| Author: | | Senior Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Gotland Posts: 169 | | Review Date: March 13, 2021 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, compact, lightweight, build | | Cons: | "Automatic" aperture | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 7
Camera Used: Pentax S1
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I have used this lens since 1962, but seldom nowadays.
Extremely well built. My camera fell out of the bag and landed on hard ground with the lens taking the shock. For a year or two the focus ring was a bit stiff, but then okay again.
Sharp, I used it for repro work after that incident and was impressed. I used a tripod an a measuring tape to focus correctly and it was spot-on.
As my only lens I felt it was a bit too long and got a 24mm to complement it. I still use that 24mm lens. Also an 105mm that I was less impressed by.
The main drawback is the semi-automatic diagraphm. You cock it separately, and when the shutter is pressed the viewfinder dims to the aperture set. I guess that is a no-problem if you use a digital camera and Live Wiew.
The optical formula is a classic Biotar as per the Zeiss invention by Willi Merté.
I do not look for bokeh and set an "8" a bit offhand.
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2016 Posts: 47
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 23, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | 10-bladed diaphragm, sharpness | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 6
Value: 10
Camera Used: Nikon D7100
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I got the silver version for $30 on Yahoo! Auctions (Japan). The lens is sharp wide open but has the characteristic Takumar "glow" and lower contrast. From f/2.8 the lens gains much more contrast.
More neutral and "realistic" color rendition than the SMC Takumar version of the same lens. 10-bladed diaphragm is more satisfactory than the 6-bladed one of later models of this lens.
To be honest the lack of contrast wide open is probably good for portraits. This lens is so sharp that I can zoom in and see individual skin pores on a 24MP crop sensor camera. Ew!
Focus ring feel is stiff but smooth. Aperture ring position was quite easy to get used to. The hood is quite nice and takes 62mm Nikon caps.
Heavily cropped photo. showing off this lens' nice characteristics:
Overall I would recommend getting this lens and an SMC Takumar version of the same and comparing them yourself.
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2016 Posts: 8
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 29, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, build quality, bokeh, compact, no CA, no fringing | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: OMD EM10
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This is probably my favorite legacy lens. I have it attached to a macro focusing adapter. There's not much not to like about this lens. It's sharp from wide open to f11, but I hardly ever go past f5.6 unless I need more DOF for close up shots. Its got great resolution, nice natural looking contrast, beautiful bokeh, it has great build quality, with buttery smooth focus. And speaking of focus, it just snaps into focus using focus peaking on my EM5 Mll and my EM10. It compares well with my Sigma 60mm f2.8 DN Art, except the Auto Tak has much better build quality, nicer bokeh, and better manual focus 
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: April, 2011 Location: Lost in translation ... Posts: 18,076
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 11, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build, small & light, bokeh, IQ ... | | Cons: | Lack of coatings ... not really a big deal. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5, K-r
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Bonjour,
I cannot add much given utak's great review and better images. I enjoy this lens a lot and accept it for its minor (non-modern) defaults. My contribution will be a snap of my two lenses which are silver with an almost gun metal blue tint on the focus ring ... and an all black version.
 | | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: July, 2012 Posts: 928
8 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 11, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $45.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Small/light, bokeh, capable of magic | | Cons: | Can flare and ghost | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 7
Value: 10
Camera Used: K20D, K-01
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This early 1960s lens is surprisingly diminutive, like the famously petite Takumar 35mm f3.5. There are two versions of the f2.2: one with a black aperture ring (like mine) and one with a silver ring. The lens has a 10-bladed design that is different from the later 6-bladed Takumar 55mm’s, as well as a diaphragm charging lever and a front aperture ring. The aperture settings go up to f22 rather than f16. The aperture and focus rings do not turn as effortlessly as the later Takumars – apparently this was a later innovation.
