One of my all time favourites! I've used this lens for professional jobs on a digital mirrorless with great success. Still holds up very well against modern lenses.
There's a pin on the back of the lens, which you can press to move from Auto to Manual when it's not on the camera. Also, the Auto setting stops down on a film camera because it has the internal mechanism to stop it down, but digital cams don't have that, so on a digital cam it will stay fully open until you move it to Manual.
Same thing here, I have a bunch of m42 lenses, for a revueflex camera that came from Germany, the other lenses switch from manual to auto even when they're not mounted, then I thought this 135mm was broken but for some reason I screwed the lens on the camera and tried again and it worked
I have one of these also. Its brilliant on the K-1 where its stabilised and you get focus confirm (and catch in focus). I really like the feel of the focus ring on my copy too - it feels perfect.
The tone of your voice and Lennonesque accent would be PERFECT for narrating children’s books, if not in the UK then in the USA for sure, I enjoy tremendously all of your videos!
thanks for the content. i just bought this lens recently and it’s great lens with wonderful bokeh i say. such a good lens that only took me 25USD. what a good thing happened to me.
Thanks for another enjoyable vlog. I discovered your RU-vid channel back in the summer and have now watched them all. I particularly like your emphasis on vintage cameras and lenses. All very informative and interesting. There is something very satisfying about fitting old glass onto a modern DSLR or just using the old equipment as intended. Your delivery and voice are very low key and soothing also. I can see you doing audio books or professional narration. Keep up the good work for us Zenographers everywhere.
Thanks for this video! I have this lens and love it, but I had to get a reasonably priced 135 2.5 6 element to compliment my 3.5. You are correct that the 3.5 is a beautiful lens! Cheers from British Columbia, Canada!
It's March 2024 & I've bought Super Takumar 55mm f1.8, CZ Tessar 50mm f2.8, Nikkor PC Auto 105 f2.5 with Ai Conversion & Auto Nikkor 200mm QC with Ai conversion recently. They are all superb. I have the Nikkor 135 f3.5 Ai myself and that's simply wonderful (but it cost me £99 for a mint one.) Even if the lenses Nigel recommended were rubbish - I'd still tune in to be soothed by that voice. 😉
I like this lens. Its solid, clear. a great travel lens I bought mine new in 73, its one of the reasons i dove into mirrorless. I could bear to retire an old friend.
I have a range of these lenses simply because I have an SP2 I bought new back in the seventies plus an older SP1 bought used. These lenses are highly respected and so they should be. Not only do they have exceptional optical quality they are finely engineered. Some forty plus years and they still have focus rings that operate like a hot knife through butter. It should be remembered that the Asahi Pentax was a highly regarded brand back in the 60s and 70s, the Spotmatic range, which were not spot metered, were a cut above most makes and I would put the brand with in the top four or five. They were used by many professional photographers. Or course like many respected names the name is now owned by another manufacturer.
I bought one recently from local camera shop excellent condition for my K-70 and it is as you reviewed a lovely lens. Needs careful focussing to get right shots but it's very sharp and well made. Will have lots of time to play with this beauty.
Found a copy for $30 shipped... Of the 6 135's I have, a Rikenon is my favorite. This one should take the lead. Thanks Nigel as always for being such a great photography resource my friend. Be well
Yes these are still lenses worth using. There is a particular joy in using vintage glass and using manual focus definitely makes us slow down! Another viewer mentioned Optomax and indeed there are many independent lenses well worth trying from this era, particularly telephoto examples as optically they were much easier to produce back in the 70's than wideangles.
I have the Takumar m42 screw mount 3.5 lens with the 49mm lens hood lens as well as the Pentax 135mm K mount 3.5 with the built in lens hood . I love the separation the pictures it produces as well as the bokeh it produces . The Pentax lens is so small that it looks about the size of a 50mm lens it is my favorite lens for street photography
Pentax rules in a subtle manner.I have been shooting Pentax for a year,and I dont think I will ever stop..Yes,I try other brands,yet Pentax is my home..
Takumar objektive sind einfach eine Freude,laufen absolut geschmeidig,nach über fünfzig Jahren laufen die objektive wie neu,kaum ein anderer hersteller hat es so hinbekommen und in den kommenden fünfzig Jahren werden die immer noch so geschmeidig laufen...Meister zenography macht auch absolut geschmeidige Videos👍
Die Takumars sind unglaublich gut verarbeitet, vielleicht die besten aller Vintage-Objektive, und sie scheinen jetzt so reibungslos zu funktionieren wie damals, als sie neu waren. Das ist gut, weil viele radioaktiv sind und ich keine öffnen möchte! Danke fürs zuschauen!
