[leadguitarest]

How rare is that 100 2?? I can only see one picture of it online.. I want to see some photos with that lens.. How does that 85/4 take pictures? is it more of a collection piece or is it like super sharp and awesome? Just wondering..

Sometimes I think some takumars cost a lot because they are rare and not better. Or fast by like 1/8th a stop. Like the 85 1.8 vs 85 1.9.. or 35/2 vs 35 3.5 I want to buy the 35 f2.. but my s-m-c 35 f3.5 is the sharpest takumar I have by far.. I have a lot of takumars.. and for some reason that one is just crazy sharp! Don't know why and never thought it would with that curved front element. But man it is sharp. Colors are just as good as all the takumars which is great. Does anyone else notice how good that lens is. out preforms my 20, 24, 28...

The rarest Takumar I have would be a 500f5 with case.. or s-m-c 135 f2.5 with more elements and in the box. the only reason that is rare is because it is in the box.. the lens its self is not so rare and easy to find on ebay listed as just a regular s-m-c 135 2.5 because people don't know there were 2 of those made..

[natestation]

Here's another from the same roll as my previous...

Fronds by natestation2 - SMC Takumar 28mm f/3.5

[Mike Cash]

Sometimes I think some takumars cost a lot because they are rare and not better. Or fast by like 1/8th a stop. Like the 85 1.8 vs 85 1.9.. or 35/2 vs 35 3.5 I want to buy the 35 f2.. but my s-m-c 35 f3.5 is the sharpest takumar I have by far.

While the 35/3.5 is indeed a very nice lens, the 35/2 is a very nicer lens.

[Pepe Guitarra]

Great lenses (my LBA is itching) and shots! Here's a few more from today...

1.


2.


3.

This is what the Pentax Manual says about the UA Takumar 85mm f/4.5:

"Corrections for chromatic aberrations from ultra-violet to infrared wavelengths: from 220 Mu to 1000 Mu. Although superb for infrared and visible light, main design emphasis in on ultra-violet photography at close distances. Contain no glass; optical elements made from fluorite and quartz. Filter for UV photography is 363Mu; filters for infrared photography are R62, R68 and 862."
Min. Aperture: 22
Diaphragm: Fully Automatic
Nearest focus distance: 0.6m (2 ft)
Subject field at the nearest distance: 115.9 x 173.9mm
Image ratio at nearest distance: 1:4.83 (0.207x)
Focusing distances:
One head vertical: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Two head horizontal: 1.5m (5 ft)
One to three adults standing: 5.2m (17 ft)
Angles of View:
--diagonal: 28 degrees 30"
--Horizontal: 24 degrees
--Vertical: 16 degrees

Ratio of image size at infinity to image size of 50mm lens: 1.7:1 = 1.7x
Lens hood size: 49 mm
Overall size: 60mm(dia) x 60.5mm(length)
Weight: 248 g.

My comment: This lens looks a lot like the SuperTakumar 85/1.9. The legend on the filter ring reads: Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 1:4.5/85 ... etc. I will try to scan the page to post the photo. There is also a UA Takumar 300mm f/5.6.

[OmegaKulu]

Made using quartz crystal instead of glass, apparently. The lens was designed specifically for infrared.

The year was Showa 37, which would be 1962......well into the Takumar era. (The current year, 2012, is Heisei 24).



As far as heat reflection goes, my understanding is that the difference is so slight as to be practically non-existent. The difference in the two sides comes from the factory running two sheets at a time through the rollers during manufacturing. The sides which come into contact with the rollers pick up a shine while the sides that were next to each other remain relatively dull.

Actually, it says on the box "Crystal lens for ultraviolet use" not infrared.

[tim60]

Made using quartz crystal instead of glass, apparently. The lens was designed specifically for infrared.

The year was Showa 37, which would be 1962......well into the Takumar era. (The current year, 2012, is Heisei 24).

Mike, Thanks for correcting my reading of the date. Are the Japanese dates the reign year of the emperor?

I see this kind of thing in Taiwan - some dates are Gregorian calendar, other dates are from 1/1/1911 (proclamation of ROC). But I have never seen a dates written according to the Chinese calendar (which has CNY). That seems to be used only for religious purposes and for that reason celebrating birthdays.

[tim60]

Actually, it says on the box "Crystal lens for ultraviolet use" not infrared.

Thanks for answering the other part of my question.

Packaged like that it seems it was produced as a scientific instrument. Looks like the old cases in the physics lab.

[tim60]

How rare is that 100 2?? I can only see one picture of it online.. I want to see some photos with that lens.. How does that 85/4 take pictures? is it more of a collection piece or is it like super sharp and awesome? Just wondering..

Sometimes I think some takumars cost a lot because they are rare and not better. Or fast by like 1/8th a stop. Like the 85 1.8 vs 85 1.9.. or 35/2 vs 35 3.5 I want to buy the 35 f2.. but my s-m-c 35 f3.5 is the sharpest takumar I have by far.. I have a lot of takumars.. and for some reason that one is just crazy sharp! Don't know why and never thought it would with that curved front element. But man it is sharp. Colors are just as good as all the takumars which is great. Does anyone else notice how good that lens is. out preforms my 20, 24, 28...

The rarest Takumar I have would be a 500f5 with case.. or s-m-c 135 f2.5 with more elements and in the box. the only reason that is rare is because it is in the box.. the lens its self is not so rare and easy to find on ebay listed as just a regular s-m-c 135 2.5 because people don't know there were 2 of those made..

