Pentax Screw-Mount Lenses: Optical Treasures in Plain Sight
Asahi Optical Co made superb lenses but fell short on promoting them
By Jason Schneider
Asahi Optical Co. (the name means “rising sun”) was founded as Asahi Kogaku Goshi Kaisha in 1919 by Kumao Kajiwara in the Tokyo suburb of Toshima, and the shop began producing eyeglass lenses. In 1938 it changed its name to Asahi Optical Co., Ltd., and by that time it was making camera and cine lenses, devoting much if its energy producing optical instruments under contract for the Japanese military. The company was disbanded under the occupation, permitted to re-form in 1948, and resumed manufacturing binoculars and camera lenses, supplying the latter to such renowned companies as Konishiroku (Konica) and Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko (Minolta). In 1952 Asahi introduced the Asahiflex, the first Japanese 35mm SLR, which had a waist-level finder and a 37mm threaded lens mount, and in 1954 brought forth the Asahiflex IIB, the first Japanese SLR with an instant-return mirror. In 1957 Asahi acquired the name “Pentax” from East German Zeiss (VEB) and began producing Pentax 35mm SLRS using the larger M-42 screw mount that had been pioneered on the DDR-made Contax D and Praktica SLRs. The “Takumar” name used on most M-42-mount Pentax lenses honors Takuma Kajiwara, the brother of the company founder and a well-known fine arts painter in Japan.
Asahiflex IIB of 1954, first Japanese SLR with instant return mirror, with superb 58mm f/2.4 Takumar lens in 37mm screw mount. Note auxiliary optical finder.
Asahi Optical Co. always made excellent lenses, including the 37mm screw-mount line designed for the Asahiflexes, but unlike Nikon and Canon they never aggressively promoted them—with one exception we’ll get to later. Asahi adopted the 42mm diameter M-42 x 1mm pitch lens mount in 1957, for the successful Asahi Pentax (AP), and introduced the semi-auto-diaphragm feature in the Auto-Takumar lenses for the Asahi Pentax K. The company continued using the M-42 mount in the well-received S- and H-series Pentaxes and in the hugely successful Spotmatics. The original Pentax Spotmatic of 1964 was the first 35mm SLR with a through-the-lens (TTL) light meter to top the sales charts, though the Topcon RE Super had its own version of this feature a year earlier. Aside from the light meter, which was powered by a 1.35-volt mercury cell, the Spotmatic was entirely mechanical. A small switch on the left side of the lens housing was pushed up to stop down the lens and activate the meter; the exposure controls would then be adjusted to center a needle along the right-hand edge of the viewfinder. The system became the workhorse of many professionals at that time.
Asahi Pentax AP of 1957, the first Pentax and first with an M-42 mount, is shown with a 5.8cm f:2.4 Takumar lens. It was also sold by Sears as the Tower 26.
Asahi Optical Co. 42mm Screw-Mount Lenses in Brief
The first series of Auto-Takumar lenses of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s made prior to the introduction of the Pentax Spotmatic have a spring- loaded aperture stop-down mechanism that must be manually re-cocked after each exposure by pushing a little tab until it clicks, opening the lens to maximum aperture. Then, when you press the shutter release the lens stops down to whatever aperture you’ve selected just before the shutter fires. Lenses originally supplied with Pentax Model K and Model S cameras have this feature.
Super-Takumar lenses have a single spring-loaded aperture stop-down pin on the back that’s pushed in by a metal tab inside the camera at the base if the mount--it pops out to contact the pin when the shutter is released. This automatic stop-down system automatically re-opens the lens to maximum aperture after the exposure and requires no re-cocking. However, there is a milled tab at the rear of the lens barrel that can be set to Auto or Man (manual), the latter position stopping the lens down to the set aperture for assessing depth of field, etc. Both Auto- and Super-Takumar lenses without any other identification markings are single layer coated.
Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses that debuted on the Pentax Electro-Spotmatic (ES) of 1971 are multicoated, which improves light transmission and minimizes ghosting and flare. They provide full aperture metering, and because the lens has an extra prong that transmits the pre-selected aperture value to the camera, it’s sometimes called Pentax ES mount. Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses are fully compatible with the Pentax ES II, Spotmatic F, and all stop-down-metering Pentaxes, but problems may arise with non-Pentax cameras that use the M-42 mount. Lenses marked SMC Takumar introduced with the Pentax ES II in 1972 have minor cosmetic differences but are functionally equivalent to those marked Super-Multi-Coated.
