The Takumar 28mm f/2.8 lens is one of the “budget” lenses in Pentax K-mount. Is it a hidden gem or a forgotten stinker?
The Pentax Takumar name is one that carries a reputation for good lenses. They started out as lens makers, after all. The “Takumar Bayonet” 28mm f/2.8 is optically identical to the SMC Pentax-M 28mm, but lacks the SMC lens coating. Sounds kind of similar to the more recent release of the FA 50mm “classic” and “HD” lenses, doesn’t it? Let’s jump in and see how this lens performs.
The good
- Tons of wonderful character
- Good sharpness and contrast
- Sunstars on bright points as low as f/5.6!
- It’s great on APS-C, full frame digital, and 35mm film
- Compact and lightweight
- Stealthy look, no flashy branding or colors
- Great build quality
The less good
- Character also means susceptible to flaring and ghosting
- Some chromatic aberration (Though surprisingly minimal)
- Not quite as nice of a build as the SMC Pentax-M lenses
Pentax Takumar 28mm f/2.8 – TL;DR
I came across this Pentax Takumar 28mm lens when I purchased an old Pentax MX camera. It came with this and a couple of other lenses for so cheap that I couldn’t turn it down. Since then, I’ve come to really like this 28mm. It’s my favorite wide focal length, it is a great normal focal length on APS-C, and holds up to modern photography well.
This lens doesn’t really have many downsides. If you’re looking for technical perfection and hate lens flares and ghosting, you may want to go for the SMC or more modern lenses. This 28mm lens can produce some dramatic flares and ghosts when the angle to the sun is just right.
That said, most of us still using these old lenses love the character. This lens delivers it in spades. It produces awesome sunstars, a distinct bokeh that I really enjoy, and that lens flare can look really cool in the right setting. This lens is sharp, has plenty of contrast in general situations, a good build, and is one I am glad I have.
Pentax Takumar 28mm f/2.8 – Does it photo?
Uhm, yes. Heck yes it does! The Takumar 28mm f/2.8 has been awesome on every camera I have put it on. From the APS-C Pentax K3iii, to film with the Pentax ME, to high resolution mirrorless cameras with a borrowed A7RIV. It can certainly photo, and the way it renders its photos is just some more of that Takumar magic.
Bokeh
A 28mm lens isn’t the first thing I think of when thinking about bokeh lenses. However, that’s one thing I love about 28mm primes. They’re not so wide that they’re only good for big scenes, but they’re wide enough to handle them nonetheless. 28mm is my favorite wide angle focal length partly due to its versatility.
Specifically, the Takumar 28mm f/2.8 has really interesting bokeh. At some distances, it’s pretty smooth and unremarkable. At others, specular highlights have a nice cats-eye shape that increases towards the corners of the frames. Sometimes it can really give a nice “swirly bokeh” effect. It’s a lens with a lot of fun packed into it. I definitely love all the different looks the bokeh can have.
Optical Imperfections – Flare, color fringing, etc.
For an older lens that lacks the famous Pentax Super Multi-Coating, it is impressive how well the Takumar 28mm f/2.8 holds up when pointed towards the sun. It doesn’t wash out too much, contrast stays relatively good, and you can even get some nice sunstars in the right conditions.
For the above comparison photos, the angle of the sun was just right to create a perfect storm. This produced the worst contrast loss, flaring, and ghosting of all the sample photos I took during the review. Considering this isn’t an SMC lens, that’s not bad. If you’re after these kinds of imperfections for character or “cinematic” creative intent, it is pretty cool.
Sunstars and light diffusion
Something that I have quite come to like about the Pentax Takumar 28mm f/2.8 is how it handles night photography. On small and intense points of light, this lens creates the most wonderful sunstars. I think it may even beat out my previous favorite, the Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm.
Another unique characteristic of this lens is how it diffuses bright points of light. I notice that my night photos with this lens almost looked as if I had used a mist filter. However, I have never attached one to this lens! It has really become a go-to lens for me when I’m headed to town for some night photography.
Sharpness and contrast
Sharpness and contrast are covered with this lens. The Pentax Takumar 28mm f/2.8 lens behaves how you would expect a good prime from the 80’s to behave. It holds contrast well until you reach more extreme flaring, like the example I gave above. It really delivers a nice look that holds up today, whether on its original film or modern digital cameras.
Also, the lens is great for sharpness. It’s about like any other vintage prime. It’s a little softer outside of the middle when wide open, but it crisps up quickly as you stop down. By f/5.6 it is great, and it holds up until about f/16, where diffraction starts to set in. It’s pretty hard to fault it for it’s performance here. However, it probably isn’t quite up to resolving the full 61 megapixels of the Sony A7RIV. That said, I can’t tell any issues with it there, or on the 25 megapixel Pentax K3 Mark III.
Pentax Takumar 28mm f/2.8 – Touch test
In danger of sounding like a broken record, the Takumar 28mm f/2.8 handles about how you would expect it to. It is about as simple to operate as a lens can get. It has a nice, rubberized focus ring. The aperture ring clicks solidly into its stops.
The lens is nice and compact, making it a nice pairing for modern digital cameras as well as smaller film bodies like the Pentax ME and MX. Also, it’s pretty lightweight for a lens that feels more metal than plastic.
The focus ring is nice and smooth, though maybe not quite as buttery as my higher end Pentax-M or the older M42 Takumar lenses. Overall, nothing really stands out about using the lens. It gets out of the way and makes photos, so I don’t find that to be a bad thing.
Pentax Takumar 28mm f/2.8 – Build quality
Build quality is an area that Pentax always does well with. Even though this is a more “budget” oriented lens compared to it’s SMC Pentax-M family members, Pentax didn’t give the Takumar 28mm f/2.8 a crummy build. It is a solid, more metal than plastic build that feels substantial without being overly heavy.
If there’s anything to criticize here, it’s that the lens doesn’t really stand out here either. The SMC Pentax-M lenses have nice accents on the focus ring, they’re a little smoother feeling, and the finishes just seem a little bit nicer. Having said that, I’ve seen a lot of people pick this lens up for under $40 USD. Also, some copies of this lens are about 40 years old now and they’re clearly holding up well!
Pentax Takumar 28mm f/2.8 – It lives up to the Takumar name
When it’s all said and done, the little Takumar 28mm f/2.8 definitely earns its right to retain the Takumar name. It has a ton of lovable character in its image rendering. Its build is ruggedly utilitarian and doesn’t take away from the photography experience. The lens also has a way of making me want to pick it up and use it, especially for night photos.
The only real faults the lens has are directly related to it not being an SMC lens. There are situations where the flaring and ghosting can be distracting. This can also lead to a moderate loss of contrast in extreme situations. It also doesn’t have quite the luxurious feel of the older M42 Takumars or its contemporary SMC Pentax-M lenses.
All in all, the Pentax Takumar 28mm f/2.8 is a lens worth having. If you come across one for a deal, or even as part of a camera kit like I did, take it for a spin! You won’t regret giving it a shot (pun intended).
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