Takumars, Anyone?

[AprilForever]

Anyone else here like Takumars?

I have a 50 1.4 Super Takumar, the kind with the Thorium, which I love shooting on my 7D. It seems ideal on the 7D for sharpeninjg corners the poor man's way. I also like the warm glow it gives like everything. Sure now, and it could be added in post, but I like the visceral sort of feel it brings. At some point I might even get around to posting some of my favourite images from it! I also like the fact that it is all metal, and the focussing is epicly smooth.

Anyone else out there like them?

 

[sandymandy]

I only heard good about the Takumar SMC versions so far. Just got none yet theyre kinda pricy

 

[Nick Gombinsky]

I don't know what Thorium is, but I have the 50mm f1.4 and 135mm f2.5, both SMC. I use them for work, in my lens case I have those lenses and the rest are all Samyang/Rokinon (8mm, 14mm, 24mm, 35mm and 85mm). They look awesome on video and stills. The 50mm is one of my favorites.

This video, aside from the awful compression Chevrolet did after we handed it to them, was done solely with the Pentax 50mm SMC and a Rokinon 24mm, each on a 7D.

Chevrolet S10 presenta: La capital nacional de la empanada salteña

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

I enjoy using vintage glass as well. I have the SMC 28mm f/3.5 (a great lens on a crop body, vignettes pretty bad on my 5D MKII), Super Takumar 35 f/3.5 (works amazing on crop, not at all on FF), SMC 55mm f/1.8 (works great on both crop and FF - kept this one over the SMC or Super variants of the f/1.4 and the SMC f/2), and I also use the 150mm f/4 Super Tak (great on my 5D - awesome portrait lens). I've used several others at times, including both the 3.5 and 2.5 versions of the 135mm and SMC 35mm f/2.

I also love my Helios 44-2. These lens brings something very unique to both the finished product and the shooting process.

SMC 50mm f/1.4

These Shoes Are[n't]Made for Walking by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Super 50mm f/1.4


The Man with the Scarf by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

28mm f/3.5

Kent and Erin by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Super Tak 35mm f/3.5

One Perfect Winter Day by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

SMC 55mm f/1.8

Gathering Dust by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

SMC 135mm f/3.5

You Lookin' at Me? by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Super 150mm f/4

Fade to Memory (Explored August 14th, 2012) by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

And my favorite: the Helios 44-2

Cast Off by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Spiral of Color by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Brownie Points - Explored June 17th, 2012 by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

 

[sandymandy]

I don't know what Thorium is, but I have the 50mm f1.4 and 135mm f2.5, both SMC.

Thorium is a radioactive material. In fact many m42 lenses use radioactive materials and also emit unhealthy gamma rays (which penetrate EVERYTHING, alpha and beta just go about skin deep in worst case).

@TWI by Dustin Abbott

Nice shots

 

[dr croubie]

My mum picked up the set in Japan in 1967 when she was there on a uni trip.
Didn't know much about cameras, she just bought "what the salesman told her was good".
Pentax spotmatic
55/2.0, 35/3.5, 135/3.5, 2x teleconverter. She also has a Soligor 35/2.8, but didn't like it for some reason and then bought the 35mm tak.
The body died around 1995 so she bought another one, which came with a 55/1.8.

I blame that kit for getting me interested in photography. I've still got the first photo I ever took on it, when I was 7 or so, of my mum on some camping trip. The expression on her face is halfway between "pose nicely for the camera" and "DON'T YOU DROP MY CAMERA!"
Technically it's still hers, but she's now on a K-5 and she's not too interested in learning MF on it, so they're all interspersed in my collection now, although I haven't used them much.

I since bought myself the 50/1.4 from ebay for $50 or so (the cheaper 7-element radioactive one). It's great for portraits outdoors, that yellow makes for lovely warm tones. I would absolutely love to get the 24 or 17/8 fisheye, but they got for a (comparative) lot. Or the 85/1.9, but that would be my 4th 85mm I just don't need, or the 35/2.0 (but it might not get much work vs the Samyang).

I've also got a Pentax 67 300mm f/4.0, that's technically a Takumar too...

 

[dizeaz]

I love the feel of Takumars. I have acquired the 55 f1.8, smc 105 f2.8, smc 200 f4 last year. A little worried about the potential radioactivity on the 55 f1.8 though.

