Is the 100mm F4 Macro SMC Takumar any good?

[dude163]

Hi there

I have a chance to grab a 100mm F4 Super Multi Coated Takumar for under 100$

does anyone have any advice or suggestions ?

here is my Flickr photostream to show what pics I like to take

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25065244@N05/

[kuuan]

it's known to be super sharp, and it used to sell already about one year ago usually for over 100 Euro - that's all I know..

[visualopsins]

Without extension tube the lens magnification gets to 1:2 at 0.45m (1.48ft). The camera sensor is 22.7x15.1mm. For example, a 2 x 15.1mm = 3cm diameter (1") flower will fill a frame with incredible detail. A 2 x 22.7 = 4.54cm-long (2") caterpillar will fill the frame lengthwise.

The lens continues its performance at lesser (and greater) magnifications for use as telephoto on crop body; the view is narrow, okay for selective landscape, long-distance work, but may be too long and not bright enough indoors.

Search for photos to see what it has done...

Search for "Takumar 100" in MFLenses Used Lens Price Guide

[dude163]

Thanks for the tips gang!

[eccs19]

I've got this lens and love it. One of my favorites out of the lenses I own. Here are a couple of samples.

1. Slight crop


2. 100% crop of original

[Attila]

Pay it an run super find what a bargain stunning macro lens under 100 USD.

[dude163]

I grabbed it, cost me 89 bucks cdn plus shipping , so we shall see what condition its in once it arrives

[eccs19]

[dude163]

So the lens showed up today, and...........

in manual mode it wont go beyond F11, and sometimes the focus jams on something and then aperture doesnt work at all in manual or auto ( its stuck at F4 when its jammed), if i dont force it and back off a bit and give it a shake, it semi works again as it sounds like something is loose and gets freed up. Optically the glass is almost perfect , no cleaning marks or fungus


is this fixable or should i return it to the ebay vendor?

I dont know how much a LBA would cost , but if its not too much i might be better off getting it fixed saying it was only 89 bucks

Thanks all

[luisalegria]

Its certainly fixable, probably a loose linkage somewhere.

Does the auto stopdown work ? -at least sometimes ? (Put it in @ f/8 or so, switch to Auto, and hit the pin)

If so the springs are probably good and the blades aren't sticking.

If you paid $89 already, it will probably cost you more in total if you pay for a CLA than a fully-functional one would.

On the other hand, if you can fix it yourself you would still be ahead.

[dude163]

The manual and auto always work if I dont focus at infinity, when its at infinity, it feels like the focus is jamming something inside

SO if I move the auto/manual switch back and forth once or twice, it loosens up enough that i can rotate the focusing ring, and then it appears to work great in auto ( the pin works everytime) but manual wont go beyond f11 , UNLESS I use auto to get f22, then when i switch it to manual, f22 works

I think paying the 9 bucks shipping for a return is my best plan unfortunately , time to break out the extension tubes for my helios 58mm or Tak 50 1.4

[dude163]

Im returning it

[jamaeolus]

I just picked up a mint- copy of this gem just in time for the ice storm here in Oregon. A few quick shots. Lighting was very flat so I dialed up the brightness and contrast a bit, tidied up some sensor dust. This lens is truly a gem. Mine came with the box original literature case original caps and hood. Showed it to my wife who asked "it looks brand new?"

[Antoine]

Beautiful pictures!

[jamaeolus]

thanks. I blame the lens

[Lloydy]

Great pictures, Ice storms are amazing - we rarely get them over here in the UK. And the lens does the job beautifully, as does the photographer.

[jamaeolus]

Thanks Lloydy. The sun came out today and is lighting up the ice. I hope to gets some shots at lunchtime. Much better lighting today! Hopefully doesn't all melt before I get a chance to get out there. Its clear and cold but not THAT cold 33 degrees F.

[cooltouch]

Wow, some great shots, jamaeolus. I have this exact same lens. I bought it for about $40 out of a camera shop's "junk" drawer. It is in remarkably clean condition and I got t complete with its hood. I bought it a couple years ago, so I was unaware of this thread.

I haven't used mine all that much because I own probably close to a dozen macro lenses, and sometimes making the choice can be a bit much. I took some flower pics with it a while back, though. I can't seem to locate them at the moment, but I do recall that they were excellent images.

Here are some pics of my SMC-Tak 100/4:

[kds315*]

wonderful ice pictures!!

[visualopsins]

[jamaeolus]

Thanks guys. 40 is a fantastic price for this lens. I paid 85 but it is in mint condition with case, box and paperwork. I also have tough choices for macro work. I have also the S-M-C 50,canon fd 100, fd 200, fd 50, konica bellows 105, bokina, vivitar 100, 2.8 (kiron), oly 50mm pentax 67 135. I took several shots with the S-M-C 50 of that same ice storm that were reasonably good.

http://forum.mflenses.com/ice-storm-w-asahi-pentax-s-m-c-50mm-f4-macro-t76432.html

[devinw]

[cooltouch]

[jamaeolus]

I really like it. I am old and decrepit and have a hard time hand holding it really steady (which is one of the reasons I like the a7ii) but it takes super sharp images and allows you to be far enough from bugs not to scare the bejeebers out of them. To date I have only used it with ambient light so part of the issue is due to open apertures. I do have an ancient thyristor flash that came with a (now sold) Kiron 105 2.8 I got with a pair of yashica fx3 cameras. I finally got around to ordering an adapter to use it on the sony. But it hasn't come in yet. I can definitely recommend it though. Turns out the vivitar 105 2.8 from kiron is precisely the same as the series 1 (kiron), and lester dine, all are kiron 105 2.8. I got that with a batch of stuff and had the two lenses to compare side by side. Identical in all respects except the naming. I sold the more expensive of the 2. I would not hesitate to recommend the 200mm FD macro canon. Other posters have said Nikons is as good or better. I can't speak to that as I have no Nikon glass.

[jamaeolus]

Had this gem out for a spin the other day. The yellowjacket "volunteered" for modeling duty. I found it on the floor in the house and popped into an Rx vial which I chilled in a glass of ice water. Then using forceps I placed it on the rose which I had pre-focused using a tripod and snapped a bunch of shots as the bug warmed up and wandered around the flower. These are jpgs unadjusted save for some sensor dust cleanup. This lens is insanely sharp.






The wasp photos are 100% crops!