[stash]

Photos posted here are getting better and better.

Two from today's walk:

SUper Multi Coated Takumar 200mm f4



Super Takumar 35mm f3.5

[Jewelltrail]

Mike Cash: You mean you didn't get the memo? It has been discussed in several threads and some people are firmly of the opinion that the K-5 is so stellar that you just can't use old glass on them. Being the contrary s.o.b. that I am, I naturally slapped my oldest Takumar on...a late 1950s kit lens and went out today.

Mike, I have not read those threads on the K5. I read the DPReview. review, which carries serious clout to me, and have looked at other reviews. I also looked carefully at many shots done with it.

But, to be honest, you are the go-no-go test for me. I hold a "Contrary SOB," like yourself, in high esteem. Rather than read those threads, I prefer to sit back and enjoy the splendid parade of photographic excellence which is surely lining up right about now.

BTW, your first trip to the plate, with the 1950's Kit, is out of the ball park. Score is, "Contrary SOB" 1, "Some people," 0. I suspect this game will be settled long before the 9th inning, which is great, because I am waiting to order my K5.

[dude163]

I was just over on the K5 thread and posted this:

"so the K5 has more resolution that 35mm slide film?

if the older glass was good enough for slides that got projected up to 30 feet across, Id say they should be just dandy on a K5 sensor "

[erkie]

You mean you didn't get the memo? It has been discussed in several threads and some people are firmly of the opinion that the K-5 is so stellar that you just can't use old glass on them. Being the contrary s.o.b. that I am, I naturally slapped my oldest Takumar on...a late 1950s kit lens and went out today.



Pentax K-5
Auto-Takumar 55/2
[/center]

It is a crying shame that this advance in technology has made our beloved Takumars obsolete like this. (I screwed up the exposure when I shot it and this shot received a +2EV adjustment in Lightroom. I never got such a clean boost from the K20D and usually dared not go above +0.7.....maybe +1 in a pinch.

I'm glad I'm not smart enough to understand all that technical mumbo-jumbo that gets tossed around by the pixel-peepers. I might actually get hoodwinked by it if I were.

Focusing with the stock screen was annoying, but I received confirmation today that my Katz-Eye is ready and I hope to have it by next weekend at the latest (3-6 days shipping to Japan by USPS).

Mike,

I'm curious. Can you use the ev button to meter the Taks like on my Kx or do you have to use the green button? I like to set my green button to DOF preview so just wondering?

Thanks again for the help.
PS I'm ordering a trio of new Cactus V5's and it's all your fault

Eric

[v5planet]

I was just over on the K5 thread and posted this:

"so the K5 has more resolution that 35mm slide film?

if the older glass was good enough for slides that got projected up to 30 feet across, Id say they should be just dandy on a K5 sensor "

Yeah I commented on that thread as well. As far as I can tell, most of the debate about the purported 'inadequacy' of old lenses on the K-5 has to do with the sensor having more pixel potential than the optics can resolve. I don't remember people expressing such fervor over this issue with the K-7, so if it's really a 'problem', why not just reduce your image dimensions down to a measly 14MP from 16.2MP and save yourself the torment of pixel-peeping? Pixel-peeing which really shouldn't matter since the gains in resolution on the new sensor would not even be represented in most conventional print sizes.

Much much much more important to me is the added dynamic range and much improved high ISO performance. Agonizing about whether the lenses are taking advantage of every new pixel in the sensor seems masochistic and likely to produce unnecessary consequences for one's bank account when 'some people' on the internet prescribe Limited and DA* lenses as the only cure for this woeful affliction of having too many pixels.

Incidentally - Mike, I'd say your 50-something year old lens did juuuust fine.

[Jewelltrail]

V-5 Planet: ............which really shouldn't matter since the gains in resolution on the new sensor would not even be represented in most conventional print sizes.

BINGO! However, in situations where large crops are necessary, extra pixels can be a boon--no doubt.

V-5 Planet: Much much much more important to me is the added dynamic range and much improved high ISO performance.

Agreed--which is why I am poised to jump on-board.

[pdophoto]

All with the super-tak 50/1.4

Great sharp photos

佳禅寺の墓場にて by mike cash, on Flickr

Pentax K-5
Auto-Takumar 55/2

Extraordinary results. I only need to win the loto!!!

Two from today's walk:

Very beautiful photos. Like #2.

Available light
K200D, Super Takumar 55/1.8

[Mike Cash]

Eric, you use the green button to meter if in M mode. It took me a while to realize it was working because I don't hear the characteristic click-click of the aperture actuator thingy moving when it does it.

It is too early to say definitively, but last night just before bedtime I played around with two or three lenses to see how they metered in Av mode, as that is my preferred method. As we all know, there has long been a problem of lenses underexposing by different amounts at different apertures, which for many has made Av shooting a non-starter. But I tried shots wide open and at f8 and was shocked to see they exposed identically. The histogram revealed underexposure, but by the same amount, meaning a single EV adjustment should work across a wide range of apertures. I tried one lens wide open, at f8, and at f22 and the f22 didn't match up in exposure, but the f2 shot and the f8 shot did.

This is going to require more looking into, so don't hold me to the accuracy of that information just yet, but it does look promising.

Pentax K-5
Auto-Takumar 55/2

[erkie]

Sounds really promising Mike ! Not sure I like losing the ev button metering though. I've gotten pretty used to it. But I always use manual mode as opposed to AV . It's just that I use my smc-m 50's Which don't like AV mode, quite a bit and hate to remember two different methods.

But thats just a personal thing I need to overcome.

Thanks for keeping us posted.

pdophoto: Got to love that lens ! I really like the character it gives OOF backgrounds !

Eric

[pdophoto]

pdophoto: Got to love that lens ! I really like the character it gives OOF backgrounds !

Gee, I really love the lens, I have it since 1962 and the yellow cast is almost non existent.
The upper photo was not corrected in PP, it is as shot.

Ho!, thanks for the comment.

[jaieger]

Very nice! I like the third image, especially.

Thank you! Gotta love the super-tak.

+1

Did you use a lens hood or are the edges done in post? I really like these !


Eric

Thanks! I do use a lens hood but it doesn't vignette (which is funny, cause it literally doubles the length of my lens - gotta love that aps-c crop factor); the edges were done in post.

[Mike Cash]

Just did some casual tests shooting outside my truck window and it looks like the "Auto EV Compensation" feature actually works.

I have with me the Auto-Takumar 55/2, S-M-C Takumar 35/3.5, and Takumar 105/2.8 (Preset). I did shots wide open, at f5.6, and f16 and compared the images and looked at the histograms. The widest shots were slightly under, but only slightly. There is a consistency between the shots that wasnt obtainable for Av mode Takumar shooting before. When I get a chance I will try to set up and take a series of example shots to post.

[dude163]

I was at a kidsd birthday party , and this is the birthday Boy, aged 2, Super MC Tak 50 wide open at f1.4 ISO 1600!! Got to love that KX

[v5planet]

I was at a kidsd birthday party , and this is the birthday Boy, aged 2, Super MC Tak 50 wide open at f1.4 ISO 1600!! Got to love that KX

Nice shot, dude. And just think -- the lens you took his photo with is 25 time as old as he is!

[dude163]

Thanks!


I keep searching for the * rad lens* but its hard to beat that tak 50, even if its dinged up, yellowed and dirty, and the focus ring sounds like it has sand in it, it still takes great photos!

Im lucky Im not using a K5 , then Id have to get rid of it!