Asahiflex has posted quite a lot of images done witht he 85/4 Ultra Achrmatic recently, both in this thread and in a special thread. The aesthetic is different than the other Taks, which tend to provide a family aesthetic. They look absolutely sharp, probably the effect of no chromatic effects. I like the results.

The sharpest Tak I have is the 150/4ST. I have only used it a couple of times. I suspect the difference is just the effect of the manufacturing tolerances on the others, and on that sample of that lens I got lucky. But they are all good. The failures are more to do with me doing focus than the designers in Japan. I think the differnce of 35/2 and 35/3.5 is meaningful to a photographer, but 1.8 to 1.9 - I doubt it.

[leadguitarest]

I need to get my hands on a 35mm f2.. because once stopped down I wonder if it would be as sharp as the 3.5.. For example I have like all the 50mm and 55mm takumars and I was sure that either the 8element 50 or S-M-C 50mm was the sharpest out of the bunch.. once I tested them all at f8 " a common ground" the 55 1.8 ST and the preset f4 50mm beat out everything for edge to edge sharpness and detail.. I was shocked.. I guess I let myself think that because they cost more therefore they were better.. Not so much.. I am afraid to test all my 135mm lenses against one another. Because the 135 3.5 ST will probably come out on top I would like to think the more rare is it 6 element 6 groups 135 f2.5 would be on top.

I am abnormally picky about lenses though. I need to compare them to kook or ziess super speeds and hope that they come close that way I can get away with using them for cinema. hopefully in the next year or so I will have 15mm-1000mm all ready with the aperture click removal and ready to make movies. I am close.. Does anyone else use these for cinema? Great lenses.

[Mike Cash]

Actually, it says on the box "Crystal lens for ultraviolet use" not infrared.

Thanks. I always get those two mixed up.

Mike, Thanks for correcting my reading of the date. Are the Japanese dates the reign year of the emperor?

I see this kind of thing in Taiwan - some dates are Gregorian calendar, other dates are from 1/1/1911 (proclamation of ROC). But I have never seen a dates written according to the Chinese calendar (which has CNY). That seems to be used only for religious purposes and for that reason celebrating birthdays.

Yes, the dates are based on the reign year of the emperor. Some have been long; some have been short. And the last year of the preceding emperor is always the same as the first year of the following emperor. So 1989, for example, was both Showa 64 and Heisei 1 (Hirohito died in January, so Showa 64 was incredibly short. He had been circling the drain for some little while, so I think they sort of held off on stuff like minting coins). The names of new eras are (at least in modern times) decided by committee and are not the name of the emperor, even though after his death he will be be referred to as the emperor of that era. For example, in life Hirohito was not known as the "Showa Emperor" (昭和天皇), but he is now.

Everybody knows what Gregorian year it is, but the other system is in wide and extensive use in official, business, and private life.

As you can see on this tombstone, the person passed away in 文政十二年 (Bunsei 12) or 1829. Fortunately for me, there is a free iphone app for converting years.

Pentax K-5
Super Takumar 85/1.9

[dude163]

SMC 35/3.5





SMC tak 50/1.4

[Glenn72]

Panoramic shot with the S-M-C Takumar 50mm f/1.8 @ f/8




It was a bit far to shoot with the 50mm but since the view was good yesterday I decided to give it a try. The image is heavily cropped and the details are still well perserved.
I might have to shoot this view with my SMC Takumar 200mm one day.

[tim60]

Yes, the dates are based on the reign year of the emperor. Some have been long; some have been short. And the last year of the preceding emperor is always the same as the first year of the following emperor. So 1989, for example, was both Showa 64 and Heisei 1 (Hirohito died in January, so Showa 64 was incredibly short. He had been circling the drain for some little while, so I think they sort of held off on stuff like minting coins). The names of new eras are (at least in modern times) decided by committee and are not the name of the emperor, even though after his death he will be be referred to as the emperor of that era. For example, in life Hirohito was not known as the "Showa Emperor" (昭和天皇), but he is now.

Everybody knows what Gregorian year it is, but the other system is in wide and extensive use in official, business, and private life.

As you can see on this tombstone, the person passed away in 文政十二年 (Bunsei 12) or 1829. Fortunately for me, there is a free iphone app for converting years.

Thanks for the extensive explanation.

Next time I go to a Taiwanese graveyard I will look at what is on the gravestones in the way of dates. The one I would see is one that I know the dates independantly, and so can correlate what I find with the writing. I can recall that the name is adjusted to indicate, essentially, "the late NNN".

Also interesting to hear of the reign names, which is similar to the old Chinese dynastic practice, where the names had some kind of sacral origin or motivation.

[abacus07]

March has come to a close and I've selected the K35f3.5 for my Single in April lens. I'll probably stick to K mount for this month. Here are a few from 2 weeks ago that I finally uploaded and blogged. I kept trying to find great shots with the 105 but it was always the other takumars that were perfect. All were shot from the British consulate at Dagou in Kaohsiung.




SMC tak 55/1.8



supertak 35/3.5



Cijin Lighthouse - the 55



Siziwan Bay - the 55

[Glenn72]

...I am afraid to test all my 135mm lenses against one another. Because the 135 3.5 ST will probably come out on top I would like to think the more rare is it 6 element 6 groups 135 f2.5 would be on top.

There was a 135mm shootup and the SMC Takumar 135 f/3.5 did very well, even better then the SMC Takumar 135 f/2.5 @ 3.5. However the author does not mention if his SMC Takumar 135mm f/2.5 was v1 or v2.

135mm Lens War