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09-09-2011, 03:52 AM   #16
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Les, something you might want to consider between the Tak and the Sonnar are the close focussing distances, plant pics come to mind, and a quick peek at both lenses has the Sonnar@ 1 metre with the Tak @ 1.5 metres.

09-09-2011, 08:43 AM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by xjjohnno Quote
Les, something you might want to consider between the Tak and the Sonnar are the close focussing distances, plant pics come to mind, and a quick peek at both lenses has the Sonnar@ 1 metre with the Tak @ 1.5 metres.
Good point, and something to consider with 135's. I have 15 of them, some very good, but the one I actually carry the most is the Takumar Bayonet 135/2.5 -- because its close-focus is 1.2m, and the best any other does is 1.5m. One only comes to 3.3m! Close-focus 135's aren't so common. How to shoot flowers?!?

Some options:

* Get an ultra-cheap M42 macro tube set. A 7mm tube section brings the focus range on my ST135/3.5 down to ~1-4m; a 12mm section drops it to 80-160cm.

* I had a KR Sears-Ricoh 135/2.8 'macro' with an adjustable front element that dropped close-focus to 75cm. Not a bad lens; bought for US$10, sold for US$30.

* My Ilex Solar Anastigmat 140/4.5 enlarger lens (US$7) on my M42 Bellowscope (US$21) easily goes from 1:1 to infinity. Edge-to-edge flatfield sharpness, eh?

* A cheap set of +1+2+4 dioptre closeup lenses -- use a hood and don't worry about image edges. My CHEAP MACRO article has a table of working distances.

Or get the Sonnar. Hay, it's only money!
09-09-2011, 09:15 AM   #18
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I'm happy to hear that few 135's are "bad". I have my first on the way - Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 (28xxxxx - Komine). Can't wait to snap it onto the K1000 and shoot with it! hopefully I didn't mis-ID the mount like the last lens I bought . worth the risk for $19 and some change shipped though, I'd say.
09-09-2011, 09:39 AM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by xjjohnno Quote
Les, something you might want to consider between the Tak and the Sonnar are the close focussing distances, plant pics come to mind, and a quick peek at both lenses has the Sonnar@ 1 metre with the Tak @ 1.5 metres.
Thanks for the info. I am pretty sure I will give the Zeiss a try (I'm hoping to find one near mint). I don't if sharing my thinking will help the OP, but . . .

One thing about Zeiss is that when they get it right their lenses offer more than sharpness. For me sharpness is just a basic qualifier, it doesn't by itself make a lens special. As the Sirens reviewer put it, ". . . one of the most often quoted by alternative users reasons for going after Contax [i.e., Contax-Zeiss] lenses is their superb color reproduction. That is where a good lens can really show its colors, pardon the pun. A combination of high contrast in focused areas, high resolution and accurate color reproduction is what can give your photos what is often described as that true 'Zeiss' or 'Leica' look and feel. And while many lenses out there showcase solid resolution capabilities, not that many handle color reproduction well . . ."

I know the Contax-Zeiss 28 f2.8 is like that because I own it; and a great many users have said that about other Zeiss lenses (like the 21mm). The Sirens reviewer doesn't quite say the 135mm is pixie dustish, but does make titillating remarks which, when taken together, give me hope:

"Images taken with the lens were crisp and contrasty across different aperture settings . . . Color representation was pretty accurate (although I would say that the colors were a bit saturated) and the lens stood up well against flare. . . . Chromatic aberration was quite low even for a medium telephoto prime . . . " Like the Zeiss 21mm, the Jena Sonnar "showed outstanding performance . . . sharp from corner to corner throughout the tested aperture range . . . the lens produced one of the most consistent results among medium telephoto lenses tested to date."

When a lens gets so much right, it gives one hope it might be as the reviewer suggested, a "diamond in the rough." (I checked out the Sirens review of a suggested "alternative" -- the Leica Elmarit 135mm f/2.8 -- and noticed the reviewer wasn't very impressed, as he wasn't with the Zeiss 135 f2.8. And Pentax user reviews here about any of the SMC Super Takumar 135 lenses don't seem all that enthusiastic, at least not like they are about the 85mm or 100mm macro.)

09-09-2011, 10:07 AM   #20
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Over here in Europe we get the Pentacon M42 lenses easily, they sold with Praktica's in the the thousands. And the 135mm Pentacon is a classic,

Also in M42 @ 135mm I have a Super Paragon, which I think is either Tomioka or Mitakon made, which is very good but only focus' down to 5 feet, a Soligor that's big and heavy but terrific and probably made by Sigma, and a Takumar that is terrific, but when I look is another that only goes down to 5 feet, but then my Minolta MD and Canon FD are the same, so Rio's idea of carrying a short tube for close up's is probably the way to go.
09-09-2011, 11:24 AM   #21
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I have a question for anyone who cares to answer. Is it possible to permanently attach the M42 adapter to the lens? I was looking at the Fotodiox adapter and thinking I might be able to drill through it and then use a couple of the screws on the back of the lens to attach it permanently.
09-09-2011, 12:08 PM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by les3547 Quote
I have a question for anyone who cares to answer. Is it possible to permanently attach the M42 adapter to the lens? I was looking at the Fotodiox adapter and thinking I might be able to drill through it and then use a couple of the screws on the back of the lens to attach it permanently.
You can also glue the adapter on, with contact cement (pretty strong) or Gorilla Glue or superglue (quite permanent). But that's not really necessary. And they they can't be used otherwise -- what, nothing to put on my Spotty?!?!? And they're worth less for resale.

So... put the adapter on the lens. Use a rear lens cap as a wrench to jam it on tightly (after you've added a bit of metal tape, to short the contacts, so CIF can be used). Such is pretty secure -- I haven't lost one yet! Then the adapter can be removed as needed.

09-09-2011, 12:10 PM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by RioRico Quote
You can also glue the adapter on, with contact cement (pretty strong) or Gorilla Glue or superglue (quite permanent). But that's not really necessary. And they they can't be used otherwise -- what, nothing to put on my Spotty?!?!? And they're worth less for resale.

So... put the adapter on the lens. Use a rear lens cap as a wrench to jam it on tightly (after you've added a bit of metal tape, to short the contacts, so CIF can be used). Such is pretty secure -- I haven't lost one yet! Then the adapter can be removed as needed.
Awesome, thanks so much.
09-09-2011, 04:37 PM   #24
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yeah, I just wind them on tight with a good PK lens cap as well. Works fine.
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