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Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4 Macro Review RSS Feed

Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4 Macro

Sharpness 
 9.5
Aberrations 
 9.5
Bokeh 
 9.3
Handling 
 9.5
Value 
 9.8
Reviews Views Date of last review
17 131,592 Mon November 9, 2020
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $141.67 9.59
Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4 Macro

Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4 Macro
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Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4 Macro Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4 Macro
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Description:
This is a 100mm screwmount macro lens. This Super-Multi-Coated lens has open aperture metering with the Spotmatic F, ES and ES II cameras.

It shares the optical design with the Bellows version.

Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4
© www.pentaxforums.com, sharable with attribution
Image Format
Full-frame / 35mm film
Lens Mount
M42
Aperture Ring
Yes
Diaphragm
Automatic, 6 blades
Optics
5 elements, 3 groups
Mount Variant
M42 Open-aperture Metering
Check camera compatibility
Max. Aperture
F4
Min. Aperture
F22
Focusing
Manual
Min. Focus
45 cm
Max. Magnification
0.5x
Filter Size
49 mm
Internal Focus
No
Field of View (Diag. / Horiz.)

APS-C: 16 ° / 14 °
Full frame: 24 ° / 20 °
Hood
Case
Lens Cap
Coating
SMC
Weather Sealing
No
Other Features
Diam x Length
65.5 x 81.5 mm
Weight
350 g
Production Years
1972 (start of production)
Engraved Name
Super-Multi-Coated MACRO-TAKUMAR 1:4/100
Product Code
43922
Reviews
User reviews
Notes
Full aperture metering with Spotmatic F, ES and ES2
Features:
Manual FocusAperture RingFull-Frame SupportAdapter needed for DSLRsDiscontinued
Price History:



Add Review of Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4 Macro
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-15 of 17
New Member

Registered: November, 2020
Location: Kyoto
Posts: 3
Review Date: November 9, 2020 Recommended | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Versatile, a joy to use, sharp
Cons: None
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Sony a7ii   

This is one of my favorite Takumar series lenses.
Very sharp, great colors, great bokeh, and very versatile!
This lens has the name Macro, and it indeed can take fantastic macro shots full of fine detail and great colors and contrast, even handheld. At the same time, it is a 100mm lens that works great for portraits, and even landscape and street photography.
I can happily walk around for a whole day with only this lens and feel very satisfied with the possibilities at my finger tips.

The long focus throw of this lens is a pure joy to handle. It gives a tremendous sense of control, that makes you feel like a photographer performing a craft.

The build quality of this lens is of course superb, as can be expected from a Takumar series lens.
This lens is unique in the takumar family for its round and rubberized focus ring (most takumars have a steel focus ring with ridges). The only other takumars I can think of that have this kind of focus ring are the last versions of the 50mm 1.4 and 55mm1.8, which are much much smaller.

I strongly recommend this lens!
I will never sell my copy.
If you find one get it, because they are relatively rare.
You will love this lens!
   
New Member

Registered: November, 2013
Posts: 14
Review Date: October 8, 2019 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: very sharp lens
Cons: minimal CA's
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: k-S1 k-x k200d   

I've bought both, die bellow edition and the abowe shown lens 4/100.



++ really excellent sharpness at f 8-11

++ nice colors

++ high contrast

+/++ nearly no CA's


***** IMPORTANT TIP *****

If using an achromatic focal reducer with factor 0.7x, sharpness will increase once more

a simple 2/1 achromate top lens of a binocular 8x30 must be fitted into a K-macro tube/ring - try it = 2.8/70mm will be the result with extraordinary sharpness !!!
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2019
Posts: 2

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: October 1, 2019 Recommended | Price: $210.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Takumar build quality. Superb handling. Great color rendition, highlights and shadows.
Cons:
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Sony a7iii   

I have the SMC version. As good as the 50mm Macro. Another very exciting Takumar lens to have. The focus ring is very large and easy to handle.

100mm at F4
   
New Member

Registered: June, 2018
Posts: 2

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: September 27, 2019 Recommended | Price: $145.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Focal length, build and handling, good contrast
Cons: Diaphragm could use more blades, sharpness isn't very impressive
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 9    Camera Used: SP-F, X-T3   

I have the Super-Multi-Coated version. The 100mm macro is a very versatile macro lens primarily for it's focal length. In my use the simple Heliar-anastigmat optic design rendered rather nicely with good contrast and decent sharpness. On 26 megapixels aps-c the lens isn't as sharp or as contrasty as the 50mm f/4 macro, but I think full frame cameras would be less demanding. Regardless it's still a great lens that's very capable of excellent images, I would certainly recommend it if you're in the market for a 100mm lens.

