| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2010 Posts: 753
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 15, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | very cheap, easy to find | | Cons: | stop down metering, long and heavy | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 10
Value: 6
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For a cheap lens not a bad performer. I didn't own any other 200mm lens so i could only compare it to Pentax K 135/2.5 and M*300/4. Both lenses outperform Takumar easily in image quality, but K lens is like twice the price and M four times that expensive. Interestingly i took images of K135+2xteleconverter and they were still slightly sharper than photos from Takumar.
| | | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: March, 2009 Location: Coral Springs, FL Posts: 5,216
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 29, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | A Classic Tak!!! | | Cons: | A little difficult to focus | |
I have the Super Multi Coated version, and if you're at all familiar with the build and IQ of these older M42 Taks, what more can one say? It's the real deal.
I don't find this a particularly useful focal length for what I do, too long, but if I ever have to go beyond 135, this is the one to reach for. It's a bit of a challenge getting spot-on focus with it, but this just might be my lousy skills--or too many Budweisers. Perhaps the very long focus throw--which allows for more precise focusing--is a bit of a negative for moving subjects until you learn to master it.
As someone posted above, I think you can do some outstanding outdoor portrait work with this baby, or indoor if you want to go real tight.
Anyway, like all my Taks, these will get passed on to the grandkids when MY kids HAVE kids!
One sample of my 200:
(Non working link removed)
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: Seattle Posts: 153
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 8, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | build, cost, image quality | | Cons: | none unless you need automation | |
All Takumar lenses are exceptionally well built with strong optics. The M42 lenses stay in their adapters and work quite well. The lens is made for manual focus and has a large focus ring and a long throw for focus that works. I sold a Zeiss 200 3.5 in a C/Y mount and held onto this lens. Smaller, less expensive and a great way to get this focal length.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2008 Location: Virginia Posts: 376
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 21, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | superb sharpness and resolution, extremely natural color, excellent build quality | | Cons: | none | |
This is the best lens I have ever used. I own the Super-Takumar version, and I use the lens with the Takumar screw-in metal hood. I find no faults with my photographs taken with this lens. I have owned and used lenses from all of the major Japanese manufacturers--Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Olympus, and Pentax. The S-T 200/4 is my favorite.
| | | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: January, 2010 Posts: 96
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 3, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $54.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharp, easy to focus, cost | | Cons: | none | |
This Lens was awesome, It took beautiful shots. I only hand fringing on one The bellagio pic. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomshue first 2 pages or so are for all with the lens on a OLY e-620 (sorry pentax people) I love 4thirds. I like this lens so much I have 2 more on the the, the 85-210 a 28mm and 55mm
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2007 Location: In the most populated state... state of denial Posts: 1,854
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 12, 2009 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | build, image quality | | Cons: | f/4 is a bit dark sometimes | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Spotmatic - K5iis
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This was my everyday tele when I used the Spotmatic. My father bought it new in 1973 with the camera
Excellent quality of construction, like all Takumars, focus is smooth as silk and rendition of tones is very clean.
Contrast and sharpness are excellent; the multicoating (SMC) prevents flaring in most conditions.
Bokeh is good but not "swirly" as it seems the fashion
If you are brave I recommend you try portraits with this one, mostly wide open outdoors.
When used with a 1.7x converter the sharpness is gone
Blades can become oily after a while, and need a technician to cure them. Lubricants from the helcoids creep into the iris.
PS, After a long hiatus I used this one in the K5-iis and was pleasantly surprised
It is still contrasty, not prone to flaring and the CA is much lower than most other legacy lenses.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2008 Location: Zetten - The Netherlands Posts: 9,050
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 31, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, colour rendition, built quality | | Cons: | weight | |
My copy is the Super Takumar version, and I use it on my K20d. I am very much surprised by the optical quality of this lens. I find it sharp even wide open, and the colours are rich and natural. As expected from a long lens, DOF is very little, and this might cause the report of 'soft' wide open shots. However, the long focus throw makes exact focussing easy.
The built quality of this lens is old fashioned: built like a tank, all metal - and thus not very light -, and a pleasure to use (although I have no experience with tanks in this last respect...). Probably the max aperture of f/4.0 is a little slow, but SR of my K20 will quarantee tack sharp shots, even with slower shutter speeds.
