Pentax Takumar 135mm f/3.5 SMC

Takumar 135mm 3.5 SMC  -1

Pentax Takumar 135mm f/3.5 SMC. If you’re looking to purchase this lens I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. 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

Takumar 135mm 3.5 SMC  -2

Barrel
Metal.

Weight
15.2 oz (338g)

Focus Type
Manual Focus.

Focus Ring
Metal.

Close Focus
5 feet (1.5 meters).

Filter Threads
49mm, Metal.

Aperture Ring
Metal.

Diaphragm
6 blades stopping down to f/22.

Mount
M42 Metal.

Made in
Japan.

f/3.5

f/3.5

f/3.5 100% Crop

f/3.5 100% Crop

 

100% Crop

 

Corner

Corner

Sharpness

f/3.5: Sharpness is not to bad with a little little spherical aberration lowering contrast but quite a bit of chromatic aberration.
f/4: Nicely sharp all over with better contrast and almost no spherical aberration but still quite a bit of chromatic aberration.
f/8: Nicely sharp all over but a little less contrast than expected at f/8 and that chromatic aberration is still not entirely gone.

Vignetting

Low amount of vignette at f/3.5 almost all gone at f/4.

Bokeh
Has fairly nice blur even at f/3.5 and would still make for a decent portrait lens. The contrasty areas are a little harsh but thats just from being a f/3.5 and now a larger aperture.

Distortion
Has a moderate amount of pincushion distortion.

Recommendations

On MF Camera
Optics:          ★ ★ ★ ★
Mechanics:   ★ ★ ★ ★
Ergonomics:  ★ ★ ★
Usefulness:   ★ ★ ★
Availability:    ★ ★ ★
Overall:          ★ ★ ★

On AF Camera
Ergonomics:   ★ ★
Overall:           ★ ★
Out of 5

Small size, low distortion, great wide open, built well, and easy to run. At f/3.5 the bokeh blur is pretty nice and better then most lenses stopped down to f/3.5.

I personally would not go hunting for this lens because I typically shoot portrait work and I like to blur my backgrounds so I would prefer to have a f/2.8 for a little more money. For landscape or bird photography I would recommend this lens if you can find one for under $75 and they can easily be found at thrift stores for $10.

For portrait work I would prefer and suggest the amazing Takumar 135mm f/2.5 SMC which I’ve seen go for anywhere between $75 and $300. There are deals out there so keep watch.

 

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