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Asahi Super Takumar 55mm 1.8
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 11:50 pm    Post subject: Asahi Super Takumar 55mm 1.8 Reply with quote

After a CLA (fungus on inner front lens; managed to move the infinity to almost 6m, from 4, on a nikon body) i've taken this lens to a test. Too bad that was cloudy and sun almost set, but the first impression i got is positive.





PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 5:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

great shots peticu!
the portrait is so cute!


PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 8:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, sir. Lovely lens. And lovely shots.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That lens is quite obviously no good, you might as well give it away... to me.

Seriously, great shots. The rose is one of the finest b/w shots that I've ever seen.

/Erik


PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 12:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like the portrait too. Well done.

poilu wrote:
great shots pe(i)ticu!

You changed a letter mon pote and it's already another meaning. Shocked


PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 12:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Himself wrote:
You changed a letter mon pote and it's already another meaning. Shocked
that's ok Smile the new word "peticu" means "the patch" Very Happy


PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks like a keeper. I too love the portrait


patrickh


PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Blunderstein wrote:
The rose is one of the finest b/w shots that I've ever seen.
Erik

Thanks Erik. I like it too. In fact, as soon as i receive my new load of Piezography inks that picture will be one of the first printed Smile


PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 9:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The rose in black and white is splendid. Shocked


PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 10:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That rose as recorded by camera. All CameraRaw sliders set to 0. The bw version has no selective editing nor dodging/burning


PostPosted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 11:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It has the reputation of being one of Pentaxes sharper lenses and lives up to it pretty well.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 2:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You did a very good work with the lens!.
And also with the pictures Wink
Congrats!

Jes.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 6:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would not have the courage to take a lens apart for fear of turning it into a paperweight.

Good work!


PostPosted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

martinsmith99 wrote:
I would not have the courage to take a lens apart for fear of turning it into a paperweight.

Good work!
Start with an unusable lens. That's what i did: i got from a friend a 50mm 1.9 fujika that nobody wanted. You'll see that it's an easy job — just have patience.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've got one and I love it. Very sharp and i like the bokeh too.


PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got my Super-Takumar 1.8/55 (dated 1964) on Friday and shot my first two rolls of film with it, using a Bessaflex TM. This time of year daylight equals barely handheld at ISO 400 and it's only available for 2-3 hours so subjects were limited. I would also have loved to use Delta 400 but my fridge only had Ilford HP5 400 and photo stores were closed all weekend for Independence Day celebrations.


@ f/2 handheld


@ f/1.8 handheld

Velvia 50 isn't the obvious choice for color film when you must do long exposures but it was the only color film in 135 size I had available. Bare with some of the shots that exhibit an overly green hue.


@ f/2 16s


@ f/4 6s


@ f/5.6 3s

I find the bokeh at medium distances nice, but close to the near focusing limit or when shot wide open it gets very wild


@ f/1.8 handheld

Don't know how "radio-active yellow" my lens is, I will find out when I shoot a color chart using digital.

I've uploaded these and more to Flickr in original size, you can access them here as thumbnails
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mureena/sets/72157610844846303/
or view them as a full-screen slideshow here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mureena/sets/72157610844846303/show/


PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great series! I especially like park picture taken by night!


PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hienot Helsinkikuvat. The 55 is such an excellent lens.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you!

Yes, I agree this lens is outrageously good price/quality ratio. €20-30 for this build quality and performance is a steal Smile Look forward to a more thorough trial run on digital, will post photos once weather is permitting again.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

People in here often praise this Takumar 55/1.8, so I clicked BIN today. Laughing
it was just $29.95 plus shipping $11.80?

Just start waiting for a Super Takumar 55/1.8 to get to my home,
it is not S-M-C Takumar 55/1.8.

Any difference? One is more radio-active than the other? Very Happy


PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The 55/1.8 isn't radioactive - the 50/1.4 is.

I have somewhere around here a couple of photos with an AUTO-Takumar and a SMC-Takumar 55/1.8 side by side, showing the effects of multi coating.

In practice, most of the time, there's not enough difference to really bother about. Sometimes I want more bloom to light, sometimes I want less...


PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is 55/1.8 sharper at f/1.8, than 50/1.4? Some time ago I saw a test and 55/1.8 should be harper, but... Smile


PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 8:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The portrait is adorable Smile


PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent pictures. Winter in the far north! Brrrr Smile

I recommended this lens to Laurence a few days ago, you made me feel glad I did!

I'm interested in the film. I haven't made my mind up about Delta 400 or HP5+. The roll of Delta I did last year was great. The HP5 was too grainy, but I'm not sure I got the development right. Why do you prefer the Delta?

And about the green shot of the park, is there a reason for the green that you know about? I had some green shots like that recently using cheap neg film, but only with one particular lens.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you.

Winter here has not started yet. We don't have any snow in Helsinki and it's still +1C... In January it will get much colder. Lucky for me I have a 1-month assignment in Asia for January Very Happy

Last summer I did a comparison between Ilford HP5 and Ilford Delta 400 films. I found the HP5 more contrasty (as in less shadow detail) and the Delta 400 to have finer grain. Delta 400 photos also look smoother when printed large (20x30 or bigger). Second test I developed at photostore developing machine, same results. Delta 400 also takes longer time to develop than HP5.

The green hue in the park photo is because of Velvia 50 characteristics. From the Velvia 50 technical data there is note that it is not calibrated for exposure times longer than 3-4 seconds. Any exposure longer than 3-4 seconds will gradually introduce a green hue (or sometimes red, depending on which color of light). This green hue can be disturbing in very long exposures. Sometimes it can look nice, like in the 16s exposure in the park photo: I think it works for the park photo which had green grass and blue/green street light.

If you want to do long exposures with Velvia I recommend you use the Velvia 100 (old or new recipe doesn't matter). Velvia 100 can take long exposure times much better than Velvia 50, without color hue.

EDIT: High Wycombe, whoa! My sister lives in your neighbour. Very nice area, I've been there many times.