Fascinating factoid: While Nikon and Zeiss had been multi-coating specific lenses for many years, neither company ever mentioned it prominently or used multicoating as a marketing tool and Asahi did—a rare instance of lens marketing savvy for a company that largely hid its light under a bushel. Asahi’s SMC coating was also judged to be the best in the business, as tested by Popular Photography, among others.
In general, Asahi Optical Co., later Pentax Corporation, produced outstanding lenses with remarkable consistency and few, if any, can be rightly called “dogs.” Even Nikon and Canon couldn’t match this incredible uniformity of optical excellence, though Tokyo Optical Co. (Topcon) could and did. As a result, there are now many amazing bargains in used screw-mount Takumar and Pentax SMC lenses out there that are readily adaptable to digital capture with full frame mirrorless and DSLR cameras, and of course a huge variety of 35mm SLRs including models by Ricoh, Fuji, (early) Olympus, Praktica, Cosina, and scads of other brands. Obviously, we can’t describe every single one of them here, so we’ll do the next best thing and give you a selection of worthy examples that we’ve known and loved. All the lenses listed below deliver impressive sharpness and detail and most, as noted, provide beautifully smooth “vintage” rendition and pleasing bokeh.
A Sensational Selection of Superb M-42 mount Takumar Lenses
Normal lenses:
50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar (8-element variant): widely acclaimed for its outstanding sharpness, gorgeous rendition, and beautiful bokeh, this coveted lens commands premium prices in the $200-$350 range. It’s identifiable by its protruding rear element with its glass edges visible, an aperture stop-down switch marked A-M rather than “Auto Man,” and an infrared focus mark to the right of an open “4 “on the DOF scale. The design includes a cemented triplet of elements 4,5, and 6 that is very difficult and expensive to manufacture, which is why it was superseded by the 7-element version, which is also a great lens but a tad less sharp wide open and off axis at its widest apertures.
The coveted 8-element version of the 50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar lens is identifiable by its protruding rear element that sticks out beyond the retaining ring.
50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar (7-element version): Far more common than the 8-element version, this 7-element, 6-group lens was also made in Super-Multi-Coated and SMC variants and has its IR focusing mark to the left of the numeral 4 on the DOF scale. It’s a great lens, prized for its excellent sharpness and smooth bokeh, and it focuses down to 0.45m. It performs as well or better than equivalent high speed normal from Nikon and Canon and it’s a bargain that you can usually snag for under 100 bucks, and sometimes a lot less than that.
50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar lens in black: This is the standard 7-element version, an outstanding high-speed normal prime , and a great value.
55mm f/1,8 Super-Takumar: Also available in Auto-Takumar, Super-Multi-Coated Takumar, and SMC Pentax version, it’s the sleeper of the line—a truly great 6-element, 5-group double Gauss design that delivers outstanding sharpness even wide open, beautiful bokeh, and amazing value for the money. Starting in 1965 on it incorporates a least one radioactive element made of thorium glass. Depending on the variant it focuses down to 0.55 or 0.45m. It’s quite compact and lightweight at 6.1 ounces, and you can snag one for a paltry $50-$100!
55mm f/1.8 Super-Takumar delivers exceptional imaging performance in a handy light-weight package and it's readily available at bargain prices.
Medium tele and tele lenses
85mm f/1.8 Auto-Takumar/ Super-Multi-Coated Takumar: Prized for its outstanding optical correction, incredible sharpness, and smooth, natural bokeh, this beauty came in 5-element, 4-group, and 6-element 6-group versions, and has one of the highest user favorability ratings of any Asahi Optical Co. lens and is priced accordingly. Depending on the version it has either a 9-bladed or 8-bladed diaphragm, focuses down to 33.5 inches frame filling headshots, and weighs in at a portable 12.4 ounces. Despite its relatively high used price of $300-$350 it’s noteworthy that most purchasers consider it a great value.
85mm f/1.8 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar delivers impressive performance, speed, and gorgeous rendition, but it's highly prized and pretty pricey.
