The Asahi Pentax Takumar 28mm 3.5 is a very interesting wide-angle lens. Don’t be fooled by their modest price tag – Takumar lenses are great! The 28mm Takumar is an undervalued little gem. I have the pleasure to own a few old Pentax cameras and lenses and they are all great. Both the build quality and the image results are superb. Takumar lenses tend to be less expensive than their more collectible Carl Zeiss competitors. If you are thinking about getting this lens, go for it you will not be disappointed.

Asahi Pentax Takumar 28mm 3.5 Recommendation

PROs:

• one of the least expensive wide angle M42 lenses
• very compact
• sharp
• solid metal construction
• short focusing distance
• vivid colours
• great for video

If you are looking for an affordable wide angle lens look no further. This lens is great for anybody who is interested in wide angle outdoor photography (f3.5 is not ideal for indoor photography). Travel photographers will love this tiny and light lens. The Takumar 28mm is also great when you shoot with a cropped sensor (ie.: entry level SLR or micro-four-thirds). At 28mm this lense is a bit wider than the standard 35mm wide angle lens. This does make a difference on cropped sensors and you will appreciate that the lens has a wider angle of view.

CONs:

• at f3.5 it is not really a fast lens
• inconvenient lens shade

There are essentially only two slight negative aspects I want to point out. First of all f3.5 is not amazing. On a nice sunny day this might be enough but when shooting indoors you might need another lens. An alternative might be the much more expensive 35mm Flektogon lens (alternatively you might also want to look into the 35mm Carl Zeiss Skoparex lens). Secondly, the lens shade is not practical (it will double the overall size of your lens). Therefore, most of the time I don’t even use it. Apart from that the Takumar 28mm is a good overall performer. Of course the bookeh is not amazing but you do get sharp, crisp images (even when shot wide open) and punchy colours.

Asahi Pentax Takumar 28mm 3.5 Versions

The Takumar 28mm 3.5 is availale in two versions. The older version has a minimum aperture of f22 while the newer version (branded Super-Multi-Coating) has a minimum aperture of f16. The newer version is coated and is branded Super-Multi-Coating. The 28mm Pentax lens is available both with a M42 / Pentax mount (for the Pentax Spotmatic cameras) and with a Pentax-K mount.

• • Mounts available:
    • M42 / Pentax mount
    • Pentax K
  • Lens elements: 4
  • minimum focusing distance: 40cm
  • Filter mount: M49 x 0.75

Asahi Pentax Takumar 28mm 3.5 Video

Footage shot on Asahi Pentax Takumar 28mm f3.5 SMC

Another example video shot using a full frame Canon 6D