The most underrated vintage lenses | Pentax Super Takumar

[@brysimm404]

Um, Super Takumar lenses are NOT “underrated” - just look how many other KZbinrs (just like your friend) have made videos praising them.

[@raymeedc]

A man after my own heart! Takumars have always been my favorite lenses, from way back in the film days and my first camera, a meter less Honeywell Pentax HIA. Nothing fever made matches the feel of a properly broken in Takumar focusing ring, has to be experienced to know what you & I are talking about. Sharp & Soft in just the right amount is well put also, I couldn’t agree more, and the same can be said about the colors in a weigh. I have a fairly substantial M42 collection I use alongside my modern autofocus lenses at about a 50/50 ratio, as the mood and situation strikes.

[@calebbrunkow]

So glad you enjoyed the video! The Takumars are really gems in the vintage lens world

[@scrptwic]

I have the a Takumar set I bought 35mm 3.5 , 50mm1.4 and the 135mm 3.5 my set came with the metal hoods , a set of 49mm filters , adapter ring for K mount as well as a Spotamatic camera. My DSLR cameras are Pentax so I have no problem using the Takumar lenses and the cameras give me focus confirmation when I use them

[@davidsilva8695]

I keep the thorium lenses yellow for black and white photography.

[@calebbrunkow]

Oh that’s so cool! Never thought of that

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

If you need "Fast Wide", the SMC K/KM/KA have those. If the EF ring is a little loose (depending on manufacturer), a layer of Mylar tape with evaporated metal surface stuck to the adapter's front face and trimmed to shape, will fill the gap and make the ring much more secure on the lens. The comments on colour rendition and focus breathing, also match the K/KM/KA's,.. and looks real nice with an anamorphic adapter in front. The comment about being sharp and detailed and softening skin at the same time, is ideal for use on modern cinema cameras, where modern lenses can be harsh and too sharp.

[@calebbrunkow]

Great points! I’ve been wondering how the slightly newer K mount lenses were but never had any before

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

@@calebbrunkow I'm missing the 50 f1.2 (in working condition), but have the fastest of each, 24, 35, 50, 85, 100, 135, 200 for my Cine Kit, with follow focus gears I printed from a tool that calculates tooth sizes and diameters, plus my own caps for the mounts and step rings to suit. They've been on Sony, Panasonic, Pentax, Canon DSLR's and MILC's, ILC Camcorders and Cine cameras, plus BMD's and on my AJA Cion. All of them produce spectacular images, for video and for stills. And they're not even from either of Pentax's best lens collections,.....

[@calebbrunkow]

@PiDsPagePrototypes that is such a cool kit and no way you’ve got an AJA Cion, those look so fun

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

@@calebbrunkow Put them on a steadicam and chase running actors, from the side,.... No Jello Wobble of bent vertical objects. Global Shutter is fantastic. One of the Cion community members figured out a workspace, from the Uncompressed Linear Raw, in to ANY colourspace you want, so I can shoot on it and just nod to the client, "yeah, it's the same colourspace as you'd get from a Red/Sony/BMD/Fuji/Nikon/Canon/Etc,..." The rest of the difference between them is in the Gaffer's talents.

[@stes5429]

When there is yellowing on the takumar means there is thorium, they are radioactive. Some uv light, such as direct sunlight will return them to a transparent state

[@calebbrunkow]

True that! Sunlight takes far too long though, I use a UV lamp with a mirror under the lens and it clears up the yellowing overnight

[@neilyakuza6595]

I love my Takumars. These lenses have an awesome look warm, and sharp. Whenever I see a takumar at a thrift store I will buy them at a great bargain.

[@calebbrunkow]

So true! I love the look of the 35mm so much I’m working on a video comparing it to the Leica R 35mm f2

[@dreamsandrealms4581]

I got Pentax SMC versions, 50mm f1.4, 28mm f2.8, 35mm f2.8. All great lenses with nice bokeh. Build quality good, and focus rings soft to rotate.

[@calebbrunkow]

Such great lenses

[@raymeedc]

As a LONG time fellow admirer of Takumar glass, I’d like to recommend you check out two of their most common, cheapest offerings, those being the Super or Super-Multi-Coated 55mm f1.8 & 35mm f3.5. Delightfully diminutive, a pleasure to use, optically on the same level as your faster counterparts. I also own an iconic 8 element 50mm f1.4, but the 55 sees much more daylight.