85mm f/1.9 Super-Multi-Coated and Super-Takumar: The two versions of this outstand medium tele differ only in the coating—both are based on the same 5-element, 4-group optical formula. In terms of sharpness, they’re both excellent, with ratings a tad lower than the 85mm f/1.8, but with the same gorgeous bokeh. When shooting wide open there’s a bit of softness due to under-corrected chromatic aberrations, but this can yield attractive effects in portraiture. Stopping down to f/2.8 noticeably improves sharpness and by f/4 it delivers crisp definition across the entire mage field. Deciding between this lens and the 85mm f/1.8 may well boil down to condition and price, and which imaging characteristics you prefer. Current price range: $300-$350.
85mm f/1.9 Super-Takumar: It isn't as sharp wide open as the 85mm f/1.8, but it's a superb portrait tele with gobs of character and crisp when stopped down
105mm f/2.8 Super-Takumar and Super-Multi-Coated Takumar: The very first version of Asahi’s 105mm f/2.8 Takumar had a pre-set manual diaphragm and was a high quality 4-element Tessar type. All 5 subsequent versions employ a classic 5-element 4-group optical formula that’s similar but not identical to the 85mm f/1.9. While there are cosmetic variations in external finish and differences in coating, all but the first 105 performs at about the same level as the 85mm f/1.9, delivering outstanding sharpness across the field by f/4 and smooth, attractive, natural bokeh at f/2.8 – f5.6 If you favor the 105mm Leica/Nikon-inspired 105mm portrait tele focal length and can live with a minimum focusing distance of 1.2 meters (just under 4 feet), any one of the auto diaphragm versions is an excellent choice. Icing on the cake: you can snag one of these beauties for under 100 bucks.
105mm f/2.8 Super-Takumar: It's a lovely portrait tele that lacks the pizzazz and speed if its 85mm counterparts, but it's very sharp and amazingly low priced.
135mm f/2.5 Super-Takumar and Super-Multi-Coated Takumar: This fast moderate telephoto is acclaimed for its outstanding sharpness and smooth, beautiful bokeh. Highly rated by users, older Super-Takumar versions employ a 5-element, 4-group optical formula, and later SMC versions use a 6-element, 6-grouop version that was carried over in the K-mount version not included here. All versions stop down to f/22 and have a minimum focusing distance of 4 feet, 11 inches (a maximum magnification of 0.11x) which is not sufficient for close-up portraits. However, its wide f/2.5 aperture enables extended control of depth of field for creative effects. Best news: You can acquire a clean M-42 mount example (any type) for about $100-$150.
135mm f/2.5 Super-Takumar is acclaimed for its outstanding sharpness and gorgeous rendition, This is the older 5-element version, but either one is a winner.
Ultra-wide and wide-angle lenses
17mm f/4 Super Fish-Eye Takumar and S-M-C Takumar: This remarkable 11-element, 7-group lens provides 180-degree coverage on full-frame film or digital cameras, stops down to f/22, and focuses down to 7.9 inches. It delivers exceptional imaging performance for a lens of this type, with excellent sharpness, and high user ratings, but as expected falls short on bokeh, which is not the strong suit of fish-eye lenses. If you’ve always hankered for a high quality, reasonable fast fish-eye lens, it's a bargain at $200-$350 for a clean example (any type).
17mm f/4 Super-Multi-Coated Fish-Eye Takumar is a fantastic 180-degree fish-eye that's faster and sharper than most of its ilk, but it's no bokeh monster.
20mm f/4.5 Super-Takumar, S-M-C Takumar: A highly regarded ultra-wide, this 11-element, 10-group beauty provides 94-degree coverageon the full frame format, stops down to f/16, and has a minimum focusing distance of 7.9 inches (0.13x magnification). It delivers exceptional sharpness for a lens of this type, and very nice bokeh for an ultra-wide-angle lens. Highly praised by users, it weighs in at about 8.8 ounces (with slight variations depending on version) and is judged to be a great value by an overwhelming majority of reviewers. It’s readily available used at $200-$300 in excellent to near mint condition.
20mm f/4.5 Super-Takumar provides 94-degree coverage and is amazingly sharp for an ultra-wide. Few lenses of this type deliver more beautiful bokeh.
24mm f/3.5 Super-Takumar, S-M-C Takumar: A great all-rounder, this 9-element, 8-group classic provides excellent sharpness and attractive bokeh in a compact, lightweight package (about 8.8 ounces). It provides 84-degree diagonal coverage on the full frame format, focuses down to 9.8 inches, and stops down to f/16. Recommended by 92% of reviewers, it’s a great deal at the current asking price of $100-150 in clean, fully functional condition.