   
Junior Member

Registered: August, 2014
Posts: 39
Review Date: December 15, 2018 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: smooth focusing, great colour, solidly made
Cons: no real cons just have to work within the contraints
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 9   

spending some time with the m42 smc 100mm f4 under windy conditions not ideal at all but well i had an urge to do something, i like this lens alot actually i like all my pentax m42 lenses so far. so you could call me a fanboy
here's three photos from today that i liked





   
New Member

Registered: August, 2018
Posts: 1

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: August 7, 2018 Recommended | Price: $80.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Cheap and not heavy
Cons:
Sharpness: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

Recent lens bug and bought around 15+ m42's and this is one of the best investments I made. Wish this was 1:1

Some samples from my backyard
5dm2 with adapter, AV , manual

IMG_1326 by Rajesh Veerepalli, on Flickr

IMG_1324 by Rajesh Veerepalli, on Flickr

IMG_1318 by Rajesh Veerepalli, on Flickr

IMG_1340 by Rajesh Veerepalli, on Flickr


IMG_1303 by Rajesh Veerepalli, on Flickr
   
New Member

Registered: September, 2016
Posts: 1
Review Date: December 22, 2016 Recommended | Price: $140.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: very sharp, cheap
Cons:
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: k10D, KX   

I know my English is bad.
i alwways use it with k10D to take photos of flowers, insect, something is tiny.
When i take a photo of insects, i use telemore converter x2. It's so amazing.
   
New Member

Registered: March, 2015
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 16
Review Date: March 16, 2015 Recommended | Price: $85.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: SHARP, SOLID, COLOR ACCURACY
Cons: heavy, contrast is less than Macro-Takumar 1:4/50, rubber focus grip will deteriorate
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-500   



   
Forum Member

Registered: October, 2014
Posts: 85

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: November 4, 2014 Recommended | Price: $200.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: build quality, sharp, no aberrations on APS-C
Cons:
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 10    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

The Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 1:4/100 is an excellent macro lens. Mechanically and optically the lens does not leave to be desired for anything more - the lens is ergonomic, easy to use and very sharp all over the APS-C frame at any given aperture. The background blur is soft and smooth even taking into account that this is not a fast lens. There are no visible optical aberrations with the APS-C sensor. The maximum magnification ratio of 1:2 is the same as that of most of modern macro lenses with similar focal lengths of 90 mm.

If you will ask me how can you compare this lens with 1:4/50 model, then, in my opinion, the image quality that can be obtained when using these macro lenses is more or less the same. Thanks to twice the minimum focusing distance the 1:4/100 model is better suited for professional macro shooting: the housing of the lens does not cast a shadow on the subject and is far enough to not to scare the insects and make them run away from the frame.
   
New Member

Registered: March, 2014
Posts: 4

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 20, 2014 Recommended | Price: $15.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharpness, Bokeh, Color Rendition, Build
Cons: No true macro (1:1) without tubes
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Canon 650d, K1000   

I found this lens at a local flea market for an incredible price, but I gladly would have paid many times what I did. It is incredibly sharp wide open and produces beautiful bokeh even when stopped down a bit.

It is a very flexible piece of glass, with great manual focusing and good glare/flare control for its age. When you nail the focus, the lens resolves spectacularly (go count the hairs on the bee or spider in my photo, below).

I do wish that the lens could produce true 1:1 macro images, but in truth with how sharp it is, you can crop to 1:1 safely. Or, of course, you can use tubes to achieve the desired effect.



Full resolution photos can be found on my Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/96167126@N03/
   
New Member

Registered: May, 2010
Location: Oslo
Posts: 7
Review Date: January 22, 2012 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: IQ, color, handling
Cons: F4, F4, did I mention its F4?
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

My copy of this wonderful lens is pretty worn but it still works wonderfully, smooth focus ring and very good IQ. Very good lens if you need to do some macro work. The downside is that it's f4 which I'm not a huge fan of, if I did alot of macro shooting then I would probably consider a faster lens since it's so dark in the viewfinder at f4.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2009
Location: Ohio, USA/ India
Posts: 478
Review Date: June 2, 2011 Recommended | Price: $175.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: IQ, Build, throw
Cons:

This is the only macro lens I own currently. It is just a fantastic lens. I have shot a lot of butterflies and orchids with this lens. Negative - It is not a 1:1 macro.

