Here are time links to each section: 00:00 Introduction 00:39 58mm in context: a short history of early Takumar fast fifies 04:02 Performance of each lens 07:42 Side-by-side comparison of both lenses 09:40 f2.4 wide-open details 10:20 f2 wide-open details 12:11 Conclusions and recommendations
I got into vintage Takumar lenses adapted to a digital camera almost by accident when I bought my son a Pentax SV for his first film camera. I was so impressed with it and the Auto Takumar 55mm f2 I started doing more research and ended up with a beautiful condition AP for myself that came as a set with the 58mm f2 ‘Sonnar’ I was looking for, also came with a pre-set aperture 135mm f3.5, and the nice vintage case at a very reasonable almost give away low price. The 58mm f2 has become one of my favorite lenses with character, and really fun to take out for something different. Made for only the one year, it also has the distinction of being the shortest Sonnar designed lens (thanks to that flat rear element to clear the mirror) for an SLR ever made, so a bit rare and unique. Love it to death, and now wondering if I should be looking for the f2.4 ;’?) to add to the v1 50mm Macro Takumar, 200mm f3.5, and 35mm f2.3, I’ve picked up after seeing their ‘magic’ you so well explain with narrative and images.
Many thanks for this. The Takumar 58mm f2.4 also has a lot of character. Different from the f2. Not so much of the smoother rendering the f2's Sonnar style rendering. More defined effects in the out of focus areas. I just love using these gorgeous little lenses, so I was thrilled when I finally found a 58mm f2.4 and a rare "S" camera to buy together. If you can't easy find a 58mm f2.4, then the Auto-Takumar 55mm f2 or f2.2 are gorgeous too!!
Always enjoy your videos. I’ve gotten out of acquiring old lenses as I’ve immersed myself into commercial photography and purchased Fuji 100 equipment. I find the drive for a certain look to the finished result drives what you must use. The Fuji lenses on medium format is astonishing.. such a noticeable leap. I have started to tinker with my old lenses using my Nikon equipment.. just depends on the use and desired look. I find the historic look into result from different lens types is very interesting. One thing about these modern lenses .. groups of 15/17 for example.. where the old lenses could be 3/3 or 7/9. Fascinating stuff. Keep it up.
Hola, Simon. Thanks for the video. I've been shooting with the auto-Taks, 55 f2.2 and 35 f3.5 this week and ordered a second copy of each. (Sometimes redundancy is desirable. I probably feel this way because my original 35 was stolen two years ago, and the replacement is inferior and has problems.) This morning I'm considering a Pentax AP camera with the Takumar 58mm f2 lens in near mint condition, and while looking for reviews of the lens found your video (again). It's more meaningful now. Our views on what is good bokeh seem diametrically opposite. I prefer smoother bokeh with no sharp transitions. So the 58 f2 is more interesting to me. I'll probably buy the lens and camera, not just for the lens but because I don't have a Pentax m42 camera currently and with all the Takumars I'm blessed to own, I feel I should. Cheers. All the best.
Hi, good luck with your purchase if you go through with it. I've also got two Auto-Takumar 55mm 2.2 lenses, "just in case". Today I went out with an Auto-Takumar 55mm f2, the first time I've used it for a long time. It was such a pleasure to use, but the 58mm f2 is even more special!
when it comes to spherical lenses, especially around 50mm, there are so many good options for a clean and creamy bokeh look that it's often better to choose based on design. Now that I have a clean and safe lens, I really only buy lenses that are unusual, imperfect, and have an extremely defined look that doesn't work for everything. That's what I look for in lenses now and the 2.4 has some pretty intense and cool bokeh.
You mentioned that these lenses were specifically designed for colour film; I'd be curious to hear a characteristic comparison of lenses specifically designed for black and white film vs ones specifically designed for colour. I hope that makes sense. Great video.
Well, when they introduced the M42 58mm f2.4, I think AOC were starting to pay more attention to the impact of coatings on colour contrasts. So they must have been experimenting with different coatings to see how they could boost colour contrasts. Later on, of course, they pioneered the use of multi-coatings, and also experimented with thorium in their glass. But in terms of the promotional comments on their product page for the lens (the one I included in the video), I think they must have been referring to new coatings.
I'm lucky enough to own two copies of the 58mm F2.4, One in its original M37 Asahiflex mount, And the M42 model shown here, my M42 version came with its original hood and leather case as well. I can mirror your experiences with the 58mm F2.4 not being great towards the edges of the frame, but mine seems to perform better than yours so maybe there is some slight de-centering or similar going on with your copy. I can't speak for the F2 but the F2.4 on extension tubes really comes alive, The out of focus rendering gets even nicer and sometimes even more wild, I would highly recommend giving it a shot if you haven't already.
