Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

S-M-C Tak 50/1.4.....Sell or Keep ??????
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:58 am    Post subject: S-M-C Tak 50/1.4.....Sell or Keep ?????? Reply with quote
I'm after some advice on whether to keep my 50/1.4.

I am having focus issues on my Sigma, i think the registration distance may be wrong for the SD14.

As i am totally blown away with the sharpness of the Vario 35-70 f4 ROM and the Elmarit 60 I am questioning the need for a 50 and so i am thinking of selling it Shocked

I know the idea is only to buy, and i have definately caught LBA disease, (i have bought 14 lenses in the last 3 months) but maybe it is time to let one of them go.....

Do you think i'm making a mistake selling this lens? If i decide to want another, will it be easy to replace?

What are they worth, it has the caps as shown but no case.

It is immaculate, check out the pics.

I've got to stop taking pics of my lenses, i hadn't noticed the yellowing until now!!!









PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have the P-K version of this lens and I would never ever sell it. It's one of my favourites under my collection. It's capable to render razorsharp images and special creamy bokeh!

Cheers
Tobias


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
They seem to be selling well on OZeBay $100+,but there is a glut at the moment...everyone is putting them up for auction.Not necessary the 50/1.4.but a lot of pentax small lenses. Is it the top of the market...hmmmm


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I suggest not to sell, not to keep, but simply give it to me Very Happy


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Don't do it. I have sold many lenses, but I still regret selling the lenses of which I didn't have another copy. Save yourself the hassle and keep it... There will be one moment in the future that you wish that you had a lens with a much shorter DOF.

Remember: there's more to a picture than just sharpness. Your other lenses may be sharper (although I find the Tak really sharp), but being sharp is not the #1 reason for the existence of the 50mm f/1.4 S-M-C Takumar. Believe me: you will learn to appreciate the merits of the Takumar.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Dont know on which Cam you do use the SMC Takumar..

If you use it on a crop, keep it in your pocket. If you use or plan to upgrade to a FF Body, sell this nice lens.

I like some of the Pentax Lenses, mostly the 2.8/105 and the 1.9/85mm i did own and used for Portraits on my EOS 5D.
The wider ones from Pentax arent my favorites.. I did sell all of them.
But if you like to play around with the "swirly" bokeh, keep the Pentax.

Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
hinnerker wrote:

But if you like to play around with the "swirly" bokeh, keep the Pentax.


Swirly bokeh on the SMC 50/1.4? I haven't seen that before.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Spotmatic wrote:
hinnerker wrote:

But if you like to play around with the "swirly" bokeh, keep the Pentax.


Swirly bokeh on the SMC 50/1.4? I haven't seen that before.


Hi,

this is a cross image-post from a german forum, where Urmelchen (his nickname) showed a sample of the Super Takumar 1.4/50mm Bokeh..
(thanks Urmelchen!)



Maybe not the SMC Version? But i think thats "swirly" enough.
And in the highlight you will find the so called "catseye"-effect

Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
But if you want to play around with these bokeh-effects, the Elmarit 60 and the Summilux can do it in the same way for you..

The Summilux:



Your Makro Elmarit:



So there is not really need to keep this Takumar under this aspects..

Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Spotmatic wrote:
hinnerker wrote:

But if you like to play around with the "swirly" bokeh, keep the Pentax.


Swirly bokeh on the SMC 50/1.4? I haven't seen that before.


I would not qualify the bokeh of the Trak 1.4/50 as swirly either, much more so as quiet and smooth.

1 st sample wide open ( consider this is ISO 800 ), other samples stopped down various f stops, last one again wide open or close to wide open








PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
You are right with the bokeh in your images, but non of your shots are taken at f1.4 on a 5D Fullframe with highlights around. All your samples are taken in shadow situations and in addition on a crop cam.

Try a 1.4 shot in nearfield (not close up) with some reflecting surfaces like leaves or so what in the oof area/background..
So than you can see the behavior of the lens in this bokeh situation.

But maybe iam wrong and the behavior of the Super Takumar and the SMC Takumar are different. In only know the Super Tak, i did own only for a very short time.

Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hello Steve,
your copy seems to be in a very good shape. There are ways to get rid of the yellowing. Look here: http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/458769-post5.html

Me personally, I wouldn't sell it.
I can't often enough link to this: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-02-11-24.shtml Very Happy


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
hinnerker wrote:
You are right with the bokeh in your images, but non of your shots are taken at f1.4 on a 5D Fullframe with highlights around. All your samples are taken in shadow situations and in addition on a crop cam.

