Late lunch with the kids and Bhavna. More tests with the Asahi SMC Takumar 55mm f/2.
Tag: Asahi Optical Co.
SMC Takumar 55mm F2
I'm experimenting with some vintage lenses and Fotodiox adapters. In a fit of nostalgia, I recently bought an Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II on eBay. It came with an Asahi SMC Takumar 55mm f/2 lens. This lens has an M42 mount. X-photographers such as Jonas Rask and amateurs such as Ritchie Roesch are adept at using vintage lenses with a Fuji X camera. I wanted to give it a try. I bought a Fotodiox Lens Mount Adapter Compatible with M42 Screw Mount SLR Lens on Fuji X-Mount Cameras and mounted the Asahi SMC Takumar 55mm f/2 lens to my Fuji X-T2.
All shots were handheld, so any softness in the photos is probably because of my unsteady hand. Please remember that this is a simple look at the results I might expect from this lens and adapter combination. It is not a review. I just want to be curious and find a reason to go out and shoot and have some fun. If attaching an old lens to my modern "digital photon capturing device" does that for me, it might do that for you. I'm just having fun. After all, I switched to the Fuji X system was the retro experience.
The Fuji X-T2 has an APS-C sensor. The crop factor is 1.5. That means the 55mm lens on this camera has the same FOV as an 82.5mm lens on a 35mm full-frame camera. Jonas Rask recommended the Mitakon Zhongyi Lens Turbo Adapter V2 for Full-Frame M42 Mount Lens to Fujifilm X Mount APS-C adapter.
The Lens Turbo Adapter V2 for Full-Frame M42 Mount Lens to Fujifilm X Mount APS-C Camera from Mitakon Zhongyi allows a full-frame M42 mount lens to be mounted onto a Fujifilm X mount camera. While doing so, the adapter approximates the lens's angle of view as if placed directly on a camera with a full-frame sensor while providing a 1-stop increase over the lens's aperture range.Jonas Rask
I could use the Asahi SMC with the Mitakon Zhongyi Lens Turbo Adapter V2 for Full-Frame M42 Mount Lens to Fujifilm X Mount APS-C adapter Takumar 55mm f/2 lens like a 55mm lens. I am considering buying an Asahi SMC Takumar 28mm f/3.5 lens. On the Fuji X-T2, the lens would offer a ~42mm FOV, which is a normal FOV. This lens and adapter combination would be perfect for street photography.
The focus peaking feature of the Fuji X-T2 is handy for manually focusing this lens. The lens adapter does not transmit aperture settings back to the camera body. My biggest challenge is remembering which aperture setting I used to take the shot. The following sample photos reflect my unscientific testing: attach the Asahi SMC Takumar 55mm f/2 lens to the Fuji X-T2 and shoot stuff around the neighbourhood. I shot using a modified version of Ritchie Roesch's Kodachrome II Film Simulation Recipe. The following is the result. The following JPEG images are straight out of cameras (SOOC).
Lens
- Name: Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
- Mount: M42
- Tested On: Fujifilm X-T2 with FotodioX M42-FX adapter
- Zoom/Prime: Prime
- Focal Length: 55mm
- Maximum Aperture: f/2
- Minimum Aperture: f/16
- Diaphragm Blades: 6
- Price Paid: US$45
- Product Ratings (1=miserable, 5=excellent):
- Construction Quality: 4
- Image Quality: 4.5
- Overall Value For Price: 4.5
- Recommended: Yes
Lens Photos
Broken Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SPII
Created by photographer Frank Jansen, the Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography.
When I was a kid growing up in St. Vincent & the Grenadines1, my dad would take us on road trips out to the countryside. Note, this was on an island that is 345 kilometre2 (133 miles2). A road trip isn't more than a 30-minute drive. But as a kid, it felt like we travelled for hours over great distances.
Sometimes, these trips were to the top of a part of the volcanic ridge that bisects the island. Other times it was to a previous unexplored beach along the coastline. For me, it always felt like an adventure.
My father often brought his camera, an Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II film camera. Asahi Optical Co. introduced the Spotmatic circa 1964. It was the first camera to sell well with Through-the-Lens light metering in many ways; my dad is the first photographer I knew personally. My dad was an aloof father when I was a kid, so I can't say he taught me much about photography but knowing he took photos of us during our mini-adventures is a pleasant memory.
The camera in this photo is the same Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II and the Asahi SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 lens that Dad used on those "road trips". My mom found it a few years ago while doing some spring cleaning. I was excited to have it. But it's broken. I replaced the battery but stripped the screws on the battery compartment. The shutter works, but the latch that keeps the back door closed doesn't work. Mould grew over the pentaprism, making it difficult to focus the camera. The camera is broken.
I love the controls on this camera. Want to change the ISO? Turn a dial. Want to set the aperture? Turn the dial on the lens. From my search on Google, I think the Fuji X series cameras are the only modern digital cameras that operate this way. If I had the budget for a second camera, I would get either the X-T2 or X100F. I have been watching Fuji for a few years. I like their approach to camera design. I rented a Fuji X-T1 and Fuji X-E1 a few years ago and loved them both. I don't have the budget for a complete system switch.
Created by photographer Frank Jansen, the Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography.
- Saint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean. It is the largest island in a chain of islands comprising the nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Vincent is located between Saint Lucia and Grenada in the Caribbean Sea. ↩
