[Doug D]

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this thread; I coudln't find a more appropriate place to post it.
Does anyone know a good source of repair information for Takumar lenses? There is an ebay
seller "neatphoto" who has a repair manual listed for about $25 but he wants over $26 for shipping
(USPS priority) for shipping. I tend to balk at shipping costs that exceed the value of an item and
I couldn't get the seller to ship this by any other means. It's described as "a high quality reprint of
the factory repair manual"
Also I'm curious about the legal implications of distributing this for profit. Would the seller have to
have licensing or permission from Pentax to do this?
Thanks for any assistance.
Doug D

[jatrax]

Doug,
Welcome to the forum!
I think that is a bit expensive for what you get. I have a copy, bought years ago. But anyway it is only schematic drawings of the lenses not a repair manual in that it tells you how to fix anything. If you have a lot of Takumars and are going to need to work on them, maybe. For one or two, just ask here, there are lots of folks on this forum who have taken a Tak apart.

Do you have a specific lens you need help with? Let me know it might be one I have worked on or someone else probably has.

Also, an internet search for "Takumar repair" will bring up several excellent tutorials. One in particular I remember has step by step photos of fixing a 50mm f/1.4. Having the right tools is perhaps more important than the manual, in some cases it is almost impossible to get the lens apart unless you have the right 'persuader'.

And if you have not found it yet go here to visit the Takumar Club which is a section of this forum dedicated to Takumars. The folks there are an inexhaustible resource for Takumars.

Best,
John

[kcobain1992]

Yes, repairing Takumars isn't particularly difficult, as I found out myself. You shouldn't need a repair manual, as long as you have the correct tools and the hint where to start. You can find the hint on the net, and the tools consist of a set of JIS screwdrivers and a spanner. You can find these [in case you don't already have them, of course] for less than the $50 that the seller is asking for a reprint.

[Doug D]

Hi John and Kcobain:
Thank you for the very helpful replies.
I wanted the manual as a general reference source but there is a specific lens that I was considering having a go at:
It's a Pentax tele-Takumar 300mm F6.3 which I purchased from Henry's on eBay about 2-3 years ago. I'm certainly no expert on these, but if I remember correctly this one is really old (as Pentax lenses go) and doesn't have any coating at all...it's neither a "super" nor a "SMC" lens. It seems to focus O.K. and the optics look pretty clean, but if you grasp the lens at the camera end you can wobble the opposite end. It's not alarmingly loose or anything but I assume it should be tighter than this.
I should mention that this was no fault of Henry's; they are a highly reputable dealer and I have since purchased a number of items from them. The lens was described accurately and sold "as is" so I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting.
Kcobain: I'm not sure what you mean by "JIS screwdrivers"; are these jeweller's screwdrivers?
I haven't actually used this lens much since I bought it so trying to get it repaired isn't urgent or anything. Anyhow I will have a look at that Takumar club and see what I can find out.
Kind regards,
Doug

[kcobain1992]

JIS [Japanese Industrial Standard] screws are a type of cross-head screws different from the standard Phillips, and given an incorrectly sized Phillips screwdriver, they are very easy to strip. I'm not sure whether the Tele-Takumar 300mm has any cross-type screw, there may be just slot-type.

[jatrax]

Doug,
Yep, that's the original Takumar series. I have 135mm just like it, made in 1957, preset aperture. I really do not use it, but that's the year I was born so I hang on to it.

Here is a link to the review section on that lens. You may not know but this forum maintains a complete database of all lenses made by Asahi and Pentax as well as many third party lenses.

JIS means Japan industrial Standard and is a screw head, like philips but enough different that you can mess up a screw head using a philips driver. I have managed to do without using a set of jewelers drivers but you do need to be careful. As noted above you will need a set of drivers, an adjustable spanner and something to take the lens ID plate off. The ID plate threads onto the filter threads and the only way to get it off is with a friction driver. This can be a rubber crutch tip or drain plug. I turned one of wood on the lathe to fit precisely and glued a rubber strip on the bottom. But usually something around the house will fit just be careful to not scratch the glass as you work it off.

[wombat2go]

Hi, Doug,
JIS (Japan Industrial Standards) cross screw heads may be damaged if a Philips screwdriver is used.
I have a double sided photocopy of the manual you request
"Ashahi Pentax
Takumar Lenses
Super Takumar Lenses"
As I explained to another forum member recently it is hundreds of pages double sided and weighs 0.63 kg.
Not feasible either for me to scan or photocopy, and I am unsure of any rights I have to reprint even for hobby /educational use by others
Perhaps somebody on this forum knows and can comment.
TheTELE-TAKUMAR 1:6.3 300mm has 5 pages, a photo, lens diagram exploded diagram, and 2 pages list of service parts.

The lens has a triplet at the front and a doublet at the rear. If they are still tight and move in unison, then the image quality should not be affected by any looseness of the helicoid, unless its is so loose so as to change the tilt, or unless screws are loose and about come adrift. Check the sharpness across and up/down on say a picket fence or brick chimney, wide open
You might be able to tell by "wobbling" as you mention and see if the whole inner lens assembly is tight wrt the PK mount. It may just be the outer helicoid focussing ring that is actually a bit worn.
Hope you get some use out of this old lens!