Just a heads up, the 135MM 3.5 version I have is actually a 5 element in 4 groups, not 4 element in 4 groups. The A and M vs (Auto and Manual) spelled out being the indicator. Always assumed it was the 4 element one so apologizes for the incorrect info. Shouldn’t impact the images all that much as seen comparing it to the 135mm f2.5 (5 element).
The first versions of this lens had 5 elements. Later versions have 4. There are 2 pages for information about this lens/these lenses on pentaxforums: www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/Takumar-Auto-Takumar-135mm-F3.5.html and www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/S-M-C-Super-Takumar-135mm-F3.5.html . I have three of these, the first silver and black version, perhaps the prettiest lens in my collection, the all black preset 5 element version, and an SMC version. The minimum focus distance on the silver and black lens is 200 cm, a little less than 7 feet, while my black preset and the SMC version focus down to 150cm, 5 feet. I don't shoot with 135mm focal length, so these lenses are just for my collection. The black preset I suspect has the best IQ of the three. Earlier versions of the lens have eight aperture blades, later versions have six.
The 135mm focal length is very underrated. Jack Nicholson has in his contracts that this is the only focal length he will allow to be used to film him in any movie! He loves that focal length. I have several different lenses in 120mm to 135 and these are amazing lenses.
I agree, you need a bit more space when you shoot with it, but it resolves so nicely for portraits. I remember hearing all the focal drama from out cinematographer professor as to who wanted to be shot with what lenses. The key to being photogenic is a lens, camera angle and lighting lol.
Might not do them for all, or premiere it with like 2 hours notice so it’s a little less waiting around. Wish they kept the chat up longer after so you could discuss a bit more on the video.
having over a dozen takumar lenses, i love my 135 3.5. yes a 2.5 would be great, but this one and the 105mm 3.5 are always in my bag as are my 35mm, 28mm, 55 1.8, 50 1.4 200mm and macro 50mm. I could go on and on. I love all my prime Takumar lenses and prefer to shoot with them versus the fancy zoom lenses. Boka and color and contrast are so dreamy. Old school makes my heart beat.
I love this lens! It is the first vintage lens I bought. I got it for the equivalent of $15 USD. It started me down the path of getting vintage lenses (mainly cause they are much cheaper than modern equivalents). The only downside to getting these lenses are the fact that they're manual focus. I'm not too great and focusing very quickly, but at the same time, it gives me more practice of doing things manually. Just realized that this lens is currently attached to my X-T30 haha
Wider aperture more weight. I always go for less weight. I used this lens with extension tubes for watch and jewellery photography using a light tent back in the 1980s with Kodachrome 200. I used it on a Pentax Spotmatic. I used to print the slides on to Cibachrome paper in the darkroom. Those were the high point days of my photography life. Not all vintage lenses are soft wiide open. My Jupiter 8 50mm f2 is sharp as a pin
Mate, I've been in situation, when I have to do a portrait photo session. The customer told me to lay off, my $2000 lens as soon as they saw, the shots on the camera screen and shoot the rest with TAKUMAR 135MM F/3.5. Extra speed, I don't care. The results are excellent! (Actually, I've used 25 year old strobes in the same session)
I love my 135/f3.5. You really can't go wrong with takumars it looks like. Plus if you have a pentax, just pop a ring adapter on it and now it's native k mount.
Really great lens! I've used this for concert photography on both analogue and digital cameras. It's particularly good with micro four thirds sensors, as you basically get a tiny and light, but super sharp 270mm equivalent. This is one of the lenses that started my mild obsession with Takumar glass... ok, "mild" might be the wrong word :-)
I have a near perfect copy of the 135mm f/3.5 but I much prefer the Super-Takumar 105mm f/2.8 on a 1.5/1.6x crop sensor. On a 35mm Spotmatic however it is a very nice focal length. This finally being spring I've had a great deal of fun with the Tele-takumar 200mm f/5.6 preset lens both on its own and with extension tubes. With 10 blades it provides nice round bokeh and that buttery smooth background blur when taking shots of flower blooms.
I've bough this lens just for my Spotmatic Sp II and I love that. Fast enough for most uses, small, light and built like a tank. Extremely underrated for a 135mm prime lens. I got mine for around 35-40€ in Italy. Nice video, keep it coming!
That’s awesome! I use it to try to snipe the space station when it passes. It wasn’t long enough to get any details, but it was fun. Got me thinking of using it for possible Astro.