Try a 1.4 shot in nearfield (not close up) with some reflecting surfaces like leaves or so what in the oof area/background..
So than you can see the behavior of the lens in this bokeh situation....
Greetz
Hinnerker


I do not have a FF, but you are right, even on APS-C it does get swirly in the situations you describe
and to make the situation about the various 1.4/50 made by Pentax more confusing Wink here a bit of swirly on the Pentax M 1.4/50:



greetings,
Andreas


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hey, that girl has six fingers! Laughing


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Spotmatic wrote:
Hey, that girl has six fingers! Laughing


Laughing Laughing Laughing
and to the OP...I'd never sell it!

concerning it's bokeh, a quote from the luminous landscape article about this lens linked above by member Hasan, quote:
'All these lenses are classic Planar designs, as are more or less every fast 50mm except for the Leica M lens, which is an idiosyncratic design unique to Leica; but where most makers have economized by making the surfaces between the fourth and fifth elements flat, Pentax has always stuck with the original design and used cemented spherical surfaces there. Aside from being more expensive to manufacture, this results in a lens that is slightly less sharp at infinity in the plane of focus, but that has better off-axis aberration correction and thus, better bokeh or blur'

Last edited by kuuan on Thu Sep 10, 2009 3:22 pm; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Keep it. This is one of my two faves 50mm in M42.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, this seems a hot topic. Thanks for all the input guys.

Would anyone have an idea why the focus is way off, what i see in the viewfinder has no bearing on the image, and if i set the lens up using hyperfocal guidelines, it is also way out Question

It has a light shield, that potentially can damage the IR filter on the Sigma SD14, i dont want to modify the lens by cutting this light sheild, so i am assuming the issue is that i cant get the rear element where it should be to work with my camera... does this make sense?

At this point in time i want to keep exploring the foveon sensor, but i would love a full frame DSLR down the track...

I understand the yellowing is not cause for concern, it just needs some UV exposure. I have looked at past sales on eBay and the prices vary wildly Shocked What does the brains trust believe it is worth??


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have to get one!


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Not sell the very good lenses. And the S-M-C is a very good ones.

I never beleave the high optical quality of it till I try the lens. WOW. Very sharp. Not very contrast but enough (Pancolar MC 1,8/50 has more contrast)

But the IQ is great to me. It's in the Leica M level (it reminds me the summilux 1,4/50 1966 version that I had time ago). No cast, not warm, neutral tones. Has the resolution power and contrast that I like.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sell it if you don't use it. Mflex-on needs one!
But I keep mine, for sure. In use the yellowing disappears, and a bit yellow on digital is easy enough to correct.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
great lens, its a keeper. If its yellow just put it on a sunlight for couple of days or(and) under UV lamp for few nigts.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 11:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
egidio wrote:
great lens, its a keeper. If its yellow just put it on a sunlight for couple of days or(and) under UV lamp for few nigts.


It doesnt work. You can read this fairytale - hint all over the world..

the truth is, it doesnt work. Me and some others did follow this hints some years ago with the CZJ 1.8/50mm "Zebra" Pancolars and some other lenses, which have got Thorium element in the glas. None of the hints works. For me, thats a big fairytale. Everyone read this fairytale, tells to the neighboor.. but it did not work in reallity.

The only way which works, shot your image with the lens and correct the yellowness in Photoshop or other programs.

Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 1:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
For me the sun did a good job. I tried to de-yellow my Pancolar. It took not only days but weeks in the sun. "Yellow" moved to "yellowish tone". It’s ok now.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 1:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Perhaps the Takumars de-yellow faster than the Pancolars. I know from direct experience sunlight works with the Takumars.

I wouldn't sell this fine lens unless either I needed the money or had no space where to keep it, and hadn't used it for years. But the wonderful thing about our hobby is that different people will see different things and value different things... and with any older equipment any manufacturing tolerances have been magnified by the life experience of a given lens. Some have gone to war and experienced pestilence, while others have grown temperamental and frustrated having led a coddled but lonely life.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I am going to try and find the time this weekend to figure out what is happening with the focus. I have a feeling that the problem may have been one of my adapters.

I don't need to sell it, i have space, but i suppose i was trying to get you guys to justify me selling the lens, bad choice on my behalf, it seems we all suffer from chronic LBA Very Happy

I should have known better......
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2