[/url] [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/9678931@N07/6927268905/]IMGP2116[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/9678931@N07/]arvindh76[/url], on Flickr" target="_blank"> IMGP2116 by arvindh76, on Flickr

[/url] [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/9678931@N07/6781147784/]IMGP2124[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/9678931@N07/]arvindh76[/url], on Flickr" target="_blank"> IMGP2124 by arvindh76, on Flickr
   
Junior Member

Registered: August, 2009
Location: Lexington, KY
Posts: 30

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 14, 2010 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Tiny, fantastic IQ overall
Cons: Only 1:2, only f/4, lowish large-scale contrast wants PP
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9   

This is for a "user" SMC version -- definitely rough external condition, but apparently flawless in operation. When I posted this, I had only played with it for an hour or so on 14MP APS-C. After a month, my feelings about it are the same only stronger; it would be the perfect photos-for-eBay lens (ideal for product photography).

This lens is tiny for a 100mm macro, and I get the feeling that f/4 was at least in part a compromise to make it so portable. A macro lens that isn't with you doesn't help much, so that's not a bad design decision. No macro is fast enough to compete with my Samyang 85mm f/1.4, and f/4 is still fine for portraits, etc.

Macros with this lens are simply excellent, even wide open:



Bokeh are quite smooth and sharpness is outstanding. Colors are a bit flat and large-scale contrast is low, but that is trivially fixed in PP (as I did for the above image) and it actually makes it a little less likely a color channel will saturate.

Up to head-and-shoulders portraits it seems to maintain the IQ, although by infinity it's less impressive (more like an 8 or 9). No flare has been seen, which makes sense given the recessing of the front element. Focus was consistently easier to get right with this lens than with most of my other manual lenses, I'm not sure why.

Overall, it was worth waiting for a $100 user to try this, but it competes well at $200 with other macros I have seen. Strongly recommended.
   
New Member

Registered: March, 2010
Location: L.A.
Posts: 20

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 11, 2010 Recommended | Price: $350.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Tak-sharp, built to last, smooth focus, great bokeh
Cons: hard to find, recessed lens means more prone to haze/fungus if not taken care of

This is my favorite macro lens by far. I also own the Pentax 50mm 1:1 macro, which is also a great lens, but to be perfectly honest, I actually prefer this 100mm for the simple reason that it's a 100mm lens, which means that I can use far more of the available light because the lens isn't right on top of the subject being photographed... not to mention that it's nearly impossible to get a decent macro of anything that moves with a 50mm macro lens. At 100mm, you're far enough away to keep those bugs and birds and other critters from getting too jumpy. So it more than compensates for being 1:2, which to my mind has never actually been a reason to dismiss a macro lens. You'll be amazed just how much detail you can capture at 1:2... more than close enough for me.

As for its legendary sharpness, no argument here. Equals if not betters my 50mm, and this lens will be around long after many others have been relegated to the recycle bin. Can't recommend this lens highly enough. Good luck finding one in good condition, however.
   
Senior Member

Registered: June, 2008
Location: Tustin, CA
Posts: 206
Review Date: April 22, 2009 Recommended | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: sharp wide open, light, contrasty, good bokeh, good handling, good build, doesn't block built in flash
Cons: only 1:2, relatively slow at f4, kind of expensive

This lens is a great macro lens. It's sharp wide open, and manually focusing is a pleasure. It's all metal, with rubber on the focus ring, but is still light weight. It only has 6 diaphragm blades, but you won't see that in the bokeh, which is superb. Like all m42 lenses, it's fully manual, not even auto aperture, but luckily it has a A/M switch that makes operation a bit easier.

The main problems with this lens are that it's only f4, and 1:2. With macro work, I stop the lens down to like f11-16, but most other macros are f2.8, so you can also use them for portraits.

Also, You need extension tubes to get real 1:1, which is kind of annoying, since if you want to take pictures of something bigger, you gotta take out the extension tubes.

Lastly, at a street price of about $150 USD, I feel it's pretty expensive for a 1:2.
Add Review of Super-Multi-Coated Macro-Takumar 100mm F4 Macro



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