Zeiss Killer??? Takumar Eight Element 1:1.4/50 I don't know, but as rumor goes Pentax only produced this lens for about a year with the goal of establishing itself as producing better...

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Takumar Eight Element 1:1.4/50

I don't know, but as rumor goes Pentax only produced this lens for about a year with the goal of establishing itself as producing better optical quality than the Zeiss Planars back in the 60's, it is said that Pentax lost money on these lenses and quickly switched production from this 8 element version to a 7 element version... Of course this is all rumor and folklore as far as I know...

But what I do know is that I recently picked this lens up at a great price as I am a collector of these lenses and took it out this morning in the yard and so far have been very impressed... I am thinking that it is better than my Sigma EX 50/1.4 and that is pretty good for an old lens like this... What's more is it is joy to handle, its focus and aperture rings operate very smoothly, much of the allure to these lenses is their mechanical quality, this lens is 50 years old and looks and operates pretty much like new...

corryhully Loc: liverpool uk

m42 takumars really are excellent lenses and a real joy to use. the 50mm use thorium glass (radio active)in one of its elements. when i got my 50mm it had a very yellowed hue to it and had to be treated with uv light to clear, but afterwards wow.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

corryhully wrote:

m42 takumars really are excellent lenses and a real joy to use. the 50mm use thorium glass (radio active)in one of its elements. when i got my 50mm it had a very yellowed hue to it and had to be treated with uv light to clear, but afterwards wow.

Actually this lens does not have the Thorium element, it is the version prior to that particular lens, I have a couple of those here also as well as the Super Multi Coated versions which also has the same element. I used to put them on top of aluminium foil and leave them in the sun on sunny days. A couple of days of bright sunshine will clear the yellow out of those lenses...

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Blurryeyed wrote:

Actually this lens does not have the Thorium element, it is the version prior to that particular lens, I have a couple of those here also as well as the Super Multi Coated versions which also has the same element. I used to put them on top of aluminium foil and leave them in the sun on sunny days. A couple of days of bright sunshine will clear the yellow out of those lenses...

Thorium?
Learn something new here every day.
Interesting.

"There are a significant number of lenses produced from the 1940s through the 1970s that are measurably radioactive. Main source of radioactivity is the use of thorium oxide (up to 30% by weight) as a component of the glass used in the lens elements. Thorium oxide has a crystalline structural similar to calcium fluoride (fluorite). Like fluorite, its optical properties of high refractivity and low dispersion allows lens designers to minimize chromatic aberration and utilize lenses of lower curvature, which are less expensive to produce. ............. The presence of thorium can sometimes, depending on the mixture of other elements in the lens, cause moderate to severe browning of the lens element(s)."

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Interesting. I'll have to look this lens up.

corryhully Loc: liverpool uk

Blurryeyed wrote:

Actually this lens does not have the Thorium element, it is the version prior to that particular lens, I have a couple of those here also as well as the Super Multi Coated versions which also has the same element. I used to put them on top of aluminium foil and leave them in the sun on sunny days. A couple of days of bright sunshine will clear the yellow out of those lenses...

i tried the foil and sunshine treatment on mine but with it being uk sunshine was in short supply. i ended up using a uv light for a loooong time. it did the job though.

Mark7829 Loc: Calfornia

Blurryeyed wrote:

Takumar Eight Element 1:1.4/50 br br I don't know... (show quote)

So many have said, invest in good glass. It will last a lifetime. I believe in that approach. What did you pay of it, if I may ask?

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

corryhully wrote:

m42 takumars really are excellent lenses and a real joy to use. the 50mm use thorium glass (radio active)in one of its elements. when i got my 50mm it had a very yellowed hue to it and had to be treated with uv light to clear, but afterwards wow.

all of the takumars were remarkable lenses. the 50mm referred to was and remains a stunning 50mm. now, as far as comparisons to others of the same focal length, it really does not matter, as when in use, in field or studio, all can produce excellent results.

if you can find the 17mm takumar, you will also experience joy.
good luck!

Snapit Loc: Texas

What adapter did you use to mount it onto a Canon camera?

khmunger

How would You attach this Lens to a Nikon DSLR or an Olympus OMD EM1?

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

khmunger wrote:

How would You attach this Lens to a Nikon DSLR or an Olympus OMD EM1?

Adapters.... for
Olympus/Panasonic.

corryhully Loc: liverpool uk

GoofyNewfie wrote:

Adapters.... for
Olympus/Panasonic.

focusing at infinity on a nikon with a m42 adapter is a problem. the adapter has to have a lens within it to compensate for the nikon flange distance. not what you want to do really.
no problem on canon, and the adapters are dirt cheap.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Mark7829 wrote:

So many have said, invest in good glass. It will last a lifetime. I believe in that approach. What did you pay of it, if I may ask?

Well I have two of them, one I bought from another Hogger for $150, this one I picked up at Goodwill for about $90, they are both in excellent condition, like I said I collect these things, I have about 10 Takumar 50mm lenses, all of which I consider special, I don't collect above 200mm but have several old lenses 200mm and below. They mostly collect dust, but every now and again I will spend a day shooting with just my manual lenses.... Another very special lens that I own believe it or not is a 28mm Vivitar f/2.0 Close up lens... blows my 28mm Tak away....

khmunger

How do You tell if your Lens is 8 element or 7 element. Mine looks just like Yours on the outside, but you are talking about the inside of the Lens.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

Blurryeyed wrote:

Well I have two of them, one I bought from another... (show quote)

I almost rue the day when I sold my Takumars (and Asahi and Praktica bodies) and moved to Canon manual focus FD mount. I loved those Takumars. Now I have moved from the Canon FD to EF mount, and as much as I would like to convert some of the FD lenses, that 1.4x converter factor holds me back.