Asahi Super-Takumar 105mm 2.8

On one of my daily strolls to a local place with some vintage cameras, I stumbled upon a leather case which had a lovely surprise within: an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F (a black one), and a few Takumar lenses, namely a 28mm, a 50mm, a 105mm, and a 200mm, all in very good condition. You could tell the original owner really wanted to be prepared, and cared for their equipment. I've rarely used short telephoto lenses (and mainly a 90mm Jupiter), so the 105 caught my eye. I already own the same camera and have shot both the 28mm and 50mm. I talked to the seller and ended up getting the 105mm, and it's been a fun few months with it!

This lens is tiny. It balances perfectly on the Sony a7. It has that good, good, goood build quality of the older Takumars, and feels solid and well made. Did I mention that smooth-as-butter focus ring? I just did. Using the lens is a joy, and with the original lens hood and metal cap, it feels like I'm the first owner of it.

This is where I'm a bit conflicted. For such a joy to use, the results I achieved weren't what I expected from a Takumar. Even with the lens hood permanently on (it's very convenient how it can stay on the lens when not in use), I constantly struggled with flaring. As expected, wide-open optical performance wasn't that good, with a lot of chromatic aberration and softness in all but the center. Contrast was pleasing, as were the colors: more on the neutral side, giving you room to adapt your images to your own style. All in all, by the end of the few months I shot with the Takumar 105mm 2.8, I had some images I was very pleased with.

I'm not sure what to make of this one. The 105mm focal length is interesting for sure, and with the weight and size of the lens, it's an ideal portrait lens to carry in your bag. If I didn't have a good 50mm or 135mm, I wouldn't prioritize it, but it does look amazing paired with the Asahi Pentax Spotmatic (as was intended), and it is a real joy to use. I doubt I'll hold on to it long-term, but it was a really good (and light on my backpack) experience.