[chuck_c]

S-M-C 50mm f4 Macro on the K-5


Possum skull-II-1 by chuck_c 8, on Flickr

[Argenticien]

Yeah its awesome. Mine just has a lot of dust in it and if I stop down to like more then f8 it starts to show up in the blue sky... wish there was a online guide to taking it apart. Because I have all the tools. But I am afraid to just start taking it apart without a guide.

My dad has an old saying full of technical terminology: "Don't futz with it!" I'd say that has to apply here; isn't this a $900 lens? If you destroy a 55/1.8 Tak by tinkering with insufficient instructions, no great loss; there are 800,000 other ones for $20 or whatever. But I wouldn't risk diving into the 15mm unless I knew exactly what I was doing.

--Dave

[NomNamNom]

I'm already broke. Then this little bugger had to be relisted on Flea-Bay. I made an offer at what I thought was below current auction value (~75% of original asking price) as a joke. Then it ended up coming home within a few days. At first, I was completely disappointed- body was a bit worn out, a couple of small nicks on the front element (water mark?). Oh and the focusing, maybe it needs to be recalibrated. I can't seem to nail focus until I hit f5.6. For those who own this lens, is that normal? But then again, I haven't used MF in a good while, so user mod would be more necessary first. When I do nail focus, I think I'm a bit satisfied. Will have to keep playing with it to make sure I didn't blow off the rest of my bills for nothing.

Super-Multi-Coated 85mm/f1.8:

Both shots taken at f/1.8, as I was forcing myself to calibrate my own eye and fingers for focusing.





side note: Anyone have any leads on a Auto-Takumar 85/1.8? Or just the hood? I'm currently smitten with how it looks and MUST HAVE NAO!

[Andrew_Oid]

I had occasion this week to take some of my takumars out and use them. These are some pictures taken with a preset 135mm f3.5. It's a little unusual in that it has five elements but a 49mm filter thread rather than 46mm. Evidently, it was a transitional design. It's quite sharp as you can see, and I like the bokeh.

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[tim60]

I had occasion this week to take some of my takumars out and use them. These are some pictures taken with a preset 135mm f3.5. It's a little unusual in that it has five elements but a 49mm filter thread rather than 46mm. Evidently, it was a transitional design. It's quite sharp as you can see, and I like the bokeh.

I saw a lizard like that at Chinese Garden, Singapore, early this year, and the grass looks the same too. I was fairly far away and the longest lens I had with me was the SMC Tak 100/4 macro. So I used that.

[Andrew_Oid]

I saw a lizard like that at Chinese Garden, Singapore, early this year, and the grass looks the same too. I was fairly far away and the longest lens I had with me was the SMC Tak 100/4 macro. So I used that.

The picture of the lizard was taken in a park in Bangkok (Lumpini). Apparently, these large lizards are native to the city and live in and around the waterways. I saw quite a few that day in two different locations, but I don't recall seeing them before in the three years I lived there. I was told they don't bite, but their tails are quite powerful. And I wouldn't be surprised if their claws were pretty sharp like those on iguanas. The grass looks to my eye like Saint Augustine grass, but I don't know if they plant that here.

[Andrew_Oid]

I also used the SMC 35mm f2 Takumar.

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[jva59]

A few shots taken with the Tak 3.5 preset--about a five minute walk from my new place. Naturally the heron was much closer when I walked by yesterday withouta camera.

[tim60]

I also used the SMC 35mm f2 Takumar.

The 35/2 seems another quite suitable lens for that environment. Your pictures remind me of my couple of trips there. Your final picture looks like the area where there is a junction in the metro, which was quite close to a couple of the education agents I had to do business with. When I was there I only had the little Sony p&s. Not an attractive camera, that finally frustrated me to get a proper camera that I could control like the old SLR. Then I got K100DS, which rapidly seems to cramp me but it took till this year to afford a replacement, K3.

[chuck_c]

A few shots taken with the Tak 3.5 preset--about a five minute walk from my new place. Naturally the heron was much closer when I walked by yesterday withouta camera.

Really nice shots with that lens James. I am just curious as to which Tak 3.5 preset lens that is. I have the Tak 200mm f3.5 preset which, according to the PF Pentax Lens Database, is the longest focal length at f3.5, but your EXIF says that your focal length is 300mm (with a 35mm equivalent of 450), and the Database only shows Tak 300mm at f4, f5.6 and f6.3. I am just wondering if there is a lens model that is not yet included in the database, or if I missed something.

[jva59]

Thanks, Chuck! No you're right. It's the 200. In my haste I set the anti-shake set at 300.

[Andrew_Oid]

The 35/2 seems another quite suitable lens for that environment. Your pictures remind me of my couple of trips there. Your final picture looks like the area where there is a junction in the metro, which was quite close to a couple of the education agents I had to do business with. When I was there I only had the little Sony p&s. Not an attractive camera, that finally frustrated me to get a proper camera that I could control like the old SLR. Then I got K100DS, which rapidly seems to cramp me but it took till this year to afford a replacement, K3.

Hi, Tim60. I hope you're enjoying the K3. The location you commented on is Chong Nonsi on Sathorn Road and you can change there from the BTS (Skytrain) to the BRT (express bus). Here are more photos from the other two lenses I was carrying, the first two from the 28mm and the rest from the 50mm. The MRT (subway) is quite new, only about four years old I was told. When I lived here before, they said a subway in Bangkok wasn't possible because the city is at sea-level, is said to be sinking (slowly), floods during the rainy season, and has a high water table. All these forms of mass transit, in addition to the trusty bus system, make it very easy, relatively quick, and quite affordable to travel anywhere in the city.

[OftheManor]

I tried using my Super-Takumar 50 1.4 yesterday and this morning. It is extremely yellowed and I will have to do the sunlight thing with it fairly soon.

[Fat Albert]

Just picked up a beautiful Super Takumar 28/3.5. It's my first! The adapter should be here tonight. I'm blown away by the quality of this lens...so well-crafted.

[fikkser]

Explain this please.

Just bought. Just bought my fourth 55 1.8, and there's something about it. Never seen it on a pentax lens before! EDIT: "1960: Auto-Takumar 1:1.8/55 (second model) - 3rd photo above - despite the name Auto-Takumar this lens has a fully automatic diaphragm like the later Super-Takumar lenses. The aperture ring turns the opposite way compared to all later lenses!"

That's fun, how many versions of every Takumar are there?

These are my three new puppies, a nice addition to my Takumar shelf. Never used the 24mm before, what do you think about it? And what do you think about the ST 35 3,5 vs the SMC 35 (haven't had time to test this ST). Also this ST 35 seems to have old looking letters, nice.