| Author: | | Inactive Account Registered: January, 2007 Location: Brazil Posts: 3 | | Review Date: January 9, 2007 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, f/1.4, contrast, size. | | Cons: | none | |
This is a great lens, with superb sharpness, specially at intermediate apertures. It's great for shooting portraits, due to it's apertures. Great lens, a must have for every Pentax user.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: West Chester, PA Posts: 1,420 | | Review Date: January 10, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Wide aperture, build quality, bokeh | | Cons: | SMC coatings slightly inferior to modern lenses | |
This is only for the SMC Takumar version of this lens:
The SMC Takumar 50/1.4 is the ancestor to the highly-reagarded FA 50/1.4 lens. It is very similar in all respects to its modern descendent, with only very subtle differences. Pentax has updated the SMC coating over time, evidenced by the slight reduction in flare of the FA version compared to the old M42 versions. The SMC version also exhibits slightly more CA and has subtly more bright-ring bokeh. Overall, I use my SMC Takumar in place of my FA version because it is so much nicer to focus and the image quality is nit-pickingly close.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: Grand Junction Colorado Posts: 209 | | Review Date: February 4, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $78.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very sharp and usable at all apertures | | Cons: | yellowing | |
This is the 3rd and 4th versions of the 50mm f1.4. The S-M-C with the fluted focusing ring is of much better construction IMHO.
Both are very sharp, excellent BOKEH and produces images that are a cross between Leitz and Pentax's excellent A and FA lenses.
Subject to yellowing if stored but can be cleared by exposing to UV or sunlight.
I have purchased new for use when I was shooting professional basketball in the 70s.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2007 Location: Phoenix Posts: 1,056 | | Review Date: February 27, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, speed, solid feel, compact size | | Cons: | None | |
I have the Super-Takumar version of this lens, and it is the lens I use more than any other for both film and digital. Images are very sharp down to about f/2, but that extra stop at f/1.4 is indispensable for low-light, low ISO portraits; I haven't used the flash on my K100D since buying this lens. Moreover, this lens is simply a joy to have in the hand. The solid all-metal body and precise focus ring are sublime. The only problem is finding an adapter that allows focusing to infinity on a k-mount body...I'm still looking.  | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2007 Location: Ankara, Turkey Posts: 401 | | Review Date: May 2, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $61.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Image quality, handling | | Cons: | None (other than being screw mount) | |
The best lens I ever had. It is all the more unbelievable especially since it is almost 40 years old. Sharp, crisp, lively... Both the resolution and the contrast are high. There is nothing related to image quality which makes me say "I wish it was...". However, another copy I had was not this better and although it looked in better condition externally, it was not "magnificient". Try before you buy, if you can. It is better in every respect than the (otherwise fine) kit lens at 50mm; there is no question about it. Also, even after the recently increasing prices, the lens remains affordable and very pleasing to use.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: September, 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 30
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 20, 2007 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | It's Simply Beautiful | | Cons: | Your'e Joking!,..Right? | |
Well, I have Owned a Couple of The "Super Takumar" '37800 and 37801 series, for quite a Long time.
The Later one, the Longest and it is Still to this Day, almost like Brand new.
I had Previously had an f2.0 55mm and had acquired an f1.8 55mm,..but when I first got the f1.4 and Looked through the Viewfinder, I was 'Hooked',..for Life it would seem!,..lol
There is just something about the 50mm f1.4's, in almost Any Version,..but personally, I think the Older, (they Can't build them like that anymore for that price), versions, ie; the Screw Mounts, are simply one of, if not THE Best 50mm Lens available.
As Noted, the Feel, and The Positive Focus of this lens, (Few if Any lenses bar Leica, can Boast of Focusing so smooth and accurate), let alone How images Look with this lens!!
It IS Different to the Other 'Standard' Takumars.
The earlier of my Two lenses i acquired recently via eBay, and is, to be Honest Even better than my original one !!
I am amazed!
It is Virtually unused.
This is quite simply, the Best Lens I own, or have ever used!
The other Difference, between The earlier and mid series f1.4's, were that they had 6 Diaphragm Blades, whereas, the later ones, including the SMC's, Have 8. Which Does make a difference to the background blurring.