[@calebbrunkow]

That’s interesting, you’re the second person to tell me about the 55mm 1.8 lens. I own one but haven’t used it ever (it came on a Pentax spotomatic I bought). I’ll have to try that one out

[@raymeedc]

The 35mm is practically a pancake, one of my all time favorite lenses, especially so nowadays when mounted on to the added length of the mandatory adapters.

[@Rinifi]

I own the 105mm f2.8 lens. Love it on my Sony Nex-6 and Pentax ZX.

[@calebbrunkow]

That’s awesome

[@oceanstormfilms]

Totally agree with your assessment Caleb - I use an almost complete set of Super Taks in cinema, commercial, and corporate work - 17, 20, 24, 28, 35, 50, 55, 85, 105, 135, and a monster 200 - all cine-modded (though not yet all de-clicked) with the finest custom caps out there ( my best buddy - Gaz @ Countrystar Prods - is the guy to talk to about those if you want a pro look to your set. Tell him I sent ya). The flare characteristics of the Super Taks make them more interesting than SMC. I have a Yashinon set too because of just that, but also putting together a Nikkor AIS set. You're bang on about vintage lenses and escalating prices, especially for FD's. Now OM's are going crazy too. The advice should always be find alternative legacy glass now before its too late to get decent prices - Vivitar Series 1, Konica, Mamiya Sekor, Nikkor - all have glass worth looking into.

[@calebbrunkow]

That’s a killer set bro!! I’ve never met someone with such a complete set. Love the Nikon AIS lenses, I actually just built my set and cine modded them, gonna make a video eventually after I test them and get to use them on a few projects.

[@oceanstormfilms]

@@calebbrunkow yeah took a bit of time to assemble, especially since it's a mint set all round. The Yashinon set, though smaller, is equally as impressive. Comes with a great reputation for sharpness and good colour rendition. The Nikkor AIs are similarly a terrifically good rendering set. I started off with just an 85 F2 and love how that performs. Super sharp where it counts (and I'm not one for corner to corner pixel peeping) especially in cinematic applications. That's a top set you have as I'm sure you'll find out very soon. Look forward to seeing your test shots.

[@calebbrunkow]

I bet that tak set took a while, how do you feel about the 20mm being a 4.5? I’ve been thinking of adding one to the set and I already have a 28mm and a 105 that I just didn’t cine mod cause I thought it wasn’t necessary for my work since the 24 is also a 3.5 and the 105 is slower than the 135

[@oceanstormfilms]

@@calebbrunkow I'm not too fussed tbh. Yeah its slow comparatively to 20mm from other marques, but it will undoubtedly have its place in the long term. Initially I thought that 17mm and 24mm would be enough to cover most WA needs but the 17mm is so delicate, optically exposed, and unique in look that I'm less likely to defer to that than the 20mm I think. And of course WA like that I'm going to use for establishers without needing DOF, and in good light, exteriors pretty much predominantly so the F4.5 minimum isn't too much of an issue. As long as its good and sharp at F5.6 and F8 which it is, it's a worthwhile addition and completes the set to a point, as you noted, few can say they have.

[@calebbrunkow]

Totally fair! Thank you so much for your input, may have to add one to my set

[@raymeedc]

One more thing. At the time M42s ruled the roost, very wide lenses had not yet come into their own. Consequently, Pentax had the very slow and not quite up to their snuff 20mm f4.5. That being the case, I picked up a PK adapter for just one lens, a 20mm f2.8 Pentax SMC-A, the last manual lens series deforestation the autos wiped them out. Not plentiful, and much sought after, so not very cheap, but not too much either for what it is, a bit less than your aforementioned 85mm f1.9, $300 or so. Same Pentax rendition as their not too much earlier stablemates.

[@heroaomedia]

Great to see and yeah Mark made me fall in love with them too lol. But I would recommend getting a matching series set though. A mixed set will be much less valuable if you ever decide to sell in the future if they become popular. The flares are quite different from version to version.

[@calebbrunkow]

True but I don’t care about their resale value, they’re always gonna stick with me

[@ohjajohh]

Love Takumars, my favorite vintage lenses

[@calebbrunkow]

They’re great! What other ones do you have?

[@LavonteVickers]

I got the 24mm and 50mm for $4 at my local thrift in the tripod section somehow.

[@calebbrunkow]

That is so amazing!