I love Takumars! Working with these is as much fun as everyone says. The super Tak 50/1.4 was my first prime my K50. I would not mind adding more to my collection.
The 50 was my first purchased lens. Got it at a lens fair, wouldn’t have even noticed but I picked it up and loved it. How it handled sold me, how it shoots has lead to my collection lol.
Picked up the 7 element 50mm Takumar f1.4 for my A7riii today. Your video convinced me. Actually all your videos convinced me to jump into the world of vintage 😁
You sent me on a Takumar buying spree. About to pull the trigger on a 135 - 2.5 and an 85 - 1.8. This will complete my Takumar set, and should complete me as a human being.
Love your video format. Informative and entertaining. Since I got into vintage lenses, every time I acquire a new one, I like to spend quality time cleaning them with care on the outside to make them look (almost) new. It feels good to reuse something that has been around for decades and can still give. I'd love to clean and put this on my EF mount so don't clean it too much! Thanks!
It's funny you mention cleaning it, it really is a fantastic process. I should really spend more time doing that with mine. Thanks for the idea mate, it's a nice way to relax!
thanks mark, your reviews are very good. and you give a lot of value to vintage glasses. and you show very good results of what can be achieved with lenses that do not cost $ 1000. 🇦🇷📸
Nice that you give it away! I bought a G7 about a year ago and got into vintage lenses mainly through your channel. My first purchase was a Pentacon 50mm 1.8 that I absolutely love and now I just recently got a Super Takumar 28mm 3.5 and a 50mm 1.4. Fell in love with those immediately! A tele lens is definitely something I want to try out in the future as well.
I have this lens ( 4 element version) and also S-M-C Tak f2.8 105mm M42 lens on both a K200D and a K30 body and find them both very good. There is little difference in focal lengths and I tend to alternate their use just to give them an equal “ airing.” They come to the fore when “changing” the image to B&W on photo editing software. It is then that the fine details of the subject, such as in a photo of a Cat, become noticeable.
About a month ago I got a great price on three vintage lenses, a 55mm f1.2, a 55mm f1.4 and a Canon FD 135mm f2.5. I really wanted the f1.2 lens and thought I would sell the 135 to get my money back but I tried it on my camera and I have to say, the focal length grew on me. At first I didn't like it but now it's the standard lens on my Canon A1! The lens also got me back into film photography, I have to say, developing you own photos really is so much fun! That said, superb video Mark!
You need a special adapter with a glass element to get that focus. Dslr’s are a bit tricky and if you’re hauling FD lenses specifically. What lenses have you tried with it? What adapters?
@@MarkHoltze I'm using one that have te focus confirmation chip, the brand is FOLETO, i'ts metal made and i've bought on Alixpress. I have a Super Takumar 50mm f/1.4, a Helions 44-M 58mm f/2.8, a Industar 50mm f/3.5, and an Admiral G.M.C 135mm f/2.8... All M42 mounts
Love it, been using it since Feb, but don’t usually make a lot of noise when I upgrade. It’s filling in as an A7siii alternative since that camera refuses to come out lol. Wanted full frame so I could keep the 1:1 photo ratio for these kens reviews. It’s also good enough for my commercial work to which I use all these vintage lenses anyway so only reason I’m sticking with FF
When it comes to 135mm I recommend the Schneider Kreuznach Retina Tele Xenar 135mm f4 I am using with the Viltrox Speedbooster on my X-T2. If you don't mind the 4 Meters minimal focussing distance and a price of around 30 € it is worth a try anyway. A very (!) compact,beautiful and very sharp lens with beeeaaauuutiful colours and a background separation that is nearly 3-d- ish. The buildquality I would describe as outstanding. As an amateur I can't say anything bad about that little beauty and after using it for about 9 months now,I mostly prefer it over the Pentacon 135mm f2.8 15 blades,that I only use for closer shots. I can't imagine any reason that this lens is more known, maybe I am the only one that is in love with it ,but that's what I am... The Takumars are on my list ,too and I will give them a try but by now I am trying to reduce my collection of vintage-lenses to these I really use.After my exessive GAS is flattening,I realised so many unused glass on my shelf,that is covered with dust. Anyway,very nice video again,thank you for doing what you do ,I enjoy it very much! Cheers from Germany,Alex
Talking about leg work, I have a very physical job and don’t need to go to a gym but after a couple hours of shooting portraits my legs are beat. As far as the contests I shoot XH1 and XT1 but I have that lens... the Takumar version, including 135/3.5 the Konica, Carson, Canon and Nikkor Nippon Ogaku (sp). I’m happy with some of my work with them for bird and long shot portraits with long distance backgrounds. The Nikkor being my favourite right now because I happened to take some gorgeous pics with it. I have taken some beauties with the Takumar 135mm 3.5 as well sharp, rich and saturated. Using long primes as telephoto lenses for landscape can be rewarding but challenging, I remember giving up just because of how difficult it can be to “get more in”. Ultimately the focal local length lends itself well to well spaced foreground subjects with further interesting backgrounds, a bit of a mind bender for photographers I think and a physical experience for sure. There is great value in these lenses but they are easy to find and cheap to buy. I should add that I have had success with this focal length for tabletop photography as well.
