Super Takumar f 3.5 135mm

[Schnauzer]

Is the Super Takumar f 3.5 135mm lense any good? I have a chance to get one for $40.00 with hard case.

[Attila]

http://www.mflenses.com/gallery/v/japenese/takumar/super_takumar_135mm_f3_5/

Yes, really nice one. Pretty common sometimes going even lower. I think this price is good.

[Duckmancgy]

It's a great lens. I got mine here for 60 canadian with case and hood, so thats about 45 american right now. Great quality and wonderfully sharp even wide open

Jeremy

[Attila]

Nice to see you here Jeremy!

[Schnauzer]

Thanks Attila and Jeremy.

A local guy has it. Its pentax M42. I haven't looked at it but he says its like new.

[Prometheus]

If you can, get the hood too. I discovered it worked much better with an Asahi, deep, Takumar hood then the rubber one I used at the beginning.

I like this lens I think, but will get more chance to use it when spring comes. I made some nice portraits and it feels very good buildquality.

[Schnauzer]

I've noticed after looking a little that some of the lenses, like the 135/2.8 and 2.5. say SMC. I suppose that is a multi coating. I don't know if the pentax super takumar has this or not????

[peterm1]

I would not by any means call myself a Takumar expert but I do own and have tried pretty well every M42 lens Pentax made in one variant or anther from 24mm up to 300mm. And in some cases (the 135mm being one of them I have owned several versions of the preset lens, the auto takumar version and a couple of versions of the later Suepr Takumar and SMC Takumar variants.

So against that background let me say that almost all of the Takumar lenses are excellent in both build and optical quality. Grab it and use it.

By the way it is seldom you find any 135mm f3.5 to be less than excellent. The Takumars especially so. The 135mm lenses were so commonly a part of the shooters kit back then, that manufacturers could not afford to have poor quality ones in thier line up....it would have done too much damage to their reputation. And f3.5 is such a moderate maximum aperture fortunately this seemed to be a relatively easy lens to design. Hence my comment that there are few bad ones that I have come across of any brand. The f2.5 faster version is also no slacker although the afficionados claim that the later redesigned version of that particular lens is better. I own the earlier one and if this is so, the later one must be special indeed.

[Schnauzer]

Thank you Mattias and Peter. I think I will pick it up.