Build

These two lenses are mechanical gems. Common lore has it that every one of Pentax's fast 50s was sold at a net loss, and that if they were released today would be an expensive lens indeed. True or not, these two lenses certainly are built to fine standards, all metal and glass with smooth focus throws and deliberate detents in the aperture ring. The scalloped focus rings are wide and easy to grasp and use, with the equally-usable aperture ring marked in half-stop increments from f/1.4 to f/16.

The S-M-C Tak 50/1.4 is slightly bigger and weighs about 30 more grams than the Super-Tak 50/1.4. Both still feel solid and firm both in your hand and on the camera. The Super-Tak 50/1.4 has only six aperture blades, whereas the S-M-C Tak has eight.

There is one other difference between the two, and it has to do with a radioactive element. [Please note that this is all speculation that I've gleaned from various Internet sources.] Apparently the Super-Takumars had one of the elements coated with a radioactive substance that, over time, decays and imparts a yellow tinge to the elements. Both of my Super-Takumar 50/1.4s are indeed yellowed, as you can see from the view of the front elements here. Some have proposed exposure to UV light as a cure for the yellowing, but I have not tried this myself.

Physical Usage

There is little difference between these two lenses as far as usage. They both mount to digital SLRs through an adapter and operate in stop-down mode via a switch on the lens. Pentax cameras will meter in aperture priority mode with the lens stopped down.

Side view of both the Asahi Optical Co. Super-Takumar 1:1.4 50mm, left, and the Asahi Optical Co. Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 1:1.4 50mm, right.
Click here for to see the front elements.

These 100% crops compare the sharpness of both lenses. The Super-Tak 50/1.4 is noticeably softer at wider apertures than the S-M-C Tak 50/1.4.
Click here to see more samples by these lenses.

Sharpness

The Super-Tak 50/1.4 was once described as 'looking like it is smeared with Vaseline' when wide open. While perhaps not that dramatic, it certainly is softer (as can be seen in 100% crops here) at all apertures than the S-M-C Tak 50/1.4. In everyday scenarios you can even discern that the Super-Tak 50/1.4's sharpness is better in the center than at the edges. It does impart an overall effect of a dreamy, almost-soft-focus lens when used at f/1.4.

The S-M-C Tak 50/1.4, however, is tack sharp at f/2.8 and acceptable at f/2 and wider.

Bokeh

In addition to a subtle difference in sharpness, these lenses do offer slightly different out-of-focus rendering characteristics. The first obvious difference is caused by the different number of aperture blades. The S-M-C Tak 50/1.4's eight aperture blades create a smoother, more circular shape for out-of-focus specular highlights.

Also noticeable is a subtle difference in the smoothness of the blur disk. Both lenses exhibit bright rings around the edges of their blur disks, as can been seen in the crops of the leaves, but the S-M-C Tak 50/1.4 starts to even out starting at f/2 whereas it is still noticeable in the Super-Tak 50/1.4 sample.

Color

Despite the yellow coloring of the Super-Tak 50/1.4's elements, there is little noticeable difference in the output from these lenses.