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#11
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"Matt White" wrote in message news:lSxYe.95060
One thing to be careful of on EOS bodies (which I assume the 1.3x crop DSLR is) is that on some wide and normal M42 lenses, the rear lens element is so far back that the mirror will actually collide with it when it's near or at infinity. I can't use my wide and normal super taks on my EOS film bodies because of this. I don't know if this will happen to you, but it's something to watch for. Good point. The 50mm Takumar f/1.4 normal lens was developed primarily for the Spotmatic and ES models. The rear element tended to protrude just a tad too far back to be compatible with other makes of camera, and more than a few users of competing brands had their reflex mirror break, or saw the rear element of the lens become damaged. I have always had the suspicion that Asahi might have designed the lens that way to discourage buyers from trying to get off cheap and mount them to non-Pentax cameras, many of which used the Universal M42 mount back then. Asahi made an obscure comment in their camera manuals that the 50mm normal lens was not designed to be used on other cameras. If a customer wanted to use what was then Asahi's flagship lens, it had to be on a Pentax camera. As I recall, my local dealer did not even sell those lenses as stock items--you got one with the purchase of a Pentax body, and to buy the lens alone required a special order. It may have been that Honeywell, the importer at that time, was trying to discourage people from trying to avoid buying their cameras. If anyone is in the position of wanting to mount a Takumar normal lens on another make of camera, the simplest solution is to go with the 55mm f/1.8 or 55mm f/2.0 Takumars, which do not have that nasty protruding rear element. They also do not have Thorium mixed into the optical glass used in the elements, and thus have none of that pesky "yellowing" problem. |
#12
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Peter wrote:
Stacey wrote: wrote: From experience I would go with the super tak. Check to see if it has yellowed which can be fixed but is time consuming. I agree. The "pentacon" branded lenses were the bargain ones for that camera, the good ones were Carl Zeiss Jena or CZJ. Pentacon branded lenses were mostly made by the remains of Hugo Meyer Goerlitz. They had been a fine lens company (though not as celebrated as CZJ) in the pre-communist era. The communists appear to have decided that Meyer should be a second-tier maker, not necessarily bad, but not intended to be the very best. Still, I'm always looking out for a Meyer-Goerlitz or Pentacon 100/2.8. Peter. I do have one I maybe don't need (Meyer 100mm 2.8 in M42): The choice is whether to keep it or a Schacht-Ulm 90mm - They are both excellent, with somewhat different characters. Make me an offer I can't refuse! ; ) (Location: Germany) |
#13
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JMW wrote:
You make a very common mistake.in your expectations. Compare the two lenses at f8 and f11 - typical optimal settings. I believe the Pentax will sell itself. (The mistake - wider openings are for focus, being the most shallow in DOF. Narrower openings are for shooting. Unless you buy a really big bucks lens, don't expect wide open shots to represent what the glass really can do.) Ahem!!! One of the defintions of a really good lens IS how it performs at wide apertures. At f/8 or f/11 you will probably see little difference between a pretty good and a great lens - it's what they do at wider apertures that counts! |
#14
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#16
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I think both are good; the Pentacon was a massive improvement over the
CZJ 50mm f2.8 tessar that 'graced' cheaper Prakticas but the Pentax is even better. Some cameras can't use the Pentax though, so check for fumps on the rear element just in case. I have no idea how these compare with new lenses, however they are incredible value for money now, especially the Pentax. |
#17
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" wrote in message oups.com... I think both are good; the Pentacon was a massive improvement over the CZJ 50mm f2.8 tessar that 'graced' cheaper Prakticas but the Pentax is even better. Some cameras can't use the Pentax though, so check for fumps on the rear element just in case. I have no idea how these compare with new lenses, however they are incredible value for money now, especially the Pentax. Agreed. The Takumars are great and better built, but the Pentacon is no slouch, especially at smaller apertures. One plus point of the Pentacon that has not been mentioned is its ability to focus to around 10-11 inches for significantly larger close up images. Something between a macro and a standard 50mm. Cheers NF |
#18
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" wrote in message oups.com... I think both are good; Here is the link to the lens flare table. http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/flare1.txt The Takumars--especially the SMC versions--came in significantly better than the competition (this is from the 1970s, when Takumar was probably the only multicoated lens line available.) The figures are probably much less better for Pentax lenses of today (vs. the competition) but if one is looking at lenses from the early 70s, the margin of superiority is compelling in favor of Pentax. |
#19
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Peter wrote:
There is another problem then. The Nikon F mount is one of the few which has a mount to sensor distance longer than the M42 system. A simple adaptor without optics will not allow you to focus at infinity with an M42 lens. That's right, the register (film to flange distance) is 46.5 mm for Nikon F-mount, vs. 45.46mm for M42. I suspect the adapter would add at least 1 mm as well, so it will be like using the lens with a 2 mm or longer extension tube. If the optical construction is similar to the Nikon series E 50mm 1:1.8, you'll get a maximum focus distance of roughly 1.5m. On the other hand, you should get a fairly decent close focusing distance, and you probably won't have any problem with the rear element colliding with the mirror. Being able to use a lot of older, manual focus lenses with adapters is mainly a benefit for Canon EOS owners. Ironically, they can use M42, Nikon, Olympus and Contax/Yashica lenses, but not FD-mount Canon lenses. |
#20
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Get the Takumar!! I've got the 50mm 1.4 SMC lens and it is the finest
lens I've ever used. In rec.photo.equipment.35mm Gisle Hannemyr wrote: : I am getting one of these old M42 manual lenses for use on a slightly : newer 1.3x crop DSLR via an adapter. The price for the Super Takumar : is considerable higher than the price of the Pentacon - but neighter : will break the bank - so the price doesn't matter. The Pentacon is : mint, the Super Takumar shows some wear, but the glass is in good : shape and the controls are smooth. : Which one is the best (resolution, contrast, colour)? I am aware : that the Super Takumar is almost one stop faster, so I am leaning : towards that one - but would like to hear from someone that has : actually used either lens. : I understand that the old lenses have some limitations compared to : modern lenses - e.g. that there is no aperture coupling, and that they : won't meter on a modern camera. But how do these 30 year old (?) : lenses compare /optically/ to modern 50 mm lenses such as a Canon or : Nikkor 50mm f/1.4? : -- : - gisle hannemyr [ gisle{at}hannemyr.no - http://folk.uio.no/gisle/ ] : ------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Kodak DCS460, Canon Powershot G5, Olympus 2020Z : ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- ------------------- Keep working millions on welfare depend on you |
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