Best M42 Lenses

<p>The one you have is excellent, perhaps one of the best. About 80% of my 35mm black and white I shoot with an SMC Takumar 55mm f1.8, which is, I think, pretty much the same lens. I prefer it to the 50mm f1.4.

 

<p>The 50mm f1.4 and the 35mm f2, Super Tak and S.M.C. Tak will yellow. I use my slightly yellowed 50 and very, very yellowed 35 for b&w photography. They work fine.

 

<p>All the Pentax screw mounts are excellent, plentiful and not to expensive. My experience (all SMC except 35mm f2, which is Super Tak):

 

<p>28mm f3.5: really sharp, little distortion, slow<br>

35mm f3.5: eye-peeling sharp, some distortion, slow<br>

35mm f2: subject to yellowing, pleasing tonality in b&w<br>

50mm f1.4: same pleasing tonality, subject to yellowing (hmmm...)<br>

50mm f4 macro: sharper at infinity, nice landscape and garden lens<br>

55mm f1.8: (rubber focus ring) high contrast, sharp, close focus<br>

85mm f1.8: rarer and more expensive, better at close range, nice portraits, subject to yellowing? (maybe, mine isn't)<br>

100mm f4 macro: excellent sharpness<br>

135mm f3.5: a shade less sharp at close range, good for portraits? (haven't tried for that, but looks like it would be)<br>

Ok different brands since the only tak I own is a 135, and its not great for portraits

b. c . its not really good close focused (10 - 12 FT?!)

 

I love my Mamiya 55 1.4 it is a beautiful lens, but really flare prone, but really worth

it for low light stuff. (best bokeh close focuses and sharp)

 

I have a Soligor 28 2.8 which I like too, it is not so sharp but once again a pretty lens

in the edge distortions and bokeh ,, and not so flare prone.

 

i get a 200 vivitar soon just won it on e you know and will report and look and drool

at the cheap russian 85 f2s and will probably get one of them too in the next year.

I use the 105 f2.8 Super Takumar,SMC 55 f2,50 1.4 early eight element ,55 f1.8 Super Takumar,and last and maybe the most difficult to find the 200 f3.5 Takumar,all these lenses are great performers,picked them all up for under 125 Canadian,seek and you will find!!!!!!

I collect various older cameras and I consider the Pentax SMC 55/2 to be probably the best lens I have. It was also the cheapest at £2!

 

The picture attached is taken using this lens on a Canon 300D. One shows the whole image, and the other shows a small detail area.<div></div>