Takumar is the name of lenses produced in the 70s by Asahi Optical. Takumars were dedicated to analog SLRs. Currently they are experiencing a second youth in digital photography. Using the cheap M42 adapter, they can be connected to any modern digital SLR camera.
Despite the passage of years, Takumara are still praised for the quality of workmanship and the drawn image. The 50mm version is considered one of the best in the history of photography. They are made of metal and… radioactive glass. After years, the glass in the super takumara turned yellow, giving a slightly warm tint to the photos (it can be removed in the body settings). Many different lenses have appeared, even those of the fisheye type or the great prime 85mm with a brightness of 1.8. In this post I present the one I bought myself – Super Takumar 50 mm F / 1.4.
The lens is very solid. Made entirely of metal and relatively small. The aperture is controlled manually and opens to a maximum of 1.4. (consecutive jumps are every F / 0.2). The lens works with a full frame and 35mm matrices. In full frame it is 50 mm, while in the APS-C (x1.6) it is 80 mm. I must admit that I really like the picture Takumar draws. It has such a magical atmosphere, it is very plastic and it renders colors very well. Sometimes for the so-called full hole (maximum aperture open), the effect of a dream glow comes out to the light. This can be seen at the edges of the objects. Some soapy edges too.
The beautiful bokeh is what distinguishes this lens. One of the best I’ve seen. Contemporary glasses are far from what Takumar presents in the background blur. The second plus is the price. Super Takumar costs from PLN 70 euro. The SMC version with additional coatings costs about 150 euro. The lens will be perfect for video filming.
Super Takumar and radioactivity
“One of the radiation sources in the lenses are lenses doped with the thorium isotope (Th) or its oxide. Doping made it possible to obtain a high refractive index while keeping the dispersion at a low level. A high refractive index of lenses could also be obtained by using glass with an increased refractive index, however, this solution would involve an increase in dispersion, which would be very disadvantageous. The most famous examples of lenses using the track are the Takumar 50mm f1.4 and the Takumar 55mm f2. Another source of radiation may be the lanthanum (La) isotope derived from poorly purified materials used for the construction of lenses. Most often, however, the level of radiation is low due to the negligible amount of radioactive material” – source Filip Sala “Lenses with an admixture of radioactive substances”.