There is a faster f2 version with the same design, which I also have. The f2 was assessed as one of the sharpest edge to edge 50/55/58mm lenses of its era. The f2.2 lens seems to me to be equally sharp, even wide open, and it is still an excellent match for powerful modern digital cameras.
In theory 10 blades should produce smoother bokeh than the 6-bladed Takumars. But given the lens’s optical design the bokeh can be unusually swirly, like a Biotar/Helios lens but with slightly smoother out of focus transitions. With the right lighting, images have a special glow that is very appealing with more muted contrast and colors. This makes the lens great for portraits and artistic shots. Purple fringing is not really an issue, but as with many lenses without super/multi-coatings, it can flare and ghost on occasion. However, it does this beautifully too! A real gem if you can find one.
The f2.2 on the left and the f2 on the right
 | | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2013 Location: Near Basle Posts: 9 | | Review Date: June 18, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | sharp, small, low-priced | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Sony Nex-6
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I use the lens on Sony Nex-6 and Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 and Mark 3. I don't like the lever to open the aperture. Maybe my finger is to big, I rearrange often the focus.
I like the work with the preset on the 58mm more than with the lever on the Auto Takumar 55mm.
The lens has nice and natural colors, a not bad bokeh and is very sharp even wide open. I didn't have any disturbing CA's yet.
The lens doesn't like sidelights, but the flares are controlable and can be used for creativity. I like the stars from the closed aperture and strong light sources.
Some photos are at the end of the article here , together with Auto Takumar 55mm f/2, f/1.8 and Preset Tak 58mm f/2
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: March, 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 207 | | Review Date: July 1, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Well built, compact, very sharp, interesting coloour rendition (a bit like water-colours, but pleasing) | | Cons: | Remembering to cock the iris diaphragm for focusing. Prone to flare if not careful to avoid sun on the front element. | |
This lens came with an Asahi Pentax S1, for which it was the "kit lens" in the day.
I have used it with the S1 body and external lightmeter, and have been satisfied with its performance: it is coated.
I have used it with a 2xTC as well as a 2x TC and a +3 diopter close focus lens. The results have been very sharp (6"x4" prints) and pleasing in all respects.
I would love to get more of these "auto" lenses in different focal lengths.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2009 Location: San Diego, CA, USA Posts: 409 | | Review Date: November 13, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $10.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very compact, lightweight, great bokeh, quite sharp. | | Cons: | Small max aperture, tiny size can sometimes be a liability. | |
I have the later version with a black aperture ring. Build quality is nothing to scoff at, focus ring feels great, and the aperture ring is quite nice to interface with as well.
Image quality is good, somewhat glowy at wide apertures and it can be low contrast/less saturated than other similar lenses with better (later) coatings, but it makes great images if you know how to use it and work to it's strengths.
| | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2009 Location: Barcelona Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 16, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $10.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Bokeh, tridimensional effect, sharpness, size | | Cons: | prone to flare, low constrast(?) | |
It is hard to describe the way it renders, it's a magic piece of glass.
Surprisingly sharp. In a lens of the late 50s, people tend to like the low contrast renditions that come of this lens.
It's my favorite lens!
| | | | | | | | Review Date: December 6, 2007 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Compact, sharp, lovely bokeh, solid build | | Cons: | f/2.2, color is not the best | |
Of all my M42 lenses, I have used this one the most (I also own 50/1.4, 55/1.8 SMC, 35/3.5, 105/2.8.) I think it was the 10 aperture blades that intrigued me, as opposed to the 6 blades of all the others. It surprised me with it's performance in low-light as well as it's frenzied bokeh! Like all the other M42 lenses, the build is impressive, I wish Canon build all their L lenses like this, although if they did, they would weigh a TON. Which is the other positive, the size is pleasingly discrete.
The one downside was the color it produced was not great. But what can you expect from one of the older ones? It was still decent, just needed some adjusting like most images do.
Over all I love this little unassuming 2.2 lens!
A bunch of sample photos:
(Non working link removed)
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