Originally posted by coondog Hello NDG, Good news finding one so fast. Do you know how to take one of those apart? I think I have one that will need cleaning.If you can let me know where to find that info. Let me know if you need some info taking it apart. Lots of info on basic teardown on youtube. Have fun with your new project.
Hello Coondog. I was lucky enough to spot one in a job lot but missed bidding - a week later and the very same lens was up for a 'buy it now' so I put in an offer, haggled a bit and agreed on £25 as a deal. So my donor silver 3.5/135 arrived today. Quick inspection of the glass revealed the optics are gin clear and in great shape although the bodywork is a bit daggy. Focus is smooth as silk and iris clean as a whistle. So......... I'm going to have a shoot with the donor as is and, if all goes well, just adopt it warts and all
I'll hang on to my mint body copy and see what else comes my way - I've got a later SMC 3.5/135 with scratched front glass that cost me peanuts so when I get a chance I'll see if I can swap out the rear glass.
I still can't believe the excellent quality of these lenses and the fact I've never run across them before. My fave at the moment is a Super Tak 2/55 copy which just nails it almost every shot I take. Before my Takumar days I'd spend way too much time in post production but these days I just shoot and swoon - I've tried a few programmes but to be honest can't really make any meaningful improvements to what the lens is capturing, maybe the occasional crop is about all I need to do these days. It's a whole new world.
I've been scanning youtube for experience and knowledge and, as you say, there's a wealth of great Takumar info out there if you take the time to search it out. If I do ever strip a pre-set 3.5/135 I'll document the entire process and share it here.