![[Lens Review] Pentax SMC Takumar 28mm f/3.5](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.jerfareza.camera%2Ffeatured-images%2F10343-takumar-28mm.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Welcome to yet another Takumar lens review, where exposing myself as a collector of Takumar lenses is not an overstatement. I adore how simple yet sturdy Takumar lenses are, and they are fun to use, even though the image quality is not the same across all the variants. So, let’s see what the 28mm has in store for us.
Table of Contents
Build and Handling
I usually have nothing but praise for the build of Takumar lenses, even the older ones. That rings true for this 28mm as well. I have the Super-Multi-Coated version, which is the later version and was produced from 1971 onwards. I bought mine around 2019 and at that point my copy was already decades old but appearance-wise, it still looks pristine. The previous owner did a great job in taking care of the lens.
Being an all-manual lens, the focus ring and the aperture ring are smooth and intuitive to operate even though the build is all-metal. It is quite heavy for its small size. The aperture ring has the right amount of resistance for ‘clicks. In addition, I like the focus distance marking on the lens, perfect for zone focusing though I still have not gotten good results with zone focusing with this lens yet (I need more practice I know).
I have the automatic/manual switch bent from accidentally dropping the lens on the pavement ground some time ago, but thankfully, it does not affect handling at all — it goes to show how solid the lens construction is.
Image Quality
Shooting wide open with this 28mm lens you would see the vignetting albeit slightly at the corners, which is somewhat expected. It may be showing its age, but I think this lens does a great job at controlling the flares even when against the direct sun — better than other Takumar lenses I own I would say!
It is quite a sharp lens in the middle wide open and a bit weak everywhere else. I took a shot of this pigeon using Sony A7ii which has 24 megapixels and I’m quite pleased to see how sharp the result is even zoomed in. The lens would probably struggle with a higher-megapixel digital camera but I’m happy to say sharpness is not an issue when shooting with film cameras. This lens shines on film.
Conclusion
28mm is not the focal length that I use the most, especially in street photography. I think it’s too wide to get into the details, but other people love the wider approach. For that reason, this lens is great for capturing the whole atmosphere of the scene without having the extreme distortions that wider lenses like 24mm have.
I own 2 other vintage 28mm lenses, Makinon 28mm f2.8 for M42 mount and Canon 28mm f3.5 FD, and I can say this Takumar lens is above them in terms of performance and fun-to-use.
Therefore I will give a final score of
8/10
because what’s not to like about this lens? Its build is fantastic, it’s small and it produces great results. The only downside I’m afraid is the price. As of the writing of this article, the lens will fetch around ¥5,000-15,000 depending on the condition ($30-100). It is not on the absolute lower end of pricing as far as the vintage lens goes, yet still affordable.
Sample Photos
Film (shot with Pentax Spotmatic F)
Digital (shot with Sony A7ii)