Great video! It’s nice to learn more about these lenses. I acquired an f2 months ago but wasn’t able to play with it yet so I keep on using my takumar 55 f1.8 instead. 😅
I really appreciate your channel. Due to a variety of reasons, I am not taking my Fuji bodies outside with either their primes, or my nice little collection of vintage which includes a couple of those fast Rokkors, some 1.8 Pentax and Rollei German Zeiss, the Tair monster in incredibly mint shape from you know where, a very charming Minolta Celtic 135mm 2.8, and some Nikons. So you're out there taking pics for me till I either get more surgery, or buy a drone and go nuts. I'm certainly getting to know those fences well...
Many thanks for your kind words, and I'm very sorry to read you're not able to get out as much as you would like. Funnily enough, all those fences are owned by our neighbours near and far, but we've just decided to knock down the wall at the front of our terraced house and replace it with an iron fence!
Great video Simon. I have both of these, and don’t have a clear favorite. I go back and forth between them. I also have the 55 1.8 and several 50’s. I love all of them, but I use the 58’s the most. I like their cooler colors better than the warmer tones of the others.
Great video. I really enjoyed this comparison. Most of the time, I want the most interesting bokeh. But, sometimes a lens that does this can overdo the "fun". It depends on the individual photograph.
Another top quality video Simon👌. I’m intrigued to know though whether there was much difference between cameras. I appreciate both are Sony sensors. An avid Takumar fan (on canon & Fuji x cameras + Pentax film) I have been looking at picking up a K1, what are your thoughts?
Many thanks. Leaving aside the sensor, these are two very different cameras. The K-1 is large, and heavy, and because of that it's not a camera I take on walking trips any longer. It's a pleasure to use on short trips/inside. It has some good filters/pp software built-in. The video is OK but not great. I like the tilting screen a lot more than the Sony screen. I'm never disappointed with the results, when I do use it. The a7iv is lighter, and I do like using it as a walk around camera. It provides a lot of useful information/feedback in its EVF, including the ability to zoom in to nail the focus with manual lenses. Battery life is poor! There's a much better choice of new lenses for the Sony e mount. The adapters work well. The video is much better, and that's important for me as I'm starting to include more clips in my TH-cams. I think I'm going to do a video on the pros and cons of the Sony with vintage lenses, but it won't be done for a while....
@@Simonsutak Thanks for your reply Simon. That’s useful info and especially the camera comparison. I have experience with the Sony, (years of hosting photography workshops) and would say the the same about using the the Canon R system mirrorless v the 5D4 DSLR, the EVF is a game changer on the mirrorless cameras. Ever since Pentax finally brought out a DSLR the romanticist in me has often thought of getting the K1 or the later version, just to tie up the 50/60 year Taks with their latter day namesake cameras.
From your images here Simon my favourite would be the 2.4 I do have a soft spot for the quirkier bokeh lenses. A lot of the takumars are a bit too good for my liking, I think they're too close to modern lenses. I'm having fun messing around with my 50mm meritar, I'm glad I bought it it's definitely quirky to use and gets a surprising amount of swirl. Some people prefer a smoother look and some like something a bit more crazy, if we were all the same the world would be a boring place to live.
You've encouraged me to take the old preset 55mm f2.2 out for some shots! If they come out well, I'll post them in a video. Perhaps compared to the later Auto-Takumar 55mm 2.2.... In the meantime, I have a small album of shots from the preset here, including quite a lot of bubble bokeh: www.flickr.com/photos/95859572@N06/albums/72177720295512629
Is it possible that the lens in not a Sonnar design? AFAIK, the sonnar configuration would not be able to fit aomething as short as a 58mm into an SLR.
Great question! I believe, from what I've read over the years, that it is a Sonnar design. But assuming it is, it is indeed a very unusual use of a Sonnar design, as described on this web-page, for instance. www.klassik-cameras.de/Pentax_Takumar_e.html "A Sonnar (cemented triple). The focal length had to be enlarged to 58mm (small rear distance of that type). To my knowledge it is the only SLR Sonnar type standard lens."
Here are time links to each section:
00:00 Introduction
00:39 58mm in context: a short history of early Takumar fast fifies
04:02 Performance of each lens
07:42 Side-by-side comparison of both lenses
09:40 f2.4 wide-open details
10:20 f2 wide-open details
12:11 Conclusions and recommendations
Yay! A new Simon video. Thanks for sharing all this knowledge.
Your wonderful videos will influence the art of photography for generations to come.