As also noted, they have a slightly different version of the Multi coating.
All round?,..a truly Superb lens.
| | | | | Giveaway winner! Registered: December, 2007 Location: beantown Posts: 944 | | Review Date: December 14, 2007 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharpness perfection for me! | | Cons: | they don't make them like this anymore. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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Super-Takumar:
An auction house special and later, a project to remove fungus and a yellow hue too... Thorium yellow. Ultraviolet bath and full disassembled CLA later, it is now a tremendous lens!
I've not had a chance to run a lens test yet, but who needs to. It seems it is a few notches better than my smc-M 50mm 1.4. Must get at least one for your collection.
-Update: I've had quite a super bunch of super sharp prints. I'm now running it on a K20D and the first few tests were amazing! Bokeh-o-matic!
On the net will be comparison of 7 element vs. 8 element and SMC vs Super-Takumar, but I'll just keep it to what I have... a great lens that does not disappoint.
The performance has been mostly excellent and only some low marks in the bright lighting conditions when used without a hood.
As a film lens, a wonderful contrasty and color rich lens and for a Super-Tak version it is quite good indeed.
As a digital lens, it has been wonderful as well in its short tele/portrait mode. Matched with a proper hood, it has not misbehaved in bright daylight situations.
UPDATE: Over five years since the fungus removal and no signs of the return.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: June, 2008 Location: Valparaiso IN USA Posts: 76 | | Review Date: June 12, 2008 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Superb Bokeh and smooth focusing. | | Cons: | None that are not apparent or regarding the mount. | |
After reading the reviews already posted I saw that there was no real strong mention of a very important aspect of this lens when used on digital bodies for portrait work. The bokeh is really next to none. This lens never ceases to amaze me as far as the quality of images it captures in front of any camera. Some CA in really extreme contrast wide open, but this becomes negligible stopped down. I can't really think of anything bad to say about this lens, or the non super multi coated version. I have one of each.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2008 Location: Great Plain, Hungary Posts: 204 | | Review Date: January 26, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Built and image quality | | Cons: | none | |
Have two of these. Brilliant lens in all aspects. Probably one of the best normal prime. The built quality is simply superb such as the pictures it can capture (both on digital and film). The only negatives: they do not make lenses like this any more, and it is becoming more and more rare and pricey.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2008 Location: London Posts: 2 | | Review Date: June 8, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 10 |
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My initial foray into photography and this was my most expensive lens purchase along with a K200d. My lens was in great nick with zero fungus. What can I say, this little beauty just keeps on taking photos. The sharpness is incredible. I don't like using the flash and thanks to F1.4, I have never had to. When my LBA took over, I bought other Takumars too such as the 28mm 3.5 and the 135mm 3.5, but nothing really beats the 50mm.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2007 Location: In the most populated state... state of denial Posts: 1,854 | | Review Date: June 12, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $10.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Bokeh, size, build | | Cons: | yellowing, sharpness | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Spotmatic, KX, K100D, K5
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This lens is legendary, while a bit soft wide open it gives a very special quality and feel to the pictures
Great for portraits and indoors.
Quality of construction is as good as it gets, very solid brass, and focusing is buttery soft
With age it yellows a bit, but that is cured easily with the help of the sun or a bright LED lamp.
Macro with the 50/1.4
PS. I own both version II ( 7 element Super-Tak) and III (S-M-C) as well as the M and FA. The SMC version has better light transmission and gives the pictures a less surreal aura but is sharper all around, almost indistigushable from the newer lenses. I find myself using the super-tak more as it provides an intangible emotional result.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: May, 2008 Location: Vancouver, BC. Posts: 89 | | Review Date: July 1, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, sharp, sharp. Beautiful construction. Small size. | | Cons: | None. | |
I've had this lens for almost a year, but only used it extensively in the last 2 months. The version I recieved (Super-Tak) was fairly yellowed, and still is slightly yellow after the "leave-lens-in-window" treatment, but I'm finding now that this adds extra dept to skin tone, and a nice warm Kodachrome-y look to landscapes.
