| Author: | | Inactive Account Registered: March, 2009 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 21, 2009 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, build quality | | Cons: | Practicality - needs bellows unit or extension tubes | |
This lens is rather difficult to review. Optically it is a great lens. It's the same as the 100mm f/4 macro. As such it deserves a similar rating.
However, you cannot use it as-is. It needs at least 37mm of extension to focus to infinity (minimum bellows length) and 138mm of extension to get to 1:1 reproduction.
As such you probably won't use it as a walkaround macro.
Now can you fault a Bellows-Takumar for needing a bellows unit? 
I'm still not sure, but I've deducted 1 point to reflect this dilemma.
Particularly recommended for your (tabletop) studio work.
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2010 Location: Gothenburg, aka Göteborg Posts: 233 | | Review Date: January 14, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | nice lens | | Cons: | you need a Pentax bellows! | |
I bought this in the early 70's, and I got it with the Pentax bellows, and the slide copying addition. Nice lens, fully manual, screw mount! Gave it away, a few years ago, but I don't regret it a bit, as Tamron 90 is so much better, and as good as a macro lens! Plus much simmpler to use, than the Bellows 100!
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: July, 2010 Location: Clermont-Ferrand, France Posts: 363 | | Review Date: May 22, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $140.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Star shaped blades (bellows), goes at more than 1:1 | | Cons: | Bellow needed | |
I'm surprised that no one said something about the aperture blades of the Bellows : it gives a nice 8 peaks star that can be useful to obtain a great bokeh. I've used the lens up to something like 5:1 (two bellows + 2 extension rings sets) and it is quite sharp for a such reproduction ratio !
I recommend to use this lens with the Pentax "Bellows unit" : it will go a bit further than infinity, a bit further than 1:1 and it is light enough to use it handheld in macro.
Samples : http://kajiwara.weebly.com/takumar-1004.html | | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: orbost victoria Posts: 24 | | Review Date: January 16, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very sharp | | Cons: | slow to use | | Sharpness: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: k7
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I know that using a bellows unit may be a bit a slow process, but as a studio tool in photography its priceless,
But for outdoor or hand held photography I think a Macro lens of the Pentax kind would be easier and just as sharp. | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2011 Location: Australia Posts: 1,094
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 5, 2013 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 7
Value: 10
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I used mine extensively on my spotmatic F. I used it as a short telephoto as well as macro. I was able to balance everything including a Rollie hammer head flash, focus and use the ring to stop down to the required aperture. My motivation was to outdo everyone else with their expensive nikon gear and hasselbads with their wildlife photos. The later was easy than you might expect because they had real trouble with the back ground composition.
Over the years I have taken some great shots, but my eyes are becoming dimmer and I depend heavily on autofocus. I still pull the lens and bellows out to do macro work. For some reason it seems a lot brighter in the viewfinder than my old takamar F5 50mm macro.
The lens and bellows is a lot of fun if you can get hands on them. I had a t mount that seemed to easily fit on the bellows.
Do not use the pentax m42 adaptor. It locks onto the camera and you won't be able to screw off the bellows.  | | | | | Loyal Site Supportaxian Registered: September, 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 503
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 5, 2014 | Recommended
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Sharp | | Cons: | Aperture blades are far from round, can be a hassle to use. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 4
Handling: 5
Value: 5
Camera Used: Multiple Canon EOS
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The biggest positive of this lens (in combination with a bellows) is the ability to focus from infinity to beyond 1:1 without changing your setup. Want to walk around a nature preserve and take a super close up of a flower followed by a shot of a far-off bird without switching any gear? This is a good combo for you. The second best attribute is that it's quite sharp.
Tip: Put the Asahi Pentax Variable Close-Up Ring and Extension Tube #2 on back of this and you've instantly got a lens that can infinity focus without all the bulk of a bellows.
Another reviewer mentioned that the aperture blades on this give nice stars (the star spikes peak around f7-10). If you want stars, great! Since this primary purpose of this lens is macro, and I usually don't want stars in my macros, this is a negative for me. If I want to induce stars, I prefer to stick an aperture mask on the front of a lens so I can precisely control the effect. It's all a matter of taste though, and some people will love it. Even though they have the same optical formula, I can definitely say you will get more bokeh 'flavor' with the Takumar-Bellows when compared with the S-M-C 4/100.
If you want a smaller, more convenient setup you might consider the S-M-C 100mm f/4 macro instead. I find it more practical, and if you need more than 1:2, you can always pop extension tubes on the back.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 14
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 6, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very sharp macro lens / with focal reducer excellent | | Cons: | very small CA's | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: k-s1 k200d k-x
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with bellows and achromatic focal reducer (self made by a single binocular front lens 8x30 fitted into a PK macro ring) will give excellent sharpness at f 8-11 and minimization of CA's ! 
++/+ excellent sharpness up to magnification 1:2, very good/exc. 1:1, good/very good 2:1 at f 8- 11
 ***** no reduction of corner sharpness as usual by modern AF lenses *****
++ neutral color rendition
++ high contrast, if bellow has been anti-reflex-fitted with dark clothing, in order to reduce flare, totally
++ very few CA's - with achromatic focal reducer no CA's visible
++ no vignetation
9.5 points totally
highly recommended !
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