Forum: Lens Clubs
01-19-2024, 09:15 AM
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I like my pictures simple and plain. :-)
SMC Pentax-A* 85mm f/1.4 (shot between f/2 and f/5.6)
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Forum: General Talk
01-15-2024, 05:51 AM
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I couldn't afford it when it was new, but now I can. The Pentax *ist D from 2003. Great little camera and I'll put to good use, with my Pentax AF-140c TTL ring flash! :cool:
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-25-2023, 05:38 AM
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100mm f/3.5 Takumar (Cooke Triplet)
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-24-2023, 08:16 AM
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No, I don't know. But I have checked out some photos of that breed and indeed - you must be right.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-18-2023, 08:32 AM
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Someone's dog. DA 55-300 PLM at 300mm.
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-10-2023, 12:08 PM
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I don't know how this works but here's my post. :lol:
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Forum: Lens Sample Photo Archive
12-10-2023, 08:59 AM
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Wide open with a very busy background.
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Forum: Lens Sample Photo Archive
12-10-2023, 08:51 AM
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And of course it rapidly gets even sharper when stopped down a little. This is at f/1.8.
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Forum: Lens Sample Photo Archive
12-10-2023, 08:44 AM
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Without a doubt, the A* 85mm f/1.4 is crazy sharp wide open... :eek:
It has its flaws of course...
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Forum: General Talk
12-08-2023, 10:17 AM
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This was a simple case of "buy first, think later" ;)
A small amount of dust inside, but who am I to complain?
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-03-2023, 08:49 AM
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Pentax K-3 II + Sigma AF Superwide II 24mm f/2.8 |
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-03-2023, 03:52 AM
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Interesting take. :)
But it doesn't matter to me as I have lots of other lenses with character. So to me this is not a "loss" at all.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-01-2023, 07:44 AM
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Some real life shots with the 100mm f/3.5 Takumar from 1957. Although I added some contrast in post processing, it's actually way better than I thought it would be. That's not a real surprise because old triplets are usually fairly contrasty because of their lack of lens elements. :)
And yours truly with this lens in action... (no, I'm not the guy in my avatar because that's Jun Hirakawa, the legendary Pentax lens designer). |
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-01-2023, 02:18 AM
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I tried the cheap IKEA Jansjö LED light (the weak USB version) to cure my yellowed 50mm f/1.4 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar. After 7 days of continuous exposure of the lens, which sits on a mirror, this is the result. It's still a bit yellow (slightly more than the photo shows, my 8 element 50mm f/1.4 Takumar does not show a cast). Maybe I should give it another week... :-)
I noticed that the yellowing was cloudy / uneven in the middle. The discoloration is now pretty evenly.
Before:
After 7 days:
The cure in progress: |
Forum: Lens Clubs
11-28-2023, 08:21 AM
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It all depends on the subject. Here's another quick snap with the 100mm f/3.5 Takumar, wide open. |
Forum: Lens Clubs
11-27-2023, 12:03 PM
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Some test shots with Asahi's oldest tele lens: the three-element 100mm f/3.5 Takumar from 1957.
The first one was shot wide open, the 2nd at f/5.6 and the last one at f/8. The softness and glow wide open is quite obvious. I think these results show why this lens was quickly replaced with the four-element 105mm f/2.8 Takumar.
I also wanted to know the difference with the 100mm f/2.8 Meyer Trioplan, which is also a triplet, but the bubble bokeh of the Asahi is certainly not "distracting". The Trioplan bokeh has strong outlines. The Takumar- almost none at all.
(Never mind the condition of the Kodak Retina. Being inoperable, It's always sitting on my dusty bookshelf.)
Wide open (f/3.5)
f/5.6
f/8 |
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-25-2023, 02:42 AM
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Thanks to several people on this forum and facebook I finally got the courage to repair the 100mm f/3.5 Takumar. It appears that the whole optical block (including diaphragm) can easily be separated from the focusing helicoid just by unscrewing one retaining ring from the back side of the lens (warning: it's not the ring visible in the photo!). Also nice to see how the lens was shimmed for infinity (with several thin brass slotted rings).
The problem? I noticed that the last element (camera side) came out of the lens tube with the flatter side pointing to the rear, and that's not what the optical diagram shows. This problem is impossible to see without removing the element, because it's lying very deep. With the optical block out of the helicoid things became much easier. So finally I flipped that element (most curved side pointing to the M42 mount side) and screwed everything back together. Lo and behold - it's OK again!
Now let's wait for better weather because the last shots could be so much better with nicer light. The last two photos were taken with the 100mm Takumar. |
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-22-2023, 05:19 AM
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I do have such a set of (massive) rubber lens rings, so rest assured: I will do everything I can to not destroy anything :lol:
Not the best of photos, but the rear element at least is visible (close to the diaphragm). |
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-21-2023, 11:20 AM
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Thanks, that would be good news because the lens, other than that, is in a very good condition. But a bit of service is definitely in order for such a nearly 70 years old lens, it seems. :-)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-21-2023, 10:51 AM
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My rare 100mm f/3.5 Takumar arrived!
Unfortunately, it seems to be a dud. It was either serviced with one of the elements flipped, or one of the elements is missing. I don't know yet. The number of reflections seem to be ok for a triplet though (two in the front, then the diaphragm, one in the back). Is that the correct order? With the diaphragm open I see a total of 6 reflections. When closed then there are 4. I think the middle element is flipped.
BTW, I can't return it. I don't even want to because it was cheap enough. |
Forum: Lens Clubs
11-17-2023, 09:59 AM
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Auto-Takumar 1:2 f=55mm no. 224154 from around 1960. |
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-17-2023, 09:45 AM
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The samples in the first post are contrasty enough that haze and fungus are definitely not the problem.
Given the nature of the lens, and the fact that some parts of the 2nd photo are sharp, I think that it's simply difficult to focus (not defective).
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
11-15-2023, 03:11 AM
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I have never been thrilled with the IQ of Pentax digital compacts. Will this WG-90 be any different?
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Forum: Site Suggestions and Help
11-13-2023, 11:57 PM
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Thanks Adam! Now pinch & zoom definitely works on Chrome mobile! :cool: :)
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Forum: Site Suggestions and Help
11-13-2023, 07:40 AM
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I like this forum a lot, but I'd also like to be able to zoom in on photos or other parts of the site when I'm viewing the site on mobile. Right now, this is impossible on my Samsung S23 in Chrome. Can this be changed? I thought pinch & zoom is enabled by default in all major browsers. I know of no other sites right now where pinch & zoom is forbidden on mobile. :-)
Swiching my mobile browser to "desktop mode" solves this somewhat, but then all text is unreadable.
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