35mm f/2 Super-Takumar, S-M-C Takumar: Prized for its speed, this high-performance, wide-angle employs a classic 8-element, 7-group design (in all but the earliest examples, which used an 8-element 5-group design). It delivers very good central sharpness with a touch of flare wide open, is crisp and contrasty across the field by f/5.6 and has nice bokeh at its widest apertures. It stops down to f/16, focuses down to 17.7 inches (some versions get down to 16 inches), and is recommended by 90% of users. An excellent choice in a fast, full frame wide angle clean examples are readily available at the leading online auction sites at prices in the $150-$250 range.
Black Pentax Spotmatic with 35mm f/2 Super-Takumar: A great combo for low light street shooting and the asking price was only $299--a pretty good deal.
Macro lenses
50mm f/4 Super Macro-Takumar, S-M-C Takumar: It’s just a little ol’ 4-element 3-group Tessar design, but it delivers exceptional imaging performance at both macro and normal shooting distances. This relatively compact beauty focuses down to 9.1 inches (0.5x or half life-size magnification), though the earliest pre-set version of the Macro-Takumar gets down to 1:1 without extension tubes! Either version delivers amazing sharpness even wide open, is critically sharp across the field by f/5.6 down to its minimum aperture f f/22 (f/32 in later examples), and has a 5-bladed diaphragm. Later versions weigh in at about 8.8 ounces; the earliest versions are about 15g heavier. An astounding 100% of users highly recommend this lens. Current online listings cover a wide price range from under $100 to a little over $200. It’s a winner!
50mm f/4 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar is a little jewel and it performs exceptionally well at both macro and normal shooting distances.
100mm f/4 Macro-Takumar, Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar: Based on a classic 5 element, 3-group Heliar design, this versatile short tele macro is extremely sharp even wide open, delivers exceptionally smooth, natural bokeh, and focuses down to 17.7 inches (half life-size). Robustly constructed, it’s 3.2 inches long, 2.6 inches in diameter, weighs in at 12.3 inches, stops down to f/22, and has a 6-bladed diaphragm. Like its 50mm macro counterpart, it’s recommended by 100% of the eviewers who assessed it! Highly recommended, and reasonably priced at about $100-$200 based on current auction listings.
100mm f/4 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar is one off the best performing medium tele macro lenses ever made and it's robustly constructed and rugged.
Asahi Optical Co made superb lenses but fell short on promoting them
By Jason Schneider
Asahi Optical Co. (the name means “rising sun”) was founded as Asahi Kogaku Goshi Kaisha in 1919 by Kumao Kajiwara in the Tokyo suburb of Toshima, and the shop began producing eyeglass lenses. In 1938 it changed its name to Asahi Optical Co., Ltd., and by that time it was making camera and cine lenses, devoting much if its energy producing optical instruments under contract for the Japanese military. The company was disbanded under the occupation, permitted to re-form in 1948, and resumed manufacturing binoculars and camera lenses, supplying the latter to such renowned companies as Konishiroku (Konica) and Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko (Minolta). In 1952 Asahi introduced the Asahiflex, the first Japanese 35mm SLR, which had a waist-level finder and a 37mm threaded lens mount, and in 1954 brought forth the Asahiflex IIB, the first Japanese SLR with an instant-return mirror. In 1957 Asahi acquired the name “Pentax” from East German Zeiss (VEB) and began producing Pentax 35mm SLRS using the larger M-42 screw mount that had been pioneered on the DDR-made Contax D and Praktica SLRs. The “Takumar” name used on most M-42-mount Pentax lenses honors Takuma Kajiwara, the brother of the company founder and a well-known fine arts painter in Japan.
Asahiflex IIB of 1954, first Japanese SLR with instant return mirror, with superb 58mm f/2.4 Takumar lens in 37mm screw mount. Note auxiliary optical finder.
Asahi Optical Co. always made excellent lenses, including the 37mm screw-mount line designed for the Asahiflexes, but unlike Nikon and Canon they never aggressively promoted them—with one exception we’ll get to later. Asahi adopted the 42mm diameter M-42 x 1mm pitch lens mount in 1957, for the successful Asahi Pentax (AP), and introduced the semi-auto-diaphragm feature in the Auto-Takumar lenses for the Asahi Pentax K. The company continued using the M-42 mount in the well-received S- and H-series Pentaxes and in the hugely successful Spotmatics. The original Pentax Spotmatic of 1964 was the first 35mm SLR with a through-the-lens (TTL) light meter to top the sales charts, though the Topcon RE Super had its own version of this feature a year earlier. Aside from the light meter, which was powered by a 1.35-volt mercury cell, the Spotmatic was entirely mechanical. A small switch on the left side of the lens housing was pushed up to stop down the lens and activate the meter; the exposure controls would then be adjusted to center a needle along the right-hand edge of the viewfinder. The system became the workhorse of many professionals at that time.
