My first M/F lens has arrived & looks a cracker.....

[Mick Tindall]

Hi all.

Just got home from work and my first m/f lens has arrived, SMC Takumar 55mm f1.8, now where is my adapter (8 days till it arrives)

Have to say the build quality and feel of the lens is superb, better than my canon 50mm, just hope the optics produce the goods

Look forward to being on the forum

Thanks
Mick

[naplam]

It's not a serious problem if everything else is working (aperture ring and pin). The adapter will most likely depress the pin anyway, in that case you won't need the auto/manual switch.

[patrickh]

Taks are consistently good - check out Spotmatic's samples on this forum


patrickh

[Mick Tindall]

Hi naplam, i found the problem (it was me) there was a minute pin near the screw thread

Really looking for ward to being able to use the lens patrickh, my next question would be how to improve on the Tak

Mick

[Spotmatic]

Congratulations with your first Takumar. I can guarantee you it won't be your last

I keep saying it and I say it again: it's a difficult task to find mechanically bad Takumars (unless they were dropped from a cliff or something). Even after 40 years with no service everything still works smooth and like new. I have yet to discover a Takumar with oily blades. Mechanically they put the Russian and East German lenses to shame. Although I do also like my Russian and East German lenses, nothing comes close to a mechanically sound Takumar!

I love the smell of exaggeration in the evening!

[Nesster]

touch wood re. the blades.

True enough, the only things I've ever found wrong in my bottom feeder Takumar habit: sometimes some trim is loose-ish (e.g. the distance scale on an SMC)... but the lenses always seem to operate as intended.

The 55/1.8 is an excellent lens, and to think it was the 'budget' lens at the time... I tend to use it more often than I do the 1.4/50

[peterm1]

You will not be disappointed with a Tak. They are well built and have great optical characteristics. The 55 is a gem. The only consistent issue I have experienced (and only with a few lenses) is that the aperture can become sticky and slow to stop down. Not an absolutely common thing but the most common problem I have found. Its easilty and relatively cheaply fixed with a service if it occurs but probably will not.

[supahmario]

STOP IT MICK! STOP IT NOW

this is maybe the last chance for you to stop it. do not open the parcel! send it back for any reason! i have to urge you to do so!!!

the 1.8/55 (S-M-C) tak was also my fist mf-lens. it took me only 5 seconds to fall in love with it holding it in my hands and feeling its haptic. putting it onto my camera and looking throung the viewfinder it took me further 5 seconds getting addicted to it. looking at the first prints it was to late! i wanted more! see my signature... this is the result of 4 months.

congrats for this great lens and welcome to the hell

[hk300]

Congrats with your first manual focus lens ... a whole new world of high grade lenses will be available at fair prices.

By the way, what DSLR are you using?

[Mick Tindall]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys and the warnings of m/f

I'm using a mixture of 5Dmk2 & 50D, with doing some searcing looks like i have to be carful with the 5Dmk2 and not so much with the 50D, the lists on here are very helpful

Mick

[martinsmith99]

I've had 2 1.8/55s. The 1st was an SMC version with rubber focus ring which I sold when I accidentally bought an earlier S-M-C with metal focus ring. They are very sharp lenses wide open; easily beating the Canons and Nikons that I've owned.