@@zenography7923 Ich habe leider welche aufgemacht um sie zu reinigen,werde es aber in Zukunft möglichst vermeiden und hoffe das ich keine gesundheitliches Problem bekomme.sollte aber nicht sein da es sich un alpha strahlen handelt und hoffe vorallem das nix in den Körper gelang ist,weil dann kann es gefährlich werden.alles gute und Schönen Gruß aus Bayern.
I have had this lens for 15 years and never gave it a test myself. But just recently put a takumar collection together. You know there is a 2.5 version of this lens also...
I’ve got two versions of that lens, preset and SMC Takumar. I have the PKM version too. Selling all of my M42 and Pentax K gear, in favour of Canon FD and Olympus OM.
Love mine got a mint condition one about 6 years ago and would never sell it. Get some amazing shots with it very good for portraits. Try the Helios 135 f2.8 that’s another great 135mm lens that I would never sell.
A most pleasant presentation. Mine, (the first model with just the A and M) came today, with caps and hood. It's known for more six sided bokeh balls. What I didn't expect for 30 dollars was that mine is in brand new condition.(!) Me, being a dummy, thought I had the right fotodiox PX to FX adapter. No. So, results in maybe a week. Fotodiox was sold out of the right M42's. Must be a hot item! Had to settle for a mystery ebay brand... Mint..this thing is absolutely mint...
I just bought this lens and hope it will arrive before the weekend. In the meantime I'm watching this video to get in the mood :) Can't wait to use it myself.
Ah the surprise of seemingly blocked auto/manual diaphragm switch ! :-D In fact on M42 SMC takumar lenses, there is a locking mechanism which is there for a very simple reason. These lenses have been designed for open aperture light measuring on ES and Spotmatic model "F" cameras. Inadvertent switching the diaphragm to manual, would cause erroneous exposure indication, because SMC Takumars should be operated at open aperture on these cameras. Thus a locking mechanism, operated by a tiny pin. These cameras have a groove on the M42 mount, which is there to let the locking pin of the lens not depressed (active). On other spotmatics, or non-Pentax M42 cameras, the lens locking pin is depressed when the lens is mounted on the camera (lock deactivated) because lenses are operated in a stopped down way on older conception cameras anyway. This is why you found the switch to be working when the SMC Takumar is mounted. You can locate this very tiny locking pin at 3 o'clock when the lens mount is viewed with diaphragm actuator down at 6 o'clock. Nice and calm video by the way. Best regards.
Yes, I'm not sure why 135's fell so far out of favor. I agree with your review, i also have the K mount version and they seem identical to me. I think you've done more careful testing than I, but my favorites seem to be the Zuiko and Rokkor lenses. Your videos are most enjoyable, thanks.
Thank you for your nice reviews. Its a joy to watch them. Look for the PENTACON 2.8/135 with 15 Blades (Meyer-Optik Orestor) It also exists in different versions, with less blades..
That Auto-Manual switch won't turn on Pentax Spotmatic-F and Spotmatic ES/ES II bodies which both require the lens to be in Auto mode. This is a unique feature of later Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses and SMC Takumar to make then fully compatible with the above mentioned bodies which can read the aperture setting from the lens enabling open aperture metering. However, they are fully compatible with all the older bodies too, as you found out. Pentax were the first to do this, followed quickly by the other laggards. Yeah, Pentax were once market leaders...
As usual a great review done in a unique Zenography style ! I have a quick question about the differences between this SMC model vs its SUPER sibling as this would help me in deciding which one to buy for my Canon 6D and Fujifilm XT10. Cheers !
Great review! I have the version with the preset aperture ring. 135mm is quite tight for my shooting style, I usually just walk around with a 35mm or 50mm so I found it a little clumsy at first. There's some chromatic aberration and a soft glow on slightly out of focus objects at f3.5 but otherwise this lens is a steal for a solidly-built and very capable telephoto.
Pentax had some great lenses in the M42 mouunt! I bought a 200/4 SMC a number of years ago and I love it! Try one if you get a chance. BTW, I am really enjoying your videos! Thank you!
I have this and the jena 135 f3.5 and whist i like the takumar the jena is sharp and a bit more punch on the contrast. The 200 f4 takumar is a stella performer razor sharp and colous are superb. I have a copy of the 85mm 1.8 too which is rare and rated the best of all the takumars. Would like a flektagon but there not cheap.