I do have 135mm f3,5 in Olympus OM form and I love it. Thought about getting the Takumar variant, but prices are still a little bit too high in this part of the world...
I’m a big fan of the Takumar lenses. I started using vintage lenses after a trip to Portland, Oregon. There was a vintage lens store there where I got my first vintage lens (Takumar 50mm 1.4) that I now use on my Sony a7RIII.
Another great video, Mark. I keep watching this one .... lol. I must say I've become a fan of the 135mm focal length on my Fujifilm X-T2. I've been using an Olympus OM Zuiko 135mm f2.8 and the more I use it, the more I like it!
Dude new comer to your channel and I have to say the quality of your content is off the charts good! I recently just got into vintage lenses with my first arriving tomorrow actually (Pentacon 50mm 1.8). I’ve been a long time Sony user for the longest time but I actually just added a 2nd body Fuji XT4 to my lineup that I’m using for all my vintage glass. Looking forward to watching more of your content. Also Canadians are amazing. I know because I married one.
Wow!! Welcome my friend! Please tell me how you like the XT4, I’m a little obsessed with it now lol. That Pentacon is loads of fun mate! Min focusing distance! Enjoy that!
Mark Holtze Compared to my Sony A7RIV it’s a lot more fun to use and holy smokes is that shutter on the XT4 pleasing to my ears! Sooo quiet! And with built in IBIS now being able to get tack sharp shots at 1/4 second? Get outa here XT3 😆 I’ve got a steady hand and I was still getting blurry shots at 1/20 sec with the XT3. So question Mark...I’m a huge fan of soap bubble bokeh and the dreamy bokeh the vintage lenses have to offer. If price isn’t an issue (not spoiled I just work really hard) what lens would you recommend to me as a must have? Your review of the Takumar 135mm F2 is about to play next but I would love to hear what you think is the best or what your top recommendation would be for what I’m looking for. Thanks again for the reply!
I don’t need an adaptor. It will fit any of my old Asahi/Honeywell Spotmatics just the way it sits. I fell in love with the Spotmatics when I was about 12 years old. I was using an old Kodak Brownie box camera with 620 roll film at the time. There was a camera store within bicycling distance that sold the Spotmatics. The salesperson was nice enough to indulge my young self even though he knew I didn’t even have enough money to buy a roll of film in those days. Now at 66 years of age I’ve been able to find a half dozen or more of them along with others that I lusted after in my salad days. I try to take them out for a walk on nice days and feed them some film to quench their appetites.
I use the following 135mm f/3.5 vintage lenses: Asahi 135mm f/3.5 Super Takumar (49mm filter) Fujinon 135mm f/3.5 EBC M42 (49mm filter) Nikkor 135mm f/3.5 AIS (52mm filter) All are inexpensive, well made, and produce very good images.
I got my first Takumar in 2011, it was the Super-Multi-Coated 135mm F3.5 in mint condition. Got me hooked... very impressive build quality stood out for me, the Olympus OM 135mm F3.5 feels like a toy compared to it. Now I have 15 of the S-M-C Takumars... :)
I have this lens. It's lovely. Agreed, very slightly soft wide open, and a little wispy, but to very nice effect. Sweet bokeh wide open. F16 also a bit soft from diffraction. The sweet spot is f8, but f5.6 & f11 are just about as sharp. Long minimum focus distance is a minor drawback. Overall, a fine lens and a great value.
