SMC Tak 50mm/1.4 Goes to the Boneyard!

[Kram]

A few were shot with extension tubes. My copy is a bit yellowed and I didn't always correct for that. I'm loving this lens but still not sure if it's my favorite in the 50mm range.

[mo]

#3,4,5 and the fairy princess....I don't think the yellow matters does it?

[martinsmith99]

Nice flower pics. I'm not sure about the last ones. I find them a bit creepy.

[djmike]

Tak SMC 50/1.4; SHARP indeed.

[peterqd]

[keltzar]

There is an easy cure for the yellow. Put it rear-element up against a strong UV light source but somewhere in the house away from the weather for a few weeks. The UV light will cure the yellow back to clear.

For myself, I bought a UV lamp and faced rear element first to the UV lamp several yellowed lenses: super-tak 50/1.4, SMC Tak 50/1.4, Nikkor 35/1.4 ... for a few weeks, and voila - all cured of the yellow plague.

Somewhere on my old PC I have a folder of test images I shot on my EOS 5D of a bunch of 50mm lenses at f2.0. From memory, they were:
1) Zeiss Contax planar 50/1.4
2) Leica Summicron 50/2
3) Pentacon 50/1.8
4) canon EOS 50/1.8 mk1
5) Schneider Xenon 50/1.8
6) Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50/1.8
7) Nikon pre-AI 50/1.4
Nikon MC 50/1.4 AIS
9) SMC Takumar 50/1.4
10) Super Takumar 50/1.4
11) Olympus OM 55/1.2

What I recall ... is that the nikons had the worst bokeh and the most unreal colours. The rest were pretty closely matched. The SMC Takumar and SuperTak were very natural ... but my favourite was... the canon EOS EF 50/1.8 mk.1

The schneider too was pretty nice. none of the rest made much of an impression.

[Schnauzer]

I like all of them.

I set mine on a window sill for I think three weeks and all the yellow is gone. I put a pen under one side to get pointed more into the sun, then turned it every few days.

[fish4570]

I love creepy doll photos.

[keltzar]

I just recall I missed two more from that batch test:

12) carl Zeiss Ultron 50/1.8 with the concave element
13) rollei MFT planar 50/1.8 (the original german made version)

[thePiRaTE!!]

I agree with Martin that the last couple have a sense about them, but I find their thought provoking nature makes them compelling. The moss and age on an ageless doll is an interesting parallel. And hey, some nice bokeh there to boot.

I have a Tak and feel the same as yourself. I used it more before I had converted more options to use on my A900, but when it was one of the few I had, I had no complaints.

K.

[Frogfish]

[ludoo]

Nice shots, #2 is the best one for me, especially for its colors.

[Kram]

Thanks all.

Frogfish, Pirate, she was just laying there with moss growing on her. Strangely beautiful. Yes, and scary too.

peterqd, my other MF 50mm-ish lenses: SMC Takumar 55mm/2.0, Helios 44-2, Pancolar zebra 50mm/1.8, Nikkor Micro 55mm/2.8, Nikkor H-C 50mm/2.0.

None of them cost me over $40. I'm a bottom feeder, a user and not a collector. The only Zeiss glass that I own is the 80mm/2,8 Planar on my Rolleiflex SL-66. Love the lens, but I wish it had more than five aperture blades!

I have the Canon AF EF 50mm 1.4 too. Maybe it's the best one? Cost more than $40 though.

The lens is basking in the window right now, as is the yellowed fungi-ed Pancolar. Don't worry they are in separate rooms. Pancolar has been there almost two weeks with no change in color.

Maybe I forgot to say that these were shot on a Canon 30D.

[estudleon]

[Kram]

[Kram]

[estudleon]

[FernandoB12]

Hi Mark,
You know, it is my favorite glass. Very nice shoots. I will try with a extension tube.