Had the previous version (Super-Takumar) of this lens. Sold it without regrets because of poor contrast and tonality. Ended up buying Nikon E Series 100mm/2.8 to subsitute it on my Fuji mirrorless (it's 2-3 times more expensive though).
I still own both the 135mm, which I bought new in 71 with my Pentax ES. It's better than the Olympus 135mm I bought with my OM1, this is just my very 'umble opinion though. In '63 I bought a Ricoh Singlex it has a massive 55mm 1.4 lens this hanging on the end of a very heavy camera it performed so well I never bought a 135mm for it. It would capture amazing detail with very little lost even when blowing up a small area of the neg, I found the with Ricoh was best used on a tripod at speeds lower than 125, it has a Copal square shutter and very agricultural mechanics which made the camera retort with a heavy clonk as the mirror and shutter were at fired. Have you come across this old camera.?
Excelente lens in did ,,, i have one ,, the MC Auto Beroflex 135 mm f/ 2.8 is sharper.... but the colour is OFF ,, i love the Nikon Nikkor 135mm f/2.8 and the RARE Tele-Raynox 18° 135 mm f/ 2.8 "Preset" .Cheers
Hi Zenography, thanks! I wonder how the Pentax SMC lenses compare to the Olympus OM Zuiko counterparts with regard to color rendition, contrast ans sharpness.
I've found Pentax lenses to have a rather unique colour pallette - good saturation with a rather delicate, at times almost pastel feel. OM Zuikos on the other hand tend to boost saturation a little and to give strong and vibrant colours. Both are nice, but I marginally prefer the Olympus colours. Contrast is usually a little stronger with the Zuikos, and, in my experience at least, they're that bit more more consistently sharp. It's hard to make a general rule though and certain Pentaxes (the 55mm f2 for example) are very sharp indeed. Hope that helps!
Zenography Thanks! This is also my observation on the Pentax SMC Shift 3.5/28mm. Colors seems a little less saturated and contrast a bit lower than that of the Canon lenses, which also have a reputation for vivid and exuberant colors. Then the shift lens is no exception. Today a parcel from Japan arrived: The Pentax SMC 2.8/40mm pancake lens. I’ll let you know how this very small lens performs. Best wishes and have a nice weekend!
Yes, but it's not easy. Your lens needs to be stripped down and cleaned - possible if you know what you're doing, but otherwise don't attempt it. You may be tempted to just buy another lens - they're cheap and plentiful after all - but there's no guarantee it will be any better than the one you have. If you have yours serviced it will be ready for many decades' more use!
i tried my super takumar 135 mm to my sony A6400 using T2-NEX cause it will fit anyway. I wonder why it wont focus to the object that I want but the lens don't have any problem I guess.I want your piece of advice..Is it not compatible w/ the mount that I used? or there is really a problem of the lens? Thank you so much ,hope you'll help me..
I wonder if you're using the right adaptor? Most Super Tak 135mm lenses came in M42 mount - if so, you need an M42 to Nex adaptor. If you have a K-mount version, you'll need a K-mount to Nex adaptor. Only the correct adaptor will allow your lens to focus properly. Hope that helps!
Lovely compact lens. I use mine on DSLR bodies so I had to chop off the aperture lug at the back to avoid hitting the mirror.This means only using it in Manual aperture but that's no problem. I got a slim aluminium PK to EF adapter to use on Canon DSLR cameras for a couple of quid. Much more of a 3D effect with these older lenses than the new multi element ones, so perfect for portraits etc. I got mine at Rocky Cameras in the UK www.rockycameras.com/pentax-smc-pentax-k-135mm-35-prime-portrait-lens-cased---nice---great-bokeh-82401-p.asp
Some of the Pentacon lenses are really nice, particularly the 50mm 1.8. I haven't used any others for many years but I think I remember being a little underwhelmed by the 135s - although my memory may be playing tricks!
@@zenography7923 i bought my 135/2.8 (with 6 blades) for 39 Euros in Germany including a nice plastic case and shipping. Still waiting for the Adapter ... there is also an older model with 15 blades wich is more expansive. the 6 Blades model is often selling between 30 and 40 Euros. I would love to see a comparison video on your channel. have a great 2020!
Is this lens radioactive? Heard about Takumar often being that. I have the possibility to buy one but is a bit hesitant because of possible radiation (even if it is only a little bit) Anyone know anything this lens in that manner?
