niko_koskela

Nicolas, i would like to have a manual too ! nikokoskela@triathlete.com Thanks in advance !

Niko

The two lenses are actually identical, the f2 version only has it?s largest aperture "artificially" limited.

Niko

Also my other, modern, camera is an Olympus XA. It?s used regularly, it?s the camera in my cycling jacket pocket. Actually it is with me always when i am not carrying an SLR. The picture quality from it keeps surprising me all the time. I find it?s exposure meter perfect for my needs.

Oh, here i am praising it, and at the same time calling it my "other" camera! This is too confusing, maybe i should stop here, maybe i do not own an "other" at all...

Niko

My guess would be that yes, they are aperture-values equivalent to the modern ones. Just the values are different. Also on that scale the light entering trough the aperture would be reduced to half from the previous value and vice versa, because those values also seem to be multipied by square root of 2 (1,4142) when moving up the scale. Simple geometry, i guess ?

I?m no expert on that kind of lenses, but IMO that would be a good explanation ? Either is English my native language, so i hope my explantion can be understood...

Niko

I guess you would benefit from this Chris Sherlocks instruction: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/%7ESrawhiti/pentax50mmf1.4.html

Your problem should be easy to fix, assuming the filter thread is without damages.

Niko

Looks like Chris just explained a different way to use the Auto/Manual switch, at the same time i was writing my longish post.

Perhaps Marius had the metering switch on all the time, and didn�t see the difference between the modes because of that...

Niko

Hello Marius !

Not a bad price for a set like that !

1/2 second at ISO400 indeed exceeds the metering range. You can notice that also from a small triangle to the left of the shutter speed selector, it turns red ! At ISO400 it also turns red at 1sec selection. At ISO200 on the other hand it turns red at 1sec or B selections, and so on... It serves as a battery check, turn the select knob until the triangle turns red, and the needle should drop down when meter is turned on.

Then, the difference between Auto/Manual. On the manual mode the aperture is independent of the meter switch, aperture always changes immediately when you turn the aperture ring. On the Auto-mode the aperture doesn�t change until you turn on the meter, or release the shutter. This way, on the Auto-mode you can focus on the widest aperture, then turn on the meter -> aperture will close to your selection so you can check the correct exposure -> turn the switch off again, and you can re-check the focus and compose the picture, again on the widest aperture, release the shutter and aperture will close down to your selection even if the switch is off.

I don�t know if i could explain this in a sensible manner, but hopefully you get the idea :) I myself, always use manual mode, don�t ask why, i don�t know... There might also be different ways how people take benefit from the Auto-mode.

Niko

That�s good news Dave! Now you can propably work on any Takumar, and it won�t take whole day anymore!

Niko

Me again. Before too long someone will say you need these for removing the front ring: http://www.micro-tools.com/Merchant2/images/lr-kit.jpg

That would of course be ideal, but i have got good results (by being really careful, of course) with a piece of rubber glove, for grip, and a lens rear cap of a correct size to turn it.

For example, i needed to adjust the infinity focus on a SMC Takumar 85/1.8. The filter thread had a ding on it, and it refused to turn by hands with the rubber glove only (sometimes they can be removed that easily). I looked through my home for a correctly sized round object to fit the name ring, but not touch the lens. Finally i found it ! It was a Pentax K-Mount "push on" lens rear cap. With that arrangement i got the name ring off, and the filter thread was "repaired" at the same time! Of course, there´s also special tools for that...

Niko

Dave,

Chris Sherlock has strip-down instructions for a 50mm Takumar on his site: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/%7ESrawhiti/pentax50mmf1.4.html

I myself have not stripped down a 135/3.5, but various other takumars and all of those i could strip down following these instructions. I´d guess you can do it for the 135 too with those instructions. Actually stripping down a Takumar is quite simple, after you have stripped down one the first time, you know how to do it. The hardest part in disassembling was removing the "name ring" surrounding the front element... That will be difficult especially if there´s even lightest of damage on the filter threads.

Good luck ! Not that you need it... ;) Really !

Niko

P.S. Hopefully someone who has disassembled also the 135 can confirm that it´s not too different from other Takumars ?

Here´s a link to a site you might find interesting: http://home.att.net/~alnem/html/pentax_primes.html It has short comment of "quite many" lenses.

Niko