[ki-no-pio]

Hi,

I was looking for a SMC Super Takumar, the version with 6 elements in 6 groups, but it is hard to find it.

A friend proposed me a copy of the earlier version with 5 elements, it is in great conditions, the price is low, I am tempted to buy this lens, but i read that the quality of the 6 elements type is much better... so i am wavering.

If anybody has a personal experience with the two lenses an advice woyld be appeciated.

thank you

[kenafein]

I bought the 5 element super takumar and I just bought a 6 element SMC Takumar which should arrive today. I just couldn't resist. I like the 5 element quite a bit so I'm really interested to see if the 6 element is that much better. The 5 element is soft wide open, which can be good for portraits, the 6 element is supposedly sharp wide open. You can also get a K135/2.5 as it is the same formula as the Tak.

[ki-no-pio]

..so please let me know your impressions about the 5 elements

[kenafein]

I like it. It is soft at 2.5, but stop it down one click and it is sharp. It is really Sharp at f/4. I enjoy the contrast on my super taj version. If your friend is offering it to you for less than 100 then go for it. You can always sell it on eBay and pick up the 6 element version when it comes up.

[Lowell Goudge]

I have avoided the tak 135/2.5 lenses as I have the K 135/2.5 which is very sharp even wide open.

If you are looking for the 6 element SMC tak, then unless you are really settled on the M42 mount lens look at the K as well. It won't come cheap though.

[kenafein]

I was willing to purchase the K version, but I do prefer the Taks for easy use of Av mode. It's kind of a toss up between easily swapping lenses and not having to press the green button. I picked up a Tak 6 element for about $50 cheaper than I've seen a K135. I thought it was going to arrive yesterday, but it's out for delivery today. So hopefully after the weekend I'll know if I'm keeping the 5 element super tak or the 6 element SMC, though I haven't bought a hood yet, which might be necessary for outdoor shot testing.

[Lowell Goudge]

I was willing to purchase the K version, but I do prefer the Taks for easy use of Av mode. It's kind of a toss up between easily swapping lenses and not having to press the green button. I picked up a Tak 6 element for about $50 cheaper than I've seen a K135. I thought it was going to arrive yesterday, but it's out for delivery today. So hopefully after the weekend I'll know if I'm keeping the 5 element super tak or the 6 element SMC, though I haven't bought a hood yet, which might be necessary for outdoor shot testing.

of course, you could do what I ultimately did, put togehter both an M42 kit and a K mount kit How do you spell LBA any way?

seriously,
in M42 I have 24, 28, 35, 50, 55, 58, 85, 105, 135 and 200 mm primes plus a 50mm macro,
in K mount, I have 8mm*, 13mm*, 24mm, 28mm, 28mm*, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm*, 105mm, 135mm, 300mm, 400mm plus 100mm macro.

where there is a * in the K mount it notes KA mount, and the 8, 14 and 85 are the samyangs.

In this arrangement, I either take my cameras with or without M42 adaptors and one kit or the other. You will also note that I am missing a 200mm in the K mount. I have passed on many many 200 mm lenses because unless I can get one for $30 and preferrably an M200/4, I see no real advantage over my Series 1 70-200F3.5 (version 1) the only real contender would be a 200/2.8 or the K200/2.5, and these are neither cheap or available often.

My K's are slightly faster than the M42's, below 35 and at 85 and 135 by about 1/2 stop, otherwise the kits are about equal in speed.

[kenafein]

I was doing the same thing for awhile. I had the 28,35,55,58,105,135 for M42 and I left the adapter mounted on my K100D. I found fungus in the 28, didn't inspect it well enough after buying it off ebay, and I sold off the 35 because I bought the FA35/2. I do kind of regret that, having all my Taks being telephoto might have been a mistake. I am trying to narrow down my kit though. For K mount the Tamron 28-75 and a cheap 75-300 satisfies most of my needs, or I go light with the 35/2. I really need something wider that the kit though. Those samyangs are tempting.

[Lowell Goudge]

Those samyangs are tempting.

What Impresses me with the samyangs is the coatings and control of CA.

With the ultra wides coatings are very important for 2 reasons,

-first, it is almost impossible with the FOV even the 14mm has, to keep the sun out of the subject. The fisheye, with 180 degree FOV it is absolutely impossible, unless pointed straight down, or you shoot with the sun directly behind you.
- second, there is no provision for any filter on these lenses.

The 14mm does however, have some barrel distortion, although this is easily correctible in any good editor.

The downside of these lenses, especially the 14 is they are quite large compared to the tak and SMC 15mm for example, but when you consider price, the samyang wins hands down.

I have actually used the samyang 14 on my Pz-1 to fully appreciate the lens, and it is great.

[kenafein]

I expected no filter would fit for the 8mm, but I didn't think about it for the 14. I would want to try some ND filters on it for landscapes. Would a cokin work? The 15mm is a bargain when filters come into the equation. I have to think that 2.8 comes in real handy indoors. I read about the distortion, Photozone said it was no good for architecture because of that, but like you said, there are corrections in lightroom for it.

[Lowell Goudge]

I expected no filter would fit for the 8mm, but I didn't think about it for the 14. I would want to try some ND filters on it for landscapes. Would a cokin work? The 15mm is a bargain when filters come into the equation. I have to think that 2.8 comes in real handy indoors. I read about the distortion, Photozone said it was no good for architecture because of that, but like you said, there are corrections in lightroom for it.

we have kind of hijacked the thread here, but to answer your questions, there is no way to put a filter on the samyang because the front element extends beyond the tulip hood on the sides (frame horizontal) by a considerable amount, However that is a hood designed for full frame. For use on a DSLR with cropped sensor, you could, perhaps mount a collar that slips over the existing hood and put the filter on that collar, BUT it will be at least 87mm in diameter (that is the OD of the existing hood) and not cheap by any means,

If you use lightroom, then make an adobe profile for the lens and be done with it.

as for F2.8, yes, it is handy indoors, and quite a boost over my sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 which is about f4.5 at 14mm.

The sigma however is still good indoors and for archetecture because it has less distortion, and 10mm is sometmes what you really need

[kenafein]

Kinopio sorry for hijacking your thread. I got the 6 element today. I haven't spent enough time with it yet, it seems like a great lens, and it is Sharp wide open, but I am not sure it is worth the extra expense. I think the 5 element is a very worthy lens, especially if you are getting a deal. I will give you more details later if you are interested.