: a six-element Hexanon at f/1.9, when the Pen EE ran f/3.5 and the Demi f/2.8, on a fully programmed body with a red flag. The Eye 2's 32mm f/1.8 is a different lens and stays on this page as Konica's own second version of one camera.
- The camera Casual Photophile's reviewer had produced the best pictures of his three half-frames and stripped its film-advance gear after a roll and a half; one example, but the failure is worth knowing about.
- 'CYC' in listings is the stylised E, misread. The exclusion list cannot fix that; the alias list carries the real name.
How to tell them apart
- A stylised engraved E in the name that gets the camera catalogued as 'CYC'
- A selenium cyclops around a six-element f/1.9 β the fastest lens on a programmed half-frame of its year
Eye (1964):
- Hexanon 30mm f/1.9, six elements in five groups, 'improved amber' coating
- Copal B programmed shutter, f/1.9β16 and 1/30β1/800, driven by a selenium array around the lens; a needle in the finder and a red flag that locks the release in low light
- Four focus zones β 1, 1.5, 3 and 10+ m β shown in the finder by a needle; ASA 10β400; 46 mm filters
- Version 2 adds a cold shoe; sold in the United States as the Wards EYE; copied in the Soviet Union as the FED Micron
Eye 2 (1967):
- CdS meter and a Hexanon 32mm f/1.8; with and without accessory shoe
Eye 3:
- The Eye 2 with a mechanical self-timer
Specifications
- Format
- 18Γ24 mm on 35mm film Β· 72 exposures
- Finder
- Direct-vision finder with a meter needle, a focus-zone needle and the red flag Β· no rangefinder image
- Shutter
- Copal B leaf, programmed Β· 1/30 β 1/800 with the aperture, f/1.9β16; fixed 1/125 with flash; B available
- Film advance
- Thumbwheel
- Meter
- Selenium array around the lens (Eye); CdS (Eye 2, Eye 3); programmed
- Country
- Japan
What reviewers say
- Craig Sinclair (Casual Photophile), three half-frames β the Konica Eye (blog) β The best image quality of his three, from a 30mm f/1.9 with real zone focus and aperture control β and "my free camera had died after exactly one and a half tantalizing rolls," the advance gear stripped, frames overlapping.
History
The Konica Eye of 1964 is a Pen EE with a serious lens. Around a six-element Hexanon 30mm f/1.9 β improved amber coating, Konicaβs own β sits a selenium array driving a Copal programmed shutter from f/1.9 at 1/30 to f/16 at 1/800, with a needle in the finder to show the setting and a red flag that locks the release when there is too little light. Focus is by four zones, 1, 1.5, 3 and 10-plus metres, with a second needle in the finder for that too. A revised version added a cold shoe; Montgomery Ward sold it as the Wards Eye; the Soviet FED Micron is a copy of the first version. The Eye 2 of 1967 moved to a CdS meter and a Hexanon 32mm f/1.8, and the Eye 3 added a self-timer.
The one full account read for this page is Craig Sinclairβs, whose free Eye made the best pictures of his three half-frames and then stripped its advance gear after a roll and a half. The stylised E in the engraving is why listings call it a CYC.
This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap β but no human wrote these sentences.
Example photos
Sample photo wanted β shot with a Konica Eye? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
Live listings
Asking price, USD: a median of $100 across 4 fixed-price listings on 2026-09-21 (middle half $89β$150). Tracked since 2026-09-06, 3 days: up 5% from $99.
By day
| Date | Median | Middle half | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-21 | $100 | $89β$150 | 4 |
| 2026-09-18 | $100 | $89β$150 | 4 |
| 2026-09-06 | $99 | $89β$100 | 6 |
Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.
- US DDP [ COLLECTIBLE] Konica eye 2 Point&shoot half frame film camera from JAPAN
- Konica Eye 2 - Hexanon 1.8 f 38mm - Halbformatkamera
- US DDP [ COLLECTIBLE] Konica eye 2 Point&shoot half frame film camera from JAPAN
- US DDP [ COLLECTIBLE] Konica eye 2 Kompaktkamera Halbformat 35 mm Silber
- γ³γγ«γKONICA EYE 3 γ³γ³γγ―γγγ£γ«γ γ«γ‘γ©γNS01697
- KONICA EYE 2 γ³γγ« γγ£γ«γ γ«γ‘γ© γ¬γγγ«γ‘γ©
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Listings updated 2026-10-19. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.