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Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5 Review RSS Feed

Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5

Sharpness 
 9.0
Aberrations 
 10.0
Bokeh 
 6.0
Handling 
 9.0
Reviews Views Date of last review
1 31,398 Thu January 3, 2013
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $800.00 9.00
Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5

Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5 Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5 Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5
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Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5
supersize
Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5
supersize
Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5
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Description:
This slow yet light lens employed only quatz fluorite lens elements. The lens is primarily designed for UV photography but can be used in visible light and infrared light.

The photos in this listing depict the lens as well as the originally supplied filter attachments.

Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 85mm F4.5
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
Full-frame / 35mm film
Lens Mount
M42
Aperture Ring
Yes
Diaphragm
Automatic
Optics
5 elements, 5 groups
Mount Variant
M42 Stop-down Pin
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4.5
Min. Aperture
F22
Focusing
Manual
Min. Focus
60 cm
Max. Magnification
0.21x
Filter Size
49 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 19 ° / 16 °
Full frame: 29 ° / 24 °
Hood
Case
Lens Cap
Coating
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
60 x 60.5 mm
Weight
248 g
Production Years
1968 (start of production)
Engraved Name
Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar 1:4.5/85
Product Code
43851
Reviews
User reviews
Notes
All lens elements are quartz flourite. The lens is primarily designed for UV photography but can also be used in visible light and infrared. Dates of production are uncertain.
Features:
Manual FocusAperture RingFull-Frame SupportAdapter needed for DSLRsDiscontinued



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Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-1 of 1
Pentaxian

Registered: January, 2008
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 2,795

5 users found this helpful
Review Date: January 3, 2013 Recommended | Price: $800.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: No PF or CA of any kind, short MFD, 100% natural color rendition
Cons: Only 25 are known to exist, bokeh not that good
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 6    Handling: 9    Camera Used: Pentax K-5   

This must be one of the rarest Takumars out there and also one of the most expensive. I have the price list from 1972 and only the 1000mm f/8 Takumar was more expensive. The 85mm f/4.5 Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar was 5 times the price of the 85mm f/1.8 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar. It is estimated that only 25 of these are known to exist.

I was lucky to find one in my country. It is in a less than desirable shape and well worn outside. But I had the chance to try it before purchasing, and despite its worn appearance it's still a Takumar in all aspects: thanks to the tight tolerances and high quality focusing grease the focusing is still buttery smooth without any play. The diaphragm works perfectly too.

Usually this lens comes complete with a box and several filters, but not this one.

What's so special about the 85mm f/4.5 Ultra-Achromatic-Takumar? It's a 5/5 design by Yasuo Takahashi which does not contain glass. The five elements are made of Quartz and Fluorite. The front element is concave (!) and it's completely uncoated (!), because coating blocks UV light.

It's not the fastest lens around, but it's very sharp and, thanks to its design, completely devoid of CA and PF even in the worst conditions. It easily outperforms APO (ED) glass because of that. And this also means that the focus does not shift in UV and IR light (the reason that many lenses have an IR marker is that the infrared focal plane differs from the focal plane for visible light).
I also like it because of its 100% natural color rendition (simply because there's no color shift and no coating).

The lens was designed with scientific purposes in mind. So bokeh came probably last on the list and I find the bokeh also less than desirable. This is not noticeable in pseudo-macro shots though.

This shot of my son says it all...

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