I got into vintage Takumar lenses adapted to a digital camera almost by accident when I bought my son a Pentax SV for his first film camera. I was so impressed with it and the Auto Takumar 55mm f2 I started doing more research and ended up with a beautiful condition AP for myself that came as a set with the 58mm f2 ‘Sonnar’ I was looking for, also came with a pre-set aperture 135mm f3.5, and the nice vintage case at a very reasonable almost give away low price. The 58mm f2 has become one of my favorite lenses with character, and really fun to take out for something different. Made for only the one year, it also has the distinction of being the shortest Sonnar designed lens (thanks to that flat rear element to clear the mirror) for an SLR ever made, so a bit rare and unique. Love it to death, and now wondering if I should be looking for the f2.4 ;’?) to add to the v1 50mm Macro Takumar, 200mm f3.5, and 35mm f2.3, I’ve picked up after seeing their ‘magic’ you so well explain with narrative and images.
Many thanks for this. The Takumar 58mm f2.4 also has a lot of character. Different from the f2. Not so much of the smoother rendering the f2's Sonnar style rendering. More defined effects in the out of focus areas. I just love using these gorgeous little lenses, so I was thrilled when I finally found a 58mm f2.4 and a rare "S" camera to buy together. If you can't easy find a 58mm f2.4, then the Auto-Takumar 55mm f2 or f2.2 are gorgeous too!!
Love the bubble bokeh Simon, particularly in b&w. Thanks for a new video, we’ve missed ya‼️
Always enjoy your videos. I’ve gotten out of acquiring old lenses as I’ve immersed myself into commercial photography and purchased Fuji 100 equipment. I find the drive for a certain look to the finished result drives what you must use. The Fuji lenses on medium format is astonishing.. such a noticeable leap. I have started to tinker with my old lenses using my Nikon equipment.. just depends on the use and desired look. I find the historic look into result from different lens types is very interesting. One thing about these modern lenses .. groups of 15/17 for example.. where the old lenses could be 3/3 or 7/9. Fascinating stuff. Keep it up.
Hola, Simon.
Thanks for the video. I've been shooting with the auto-Taks, 55 f2.2 and 35 f3.5 this week and ordered a second copy of each. (Sometimes redundancy is desirable. I probably feel this way because my original 35 was stolen two years ago, and the replacement is inferior and has problems.) This morning I'm considering a Pentax AP camera with the Takumar 58mm f2 lens in near mint condition, and while looking for reviews of the lens found your video (again). It's more meaningful now. Our views on what is good bokeh seem diametrically opposite. I prefer smoother bokeh with no sharp transitions. So the 58 f2 is more interesting to me. I'll probably buy the lens and camera, not just for the lens but because I don't have a Pentax m42 camera currently and with all the Takumars I'm blessed to own, I feel I should.
Cheers. All the best.
Hi, good luck with your purchase if you go through with it. I've also got two Auto-Takumar 55mm 2.2 lenses, "just in case". Today I went out with an Auto-Takumar 55mm f2, the first time I've used it for a long time. It was such a pleasure to use, but the 58mm f2 is even more special!
when it comes to spherical lenses, especially around 50mm, there are so many good options for a clean and creamy bokeh look that it's often better to choose based on design. Now that I have a clean and safe lens, I really only buy lenses that are unusual, imperfect, and have an extremely defined look that doesn't work for everything. That's what I look for in lenses now and the 2.4 has some pretty intense and cool bokeh.
Lovely video as always, Simon. Some great shots too. I really like the 2.4's bokeh balls!
2.4 is my favourite of the two, would make a nice addition to my 55 1.8.
You mentioned that these lenses were specifically designed for colour film; I'd be curious to hear a characteristic comparison of lenses specifically designed for black and white film vs ones specifically designed for colour. I hope that makes sense. Great video.
Well, when they introduced the M42 58mm f2.4, I think AOC were starting to pay more attention to the impact of coatings on colour contrasts. So they must have been experimenting with different coatings to see how they could boost colour contrasts. Later on, of course, they pioneered the use of multi-coatings, and also experimented with thorium in their glass. But in terms of the promotional comments on their product page for the lens (the one I included in the video), I think they must have been referring to new coatings.
Brilliant as usual!
I'm lucky enough to own two copies of the 58mm F2.4, One in its original M37 Asahiflex mount, And the M42 model shown here, my M42 version came with its original hood and leather case as well. I can mirror your experiences with the 58mm F2.4 not being great towards the edges of the frame, but mine seems to perform better than yours so maybe there is some slight de-centering or similar going on with your copy. I can't speak for the F2 but the F2.4 on extension tubes really comes alive, The out of focus rendering gets even nicer and sometimes even more wild, I would highly recommend giving it a shot if you haven't already.
Many thanks for the extension tubes idea. I tried it this morning, and the results are excellent. Such an easy way to get "two lenses" out of one!
Great video! It’s nice to learn more about these lenses.
I acquired an f2 months ago but wasn’t able to play with it yet so I keep on using my takumar 55 f1.8 instead. 😅
I have the SMC Takumar 55mm f/2 adapted to my Sony a6000. What a team! Thanks for your video.
