Super-Takumar 300/4 - good but ot a perfect match for SD15

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

I am still finding a M42 perfect match for my SD15. This Super-Takumar 300/4 is not bad, but not outstanding. Anyone have any advice about which particular M42 MF lens match SD15 the best??

WolverineX · Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:15 am Post subject:

tair 3?

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

bhargav · Expire: 2014-11-24

RSalles · Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 1:15 pm Post subject:

Ferrick,

I think VolverineX is answering this question posed by the author:
Anyone have any advice about which particular M42 MF lens match SD15 the best???

EDIT: duble post...

Best regards,

Renato

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

I don't think the camera body matters. Sharp is sharp, or not, no matter the body.
Now, its possible that a more dense sensor (pixels/mm^2) lets you pixel-peep more, so its easier to find defects in a lens and find the limit of its sharpness.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

The answer is shoot at f5.6 instead of wide open.

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 2917 Location: The Netherlands

Are the hand held shots or did you use a tripod?

David · Expire: 2013-01-25

It may be your focusing screen. Is it sharp stopped down? I have lenses that, on my K-7, AF perfectly and MF somewhat soft because the focusing screen isn't shimmed perfectly. (With an AF lens, I can verify that the focus is off because of the focusing screen.) However, if you stop down to f8, f11, or f16, then most any tiny issue with the focusing screen will be a non-issue, so that will tell you if the issue is your lens or your focusing screen.

David · Expire: 2013-01-25

It may be your focusing screen. Is it sharp stopped down? I have lenses that, on my K-7, AF perfectly and MF somewhat soft because the focusing screen isn't shimmed perfectly. (With an AF lens, I can verify that the focus is off because of the focusing screen.) However, if you stop down to f8, f11, or f16, then most any tiny issue with the focusing screen will be a non-issue, so that will tell you if the issue is your lens or your focusing screen.

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

Oldhand · Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 10:23 pm Post subject:

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

The Tair-3 is only so-so in sharpness wide open, but close it to 5.6 and it is very sharp. I wouldn't be surprised if your Takumar is the same. With a 300mm lens you're still going to have a shallow dof at 5.6. Honestly, I don't think you'll find a 300mm lens that is razor sharp wide open, they just weren't designed to be so.

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

300mm handheld is always a challenge, if you use long lenses often, perhaps you should think about a camera with in-body stabilisation, I think the Pentax DSLRs are supposed to be good in that regard. Or maybe you can try a monopod?

Laurentiu Cristofor · Joined: 23 Oct 2010 Posts: 524 Location: WA, USA

Before you look for another lens, I suggest testing this one on a tripod and focusing carefully (using a LiveView feature if your camera has it). From 300mm up, it becomes challenging to handhold lenses on APS-C sensors. And then you also have the problem of focusing accurately.

The only problems that your images demonstrate are strong LoCA (visible in several shots, but best sample is on the grill of the Mercedes) and a muted color contrast, which is typical for Takumars. I doubt you have a bad copy.

Some tips for handholding:

- keep a fast shutter speed. For a 300mm lens try at least 1/500 until you get better with it
- brace yourself - hold your elbows next to your body, left hand closer to the front of the lens if possible, camera against your face
- lean on something if you can - wall, pillar, fence, whatever you can find will help
- control your breath. breath in, breath half of air out, then hold your breath and try to shoot in the next couple of seconds

Good luck!

Nikonshooter · Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 4:37 am Post subject:

maybe I should give this lens a shot.

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

[quote="iangreenhalgh1"]300mm handheld is always a challenge, if you use long lenses often, perhaps you should think about a camera with in-body stabilisation, I think the Pentax DSLRs are supposed to be good in that regard. Or maybe you can try a monopod?[/quote]

ferrick · Joined: 20 Apr 2012 Posts: 643 Location: Hong Kong

[quote="iangreenhalgh1"]300mm handheld is always a challenge, if you use long lenses often, perhaps you should think about a camera with in-body stabilisation, I think the Pentax DSLRs are supposed to be good in that regard. Or maybe you can try a monopod?[/quote]

I have a K5 IIs and works well with this lens. May be the real problem lies in the lack of in-body stabilisation of SD15. Crying or Very sad