The Takumar Lenses

kuuan said:
typing on my handphone, which i dislike, therefore short: 1.4/50mm lenses made by Pentax:
1. Super Takumar 8 element
( 1.a rare transitional as shown above)
2. Super Takumar 7 element ( and all following are 7 elements)
3.Super-Multi-Coated Takumar ( improved coating, though some Super Taks, that don't say so, already have the new, improved coating later marketed as Super Multi Coating)
4. SMC Takumar (optically same, but rubberized focus ring instead of fully metal)
this marks the end of Takumars, next comes first in Pentax K mount:
Click to expand...

Must check my 50/1.4 Super Tak's they have all the symptoms of the 8-elements, but now curious.
Which was the first 50/1.4 to allow for full-aperture metering with the SPF..? was it #4

I only have one Auto Takumar, the 35/2.3 which does have a certain look I don't see with my other Takumars
 
rodt16s said:
Must check my 50/1.4 Super Tak's they have all the symptoms of the 8-elements, but now curious.
Which was the first 50/1.4 to allow for full-aperture metering with the SPF..? was it #4

I only have one Auto Takumar, the 35/2.3 which does have a certain look I don't see with my other Takumars
Click to expand...


hm..I don't know. I haven't used them on Spotmatics or any film cameras for that matter but for a few takes and I don't remember, have used a variety of Takumars for a total of 2 or 3 rolls of film.
All of them have a pin, a linkage for the camera to close down aperture, when set to "A", when releasing.


The 2.3/35 is a very special lens, right? Quite big size and good looking too 😉
Auto Takumars, incl. the 8 element Super Takumar f1.4/50 for me render very strong and vivid colors, amazing reds and blues. Later lenses might be rendering more balanced and natural, if you people please allow me to and one can say such things.. 😀
 
kuuan said:
The 2.3/35 is a very special lens, right? Quite big size and good looking too 😉
Click to expand...
It's a very good copy of the 1950 Angénieux 35mm f/2.5 Retrofocus, the first SLR wide angle lens.

Here's the 35/2.5 Angenieux:


Here's the 35/2.3 Takumar:


But don't tell the collectors, or the price of the Takumar will skyrocket!

Cheers!

Abbazz
 
raid said:
How would the Super Takumar compare with the Pentax-M 50/1.4?
Click to expand...

Pentaxians (of which I count myself) will agonise over which 50/f1.4 is best, but the fact is all the 7-element versions are close to being optically identical. On lenses this old I suspect sample variation is going to make more difference than model.

I have the SMC Takumar 50/f1.4, SMC-K 50/f1.4 and SMC-M 50/f1.4 and there's no way I can tell them apart...
 
kuuan said:
hm..I don't know. I haven't used them on Spotmatics or any film cameras for that matter but for a few takes and I don't remember, have used a variety of Takumars for a total of 2 or 3 rolls of film.
All of them have a pin, a linkage for the camera to close down aperture, when set to "A", when releasing.


The 2.3/35 is a very special lens, right? Quite big size and good looking too 😉
Auto Takumars, incl. the 8 element Super Takumar f1.4/50 for me render very strong and vivid colors, amazing reds and blues. Later lenses might be rendering more balanced and natural, if you people please allow me to and one can say such things.. 😀
Click to expand...

The 35/2.3 is quite special... it's on the left front of the pic below
Not your everyday carry around though.
Agreed for the 8-element, the colours are exceptionally good

[url=https://flic.kr/p/MAfXMr]

Takumars by Redt16s, on Flickr[/URL]
 
kuuan said:
right! generally speaking

however I have a version that got the two signs of an 8 element you mention, I called it "Hybrid,

3 versions of Super Takumar f1.4/50mm ?! by andreas, on Flickr

and verified that it actually is a 7 element version.