I found a 135 f3.5 at an estate sale last year and it's really a great little lens! I use it on my canon 5dm4. Also the smc Pentax-a 50mm f2 is a fantastic little lens!!! (You have to modify it to work mirror cameras)
I'm using the Takumar 135mm F/3.5 on a K10D - an old DSLR with a very old lens, but they can produce stunning images. The Tak 135 in particular is my favourite lens for nature photography, when I want to put focus on a single flower or feature. I particularly love the colour this combination produces. It's so warm and vibrant, full of life, and the bokeh is very nice as well. Two of my favourite images: T'is but a Scratch | Leon Blankenhorn | Flickr _IGP9707 | Shot with Super -Takumar 135mm F/3.5 | Leon Blankenhorn | Flickr
Dude I looked at the beach and instantly was like "That looks JUST LIKE WASAGA BEACH" and then you said it. I have family there and a lot of my portfolio and instagram has pictures from Wasaga! I freaking love it there like a second home.
Mark I have the Takumar 135mm 3.5 as well as the Pentax M 135mm 3,5 K mount lens with built in hood , I also have the Pentax M 150mm 3.5 K mount lens with built in hood . One of favorite focal lengths I like the separation it allows on my Pentax cameras.
Move the frame slightly and the home office is a disaster lol. I love the confined frame! ;) Funny enough, all those photo's and like NO people anywhere lol.
I have one of these and I've adapted it to my 5d mk ii and I can't say enough about the value of this lens. Getting the true 135mm focal length makes a difference, and so does the full frame. I would suggest it to anyone who wants to try this focal length for cheap. I got mine for $25 in excellent shape with both original lens caps and case
Love these Super Takumars! Don’t own one but would love to have this one to start my collection. I’m on Sony E mount. Keep up the good work, Mark! Cheers!
Top notch production ! Shipping to Belgium probably costs more than the lens ;) Keep up the good work! Your aspiration works inspiring ( and visa versa )
I shoot almost only vintage lenses. Started using them with my Fuji X-A5 and now with my Fuji X-H1. My favorite lens is the SMC Takumar 55mm f/2, even over my much newer Fujinon 35mm f/2.
Thank you for making this video which i enjoyed watching. I recently bought the Pentax-M 135 f/3.5 (abt $50 w s/h on EBay.ca) to round out our little vintage prime kit (Tamron 24 f/2.5, Pentax-M 50 f/2, Soligor 105 f/f2.8 preset), using a K20D and ME Super Program. Both 135s share the same specs and garner very favourable reviews at Pentax Forums. I like your method of side-by-side 2.5 vs 3.5 image comparisons to highlight the 2.5s slightly better contrast and colour rendering. I look forward to viewing more of your reviews.
As stated on a different video, already have an adapter for my a5100 but would love to add a 135mm to my completely new collection :-) (just started out with photography about 3 weeks ago, so far only have a 24, a 50 and a helios 44-3 soon) Anyway, very nice that you make a giveaway out of it, good luck to all of us who enter!
Lovely lens which is very affordable. Very generous of you to give it away good! I’m lucky enough to own one already so I’ll pass on entering so someone else has an even better chance at winning 😄
To fix my need for a 135mm focal length I have the Carl Zeiss 135mm f/2.8 (C/Y) for my Sony A7Rm3. Right after I got it I came across a bargain for the same lens but with a younger serial number. Now I own 2 of them.
Great video mark! currently running the a7iii, grabbed myself a vintage Pnetax A 50mm 1.7 and a Praktica pentacon 28mm 2.8, which both surprised me! I think an 85+mm would be next up.
Beginning of the 70s when these lenses wer built multicoating (especially the Pentax SMC) was a huge step forward. Therefor in most cases I would prefer the SMC-Takumar-Versions over the Super-Takumar-Versions. Btw: only the SMCs pride open aperture metering on SPF and ES/II.
I have a few vintage 135mm lenses and the Takumar f3.5 is one of my favourite ones. Black and white portraits look great with the lens if you like swirly Bokeh. Have a look at the Helios 135mm f2.8.
Thanks Mark, will def check out a Helios 135 F/2.8. Big fan of the brand, I'd love the 85 1.5 as well...just a fan of those soviet lenses all together.
@@MarkHoltze Yeah Mark same here they make some great lenses. I also have a Helios 35mm which is very nice. Some great vintage lenses about. I always pick them up if I see any at boot sales. Some are junk but a lot are great.