Closed down, I would say this is the sharpest lens I own. Perhaps I have a good copy, but I feel I could use this lens as a 100mm at f/8 by cropping and still have enough detail to make a full-size print. It seems like DOF is so thin with this lens that I have to slightly front-focus at 1.4, and then stop down to try and catch the area I want in focus. This took me some practice.
Construction is superb, even for a Takumar. Holding this lens is akin to handling an artifact from a mysterious, long-lost civilization whose technology and craftsmanship far exceed our own...
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: October, 2008 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 42 | | Review Date: July 7, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Light, good bohek very fast | | Cons: | Soft beyond 2m | |
My copy has some fungus therefore the cons might not be the same for other copies.
Lens is light, very very good built. Focus ring is smooth but not loose generally better built than lenses from other manufacturer like helios. I really like the lens, it produce good sharp images within 2m. I found it's quite hard to focus but if you use a magnifier, it should not be a problem.
Lens is soft beyond 2m, need to stop down to f4 to get good sharpness. But this lens on a digital camera is really only for portrait so this should not be a problem.
I'm not extremely impressed with the contrast level of my copy I found that my CZ 50mm f2.8 produce better contrast.
Hope this is helpful.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: August, 2009 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 30 | | Review Date: September 4, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Bokeh, sharpness, build quality | | Cons: | Radioactive yellowing, sensor reflection | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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This reviews two copies: a Super and an SMC version, both in what could be called "minty" condition, on a Sony A350.
First, the SMC. The lens initially had the radioactive yellowing problem, with a color shift of R+13%, G+9%. The yellowing seems to increase contrast slightly, and I've heard some people say you should leave the tint for the warming effect it provides... no! It took about 3 days worth of direct exposure to a UV sanitizing light to remove nearly all of the yellow cast, and removing it yielded a very dramatic improvement in lens performance. In fact, before UV treatment, this lens was harder to focus (even confirming focus when it was slightly off), less consistently sharp across the frame, and let less light pass than my Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8 -- but those issues are gone now!
The bokeh rival those of the Minolta/Sony STF, giving a nice round point spread function with a bright center and dark edge. No wonder people love this lens. The bokeh would be artistically perfect were it not for a soft, blurry, shape to the center of bokeh which looks like a reflection of the sensor's shape. The 10 rating is for the bokeh; otherwise, this lens is a 9 -- or an 8 before UV cleaning.
Sharpness seems very good wide open, but not quite on a par with my 55mm f/1.8 Super Takumar and far worse than my Helios 44M-4. The f/1.8 just has very low contrast wide open, and the Helios just softens slightly at the edges, whereas this lens has some halos and other mild artifacts at f/1.4. However, it is still quite acceptable all the way to the edge of the APS-C frame. By f/5.6, this lens is out-resolving my 14MP sensor all across the the APS-C frame with even a bit more contrast than the f/1.8... a very different look from f/1.4.
Flare is minimal. Unlike my Super Takumar f/1.8, this SMC lens seems to be able to avoid the occasional whole-frame-contrast-destroying flare.
After UV cleaning, this lens gives brighter colors than the f/1.8.
Build quality is excellent (but my older Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8 is better).
Now the Super Takumar f/1.4: Not much different. This lens was even more yellow and seems harder to bleach clear using UV, but it's getting there. I suspect the level of yellowing reflects the radioactivity level, which can vary across copies because it is caused by natural contamination of the raw material used to make the glass... this is a hot one. The Super build quality may be slightly better than the SMC, but this particular copy isn't better in practice. Hard to tell them apart by looking at images. Not really any good reason to have both.
A minor update: on an adapter with a ledge on my Sony NEX-5, the SMC version hits the ledge preventing infinity focus. Oddly, the S-M-C version doesn't have a problem with this.
In summary, get one of these and UV clean it!
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: November, 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 131 | | Review Date: November 12, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | solid feel, smooth focus ring, bokeh and sharpness | | Cons: | maybe a little heavy for some | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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This is my favorite lens. It is so smooth, both in focusing and bokeh that I keep it on my camera more often than any other lens, even though that means putting on an adapter.
Make sure you use a genuine Pentax adapter to allow infinity focus.
I am starting to look for more m42 lenses, since I'd rather leave the adapter in place.
A joy to use and still amazing despite being nearly 40 years old.
I would buy this lens again and again.
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