• Russian M42-lens Mir-1V photographing in the sundown
• I discovered a new world 2008
• Become Yashica-user number 30 to join the forum!
• A busy weekend with hiking, Yashica and Pentax
• Introducing YashicaForum.com

• Review of Auto Yashinon-DX 50mm/1.7 m42-lens
• A window to 1946
• Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5 on Pentax Spotmatic – beautiful old camera
• Review of Asahi Auto Takumar 85mm/1.8
• Review of Asahi S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8

• Thunder awaits us
• Garphyttan in morning mist
• Growing up
• Preset Asahi-lens and flowers
• Becoming a blueberry

1. S-M-C Takumar 300mm/4 or other long tele prime
   I had one but sold it. Would really like to shoot images of birds and wildlife. Actually I would be ok with a modern one here. But I would need…
   
2. A new tripod
   Hade on but had to sell it :/ Arggh.
3. A Takumar-version of 85mm/1.8
   Had one but had to sell it. I love the Auto-Takumar 85mm/1.8
   
4. A good Yashica Electro 35 GSN
   I like the Electro, but the one I own is smashed (by previous owner).
5. Pentax K20D or Canon EOS 50D
   My EOS 350D is ok… I can live with it. But gosh now it would feel nice to upgrade. I like Pentax but I need to keep using my Contax/Yashica-lenses so I guess Canon is the way to go.
6. A 120mm-format TLR or SLR
   I have a Agfa Isolette V, but I would really like a Yashica-Mat or Mamiya or something larger and a with a focus of some kind.
   

• Batteries for your Yashica Electro
• Review of Asahi Auto Takumar 85mm/1.8
• Review of Pentax Super Takumar 35mm/3.5
• Review of Yashica ML 50mm/2
• Upcoming lensreview

Pidgins on rooftop

• Greenfilter + Photoshop = Graphical
• Portraits with Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5
• My wife on colourfilm, scanned and converted to black and white. Daydreaming?
• Portrait of Sara with Asahi S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8
• Old brochure from Luzern in the 60′s

Spotmatic and S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8

• Review of Asahi S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8
• Swedish nature shot with old Asahi-lenses
• Auto-Takumar 85mm/1.8 on Spotmatic
• Photolinks, part 1
• Review of Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5 M42-lens

Autumn leaf hanging on...

I was listening on David Bowie singing “My Death” while editing this image, I thought the feeling was appropiate to this leaf that’s near death ;)

[flash http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rIzE3j84kKU w=425 h=344]

• Renewed Flickr account today
• What makes a good picture?
• Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5 on Pentax Spotmatic – beautiful old camera
• Good read about M42-lenses
• Whooper swans with Super-Takumar 135mm

Asahi S-M-C Takumar 300mm/4 on my Pentax Spotmatic.

• The early Tokina that came with my Spotmatic
• Garphyttan in morning mist
• Point your lens at the sun
• Review of Pentax Super Takumar 35mm/3.5
• Review of Asahi Auto Takumar 85mm/1.8

Suflower

100% crop bumblebee

Mushrooms

Broken tree

• Review of Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5 M42-lens
• Bohemian waxwings with Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5
• Portrait of Sara with Asahi S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8
• Review of Pentacon Electric 135mm f2.8 M42
• Review of Asahi S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8

Pentax Super Takumar 35mm/3.5, an m42 lens.

The purchase
I purchased this lens from a friend on the net for 200 swedish kronor (about 20€). He keeps nagging about these Super Takumars, so I wanted to see what all the fuzz was about ;) He said the lens was worn, but it was just some external colour disappeared, everything else feels very good. Most of the time, the Pentax lenses go for some money both in Sweden and on ebay.

The lens
Pentax Super Takumar 35mm/3.5, has a M42-mount so for my Canon EOS 350D I’ve used an adapter. The build quality is extremely nice, and feel in the focusring is charming. The aperturering clicks in to it’s values, which is a good thing because with this one I think it’s really important to use stop-down metering.

Results
The bokeh is good, one details is that the flares are not round. But otherwise soft, pleasant bokeh. The colours feel very saturated and nice, rich. I had a hood on the lens when I took the images below, not a Pentax hood but a rubber hood in the filtermount. I think you can get sharp images, but some pictures I’ve taken feels soft in a positive way. I should mention that I don’t often work to get sharp images, it’s not often a very important criteria for me (as you might have noticed a lot of my images play with fog, light and such).

I really like some of the images I’ve taken with this lens since I got it, offcourse it’s not all down to the lens but it means something when you got a lens you feel comfortable with. It’s actually my first 35mm prime along with the Yashica ML 35mm f2.8 (which I’m also testing at the moment).

Images

Solros

Bakom station

Parkerad dimma

Svartvit utsikt

Stol i barack

Pros

• Great build quality
• Can be sharp, can be soft (control with f-stop)
  
• Ok bokeh
• Nice, saturated colours
• Feels really nice to use, fantastic feeling in the focusring :)

Cons

• Not round flares (not round aperture), if you like that sort of thing
• Can be a bit hard to find the right focus

Reading
Opinions from the Pentax Forums users.
There’s a lot of links if you search Google. If you have ideas please suggest them in the comments to this post :)

• Review of Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5 M42-lens
• Review of Yashica ML 50mm/2
• What makes a good lens?
• Review of Asahi S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8
• Review of Asahi Auto Takumar 85mm/1.8