[@Narsuitus]

I own and use the following Takumar lenses for my Pentax Spotmatic 35mm film cameras: Asahi 28mm f/3.5 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 35mm f/3.5 Super Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (8-element) (49mm filter) Asahi 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (7-element) (49mm filter) Asahi 105mm f/2.8 Super Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 135mm f/3.5 Super Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 200mm f/5.6 Super Takumar (49mm filter) Asahi 300mm f/6.3 preset Tele Takumar (58mm filter) In my opinion, Takumar lenses are not underrated. These well-built and well-designed lenses are, however, underpriced. My Takumar lenses (especially the 8-element 50mm) produce images equal in quality to my higher priced Nikon, Leica, and Zeiss lenses.

[@calebbrunkow]

The only one I’ve found that isn’t priced well or too low is the 15mm f3.5. That thing is suuuper expensive but then again so are most vintage 15mm 3.5 lenses

[@Narsuitus]

​@@calebbrunkow Very true! I paid $900 for a 14mm f/2.8 Nikon Nikkor lens. It is the widest wide-angle lens in my prime lens inventory.

[@calebbrunkow]

@Narsuitus what a great one!

[@TimmySheehyVisuals]

I literally just thought to myself yesterday, wonder if I should turn my two takumars into a set and then this video pops out! I think I’m gonna just wait for the 35mm and 85mm to pop up in a second hand shop 😂 fingers crossed!

[@calebbrunkow]

KZbin just knows exactly what to show people! And for sure, the 35mm and 85mm are great lenses. The 35 is probably my most used one

[@TimmySheehyVisuals]

@@calebbrunkow I’ve got the 28 F3 and 55 f1.8 but always keeping an eye out for the 1.4 50 😂

[@hdevries28]

I gonna do the same!

[@beatprocess]

Nice lens, caps, and logo. Gotta look into this.

[@calebbrunkow]

Appreciate it! I made the design and ordered them from Lenzbuddy.com

[@beatprocess]

@@calebbrunkow price is amazing

[@jayvelasquez8036]

Love your channel bro… feels organic like your not trying so hard😂 keep it up broski 🫡

[@calebbrunkow]

Will do! I need to post more lol

[@jayvelasquez8036]

@@calebbrunkow 😂 you do

[@paulbrown9441]

I have a lot of Takumars, among others. Ive never had a mechanically defective one, all problems have been caused by poor storage or treatment. Ditto Nikons. Zeiss lenses are great, but variable grades of lubricant cause issues with stiffness. Pentaxes are great, as are some Yashicas.

[@calebbrunkow]

They’re really built like tanks!

[@calumward1192]

Very nice lenses, Finally now have the money to get an 8 element 50mm! hoping to make a small fun series or short film using one. I did want an anamorphic lens recently but remembered the Takumar so figured it's less than half the price the new lenses will go down in value anyway as time goes on but the Takumar will only go up! also whats your outro song? it's sick!

[@calebbrunkow]

Very true!! And the outro song is just one I found on epidemic sound

[@markusseitle3740]

There is a SMC 28 f2. it is one of the later K mount lenses. Quite expensive tho.

[@calebbrunkow]

Wish they would’ve made that with the M42 line too!

[@damiendehorn6350]

That's a great comparison. Right now the Leica R are the "Bees knees" of vintage glass and even the humble Leica R 50mm Summicron f2 goes for £500+, 10x the price of my Takumar 55mm f1.8, or 4x the price of my Nikkor 50mm f2 Ai (and isn't that much better).

[@calebbrunkow]

The Leica R’s are going nuts in price! The 35mm F2 Summicrons are like $2500

[@damiendehorn6350]

@@calebbrunkow A new Zeiss milvus f2 cost just £1000, and the f1.4 costs just £1400 that's crazy.

[@chengwildon8909]

I do have some Takumar Lens for Amateurs Photography...

[@studiomangordon2933]

Love the content.. subbed

[@calebbrunkow]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@perko4590]

I have 4 takumar lenses, they are my favorites!

[@calebbrunkow]

They’re such good lenses!

[@mikepxg6406]

I don't think they are underrated. They are highly rated.