Asahi Pentax AP of 1957, the first Pentax and first with an M-42 mount, is shown with a 5.8cm f:2.4 Takumar lens. It was also sold by Sears as the Tower 26.
Asahi Optical Co. 42mm Screw-Mount Lenses in Brief
The first series of Auto-Takumar lenses of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s made prior to the introduction of the Pentax Spotmatic have a spring- loaded aperture stop-down mechanism that must be manually re-cocked after each exposure by pushing a little tab until it clicks, opening the lens to maximum aperture. Then, when you press the shutter release the lens stops down to whatever aperture you’ve selected just before the shutter fires. Lenses originally supplied with Pentax Model K and Model S cameras have this feature.
Super-Takumar lenses have a single spring-loaded aperture stop-down pin on the back that’s pushed in by a metal tab inside the camera at the base if the mount--it pops out to contact the pin when the shutter is released. This automatic stop-down system automatically re-opens the lens to maximum aperture after the exposure and requires no re-cocking. However, there is a milled tab at the rear of the lens barrel that can be set to Auto or Man (manual), the latter position stopping the lens down to the set aperture for assessing depth of field, etc. Both Auto- and Super-Takumar lenses without any other identification markings are single layer coated.
Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses that debuted on the Pentax Electro-Spotmatic (ES) of 1971 are multicoated, which improves light transmission and minimizes ghosting and flare. They provide full aperture metering, and because the lens has an extra prong that transmits the pre-selected aperture value to the camera, it’s sometimes called Pentax ES mount. Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses are fully compatible with the Pentax ES II, Spotmatic F, and all stop-down-metering Pentaxes, but problems may arise with non-Pentax cameras that use the M-42 mount. Lenses marked SMC Takumar introduced with the Pentax ES II in 1972 have minor cosmetic differences but are functionally equivalent to those marked Super-Multi-Coated.
Fascinating factoid: While Nikon and Zeiss had been multi-coating specific lenses for many years, neither company ever mentioned it prominently or used multicoating as a marketing tool and Asahi did—a rare instance of lens marketing savvy for a company that largely hid its light under a bushel. Asahi’s SMC coating was also judged to be the best in the business, as tested by Popular Photography, among others.
In general, Asahi Optical Co., later Pentax Corporation, produced outstanding lenses with remarkable consistency and few, if any, can be rightly called “dogs.” Even Nikon and Canon couldn’t match this incredible uniformity of optical excellence, though Tokyo Optical Co. (Topcon) could and did. As a result, there are now many amazing bargains in used screw-mount Takumar and Pentax SMC lenses out there that are readily adaptable to digital capture with full frame mirrorless and DSLR cameras, and of course a huge variety of 35mm SLRs including models by Ricoh, Fuji, (early) Olympus, Praktica, Cosina, and scads of other brands. Obviously, we can’t describe every single one of them here, so we’ll do the next best thing and give you a selection of worthy examples that we’ve known and loved. All the lenses listed below deliver impressive sharpness and detail and most, as noted, provide beautifully smooth “vintage” rendition and pleasing bokeh.
A Sensational Selection of Superb M-42 mount Takumar Lenses
Normal lenses:
50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar (8-element variant): widely acclaimed for its outstanding sharpness, gorgeous rendition, and beautiful bokeh, this coveted lens commands premium prices in the $200-$350 range. It’s identifiable by its protruding rear element with its glass edges visible, an aperture stop-down switch marked A-M rather than “Auto Man,” and an infrared focus mark to the right of an open “4 “on the DOF scale. The design includes a cemented triplet of elements 4,5, and 6 that is very difficult and expensive to manufacture, which is why it was superseded by the 7-element version, which is also a great lens but a tad less sharp wide open and off axis at its widest apertures.
The coveted 8-element version of the 50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar lens is identifiable by its protruding rear element that sticks out beyond the retaining ring.
