I’m constantly buying / selling / trading camera gear in that elusive search for the ultimate lens or geeky piece of equipment that I just can’t live without… until the next best thing comes along! So, I will begin a (hopefully) regular review series entitled Cheap Gear Review, in which I’ll review anything photography-related that comes into my grubby little hands for much less money than you would expect.

On the chopping block today is an SMC Takumar 135mm f2.5 lens.

Introduction

Going back at least 30 years, I picked up this old lens on my last visit to Japan for a mere $20 CAD, complete with hood, and original front and rear caps; everything in mint condition. I couldn’t believe my luck until I took it home and noticed some mild fungus on the front glass. Feeling betrayed, I took it upon myself to dismantle the lens and give it a good cleaning. The worst that could happen is I lose my $20. Some latex gloves, a bottle of windex and 15 minutes later, and I was successful! As good as new.

The Variants

There are supposed to be a few variants of this lens (SMC = Super Multi-Coated):

• SMC Takumar 135mm f2.5 w/ 6-element optical design, M42 mount
• SMC Takumar 135mm f2.5 w/ 5-element optical design, M42 mount
• SMC Pentax 135mm f2.5 K mount
• Takumar Bayonet 135mm f2.5 K mount (with slide-out hood)

I lucked out and stumbled upon the 6-element SMC variant that was made in Japan, which is apparently the only good version of it. And when shooting with it, I definitely agree: it’s superb! Great contrast, sharpness and color all around!

Build Quality and Handling

The images produced by this lens are excellent (more on that later) and so is its construction; it’s hefty, feels solid, and looks like it can take a beating. The handling though is odd… As you can see in my pictures of the lens itself, it’s rather long but slim, and extends even further outward the closer you focus. Mounted on my Nikon D300 with an adapter, it just doesn’t balance right and feels thinner than it should.

And with the hood mounted you’re asking for trouble…it’s so long that I’ve bumped it against a few walls already! (Though this is where its metal construction really helps )

On the plus side, the focus ring is buttery smooth and with a long throw (the actual distance getting from closest to longest focus on the lens), making it a cinch to focus at f2.5. The aperture ring is nice and snappy, too

Speaking of aperture, take a look at that diaphragm! 8-blades, though not exactly straight. I don’t know if that’s normal and if it’s just a problem with the copy I have, but it straightens out at all other apertures and produces great bokeh regardless!

Image Quality and an important GOTCHA

This lens is sharp. In fact, under the right conditions, it’s sharper than my existing Nikon lenses. At f2.5 there’s a little less contrast and vibrant colors, but that’s easily remedied in Photoshop. Also quite a bit of lateral aberration (green fringing), but what can you expect for the price? Image sharpness however is there from the get-go.

If you Google this lens you’ll find differing opinions on image quality, though I think the negative feedback all relates to the other variants. The winning formula with this lens seems to be an SMC Takumar 135mm f2.5 w/ 6-element optical design, M42 mount, and made in Japan inscribed on the filter ring and lens barrel. Supposedly someone found the same lens made in Vietnam, and it was quite the lemon…

Here’s the gotcha: Keep in mind that being M42-mount, you’ll need an M42 adapter to mount this lens on your camera. I would suggest buying a cheap non-glass & non-infinity adapter from eBay, as the added glass in the infinity adapters seriously degrade the sharpness and overall quality of this lens. But without it, you’ll be unable to shoot @ infinity.

Don’t know what this means? Take a look at the examples below. All three shots are of the Toronto skyline; first @ f2.5, followed by f8 and finally f22.

To get objects in focus that are any more than 20 feet away, you need to stop down to f22…and even then you might not get focus. This is due to the M42 design vs. your Nikon or Canon camera, and has nothing to do with the lens. Again, an optical M42 adapter will fix this but at the expense of image quality. If you shoot with Olympus or Pentax, you’re in luck! These cams will pretty much mount anything with the right adapter and achieve perfect focus without worry.. Not to mention this lens was made for Pentax cameras (refer to the first shot in this post). I’m jealous!

I quite prefer shooting macro anyway, and hardly ever find myself shooting into the far-off distance! You might discover the same when shooting with this 135mm.

Buying Options

So what your choices when buying a 135mm lens? Well, there are the many Nikon versions, but those cost at least $1,000. How about Canon? They have an f2.0 lens that costs even more! And the Olympus version, as fantastic as it is, also costs a pretty penny. This SMC Takumar is a bargain!

Unless you happen to find yourself in the same photolab I was @ Hamadayama Station on the Inokashira Line in Tokyo, Japan, your best option to pick one up is probably eBay  If you don’t care for the obtrusive hood to be included in the sale (I never use it) you should be able to find it pretty cheap, probably between $40-$80. Keep in mind my $20 was spent on a copy with fungus that was easily cleaned away. Also ensure it physically looks like the copy here and says Made in Japan on the filter ring and barrel, as there exist too many weaker variants of it.

