[ron2352]

I have a Takumar - A 1:4 70 - 200mm zoom. Its in excellent condition. Can anyone tell me about this lens? I understand that Takamur built some quality lens. Is this one of them? What about using it on a K5? I know it's not auto focus but how difficult would it be to use on a K5? Would the picture quality be good? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[VaSA]

Hey, Welcome to the forums!!!

Takumar lenses were actually made by Pentax (Asahi), but there are two categories of Takumar lenses. The old, m42 Screwmount Takumars are praised as some of the best glass of its time, while the K-mount Takumars (like yours) have a somewhat bad rep, yet some people still get excellent results and praise them as well. Here is the review section, you should find your lens in there :
Pentax Non-SMC & Other Zoom Lense Lens Reviews and Specifications - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[RioRico]

As VaSA said, there are the fine screwmount Takumars, and the less-desirable bayonet-mount Takumars. These latter, which may be labeled Takumar-A or Takumar-F or Takumar Bayonet, are substantially the same as their Pentax SMC counterparts, but without the special SMC coatings. They are still multi-coated, they just have less magic juice on them, and thus don't demand the same premium prices.

I have no problems with the Tak-A 70-200/4 that cost me all of US$9 shipped. That's the same lens you have there. I take mine out for a walk every now and then and it behaves just fine. Doesn't try to hump my leg or anything (ie, it's not a dog). Yours will work fine on a K5. Be sure to read-up on using manual-focus lenses (MFL's) on your camera: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-beginners-corner-q/110658-using-ma...x-dslrs-f.html -- basically, set the menu to Aperture Ring Permitted, and set the lens' aperture ring to A. Have fun!

[Just1MoreDave]

I have one that was a gift when I got my film Pentax. It has durable construction - I took it on just about every trip I took for 15 years. The focus/zoom ring is very low effort - focus feels like an AF lens. It will flare, not enough to bother me in those days but I see it now when looking at old photos. It's not very sharp at 200mm f4, but OK except for that. Pretend it only goes to f5.6 at 200mm and it's better. It has a 9 blade aperture, rare for Pentax. It's pretty big. They sometimes show up on eBay at a high BIN price, sometimes sell for far less.