A legendary Hektor 73mm f1.9, one of the finest lenses. This large-aperture medium telephoto is a representative pre-war Leitz lens and was favored by renowned photographers such as Ihei Kimura. The Leitz code name is HEKON. This example features a black and chrome finish. Serial number is in the 430,000 range, produced in 1938. Meter scale. Rotating helicoid. This lens is exceptionally clean, both cosmetically and optically.

The Hektor 73mm is known for examples with unreliable rangefinder coupling, but this one couples perfectly. From close focus to infinity, it delivers accurate focus even at full aperture. Wide open, it shows a gently diffused, soft rendering. The sweet spot is around f2.5 to f3.2, where resolution comes alive while retaining a pleasing softness. Stopped down to around f4.5, contrast increases noticeably and color reproduction becomes excellent. The bokeh is also very attractive, making this lens highly recommended for portrait photography.

This item was previously sold by our shop and has now returned to us after being carefully used by its owner. It remains in excellent condition, unchanged from the time of the previous sale. There are only very slight paint losses on the front edge of the lens and on the edges of the aperture ring, but for a Hektor 7.3cm this is an exceptionally clean exterior. The included hood and hood cap are also free from dents or noticeable damage, with only minimal paint wear.

The lens received a full overhaul in 2024. Thanks to this careful servicing, all controls remain extremely smooth and pleasant to operate. Rangefinder coupling is spot on. This particular example can also be used closer than the minimum distance marking of 1.5 m, allowing rangefinder-coupled shooting down to around 1.2 m.

The front element shows a very slight age-related glass warming and a few extremely fine hairline marks, but considering that many Hektor 73mm lenses suffer from heavy cleaning marks, the glass on this example is remarkably clean. There is no haze, and the lens is beautifully clear. Actual shooting tests produced excellent results.

The dedicated hood and caps are also in very nice condition, and the original box is included as well.

A truly hard-to-find condition. Examples like this rarely come along.