And as for mounting it on your camera? You’ll need an M42 adapter! The cheapest I’ve seen on eBay is $4.95, which is what I paid for mine. Don’t bother with one that achieves infinity-focus as it just tosses away all the sharp colorful goodness that comes with this lens

My Verdict?

Highly recommended! While it does feel awkward in the hand and can be used as a baseball bat with the hood attached, this lens is fun and easy to use, and produces outstanding images. Pick one up if you don’t mind its macro-only usage when used on Nikon or Canon bodies.

Good luck and happy shooting! All images below were taken with this lens.

We visited NYC *again* last month, but for only four days. And while I didn’t squeeze out too many stellar shots, I sure made it a mission to shoot plenty in the subway.

I have a thing for grungy, grimy, dirty and humid environments, and the underground of NYC exceeded expectations. How are mice on the tracks for grungy? How about the rats chasing the mice for just plain dirty? Top that off with some sweaty cockroaches and you have a date with a camera. Yes sir.

Anyway, I feel rather happy with the shots. One thing’s for certain: pointing an SLR this-way-and-that on the NYC metro never gets a second glance. I love that people in this city are too preoccupied to care

 
I’ll forever remember this first shot:

Me to polite girl: “Wonder why I always see halos of light with motion-blurred shots?”

Polite girl: “Because light flickers at a frequency out of the range of human vision.”

Thanks for reading!

One of my greatest memories of visiting NYC last year was the view of the city skyline from the top of the Rockefeller Center. Since I’ve taken more than enough shots of it to share on Flickr, I thought it was about time I post a few here.

Granted, the view is the same…but it just never gets boring. And the transition from day to night was a beautiful sight!

Enjoy!

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Happy Canada Day! Went out with the Miss’ and a buddy for a fun-filled night of fireworks

Yes, this is a day late Anyway, enjoy!

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This past weekend Toronto played host to Woofstock, a yearly event in which dogs of every size and breed come out to play – no cats allowed!

I’m not fortunate enough to have a dog in my family just yet, though that didn’t stop us from sharing in the festivities and taking plenty of pics (while being careful to not step in poop, mind you ).

It’s funny; walking around without a dog had many people asking, “Where’s your puppy? How can you be here without one?”

Enjoy!

Spoiled

Baking in the sun

Grrr...

King of the Hill

Playfighting

Princess Bella

Just exhausted...

Cuteness, redefined

Twins?

Thanks for reading!

Everything that’s wrong about the shot above is what I like about it; the cut-off subject, wonky composition, strange highlights and confusing elements.

There’s nothing really cohesive in this picture but somehow it appeals to me. Maybe it’s the fun that was had in the process, “shooting without thinking” so-to-speak. No specific concept in mind, just loose and random.

I’d say 99.5% of my daily shots consist of random stuff like this. And funny enough, they’re the ones that satisfy me the most. So next time you’re out shooting, stop trying so hard to look for compositions and just shoot…see what comes of it.

It’s all about having fun, the way street-shooting should be!

Maybe I’m back, maybe I’m not. First things first: I must change the format of this blog to enable me to update it on a regular basis without being overwhelming; time is limited, and maintaining a blog should be fun!

I’m thinking of moving toward a “photo a day” kinda blog. What do you think?

(btw, the view above is that of Tokyo from Tokyo Tower. A mashup of a city, if you will )

Expect some changes very soon!

A crowded subway platform. Lots of people, color, grimy walls full of texture, and last but not least, speeding trains. These are only a few of the reasons why my camera is always with me when riding Toronto’s TTC.

For the shots below I walked my way to the forward-most car and had a clear view of the tracks before us. While I got off some shots I’m proud of, I overstayed my welcome; the conductor wasn’t too pleased and cited security concerns, asking me to stop. Oh well. Next time I’ll shoot from the other end

Please click each image to view large.

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Yes, you heard right. I consider the typical Japanese bike alluring. For a frame of metal with two rubber tires that is.

And for good reason. No two are alike, though they all seem to share the same, simple and dependable body, along with a lack of shocks and sporting only a single speed. Obviously the typical street-bike is made with mass-production in mind considering the size of the populace that don’t drive, hence their simplicity to keep costs down.

But what they lack in complexity they gain in sex-appeal. Maybe I’m stretching it here, but there is an element of beauty gracing the elegant lines of an el-cheapo Japanese bike and so it is most often the subject I find before my camera

Please click each image to view larger.

Enjoy!

A little to the left...

Lineup

Just the Two of Us

Suspended

A Basket of Color

You Spin Me Right 'Round

Thanks for reading!