I really appreciate your channel. Due to a variety of reasons, I am not taking my Fuji bodies outside with either their primes, or my nice little collection of vintage which includes a couple of those fast Rokkors, some 1.8 Pentax and Rollei German Zeiss, the Tair monster in incredibly mint shape from you know where, a very charming Minolta Celtic 135mm 2.8, and some Nikons. So you're out there taking pics for me till I either get more surgery, or buy a drone and go nuts. I'm certainly getting to know those fences well...
Many thanks for your kind words, and I'm very sorry to read you're not able to get out as much as you would like. Funnily enough, all those fences are owned by our neighbours near and far, but we've just decided to knock down the wall at the front of our terraced house and replace it with an iron fence!
Brilliant! Thank you for the education.
Great video Simon. I have both of these, and don’t have a clear favorite. I go back and forth between them. I also have the 55 1.8 and several 50’s. I love all of them, but I use the 58’s the most. I like their cooler colors better than the warmer tones of the others.
Great video. I really enjoyed this comparison. Most of the time, I want the most interesting bokeh. But, sometimes a lens that does this can overdo the
"fun". It depends on the individual photograph.
Love the wife's photo's and that SMILE .... at the end 😌 O like the 58mm 2.4 , incredible bokeh.
Thank you. That is my wife and she smiled an even broader smile when she read your comment.
Another top quality video Simon👌. I’m intrigued to know though whether there was much difference between cameras. I appreciate both are Sony sensors. An avid Takumar fan (on canon & Fuji x cameras + Pentax film) I have been looking at picking up a K1, what are your thoughts?
Many thanks. Leaving aside the sensor, these are two very different cameras. The K-1 is large, and heavy, and because of that it's not a camera I take on walking trips any longer. It's a pleasure to use on short trips/inside. It has some good filters/pp software built-in. The video is OK but not great. I like the tilting screen a lot more than the Sony screen. I'm never disappointed with the results, when I do use it.
The a7iv is lighter, and I do like using it as a walk around camera. It provides a lot of useful information/feedback in its EVF, including the ability to zoom in to nail the focus with manual lenses. Battery life is poor! There's a much better choice of new lenses for the Sony e mount. The adapters work well. The video is much better, and that's important for me as I'm starting to include more clips in my TH-cams. I think I'm going to do a video on the pros and cons of the Sony with vintage lenses, but it won't be done for a while....
@@Simonsutak Thanks for your reply Simon. That’s useful info and especially the camera comparison. I have experience with the Sony, (years of hosting photography workshops) and would say the the same about using the the Canon R system mirrorless v the 5D4 DSLR, the EVF is a game changer on the mirrorless cameras. Ever since Pentax finally brought out a DSLR the romanticist in me has often thought of getting the K1 or the later version, just to tie up the 50/60 year Taks with their latter day namesake cameras.
I prefer to f2 for it's rendering, and like the Auto Tak 55mm f2.2.
Yes, the Auto Takumar 55mm f2.2 is a hidden gem!
From your images here Simon my favourite would be the 2.4 I do have a soft spot for the quirkier bokeh lenses. A lot of the takumars are a bit too good for my liking, I think they're too close to modern lenses. I'm having fun messing around with my 50mm meritar, I'm glad I bought it it's definitely quirky to use and gets a surprising amount of swirl. Some people prefer a smoother look and some like something a bit more crazy, if we were all the same the world would be a boring place to live.
I have both models. rare to find
i would be interested in seeing the results from that 55mm f/2.2 Gaussian!
You've encouraged me to take the old preset 55mm f2.2 out for some shots! If they come out well, I'll post them in a video. Perhaps compared to the later Auto-Takumar 55mm 2.2....
In the meantime, I have a small album of shots from the preset here, including quite a lot of bubble bokeh:
www.flickr.com/photos/95859572@N06/albums/72177720295512629
@@Simonsutak just what i wanted to see. thank you very much
I like the f2
Is it possible that the lens in not a Sonnar design? AFAIK, the sonnar configuration would not be able to fit aomething as short as a 58mm into an SLR.
Great question! I believe, from what I've read over the years, that it is a Sonnar design. But assuming it is, it is indeed a very unusual use of a Sonnar design, as described on this web-page, for instance.
www.klassik-cameras.de/Pentax_Takumar_e.html
"A Sonnar (cemented triple). The focal length had to be enlarged to 58mm (small rear distance of that type). To my knowledge it is the only SLR Sonnar type standard lens."
Hi I like heliar type i think very sharper than sonnar type.
Who's from Blitz?
AOC has some bad connotations. Perhaps in future you might choose some other moniker.
help i am to terrified of these lenses because they are too radioactive
No need to be terrified. These two lenses are not radioactive.
I don't think these two are.
I'm terrified that they're not radioactive enough for my taste.
Whats the point anymore,AI will/has destroyed photography
Thanks👍👍👍👍👍👍👍