The infrared mark is to the left of the f4 mark and there is no A/M on the diaphragm switch, the 2 signs you say make it an 8 element. The shape of the "daimond" and the distance of the infrared focus mark to the f4, though on the other side, concur with those of a 7 element. Actually the red mark is where the mark for the f4 in white should be, looks a bit screwed up 😉 Paints look original though.


I assume that this "hybrid" is a transitional piece.
The telling part, if it is a7 or an 8 element, from the outside, is the protruding rear lens of the 8 element:


Hybrid f1.4/50mm Super Takumar? by andreas, on Flickr

and in the inside, of course, it was the 4th lens group which in the case of the 7 element consists of 2 lenses cemented together, in the case of the 8 element it's 3 lenses cemented together which makes it "thicker".
Note also the often mentioned "yellowing" of the 7 element lenses that has not happened with the 8 element version


4th group of 3 Super Takumar f1.4/50mm by andreas, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Thanks, that is the best explanation I've seen of this mystery. Others have confused things with serial numbers and manufacturing dates. I have the standard non-hybrid second version. I've always thought that the rear element was a little extended so I was confused but seeing your version mine is exactly like yours.
 
NickTrop said:
Much is made of W. Edwards Demming (and other Americans) contribution to quality assurance and the improvements made in manufacturing in this regard in post-war Japan. (It's an interesting read if unfamiliar...) He is often credited with rise of the Japanese auto sector but I'm sure the focus on quality processes impacted the camera industry.
Click to expand...

Deming went to Japan to get some appreciation for his ideas on quality. At that time, US cars consitituted over 80% of all car exorts to the world.
 
nickthetasmaniac said:
This is correct. The 'SMC Takumar' (the final screwmount version) was the first to offer open aperture metering with the SP F, ES and ESII.
Click to expand...

rodt16s said:
Must check my 50/1.4 Super Tak's they have all the symptoms of the 8-elements, but now curious.
Which was the first 50/1.4 to allow for full-aperture metering with the SPF..? was it #4
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that the previous version (Super-Multi-Coated Takumar) allowed for open aperture metering with the SP-F.
 
charjohncarter said:
Thanks, that is the best explanation I've seen of this mystery. Others have confused things with serial numbers and manufacturing dates. I have the standard non-hybrid second version. I've always thought that the rear element was a little extended so I was confused but seeing your version mine is exactly like yours.
Click to expand...

[FONT=&quot]thanks.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]narsuitus is right, the two points how to tell apart 8 from 7 element he explains are spot on, generally. But then I ran into this copy that I call “Hybrid” and it didn't check and I investigated. It tells me that transitional pieces exist. Makes me think that the new optical 7 element scheme started being produced at a certain point but that the body must have taken steps of transition to arrive at it's final form with the characteristics of a 7 element. Possibly there even are more than just one kind of “transitional” Super Takumars 1.4/50. It’s the optics what we are talking about and signs on the body not necessarily are conclusive. The protruding rear lens should be the most clear indicator though.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]However possibly the difference of the rear lens is in it's housing only and not in it's curvature as I was inclined to think. Haven't measured and compared their curvature and to be certain, which version it is, in the end opened up the lens.

Often it has been said that some copies of the 7 element Super Takumar f1.4/50mm already have the coating of the later Super Multi Coated or S-M-C Takumar. Another type of transition must have occurred. Pentax was constantly working and improving the coating of the lens but only at a certain point they started to put a new name ring on and to market the Super Multi Coating.
[/FONT]
 
CMur12 said:
This is my understanding, as well. At least it is the case with my three Super Multi-Coated Takumars.

- Murray
Click to expand...

I think most of the various Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses were built to allow for open aperture metering with the SP-F, but not all of them.
I used to have a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 85/1.9 that didn't have the mechanism for open aperture metering.
 
Pentax SV, 2.3/35mm Auto-Takumar. Vignetting caused by inappropriate lens hood! Thanks Abbazz for the Angenieux comparison...
U77I1372831977.SEQ.1.jpg



U77I1372745271.SEQ.0.jpg
 
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