[manntax]

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As long as no one takes it away from you, it sounds like a great idea. I used to use the super tak 55 at a measly 1.8 for night walks on the Strand in Galveston. Very light, small, and easy to use. Focused with a finger! I got great results and really enjoyed using the lens. I suppose that a much faster lens would be a blast on a night walk except for being kind of big and heavy. The K 1.2 is bright and, to me, quite easy to focus at 1.2. I saw one of those, just a few years ago, at around 150.00 and in quite perfect condition. Probably won't find K and certainly not A for near that price very often though. I don't think that the 1.2 will do much for you that you can't get from your 1.4, that is, image wise, say, on a typical night walk. What I found about the 1.2 K is that for some shots, and only certain types of shots, the image produced has a quality that the1.4s can't get. The so called bokeh has a character that is awfully beautiful at 1.2 and, as I said, it lets in a lot of light to the viewfinder at 1.2 which is a joy. I think its best reserved for indoor shooting or shots where you have a lot of color and shapes outside the focus area where you want maximum smoothness and beauty in the blur! And that means you do need to shoot at 1.2, shooting shots that bring forth this fine quality. Otherwise you don't gain much if anything, perhaps not enough to warrant having the lens. Of course the 1.2s are wonderful all around lenses and are sharp at all apertures-great landscape lenses-if you want to carry the weight around. But again, I have a kind of still life shot I like to take, mostly indoors, and only that kind of shot really benefits greatly from having a 1.2.

thanks for stepping in !
great summary about the qualities of 1.2 lens - I am even more tempted now and the night walks are really really fascinating - that is probably the main thing I would love the 1.2 lens for.

I also use my 1.4 8 element for night shots and it is fantastic for image quality. During the so called golden hour or whatever, late evening, the color of images is just gorgeous. I think I recall that you may be the reviewer of the 8 element that pointed that out.

Yes indeed I am , definitely love my 8 element sweet super takumar -it is just amazing lens

[4dimad]

Hi, I just purchased Asahi Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 Lens from ebay (item #131552823106). The seller advertised it as 8 elements lens. The serial number on the lens is 4097698. Does it mean I got 7 elements with radio-active coat version? Thank you!

[boriscleto]

From the pictures in the auction it is clearly the 7-element version. IR mark to the left of F/4.

[hjoseph7]

Hello,

according to the info about the 8 element 1,4/50mm here at the lens review thread i bought such a lens, here is the auction i won:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150484443150&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT.

Now i found an ebay offer with different info about how to identify a 8 element early version. Here is the link to the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130431303010&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

i asked the seller why he is thinking, his lens is a 8 element version and gave him in addition the link to our forum with the review. He told me in his answer the description in our lens review is wrong !!!???

Can someone tell me who is right? Is there a more detailed source?

Thanks for any help.

M;chele

If the infrared marker(red line) is inside the number 4 on the DOF scale it is an 8 element. If it is on the outside it is a 7 element. The 8 element is NOT radioactive. If there is a number stamped on the back of the Auto/Manual switch then it is definitely a 7 element.

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/300102-asah...#ixzz3gaNliNQF

[mglowe]

If the infrared marker(red line) is inside the number 4 on the DOF scale it is an 8 element. If it is on the outside it is a 7 element. The 8 element is NOT radioactive. If there is a number stamped on the back of the Auto/Manual switch then it is definitely a 7 element.

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/300102-asah...#ixzz3gaNliNQF

The only SURE way to determine an 8 from 7 element is a protruding REAR element...the 8 element cannot be placed rear element down without risking scratches.

[Erd§]

- Rear element protruding: Yes

Based on your image, my feeling is that "Rear element protruding = No"...so therefore it is unlikely an 8-element version.
Have a look at the images in the following post from a similar thread: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/311804-what...ml#post3492717

[RR84]

What is the earliest example that you know of the 50/1.4 8 element Takumar? I've seen some with S/N as low as 97****, but I'm sure there are some earlier than that.

[tspoon765]

The only SURE way to determine an 8 from 7 element is a protruding REAR element...the 8 element cannot be placed rear element down without risking scratches.

I know it's multiple years later, but I will just add a pair of pictures to illustrate the point. I recently bought what looked like an 8 element lens at auction (not specifically claimed as 8 element, but I noted the serial number and thought it 'may' be). The lens has a serial number 1646086, and appears to be in the early period of 7 element lenses when they were still using older parts. As can be seen from the pictures, the lens rear element does not protrude, but the IR mark looks like that for an 8 element, and there is no model number on the auto/manual switch. The two lenses pictured weighed within 2g of each other, and appear in most respects identical. The lens itself looks to have never been disassembled.

[Erd§]

but the IR mark looks like that for an 8 element

In your case, it looks like a production fault - whereby the wrong marker was colored orange. With genuine 8-element lenses, the infra-red mark is to the right of the 4, rather than directly above it.

[rosettaquarrier]

What is the earliest example that you know of the 50/1.4 8 element Takumar? I've seen some with S/N as low as 97****, but I'm sure there are some earlier than that.

I just picked up a mint early version - serial number 978160, with (With Lollipop and R). Very pleased to have it!

[Michele]

In your case, it looks like a production fault - whereby the wrong marker was colored orange. With genuine 8-element lenses, the infra-red mark is to the right of the 4, rather than directly above it.

Hello,

both are the same type of 7 elements. The coloring is faked. The red stripe was colored white and the white was colored red.

Best regards Michael