The Takumar Lenses

I have really enjoyed this thread and have followed it with great enthusiasm. Thanks to Andreas and to all who have contributed to it.


Now, I'm not sure whether to thank you or not :)p), as it has induced me to buy two new-to-me lenses for my old Pentax SLR bodies: An 85mm 1.9 Super Takumar (with original lens caps and lens hood), my favorite focal length, and a 105mm 2.8 Super Multi-Coated Takumar with original lens caps, lens hood, and hard leather case.


So, my Pentaxes will now be vying with my old Minoltas and TLRs for my attention!


- Murray
 
Abbazz said:
The authoritative source remains the excellent The Ultimate Asahi Pentax Screw Mount Guide 1952 - 1977 by Gerjan van Oosten, but it has been out of print for quite a long time and is now worth its weight in gold...

Cheers!

Abbazz
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Right Abbazz..thank you very much for posting here and pointing that out!
Often have heard it mention but never yet even have seen a copy of it. Now I know what would make the best birthday present for me, that I may try to buy one for myself for that ;)
Just that, if found, as you point out, it will cost quite a bit more than most Takumar lenses.

What happened to your photos in post 126?

cheers, andreas
 
CMur12 said:
I have really enjoyed this thread and have followed it with great enthusiasm. Thanks to Andreas and to all who have contributed to it.

Now, I'm not sure whether to thank you or not :)p), as it has induced me to buy two new-to-me lenses for my old Pentax SLR bodies: An 85mm 1.9 Super Takumar (with original lens caps and lens hood), my favorite focal length, and a 105mm 2.8 Super Multi-Coated Takumar with original lens caps, lens hood, and hard leather case.

So, my Pentaxes will now be vying with my old Minoltas and TLRs for my attention!

- Murray
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ha Murray, I hope you will enjoy them much and decide that you better thank me for that ;) Congrats on these Takumars!

Of course I own these two Takumars too :eek:

The 1.9/85 Super Takumar

Super Takumar f1.9 85mm by andreas, on Flickr, taken with preset Takumar f2.8/105mm on Pentax *istDs

The f1.9/85 Super Takumar may not be sharpest wide open, but imo has everything that makes a great portrait lens

on Pentax K-x

Đạo Mẫu by andreas, on Flickr, priestess of mother goddess religion, Vietnam 2011


Untitled by andreas, on Flickr, Vietnam 2010

and Sony NEX5n

Untitled by andreas, on Flickr, Vietnam 2013

S-M-C Takumar f2.8/105mm, the set:

Super Multi Coated Takumar 105mm f2.8 set by andreas, on Flickr, taken with Pentax M f2/50mm on Pentax *istDs

all on Pentax *istDs

Untitled by andreas, on Flickr, Bali 2009


metro princess by andreas, on Flickr, Japan 2008

imo a high resolution lens

Kohshoji Temple by andreas, on Flickr, Japan 2009

( a bit embarrassing, I own all existing 85mm and 105 Takumars, 3 and 5 versions respectively )
cheers, andreas
 
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Those are the lenses, Andreas! Thanks for the example photos and the assessment of the lenses' capabilities. I'm excited to get them. (I already have the 85, and the 105 is on the way.)


- Murray
 
I've got a Super-Takumar 35/3.5 attached to my M3 right now. Awesome lens, I'll upload some pics when the roll is developed.
 
kuuan said:
Hi Peter,

similar history here. I hope it's not too boring, a resume of my personal history with photography:
Did some as teenager until my early 20s, using a Minolta XG with a f2.8/28mm and a 1.4/50 and my own darkroom doing only B&W. Next I used a bit a small Pentax AF zoom camera and then, for years, mostly stopped photography.
When digital started I first got some small P&S ( Canon something 10 ) later a used Ricoh Caplio R3 really got me started. Soon upgraded to a Konica Minolta A2 which until today I consider the best handling camera I have had the joy to use!! It also taught me to appreciate an EVF, above all an articulating one!! ( some things imo it did better than any later, e.g. when choosing a setting, mode one wants to change, which on this camera I could do blindly, without ever taking off my eye on the EVF, the setting chosen was superimposed but see through, big in the middle of the EVF for just a fraction of a moment long enough to register )