I bought this lens when i was in high school. its great. I thought about getting a 2.5 version too, but decided on a 120mm f2.8. its a 49mm filter a shade shorter and faster than the 135mm albeit you give up a little reach.
Hello from Tampa Florida Mark! Another great review and very nice pixs. I own the Auto SEARS 135mm f2.8, looks exactly like the Super Takumar. This video has me pumped, thinking about heading out this weekend to snap a few shots. Thoroughly enjoy your channel and I appreciate your Social Sensitivity & Humility... You Truly Matter!!!
Great video presentation, truly great. Watched your review of the Takumar F300 F-4 and enjoyed it so much so that I bought one for my Pentax K5lls, just happened to find a guy an hour away in Moncton, New Brunswick that had one for $65 with case and tripod collar, gonna order an M-42 PK adapter. Would really love that Tak 135 F/3.5, very 3-D quality... Keep up the comidic aspects of your reviews, very entertaining... Peace ✌️
I fully agree that Fujifilm is a great body for vintage lenses. I use a cheap X-T1 with the big bright viewfinder. I use the Mitakon Lens Turbo ii to get that full frame look (although sometimes, it doesn't work like on the Takumar 50mm 1.4).
Love the takumars. I have the 105mm and the 50mm. Shoot on Canon ef mount. You sir have created a monster in me and buying vintage lenses. Recently found a Pentax Takumar 135mm really cheap. Takes some great photos.
Fuck yeah I was right. Nothing looks like a Takumar. Glad to see you're alright and still getting out amidst all the chaos! I already have the right adapter for this lens so if you happen to want to send it my way, I'm all set up ;) Can you do a review of the S1H? I'm looking at it as my full frame counterpart.
I'd be VERY interested in getting one of these. I've never owned a vintage lens before. I use the Fuji XT-3 (Hopefully the XH1 soon too). I'd love to see the colours/look this thing renders on my body.
@@MarkHoltze I've been loving them as I built up my kit. The 60 so far has been a huge surprise to me as I tend to go wider focal lengths. That 1:1 macro!
Mark you have to try the Pentax 135 SMC f3.5 K mount. I also own the Takumar 135 f3.5, but I think the latter has sharper, and more contrasty. Give it a try.
Great review as always Mark. Loved the macro broll and the beach story. Entered the contest in hopes to add a Pentax lens to my arsenal of vintage primes. I shoot on a Sony A7II. Keep up the good work!
I'm going to do everything I can to get my hands on one.....I should probably look at my S1H and even my poor Sony never got any dedicated love....opsie ;)
I shoot video with my Super-Takumars, so I went with the 3.5 over the 2.5 because I just don't need that shallow of depth of field and i prefer to shoot them wide open. I don't typically love the hexagonal bokeh. With the 3.5 i get a hair more depth, but still shallow, and dont have to stop it down.
I'm a fan of the super takumar and use the 50mm focal length the most but would not mind playing with this one on my Sony a7III and adding it to my collection.
I'm shooting with the Fuji X-T30. Just bought a S-M-C Takumar 50mm F1.4 after watching your video review of it! 😄 Also, I'm also expecting a Nikon Ai Micro-Nikkor-P Auto 55mm F3.5 for good measure. I blame you for getting me started on vintage lenses! 😄👍
Looks like a great lens. I have a couple of old Takumars (55f1.8 and a 28f3.5) they are by far my favourite brand of vintage lens. Just missing that 135
Thanks for this video Mark! It sold me into buying one of these bad boys. The lens I got off ebay is in mint condition, and I am excited about having it my collection. I plan on using my Takumar lenses mainly for video, but photography as well. Keep the fantastic videos coming Mark! Subscribed!
How did I miss this video? I have several Takumars of various focal lengths. But for the subject matter here, yes I have two 135's. The Super-Takumar 135/2.5 and the SMC Takumar 135/3.5. Both is excellent condition. Especially the 3.5. You know I usually grab the 2.5 when I want that focal length but optically the 3.5 is probably better, with those excellent SMC coatings. Plus like you said it's much lighter. The 2.5 is a real chunk of metal and glass. 17.3 oz for the 2.5, 12.7 oz for the 3.5. Add that to my Pentax K-5II with loaded battery grip and I've got quite a load. But I like the mass of the camera and the grip as I ofter shoot in Portrait orientation. Ever try your Takumar's on one of their native Pentax SLR's or DSLR's?
