Having been around at the birth, I can say that from the late 1950s into the mid-1960s, the whole grail sought by all the major manufacturers at the time was the best fast 50mm "standard" lens. The reference to beat was the Leitz Summicron 50mm 2.0. In 1961 (or so), Nikon replaced its doggy 58mm 1.4 from the original NIkon F with its new 50mm 1.4 and claimed best SLR lens of the day. However, those seeking to dethrone the Summicrom had to wait for the first Pentax (Takumar) 50mm 1.4, around 1964. It beat the Summicron, and it held first among equals status for many years thereafter, even though it went through a couple of slight modifications over time.
I feel myself also being on a time travel. When I will go into the older tessars with 2.8 and some of the 1.9/2.0 fifties. I am pretty excited how they will compete. The Summicron 3-cam is the next lens, I just started testing. So I will know the reference to beat. 😎
This is a lovely lens for those who want a vintage look when adapted to digital cameras. I had one myself for a while but in the end I swapped it for the Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7 because it seems to have better contrast across the f-stops and is already quite sharp wide open. Although obviously it doesn't take in quite as much light but I feel it's a small price to pay for a slightly more practical lens day to day. Very nice review.
Thank you very much. The 50mm 1.7 is also on my list to review, but will be covered another time. Then I will of course also compare it to the 1.4 -M version. 😁👍
I love my Pentax-M 50/1.4 on my analogue Pentax SLR bodies. A fantastic lens. Recently I also got the "Thorium" Pentax-K 50/1.4 but my copy also is pretty yellow. When shooting black&white, I don't need a yellow filter ... 😄 ... personally, I'm not overly worried about Thorium lenses but I do keep all these in a separate closet in my hallway, not in my living or office space.
With this 50mm series I started to really figure out how all these lenses behave and what „character“ seems to mean to people. So my favourite before was the canon, because I always only used canon. But the Pentax ist really good and also I find the cameras so beautiful. Especially the old M42 are so nice. No cocking lever is more stylish. 🤩
I love this video! Very accurate, scientific and definitely coming from a passionate photographer! So much useful information and a joy to watch! Keep this up! :)
Oh wow! Thanks for your nice words. 😊 I am keeping it up. 😁 just released a new video also from another Pentax lens! Check it out if you like rainbows . 😉 🌈
Nice review! I just purchased the Super Multi Coated Takumar with Thorium Glass in M42 mount. There seems to be varying opinions regarding whether the level of radioactivity in the lens is harmful, so I'm wondering if you think it would be good to return it and the get the SMC version which is supposed to be non radioactive?
Gratulation for your new lens! Did you had a look at the video of @simonsutak? He made a very good one. Infringe what gehe says, the radiation should not be a problem. But I could also just make an „educated“ guess. And I decided for myself, that it’s not worth exposing myself to the radiation. No matter If the concern is dangerous or not. But that’s just my decision for myself. :-)
i got one of this lens to use with my Pentax LX body. By comparison with my Nikkor 50mm 1.4 ais and my Canon 50mm f1.2 fnd, i found this lens a dog. It really never gets sharp. I liked the colour rendition but the lack of resolution makes it unusable imho.
Hmm… maybe you had a bad copy? Once I had a EF canon 50mm 1.4 which was soft all the way. Even with manual focussing with a mirrorless camera there was no sharp spot. On the other hand the Nikkor is also really nice. The canon I don’t know (yet). 😈😈😈
@@manugeee Thank you for your response. Really appreciate your work and videos. I ve been collecting film cameras and lens for +20years. This pentax SMC 50mm F1.4 M is the lowest resolution lens I ve came across. Even against my old nikkor rangefinder lens from the 50s...I don't really know what a bad copy means. There might be some variation across lens but it shouldn't justify something in particular. Interestingly, I love the colours, contrast and overall rendition of this lens. I also like the feeling and build quality. Even more interestingly, I find the performance in low light at F2 quite good but the the lens never really gets sharp. I just created a flickr account and upload three test rolls for you to see, in case it interests you. Just random photos to try the lens one more time. All photos taken with a Pentax LX and Ultramax 400mm film. flic.kr/s/aHBqjBEvpK flic.kr/s/aHBqjBEAgF flic.kr/s/aHBqjBEAhN
I have the Takumar 50mm 1.4 7 M42 7 blade radioactive lens i have the original metal lens hood and end caps. I have a number of 50 mm Pentax lenses the 50 mm2.0 , 55mm2.8 , and the 50 mm1.7. Since all my cameras are APS-C i perfer the 35mm focal length i have the Takumar 35mm 3.5 and the Pentax 35mm2.4
Hi, I've just tested this lens from a reseller and found the focus ring had a little movement when moved left to right (not turned, but moved) like if it was a little loose, and also made a little click sound when doing this. I'd like to know if this is normal or I should avoid buying it. Thank you very much, wonderful review BTW.
Hi Matteo, no, that is not normal. The focusring should not have play. That should be concidered in the price. But it should also be easily fixable. Usually there are a couple of screws, behind the front ring, that maybe have loosened. Thanks for the compliment. :D
@@manugeee thank you for your answer, I tested it again and found out it didn't focus to infinite. I'm going to look for another copy, thank you again!
