[Lowell Goudge]

I have a tele-lentar 135 F2.8 with a lot of blades, 15 to be exact;\

I ran a comparison between it and an SMC Tak 135 F3.5 and a rikenon 135 F2.8 in the 135mm thread

I have attached a link to the results, the tele-lentar comes off pretty good against the super tak,

The links are side by side images, of rikenon, smc tak, tele-lentar at wide open, F5.6 and F11

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/1072468-post249.html

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/1072471-post250.html

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/1072475-post251.html

The bokeh and apparent DOF of the tele-lentar is considerably different than the smc tak

I am now looking at a 105mm, to fill out my kit, and think I want another preset with high aperture blade count. any suggestions?

[Lowell Goudge]

I have been wondering about this comparison for a long long time now, and finally got around to it.

Takumar 200mm F3.5 Preset vs Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm F3.5 (version 1)

All shots were jpegs out of the camera, with resizing to 25%in PSP X3

Metering was in Av mode for the tak, Manual with green button for the series 1 (K mount)

shots alternate, Series 1 then Tak at F3.5 and F5.6 smaller apertures to follow

[Lowell Goudge]

here is F8 and F11

Series 1 first followed by Tak

any comments would be appreciated. Note that a couple of shots may have had me move below minimum focus distance for the tak.

All shots hand held and taken with K10D

[Crazy Fedya]

Here is a excellent sample of a photo taken with 105mm f/2,8 Vernon Edonar before I sold it to Lowell Goudge. That was one excellent lens.
I think It was taken @ f/2.8

[Arjay Bee]

My representative > 12 blade lens is the Isco gottengen Tele Westanar 135 f3.5 m42 fully manual lens with 14 blades. (Closest focus is only 4.5ft but focus throw is about 340degrees and silky smooth.)



Example image:

[Lowell Goudge]

My representative > 12 blade lens is the Isco gottengen Tele Westanar 135 f3.5 m42 fully manual lens with 14 blades. (Closest focus is only 4.5ft but focus throw is about 340degrees and silky smooth.)



Example image:

Focus is one of the things that I like and dislike with the presets.

Most, mine included, have very smooth and precise 300 degree plus focusing throw, but also a very restrictive (for some people) minimum focus distances in the 5-6 feet range.

I have a perfect "toy" to deal with that issue, made odly enough by asahi optical co., called a focusing helix. It is a variable length extension tube adjustable from 15 to 30 mm with an integral focusing helix for close up work with longer lenses.

it was part of the $50 package that included my SMC Tak 135 F3.5, and a multicoated tamron 2x M42 teleconverter, plus Pentax skylight and polarizing 49mm filters

as an aside comment, how well is the aperture of you r lens working, I ask because it looks like one of the blades is not closing down uniformly with the others. Hope it is nothing serious

[Blue]

I think with the takumars, it is only the presets with high number of blades.

at least with the mix of taks, super taks and SMC tak's that I have

Some of the S-M-C taks have 8 blades.

[Blue]

I have been looking at lenses that produce the Catseye bokeh circles. Some people like and some hate them.

[Lowell Goudge]

Some of the S-M-C taks have 8 blades.

while this is true, and also smc pentax lenses also may have 8 blades, these apertures collapse to an octagon not a circle, they are not sufficiently scupltured blades to remain circular.

[Blue]

while this is true, and also smc pentax lenses also may have 8 blades, these apertures collapse to an octagon not a circle, they are not sufficiently scupltured blades to remain circular.

The was a cloaked response to Eruditass' post. In other words going from aperture blades that through a hexagon to blades that through a octagon.

[Nesster]

How it used to be done: this is a B&L Tessar from the 1920s, meant for a Graflex SLR. I haven't been able to count the blades It mounts on a Pentax bellows with a bit of insulating tape to snug it up. The focal length is 139mm.

[Lowell Goudge]

Nesster, I really love the iris.

it makes me kick myself as I gave away a 125mm , 5 inch and 75 mm lenses & shutter cobbos that were meant for a speed graphic when I gave up building a view camera. The father of one of my son's friends built one for his college photography course so I figured he could use it more than me. OOPS

[Blue]

How it used to be done: this is a B&L Tessar from the 1920s, meant for a Graflex SLR. I haven't been able to count the blades It mounts on a Pentax bellows with a bit of insulating tape to snug it up. The focal length is 139mm.

Now I know who Yeatzee learned taping lenses to cameras from.

Anyway, the FA 77mm ltd can throw a circular aperture pattern even though it has 9 blades.

[Lowell Goudge]

Now I know who Yeatzee learned taping lenses to cameras from.

I prefer epoxy because although mythbusters proved you can make a boat out of it, I don't trust it with cameras and lenses

Anyway, the FA 77mm ltd can throw a circular aperture pattern.

Every lens can wide open, that is not the point. it is not just about circular OOF but for what ever reason, the old lenses (presets especially) seem to have different bokeh and better separation of subject from background than newer lenses. At least that is my experience with the 2 I own and have compared to newer designs. I will check again when my 100mmF2.8 Vernon Edonar arives from Crazy Fedya in a few days.

[Blue]

I prefer epoxy because although mythbusters proved you can make a boat out of it, I don't trust it with cameras and lenses



Every lens can wide open, that is not the point. it is not just about circular OOF but for what ever reason, the old lenses (presets especially) seem to have different bokeh and better separation of subject from background than newer lenses. At least that is my experience with the 2 I own and have compared to newer designs. I will check again when my 100mmF2.8 Vernon Edonar arives from Crazy Fedya in a few days.

You posted after I edited my post to add that the FA 77mm has 9 blades. The pre-sets have 2 key things, and those are that they usually have 9 to 20-something blades and the location of the diaphragm.

Edit: The reason the above images were shot wide-open was in part due to it being just after dark.