Pentax Super Takumar 105mm f/2.8 -43501. If you’re looking to purchase this lens sometimes Adorama might have them on occasion and Ebay always will. It helps me if you purchase it through one of these links here in this review. When you purchase through these links it financially enables me to devote time to develop this site further. Thanks for the help! -Todd
Barrel
Metal.
Weight
9.9 oz (281g)
Focus Ring
Rubber on Metal.
Close Focus
4 feet (1.2 meters).
Filter Threads
49mm, Metal.
Aperture Ring
Metal.
Diaphragm
6 blades stopping down to f/22.
Mount
M42 Metal Mount.
Made in
Japan
Corner at f/2.8
Bokeh at f/2.8
Closest focus at f/4
Sharpness
f/2.8: Sharpness is not too bad but there is quite a bit of spherical and chromatic aberration which reduces contrast and makes the lens look softer then it is.
f/3.5: Sharpens up nicely with good contrast but still very evident chromatic aberration.
f/4: Pretty sharp with a bit of chromatic aberration left and is gone by f/4.5.
f/8: Very sharp with great contrast and color and no signs of diffusion until f/16.
Vignetting
Low amount of vignette which is gone around f/4.5 for the most part.
Bokeh
The bokeh is fairly nice and not too distracting.
Flare and Ghosting
Evident but not too much and not too distracting. Larger apertures will produce a slight rainbow effect as seen above.
Distortion
Quite a bit of pincushion distortion.
Recommendations
On AF Camera
Optics: ★ ★ ★
Mechanics: ★ ★ ★ ★
Ergonomics: ★ ★ ★
Usefulness: ★ ★ ★
Availability: ★ ★
Overall: ★ ★ ★
On MF Camera
Ergonomics: ★ ★ ★ ★
Overall: ★ ★ ★
Out of 5
This is a great little pocket size lens with really sharp optics stopped down and built like a tank. This lens makes a very nice portrait lens with decent bokeh and draws the background forward nicely. I really enjoy the focal length as a 135mm lens can be a little close.
The lens is sharp however I was a bit disappointed with how much aberrations there were which makes the lens useless in bright sunny conditions when shot wide open. However most lenses are soft wide open and if you know that you will be stopping down then this is a great lens around f/3.5 onward.
As a portrait lens the flare and ghosting can produce some interesting looks if you were to shoot your subject with the sun behind them.
To make life easier I would check Ebay to see if there are split focus screens for your camera to help with manual focus. Also this lens works great on many digital cameras with a M42 Adapter
and are cheap all over ebay.
If you find 85mm is a little short and 135mm is a little long then this 105mm lens might be worth giving a try. I personally really like 85-110mm focal lengths the most for what I shoot.
Did this review help?
My hopes are to take the time to continue developing this website with more test photo based reviews. If you are ever interested in purchasing this lens or other photography equipment please do so through these links here in this review. I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. This helps support my family and allows me to take more time for the site. The best part is this site is free for you and I link good deals I find!
Sometimes these links will actually give you better deals then typical retail prices! I personally buy from the links I have listed whether looking for new gear or fun old stuff. I can personally attest to their good & safe service from years of experience. Thanks again to you, our readers, for supporting us! -Todd