All in all, I would highly recommend this lens. Optically it can't be beaten very easilly, and it's worth a multitude of it's money if you'd ask me. Buy it if you find one, and if you don't bother MF!
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: November, 2008 Location: Geelong, Victoria, Australia Posts: 33
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 8, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $28.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Bult like the proverbial Brick Outhouse, Sharpness | | Cons: | Weight | |
I have the Super Takumar version and to date have only used it with film bodies. (Spotmatic and Ricoh KR5-Super II fitted with a Screwmount converter.)
Results on film have been very pleasing. AN excellent lens for long range outdoor events.
I have no doubt that it will be a very good lens with my new K200D.
This link is to a photo taken with the Spotmatic body. Fuji Superia200 film. f4 setting.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/23...r-shadow-1.jpg | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 364
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 1, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $45.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | All around good IQ, long focus throw, X factor | | Cons: | Slight fringing with high contrast and wide open apterture | |
Surprisingly nice lens for the money. Mine is the Super Takumar version and I'm very impressed with it on my K10D.
I personally like the longer focus throw of older lenses as it makes things so much easier to really hone in on the subject. Hyperfocusing is much easier with a longer throw as well (the lens of course includes hyperfocal markings from f4-22).
IQ is terrific for a ~$40 piece of glass, with a lens hood it is easy to avoid the fringing/glow by stopping down 2-3 stops, f8-11 are of course optimal all around, but the IQ at even f4 in full sun is marvelous if proper care is taken in composing.
Giving this a 9 for the X factor and because the lens is really worth much much more than I paid for it. Puts other photographers on tilt when I mention the price too 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamonation/2720921541/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamonation/2721747416/ (100% crop of the first)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamonation/2721748804/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamonation/2721749918/
Edit: found some other people using this lens on their Canon and Olympus bodies, I can vouch for it's ease of use on the K10D. http://flickr.com/photos/tags/supertakumar200mmf4/ | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 431
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 16, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $37.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Solid build, Good sharpness, contrast, and bokeh. | | Cons: | Heavy, Long focus throw (but smooth) | |
The Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 200mm f/4 lens is solidly built, like almost all the older Pentax lenses. It's a bit heavy, but you get use to it after a while and it's not really a walkaround lens anyway. Photos are sharp and color contrast is there as well. Wide open, there is some "glow" around high light areas and occasionally purple fringing under certain lighting conditions - nothing extreme and hardly noticeable. Bokeh is nice and smooth (subjective). Focusing is good, but the ring feels a bit heavier compared to my A50mm 1.7 which is smooth but quick - not too big of an issue. Overall a great prime and recommended if you can find one cheap.
My sample photos from this lens can be found in this thread.
| | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2013 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: January 22, 2024 | Recommended | Price: $88.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Metal construction, smooth focus and aperture rings | | Cons: | Weight, adapter cost, rattle, long minimum focus distance | | Sharpness: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-50
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Picked up a nice example of the SMC version from KEH, along with the dedicated hood. The optics look perfect and the lens has no obvious signs of wear or damage. It fits perfectly on the K-50 with an Asahi Pentax M42 adapter, and is easy to focus using Live View magnification. Saying it's heavy is meaningless, because it was made when every lens was heavy metal. What concerns me is that when the lens is shaken there's a noticeable rattle that isn't coming from anything obvious - no loose lens elements, mount seems okay, focus barrel is tight, and the aperture diaphragm works properly as does the Manual/Auto switch controlling it. Thought it might be the actuator arm, but it still rattles when the stop down pin is pressed. I'm not overly concerned about it, as this lens is going to be used wide open on a tripod taking night sky photos, but it anyone has encountered this, I'd appreciate your feedback.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: March, 2016 Location: British Columbia Posts: 41 | | Review Date: August 17, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, well built. | | Cons: | None for what it is. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: KP
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I was astonished at how sharp this lens is. I took a handheld shot (w/IBIS) indoors at f4 and produced a snapshot that was so sharp that Topaz Sharpen AI could not make a noticeable improvement. It is heavy as were all the lenses of the day, but still felt manageable handheld on a KP. Colours were also pleasing. $20 Canadian for a pristine copy in an original case was a no brainer. One step closer to justifying a K-1. :-)
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