Abbazz, thank you for your detailed replies! Indeed, the 83mm Takumar is of the Sonnar type with the second group being a cemented triplet. The other Sonnar-type Takumar lens I know of is the elusive 5
8mm f/2 Takumar (preset) which -according to Frank Mechelhoff- is the only Sonnar-type standard lens for 35mm SLR cameras ever produced. And I've just managed to buy that one (the 58mm) on this forum this week
Regarding the purchase of the 83mm: it's quite possible that I'm the buyer of the 83mm you mentioned. But the seller never told me that there were other persons interested in the same lens. Sorry!
The lens is quite nice but as I have said it was converted from 37mm to 42mm mount, so it's not original anymore. It does perform wonderfully though and it's indeed my favorite lens in that focal range, even though I own the following:
- FA 77/1.8 Limited (I really should use this one more!)
- Komura 80mm f/1.8 (based on the Ernostar, the predecessor of the Sonnar; it's quite soft wide open, but stopped down it quickly gets better and the colors are nothing short of superb)
- Accura 85mm f/1.9 (harsh bokeh and not very sharp either)
- Carl Zeiss Jena 80mm f/1.8 Pancolar (this one comes second on my list of favorites because it has no flaws whatsoever, other than that the construction is a bit below par. Non-working diaphragms are quite common; fortunately repair is easy because it's one of the easiest lenses to disassemble)
- SMC Pentax-M 85mm f/2 (could have been a favorite, if not for the sometimes excessive CA)
- Super-Takumar 85mm f/1.9 (easily my third favorite; not super sharp but it has its own character and a bit -only a bit- better bokeh than the SMC 85/1.8)
- SMC Takumar 85mm f/1.8 (sharp and good bokeh, but a bit too clinical)
- Meyer Gorlitz Primoplan 7,5cm f/1.9 (prewar, uncoated and shows a lot of abberrations in the corners, swirly bokeh, but it has lots of character and is even sharp in the center).
And of course the 83mm f/1.9 Asahi-Kogaku Takumar. It was a bit of a shock when I looked at the first results. At first I expected that the photos would come out soft wide open (like the Komura) but it was really sharp (albeit not so contrasty). Based on my experience I would recommend the 83mm without hesitation.
I do not have any f/1.4 lenses at the moment but I'm working on that. The Rokinon/Vivitar/Falcon etc. 85/1.4 will be added soon.
And here's why my photos come out that good: shoot RAW