Next I wanted to upgrade to a dSLR, during that time I frequently was in Japan where in shops, unlike any other place I know of, I was able to handle any camera available to find exactly what I liked best. My choice was, for small size factor and very nice handling, a Pentax *istDS ( bought "used", as most usual for me ;) ) . Cost factor of modern AF lenses felt heavy and I started to get old manual lenses instead and soon enough was hooked on Takumars. Later got some other makes too, mostly to compare and e.g. Vivitars f2/24 and f2/28 for being faster than the equivalent. Takumars but rel. cheap. Handling, build quality, also IQ, specially color rendering of Takumars, for me, hardly was reached by any other I tried though. Became known in some forums as Pentax fanboy and sure enough got pretty much any Takumar that had ever been produced ( still sad I did not get that f2/100 I had once chance to, very rare, and the price was very good, but that time still too expensive for me )

After the upgrade to a Pentax K-x mirrorless cameras started to hit the market. Smaller, lighter, and since I am most often living out of a suitcase just right for me! The small and powerful Sony NEX5n, with articulating EVF (!) soon became my most used camera and the short register distance soon enough had me jump to the smaller lenses it enabled. Pen-F halfframe lenses, main reason first was because they are cheaper than RF glass, soon really dig those!
Widest however is a 20mm, which makes a 30mm in 35mm film or "fullframe" terms, therefore I added a Voigtlaender 15mm, for more crisp images for landscape and architecture, wide views, soon also Voigtlaender 21mm and 25mm.

Next added the Ricoh GXR M, because such a joy to use, very organic, compared to Sony IQ more "warm", even Pentax-like, even converted my Pen-F lenses to Leica M so that I could use them on the Ricoh.

Desire for a "fullframe camera", not the least also for being able to finally use my Takumars on a medium the size they had been made for, started to creep in more and more. Must admit here that I never much got into using film again. Reason being simply convenience, specially when on the road. Long waited and had hoped for a "FF" mirrorless with an articulating EVF, in the end lost hope and did get a Sony A7.

The Pen-F halframe hardly work on them, use of Takumars made a small comeback then but soon got into Canon LTMs which I appreciate a lot. That again had me neglect my Takumars..

So I ended up owning some 150+ lenses..and I am very happy with the selection I have got, Takumars + a few other, interesting SLR lenses, "Pen-F" halframe lenses, C.V. wide angles and Canon LTMS. Since a few years now I have not bought any more lenses.

In case I will buy lenses again it will be AF lenses. Just now, since a few weeks, I an using a Sony RX100iii I bought second hand, AF again, something I hardly have been using since my Konica Minolta A2. Enjoying it, also learning about it's limitations.

That's were I am at.
I believe I never will sell my Takumars. And every time I am using one it feels just right. For me the S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50mm had become, still is and will remain "the" epitome of a photographic lens :)

now, has anyone read until here? forgive me for all that personal stuff...

cheers, andreas
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Wow quite a story. Just proves my point. Takumars are like a gateway drug. :)

I have sold one or two Takumars only.

One was the SMC 85mm f1.8 which I sold because I was desperate for money to pay off a Leica M8 which I had in the wings and I was paying for in installments. (I had made a decision and a promise - wives, go figure! - that I would restrict how much money I would spend on new equipment even if technically I could afford it and instead try to fund major new purchases by sale of existing kit). I made the decision to sell this specific lens on the grounds that I already had the auto Takumar 85mm f1.8 which is as good if not better and as this lens always attracts a good price it would let me sell one lens instead of a couple to meet my target figure for the sale. But I regret my decision to this day - and that sale occurred at least 6 years ago. and of course the price of this lens has only risen since then :(

The other sale that comes to mind was an early Takumar 300mm f4. It was quite a nice lens but hard to use given its very large size and slow focusing pitch. And as a result it did not get much use though I loved owning it.

However as I said I have in more recent times been distracted by more exotic equipment and have you to thank for bringing me back to my photographic roots.
 
bayernfan said:
I've got a Super-Takumar 35/3.5 attached to my M3 right now. Awesome lens, I'll upload some pics when the roll is developed.
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I got this one recently, myself, and I have it mounted on an H1a body. I haven't used it yet, though I look forward to running a roll of chrome film through it soon.

- Murray
 
peterm1 said:
Wow quite a story. Just proves my point. Takumars are like a gateway drug. :)
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exactly!!!

an addition to my long post about my lenses: forgot to mention the 3 M-Rokkors. Much like the tiny 2/40, the 2.8/28 had the dreaded white spots, removed them which meant removing the coating, now it "shines".
Color rendition of them I find characteristic and unique

my "incognito" Takumars ;)

no name lenses :) by andreas, on Flickr, taken with Super Takumar f1.9/85mm, Pentax K-x

A few times had dropped my Pentax *istDs with the S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50mm mounted, by far my most used lens then. Luckily it dropped with the lens touching ground first. That meant no damage to the camera and just a dent on the filter ring on the lens ;) But after a few times the filter ring had become loose. To fix that I had to take off it's name ring. That was difficult enough, so after fixing I left it off. The Super Takumar f3.5/24mm had not focused until infinity. Also because it being a beaten up copy it had been very difficult to get the name ring off, to do it I had to drill holes in it. These holes don't look all that swell. Therefore, after fixing the infinity problem, also had left the name ring off.


