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 p.2 #14 · What's a good Intro Takumar? | |
Doug Morgan wrote:
Well I picked up a 55 f1.8 super takumar for $50 from the local shop and my initial impression is mixed. Got bored waiting for a more highly regarded lens to come up on fleabay. The takumar seems pretty sharp but what makes it less than thrilling is that the colours appear slightly dull compared to my other 50mm lenses.
I had a serious gray period yesterday (I'm no Son I'm afraid, more of a Homer) -- took a bunch of comparison shots, got distracted by another task to do, and when I came back forgot the order I took the shots in. Maybe too many lens for my feeble mental capabilities (canon, leica, zeiss, oly, and tak). We could play "guess which lens?" but if the weather cheers up a bit it would be more useful to take another set.
Thanks again....
Doug
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I would guess the "dull" colour that you describe is the lack of contrast in the images. Sort of a "washed out" feel. Being a Super-Tak it is almost certainly single-coated. This lack of contrast is what gives these Auto- and Super- Takumars "Ye Olde Tyme Feel". I'd be willing to bet the histograms are more compressed on the shots through the Super-Tak as compared to the others (for the same scene). It is what I have observed time and time again, and I see it as a distinct advantage for certain situations. It is easy to get very creative with it, and it especially lends well to B&W conversion and when working with difficult lighting. It doesn't correct difficult lighting, but it makes it a hell of a lot more interesting in many cases and can often be a benefit in extremely brightly lit, contrasty situations.
The best part, for me, is that I can use these lower contrast lenses in this way if I want too, or I can simply use a good hood, shoot smart, and get any of the missing contrast back in post processing. I think you'll find that a local contrast tweak and a custom tone curve will go a long, long way to getting that "punch", when you want it. With an uber-contrasty 50, such as the Zeiss Planars and the more modern 50s that I own, I do not have these options available. I get an over-the-top-contrasty image right out of the camera and my shadows drop to black so aggressively in high contrast situations that it is *very difficult* to drag detail out. Beyond that, the huge range from ultra-bright white to pure black is a bitch for the sensor to deal with in difficult lighting, and typically ends up in burnt highlights and/or shadows falling into the black hole, as mentioned. In the film days, I'd likely stick with the really contrasty lenses. The images do appear much "sharper", after all. These days, too much contrast is just that; "too much", and it is often at the expense of resolution.
If you want to try something simple, find the curves tool in whatever app you use and simply drag the black point (at the left of the histo) slightly over to the right until the blacks get punchy. Wiggle it back and forth till you get closer to what you want. Then play a bit with saturation and/or vibrance if necessary. I used to use this method before finding the "Sharpie" plugin for Bibble Pro, which is really incredible when combined with Bibble's sharpening. It really aught to be called the "Zeiss this Image" plugin.
When the situation just doesn't suit this kind of lens, I simply use a different 50. So, for me, these alternatives are not "instead of" options, they are "as well as" options. In other words, I don't think I would ever own *just* the Super-Tak 50/1.4, but I would never sell it either. 
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