tak 300mm help needed

[Rusty]

Hi everybody

Rcently got a super takumar300mm glass in perfect condition, not even a speck of dust anywhere
I.m using it on the 20D with a normal non focus confirm adapter at the moment but are not happy with the results images seems soft and not contrasty enough even when stopped down a stop or 2

is this a bad copy, or maybe a focus problem ? ...maybe i'm expecting too much from a 30 year old lens ?
included is a fullsized image and actual pixel centre and side crops
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Please help !

[Rob Leslie]

"Rcently got a super takumar300mm glass in perfect condition, not even a speck of dust anywhere"

The Tak F4 300mm is a super lens very sharp from f5.6 and not too bad wide open. 'Perfect glass with not even a speck of dust' could mean it has been taken apart by an 'Expert'

[Attila]

http://www.mflenses.com/gallery/v/japenese/takumar/smc_takumar_300mm_f4/smc_takumar_300mm_f4-02.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1

You can see on above link my copy , very sharp even at wide open.

I suggest to try your lens on an easy subject like temple use a tripod and if you will see still not sharp , you have a bad copy. In this case perhaps same elements not in genuine position and lens will fixable.

[Ballu]

[Rusty]

Thanks Rob and Attila
Will put on a tripod and do a few shots , if stil not sharp will open up and check for marks on screws to see if it has been opened up before and something maybe out of alignment or loose

[Attila]

[luisalegria]

I have the old monster preset Takumar 300/4, and even that is much sharper than what you are getting. You should be getting better results.

Attila is right, you need to test it under controlled conditions.

[rayatphonix]

I've got a long Tak that I've used on my 20D and I find I can't depend on my focus confirmation chip to get precise focus; it was sometimes perfect, other times not. When you set up on the tripod for your test, you may want to consider that.

[Rusty]

[Attila]

without split screen or AF adapter focusing well pure luck only, might be this is your problem only.

[Rusty]

[orly_andico]

try focusing on something at infinity, like a church steeple. that way (assuming the lens is properly calibrated) you just need to set it at infinity and it should be in focus.

[Rusty]

[Rob Leslie]

Here is a shot to compare it to.
http://forum.mflenses.com/the-moon-t12411.html