Super Takumar f3.5/24mm by andreas, on Flickr, taken with Super Takumar f1.9/85mm, Pentax K-x

my S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50m on Pentax K-x

Pentax K-x with S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50mm by andreas, on Flickr, CZJ Ultron f1.8/50mm, Pentax *istDs
 
charjohncarter said:
I just looked at the S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50mm in one of your albums. For a beat-up lens it really performs nicely. Amazing!
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John optically, even mechanically, both smoothness of focus ring and aperture ring, all is fine!
Looking through my photos from years ago, when this lens used to be my most used lens, I recognize that I have been much worse a photographer than I had thought then. However I believe that since then I have been learning a bit too.

an anecdote testifying the build quality of these Takumars: once a Super Takumar f1.4/50, I think it was, without me noticing had fallen out of my bag when I entered my car. Driving away I felt running over something, stopped, checked and to my horror saw the squished, old "hard" case, which I knew was not empty, beneath my car . The case wasn't all that hard...I think it got some kind of carton inside to give it's hard appearing shape. The case was a lost case and I threw it away. The lens inside however was completely unharmed and has kept on performing just as it did ever before :) ( I have absolutely no issue if anyone calls me a Takumar fan boy, at 58 it only makes me feel young )

A quite recent sample, for the lens already having been in the state as seen above and for having been taken on Sony A7 "FF" camera:


Untitled by andreas, on Flickr, S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50mm, Sony A7, Bali 2016

cheers, andreas
 
kuuan said:
an anecdote testifying the build quality of these Takumars: once a Super Takumar f1.4/50, I think it was, without me noticing had fallen out of my bag when I entered my car. Driving away I felt running over something, stopped, checked and to my horror saw the squished, old "hard" case, which I knew was not empty, beneath my car . The case wasn't all that hard...I think it got some kind of carton inside to give it's hard appearing shape. The case was a lost case and I threw it away. The lens inside however was completely unharmed and has kept on performing just as it did ever before :)
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Wow! That is impressive; these Takumars must be built like tanks.

I've got to ask........ was there any damage to the car? ;) :D
 
tbhv55 said:
Wow! That is impressive; these Takumars must be built like tanks.

I've got to ask........ was there any damage to the car? ;) :D
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HAHAHAhahaha! car was alright, it was a station wagon, kind of truck. That tire didn't make it much longer.. :angel:
 
charjohncarter said:
That is neat. I have the same lens. Sometimes I use it like a regular 50mm because it is so sharp and no focus curve.
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right, very sharp!
first I had the S-M-C Takumar f4/50mm


S-M-C Macro Takumar 50mm f4 by andreas, on Flickr, taken with Jupiter-9 f2/85mm on Pentax *istDs

later I got the earlier model preset Macro Takumar f4/50mm. The preset extends further and goes to 1:1 while the S-M-C "only" goes to 1:2.
I figured that the very much recessed front lens neutralizes the advantage of the superior coating and sold the S-M-C and kept the preset


Macro Takumar f4/50mm preset by andreas, on Flickr



Macro Takumar f4/50mm preset by andreas, on Flickr


Macro Takumar f4/50mm preset by andreas, on Flickr
all 3 taken with Super Takumar f1.9/85mm on Pentax K-x
( sorry in case these photos are dark. I only edit on the notebooks that I carry, the one I had that time must have had a super bright monitor, on my later notebooks they look dim )

The preset Takumar had become my standard lens to take photos of my gear, e.g the photos of the early Pentax cameras I showed here before had been taken with it.
Have not used it much for anything else, though you are right, it certainly serves as a great normal lens as well, very sharp, good flare resistance and good bokeh too I'd say


Untitled by andreas, on Flickr, taken with preset Takumar f4/50mm on Sony NEX5n
 
charjohncarter said:
That is neat. I have the same lens. Sometimes I use it like a regular 50mm because it is so sharp and no focus curve.
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I sometimes use mine as a standard lens too especially when I know I will not be needing anything too fast. The same goes for my Nikkor 55mm f2.8 Micro lens.

One thing that never ceases to surprise me when I pick it up is that the Takumar is a surprisingly heavy and chunky little lens.
 
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