Asahi Pentax Takumar 135mm 3.5

by bollywoodmovie · Published January 19, 2014 · Updated June 21, 2019

The Asahi Pentax Takumar 135mm 3.5 Super-Multi-Coated is a solidly build japanese made telephoto lens that was originially manufactured for the Asahi Pentax Spotmatic cameras. Its’ main competitor is certainly the Carl Zeiss 3.5 135mm Sonnar (which is a bit more expensive but also a better performer). As most other Takumar lenses the Asahi Pentax Takumar 135mm 3.5 Super-Multi-Coated offers great value for money.

Asahi Pentax Takumar 135mm 3.5 Recommendation

PROs:

nice ergonomics
solid metal construction
reasonably sharp
decent bookeh
infinity focus works on Canon DSLR
value for money
compact and light

The 135mm Takumar is a nice telephoto lens that is available at a very affordable price. One thing you will immediately notice is that this lens is very compact and light compared to other telephoto lenses. It is not a burden to carry around and is a nice travel companion that will fit into any backpack. It almost feels like a 50 or 80mm lens.

Like all other Takumar lenses the ergonomics and build quality are excellent on this lens. It feels very nice to shoot with and the focusing is well calibrated. The image quality is very good for a lens in its price range. The reults are sharp and crisp most of the time, especially when you stop down the aperture a bit. The bookeh is reasonably good. In my opinion at the price this lens normally goes for it is really a bargain. If you want to invest a bit more in order to get a better bookeh have a look at the Carl Zeiss 135mm 3.5 Sonnar lens, which is alo less flare prone.

CONs:

slow lens
a bit soft when shot wide open
flare prone

The 135mm 3.5 Takumar is not the fastest lens. At f3.5 it is not suitable for available light photography. From my experience, the images rendered are often a bit dark. When shot wide open the lens tends to be a bit soft. I would also highly recommend using the lens shade as the Takumar 135mm 3.5 is a bit flare prone.

Asahi Pentax Takumar 135mm 3.5 Versions

The Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 3.5 135mm was manufactured in Japan in the 1960ies and 1970ies. It is available in an all black finish. All lenses are Super-Multi-Coated. It was manufactured with M42 mount and Pentax K mount.