50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar (7-element version): Far more common than the 8-element version, this 7-element, 6-group lens was also made in Super-Multi-Coated and SMC variants and has its IR focusing mark to the left of the numeral 4 on the DOF scale. It’s a great lens, prized for its excellent sharpness and smooth bokeh, and it focuses down to 0.45m. It performs as well or better than equivalent high speed normal from Nikon and Canon and it’s a bargain that you can usually snag for under 100 bucks, and sometimes a lot less than that.
50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar lens in black: This is the standard 7-element version, an outstanding high-speed normal prime , and a great value.
55mm f/1,8 Super-Takumar: Also available in Auto-Takumar, Super-Multi-Coated Takumar, and SMC Pentax version, it’s the sleeper of the line—a truly great 6-element, 5-group double Gauss design that delivers outstanding sharpness even wide open, beautiful bokeh, and amazing value for the money. Starting in 1965 on it incorporates a least one radioactive element made of thorium glass. Depending on the variant it focuses down to 0.55 or 0.45m. It’s quite compact and lightweight at 6.1 ounces, and you can snag one for a paltry $50-$100!
55mm f/1.8 Super-Takumar delivers exceptional imaging performance in a handy light-weight package and it's readily available at bargain prices.
Medium tele and tele lenses
85mm f/1.8 Auto-Takumar/ Super-Multi-Coated Takumar: Prized for its outstanding optical correction, incredible sharpness, and smooth, natural bokeh, this beauty came in 5-element, 4-group, and 6-element 6-group versions, and has one of the highest user favorability ratings of any Asahi Optical Co. lens and is priced accordingly. Depending on the version it has either a 9-bladed or 8-bladed diaphragm, focuses down to 33.5 inches frame filling headshots, and weighs in at a portable 12.4 ounces. Despite its relatively high used price of $300-$350 it’s noteworthy that most purchasers consider it a great value.
85mm f/1.8 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar delivers impressive performance, speed, and gorgeous rendition, but it's highly prized and pretty pricey.
85mm f/1.9 Super-Multi-Coated and Super-Takumar: The two versions of this outstand medium tele differ only in the coating—both are based on the same 5-element, 4-group optical formula. In terms of sharpness, they’re both excellent, with ratings a tad lower than the 85mm f/1.8, but with the same gorgeous bokeh. When shooting wide open there’s a bit of softness due to under-corrected chromatic aberrations, but this can yield attractive effects in portraiture. Stopping down to f/2.8 noticeably improves sharpness and by f/4 it delivers crisp definition across the entire mage field. Deciding between this lens and the 85mm f/1.8 may well boil down to condition and price, and which imaging characteristics you prefer. Current price range: $300-$350.
85mm f/1.9 Super-Takumar: It isn't as sharp wide open as the 85mm f/1.8, but it's a superb portrait tele with gobs of character and crisp when stopped down
105mm f/2.8 Super-Takumar and Super-Multi-Coated Takumar: The very first version of Asahi’s 105mm f/2.8 Takumar had a pre-set manual diaphragm and was a high quality 4-element Tessar type. All 5 subsequent versions employ a classic 5-element 4-group optical formula that’s similar but not identical to the 85mm f/1.9. While there are cosmetic variations in external finish and differences in coating, all but the first 105 performs at about the same level as the 85mm f/1.9, delivering outstanding sharpness across the field by f/4 and smooth, attractive, natural bokeh at f/2.8 – f5.6 If you favor the 105mm Leica/Nikon-inspired 105mm portrait tele focal length and can live with a minimum focusing distance of 1.2 meters (just under 4 feet), any one of the auto diaphragm versions is an excellent choice. Icing on the cake: you can snag one of these beauties for under 100 bucks.
105mm f/2.8 Super-Takumar: It's a lovely portrait tele that lacks the pizzazz and speed if its 85mm counterparts, but it's very sharp and amazingly low priced.
135mm f/2.5 Super-Takumar and Super-Multi-Coated Takumar: This fast moderate telephoto is acclaimed for its outstanding sharpness and smooth, beautiful bokeh. Highly rated by users, older Super-Takumar versions employ a 5-element, 4-group optical formula, and later SMC versions use a 6-element, 6-grouop version that was carried over in the K-mount version not included here. All versions stop down to f/22 and have a minimum focusing distance of 4 feet, 11 inches (a maximum magnification of 0.11x) which is not sufficient for close-up portraits. However, its wide f/2.5 aperture enables extended control of depth of field for creative effects. Best news: You can acquire a clean M-42 mount example (any type) for about $100-$150.
