Ian,
Quick way to distinguish the 135/2.5's...
1) The old original K135/2.5 has a 58mm front filter and bayonette mount.
2) The cheap Takumar 135/2.5 has a 52mm front filter, a bayonette mount, and the f
stops are painted different colors (plus it has Takumar written right around the
outside rim!)
3) The oldest is the SMC Takumar 135/2.5 and it's a SCREWMOUNT lens. There are other
Takumar screwmount 135's, but the SMC f2.5 is aledged to be the best.
> One of the issues I have found is following the denominations. I have seen
> for sales lens quotes as K 2.5, takumar 2.5 and SMC Takumar 2.5.
> Your list clearly distinguishes between the 1st 2, but I don't know how.
> It would be really great to have a reference using serial numbers to be able
> to compare.
> Thanks again
> Ian
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Fox, Paul [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 11:10 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: PDML : K 135mm lens
>
> Hi Ian,
>
> I never got it how to post in PDML directly but I will answer your question
> as far as I can:
>
> I have used several 135 primes:
>
> A 1.8/135 : Perhaps the best one - but you have to stop down to 2.8 to get
> the phantanstic quality! Phantastic in near distance shots too.
> K 2.5 : the 2nd best, better wide open than the 1.8 but hey: It's 2.5
> instead of 1.8. Stopped down they are equal!
> M42-Takumar 2.5 : Not exactly the same quality as the K 2.5 - I think the
> coating has changed. Different color tones compared to the 2.5.
> Takumar 2.5 : Not a bad lens but clearly a looser compared to the K 2.5.
> It's not as good as the 2.8-primes of other brands whereas the K2.5 and the
> A 1.8 are better than (according to my personal comparison) Canon FD 2.8,
> Olympus 2.8, Leica 2.8. Same quality has the Zeiss 2.8.
> A 2.8 : The worst Pentax 135mm lens I had. After sometest shots I
> immediately sold it again.
> K 3.5 : Well, when I have the 2.5 I don't use the 3.5 and when I need more
> light the 2.5 gives it whereas the 3.5 is the same as my Tamron 3.5/70-210.
> I still have one...
>
> Something else : Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 3.5/135 with M42-screw-mount! A
> superb lens which I find much better than the Pentax 3.5 !
>
> These are only my personal experinces from 20 years of shooting. I'm not a
> scientific test-shooter but I always make direct
> comparisons (tripod)
> between my lenses.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Paul
