Loyal Site Supporter Registered: February, 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 2,710 | | Review Date: May 2, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Color rendition, 10 blade aperture Bokeh! | | Cons: | Flare without a lens hood | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-r, K5, K5iis
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I purchased this lens to display on my Asahi Pentax (AP) camera. My sample is in near mint condition, suffering only from stiff grease in the focusing helicoid. A nice feature of this old design is the two ring, preset aperture control. It makes stop down metering in AV mode a breeze and allows smooth intermediate aperture control. Reaching to the front of the lens is different, but not a real hindrance to operation. Used on my K5 and K5iis for general subjects, the limitations of the old five element, single coated design become apparent. Glowing edges and contrast loss due to flare can be an issue. However, get up close to your subject, especially one with vibrant colors and the rendering can be almost magical.
The perfect match has been my 12.1 MP K-r, a Takumar #1 Extension tube and the 55/2.2. Closeups of flowers. Wow. The milky smooth bokeh is a true winner. Colors render true and rich with the K-r, much better than the later bodies. Yes, contrast needs to be punched up a bit in post processing, and shooting in RAW is a prerequisite. A deep lens hood really is a requirement. I chose one which would definitely vignette on a full frame body. I definitely recommend this Takumar to vintage lens user-collectors who love old glass for its unique rendering. If you want perfection, look at newer designs like the SMC Takumar 55/1.8.
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Forum Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: Santa Barbara Posts: 60
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 3, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $102.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp on K-x | | Cons: | None for 1958 vintage | |
This pre-set 1958 lens works on K-x digital much better than expected. The 2.4 58mm (Heliar) Takumar has a bit better color for portraits, but this 2.2 55mm out resolves it easily. Mine is in 146xxx segment, so there maybe some sample variation to other copies.
I'll let few test pictures at f4 do the additional talking.
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Pentaxian Registered: July, 2010 Location: Clermont-Ferrand, France Posts: 363 | | Review Date: May 22, 2011 | Not Recommended | Price: $170.00
| Rating: 4 |
| Pros: | Historical : one of the first M42 Takumar | | Cons: | Sharpness is not outstanding | |
Historical part : one of the standard lenses for the Asahi Pentax AP - Gaussian design
What surprised me first when I fitted this lens on my K100D is the very cold color rendering, even visible in the viewfinder. I've never experienced it again with an other lens. Its general performances (sharpness, flare resistance, color rendition) are not oustanding (but far acceptable for a 1957 lens), its bokeh is not that bad. Due to its performance/price ratio, I would not recommend it to a user.
Samples : http://kajiwara.weebly.com/takumar-5522-v1-55.html | |
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