[@dkkeyz8815]

I fell on a 55mm super multi coated 1.8 going through my moms old stuff in the basement and I fell in love with it. I ended up grabbing a 135 on eBay on auction with the leather case I never use for $20 USD. Since then I got a super Takumar 28mm and a 55mm f2 (just to compare) imo the multi coated are much better looking, maybe I got lucky with one and not the other IDK… Right not I’m waiting on a 24mm and a 35mm multi coated lenses coming in.. 24mm 35mm 55mm 135mm. That’s a great set of super beautiful primes for my BMPCC4K with my Metabones 0.64 that gives me a 1.28 crop.. If anyone wants to get into cinematography and understands the value of primes this is the way to go! I own a Tokina AT-X 270 AF PRO (OG Angenieux design, if you don’t know look it up), these Takumar primes are far superior. I use the Tokina as my run and gun, but anything I’m planning it’s these Takumar’s for sure.

[@arielelijah1282]

Is it okay to expose these lenses to a UVC Germicidal Lamp?

[@calebbrunkow]

For sure, for the ones with thorium that will help clear up the yellowing, I did that with a lot of my radioactive lenses

[@agromsviewoflife7287]

Would these cover full frame for a Sony fx3 for example?

[@calebbrunkow]

They absolutely will!

[@quiztasiarocks]

Are there are wider and faster wide super Takumars than the 28mm f3.5. I’m using the Bmpcc 6K g2 which loves light and not sure if the 3.5 aperture will be enough.

[@calebbrunkow]

There is a 24mm f3.5, a 20mm f4.5, and a super expensive 15mm f3.5.

[@ModMax69]

Good vid I subbed. Mark is a cool PPHEAD

[@calebbrunkow]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@richbonn259]

How do yoy de click the aperture ring....you never mentioned that

[@calebbrunkow]

I still have click stops on my lenses

[@killianbayer]

Any chance you would share your lens cap design? It’s dope af

[@calebbrunkow]

Yeah I could throw it in a google drive if I still have the original file. Glad you like them, I make custom caps for all my lens sets

[@killianbayer]

@@calebbrunkow thanks Caleb!

[@killianbayer]

@@calebbrunkow that would be amazing

[@huakeeeem]

Bro can i send you lenses to mod because i’m confused on what i should be looking for. I’m a beginner filmmaker

[@calebbrunkow]

What are you confused about? Lemme help you out

[@huakeeeem]

@@calebbrunkow Thank you. So how can i find the right attachment for my takumar lenses? I use a sony fx30

[@calebbrunkow]

@E1VNANGELS_ you could either adapt the Takumar lenses directly to your Sony with an m42 to Sony e adapter or adapt the lenses to canon ef and use a Sony e to canon ef adapter

[@huakeeeem]

@@calebbrunkow Got it. One last thing, what focus gear ring did you get for your 135mm?

[@calebbrunkow]

@E1VNANGELS_ I got all the follow focus gears from followfocusgears.com

[@bngr_bngr]

Let me ask an obvious question. How do you focus these lens on your camera?

[@calebbrunkow]

They’re manual focus so just have to turn the focus ring

[@sirazulhaqabdulmajid4903]

read somewhere that u can reduce the yellowing by putting it under the sun(?)

[@calebbrunkow]

Yep! More effective is to get a cheap UV lamp from Amazon or ikea and sit it under that for a few days

[@freeman10000]

I like the yellowing of some of Takumar lenses and feel hardcore that they are radioactive.

[@isidorlacasse6833]

Great video

[@calebbrunkow]

Glad you enjoyed it!!

[@BasicMotion]

What for a lens do you use at min 2:15

[@calebbrunkow]

Super multi coated Takumar 35mm f2

[@gustavominikovsky]

how do you use these lenses if its m42 size?

[@calebbrunkow]

All of these are M42 lenses, I adapted mine to Canon EF which can be done with a simple cheap adapter

[@tridentroy]

Can u try Jupiter 37a pls 🙏

[@calebbrunkow]

I have one but don’t know if I’ll be making a full video on it. I don’t use the Russian lenses too much

[@MichaelKaykov]

@@calebbrunkow for Russian lenses… biggest rabbit-hole is the LOMO OKS lenses (most of them designed for the Super-35 format).

[@calebbrunkow]

I’ve almost ordered a set of those lenses about 5 times now. I really want them lol

[@sergeiyatsenko]

6:13 Definitely Takumar looks better.

[@calebbrunkow]

Love the Taks

[@t4t213]

Impresssive priorities, $50 lens, $5 adapter then a whopping $35 focus gear!

[@philipslighting8240]

Not underated at all