135mm f/2.5 Super-Takumar is acclaimed for its outstanding sharpness and gorgeous rendition, This is the older 5-element version, but either one is a winner.
Ultra-wide and wide-angle lenses
17mm f/4 Super Fish-Eye Takumar and S-M-C Takumar: This remarkable 11-element, 7-group lens provides 180-degree coverage on full-frame film or digital cameras, stops down to f/22, and focuses down to 7.9 inches. It delivers exceptional imaging performance for a lens of this type, with excellent sharpness, and high user ratings, but as expected falls short on bokeh, which is not the strong suit of fish-eye lenses. If you’ve always hankered for a high quality, reasonable fast fish-eye lens, it's a bargain at $200-$350 for a clean example (any type).
17mm f/4 Super-Multi-Coated Fish-Eye Takumar is a fantastic 180-degree fish-eye that's faster and sharper than most of its ilk, but it's no bokeh monster.
20mm f/4.5 Super-Takumar, S-M-C Takumar: A highly regarded ultra-wide, this 11-element, 10-group beauty provides 94-degree coverageon the full frame format, stops down to f/16, and has a minimum focusing distance of 7.9 inches (0.13x magnification). It delivers exceptional sharpness for a lens of this type, and very nice bokeh for an ultra-wide-angle lens. Highly praised by users, it weighs in at about 8.8 ounces (with slight variations depending on version) and is judged to be a great value by an overwhelming majority of reviewers. It’s readily available used at $200-$300 in excellent to near mint condition.
20mm f/4.5 Super-Takumar provides 94-degree coverage and is amazingly sharp for an ultra-wide. Few lenses of this type deliver more beautiful bokeh.
24mm f/3.5 Super-Takumar, S-M-C Takumar: A great all-rounder, this 9-element, 8-group classic provides excellent sharpness and attractive bokeh in a compact, lightweight package (about 8.8 ounces). It provides 84-degree diagonal coverage on the full frame format, focuses down to 9.8 inches, and stops down to f/16. Recommended by 92% of reviewers, it’s a great deal at the current asking price of $100-150 in clean, fully functional condition.
35mm f/2 Super-Takumar, S-M-C Takumar: Prized for its speed, this high-performance, wide-angle employs a classic 8-element, 7-group design (in all but the earliest examples, which used an 8-element 5-group design). It delivers very good central sharpness with a touch of flare wide open, is crisp and contrasty across the field by f/5.6 and has nice bokeh at its widest apertures. It stops down to f/16, focuses down to 17.7 inches (some versions get down to 16 inches), and is recommended by 90% of users. An excellent choice in a fast, full frame wide angle clean examples are readily available at the leading online auction sites at prices in the $150-$250 range.
Black Pentax Spotmatic with 35mm f/2 Super-Takumar: A great combo for low light street shooting and the asking price was only $299--a pretty good deal.
Macro lenses
50mm f/4 Super Macro-Takumar, S-M-C Takumar: It’s just a little ol’ 4-element 3-group Tessar design, but it delivers exceptional imaging performance at both macro and normal shooting distances. This relatively compact beauty focuses down to 9.1 inches (0.5x or half life-size magnification), though the earliest pre-set version of the Macro-Takumar gets down to 1:1 without extension tubes! Either version delivers amazing sharpness even wide open, is critically sharp across the field by f/5.6 down to its minimum aperture f f/22 (f/32 in later examples), and has a 5-bladed diaphragm. Later versions weigh in at about 8.8 ounces; the earliest versions are about 15g heavier. An astounding 100% of users highly recommend this lens. Current online listings cover a wide price range from under $100 to a little over $200. It’s a winner!
50mm f/4 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar is a little jewel and it performs exceptionally well at both macro and normal shooting distances.
100mm f/4 Macro-Takumar, Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar: Based on a classic 5 element, 3-group Heliar design, this versatile short tele macro is extremely sharp even wide open, delivers exceptionally smooth, natural bokeh, and focuses down to 17.7 inches (half life-size). Robustly constructed, it’s 3.2 inches long, 2.6 inches in diameter, weighs in at 12.3 inches, stops down to f/22, and has a 6-bladed diaphragm. Like its 50mm macro counterpart, it’s recommended by 100% of the eviewers who assessed it! Highly recommended, and reasonably priced at about $100-$200 based on current auction listings.
100mm f/4 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar is one off the best performing medium tele macro lenses ever made and it's robustly constructed and rugged.
