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Yu-Lin Chan | profile | all galleries >> Pictures Taken with Manual Focus Lenses >> 40mm to 60mm Lenses >> Auto Takumar 55mm F2.0 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Auto Takumar 55mm F2.0

I can't explain it, but I have a fondness for very old, well made cameras and lenses. The Pentax H2 is one of the three screw mount cameras I own. The other two are Yashica Electro and Electro X.

This lens is more than 40 years old. It stunned me when I looked at the pictures taken with it. Even wide open, this lens is usable and at F2.0, it's tack sharp. Very nice bokeh, and in no small part helped by the ten aperture blades. The only complain I have is the colour tends to be somewhat subdued.
Pentax H2 with the Auto Takumar 55mm F2
Pentax H2 with the Auto Takumar 55mm F2		 Ryan
Ryan		 Megan
Megan

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globalimage08-Mar-2010 16:26
it's a real beauty, and great performer too! according to Taunusreiter it's sharper than other tested Takumars, see:http://www.taunusreiter.de/Cameras/EarlyPentaxTakumarPrimesTest.htm
I love this lens :-)
abbazz10-Jan-2008 08:34
Hi, Yu-Lin, thanks for posting your pictures.

The Auto/Super/SMC-Takumar 55/2 and Auto/Super/SMC-Takumar 55/1.8 are exactly the same lens (6 elements in 5 groups double Gauss type).

As Pentax needed an economy lens to sell as a kit with the entry level Pentax S2, it created the 55/2 by adding a ring inside the 55/1.8 lens which only purpose is to limit the maximum aperture to f/2. It is possible to remove this ring on the earlier lenses to turn a 55/2 into a 55/1.8 lens.

In fact, your Auto-Takumar 55/2 wide open should be just as sharp as your SMC-Takumar 55/1.8 stopped down to f/2, with a little better flare control on the latter due to the better coatings.

Cheers!

Abbazz
Yu-Lin Chan09-Jan-2008 18:20
Laurence, I am guilty of not using this lens more often. It's attached my H2 on my shelf. This lens is definitely an excellent lens for black and white film photography, as I think the lens was optimized for that purpose. Thank you for visiting my galleries.
Laurence 08-Jan-2008 23:37
Yu-Lin, I am enamored with the Auto Tak 55mm f2! To me, it is a tie for brilliance with the Mamiya Sekor 55/1.4! BOTH have this same sort of fantastic bokeh that you describe, and both have a tiny bit of subdued color, but not a major factor.

I truly am enjoying your site. Thank you for taking the time to show us some of the characteristics of your gear.
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