 

[dr croubie]

I love how everyone is still concerned about the radioactive elements.
Ever have one of those old (30+ years) glow in the dark watches?
Live or work in a brick building? or stone?
Ever had an xray?

On the big chart of radiation, sleeping with a Takumar under your pillow has got to be down the bottom near the order of one or two blue dots, putting one up to your eyes a few times a day is no worse than staring into the sun...

 

[mws]

I have one that I use on a 50D, I just wish I could use it on my 5Dmkii (lens hits the mirror if you didn't know). I love the look it give, and it is insanely sharp.

 

[mws]

I love how everyone is still concerned about the radioactive elements.
Ever have one of those old (30+ years) glow in the dark watches?
Live or work in a brick building? or stone?
Ever had an xray?

On the big chart of radiation, sleeping with a Takumar under your pillow has got to be down the bottom near the order of one or two blue dots, putting one up to your eyes a few times a day is no worse than staring into the sun...

Cool chart, I had no idea about bananas.

 

[sandymandy]

I love how everyone is still concerned about the radioactive elements.

Im not concerned Nuclear all the way!

 

[AprilForever]

I enjoy using vintage glass as well. I have the SMC 28mm f/3.5 (a great lens on a crop body, vignettes pretty bad on my 5D MKII), Super Takumar 35 f/3.5 (works amazing on crop, not at all on FF), SMC 55mm f/1.8 (works great on both crop and FF - kept this one over the SMC or Super variants of the f/1.4 and the SMC f/2), and I also use the 150mm f/4 Super Tak (great on my 5D - awesome portrait lens). I've used several others at times, including both the 3.5 and 2.5 versions of the 135mm and SMC 35mm f/2.

I also love my Helios 44-2. These lens brings something very unique to both the finished product and the shooting process.

SMC 50mm f/1.4

These Shoes Are[n't]Made for Walking by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Super 50mm f/1.4


The Man with the Scarf by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

28mm f/3.5

Kent and Erin by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Super Tak 35mm f/3.5

One Perfect Winter Day by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

SMC 55mm f/1.8

Gathering Dust by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

SMC 135mm f/3.5

You Lookin' at Me? by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Super 150mm f/4

Fade to Memory (Explored August 14th, 2012) by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

And my favorite: the Helios 44-2

Cast Off by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Spiral of Color by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Brownie Points - Explored June 17th, 2012 by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

Which is your favourite of them?

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

The first one I fell in love with is the Super Tak 35mm f/3.5, so I'll go with that one. It blew my mind the first time I put that little tiny lens on my 60D and watched vivid colors and sharpness pop out of it. Amazing little thing!

 

[PVS]

+1 for SMC Tak 50/1.4

 

[sandymandy]

Bokeh really owns and almost(?!) 50mm 1.2L style.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Is it just me, or does this image from the SMC Tak 55mm f/1.8 look a lot like something from the 50L? This was taken this morning with a 5D MKII and I've only adjusted WB as it rendered a little cool. Takumars (IMO) have a very high quality transition from focus to defocus that reminds me of very expensive primes (which they once were, of course).


Saturday Morning (In Honor of the Children) [Explored December 16th, 2012] by Thousand Word Images by Dustin Abbott, on Flickr

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Bokeh really owns and almost(?!) 50mm 1.2L style.

Wow, I just read your post. We were really on the same wave length.

 

[Sporgon]

What make of adapter do you guys use ?

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

I use a couple of Ebay specials (with flange and variable aperture reporting). This one works well with every lens save the 50mm f/1.4 (in either Super or SMC variety). The design of that lens hangs on this adapter, so I've used a different one (Without flange) for the 50mm f/1.4.

I love my M42 lens for close to medium distance works. I'm not blown away with any of them at infinity. They don't seem to resolve as well as modern lens at that distance in my experience. That is particularly true with a FF body (for me). That may be a byproduct of the adapters that I have used and the distance of the lens from the sensor.

 

[pwp]

My very first "real" camera was a Pentax Spotmatic with the 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar SMC lens. I loved it and somehow missed it's almost intangible qualities when I switched to Nikon when I got more serious about my photography. (The switch to Canon happened a little later with the then amazing EOS1n film camera and Canon's great lenses and unrivaled CPS support).

My brother has our Dad's identical Pentax Spotmatic with the 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar SMC lens, plus other Takumar lenses tucked away somewhere in his store-room. I'm inspired to dig it out and get an EF/Takumar adapter. BTW where do you get EF/Takumar adapters? eBay?

-PW