Lens review

The 24mm f3.5 Super-Takumar is a wide-angle lens in the M42 mount made by Asahi Pentax during the late 1960s. The lens has the same well-known features of the series: quality, reliability, ergonomics and that nice smooth feeling that distinguish Takumars from many other vintage lenses.

This lens is positioned between the ultra wide 20mm f4.5 and the 28mm f3.5. Focused at infinity, it covers a greater area when compared with the 28mm lens but a smaller one than the 20mm Takumar. Consequently the viewing angle will be in-between the two. On a modern crop camera, it will become something between 36-38mm and 48mm, depending on the crop factor that your camera has.

As such, the 24mm f3.5 Super-Takumar is also harder to find, maybe as hard as the ultra wide 20mm Takumar. Filling the gap between two better known lenses tends to put the 24mm lens in an awkward position. In general, people tend to look for wider angle lenses and if one must choose, the 20mm will always “beat” the 24mm. Also, because the 28mm is cheaper than the 24mm, it will sell faster, making the latter a pretty rare sight.

The quality of the glass is very good, maybe not as good as the more recent SMC Takumar but still very solid; remember that the 24mm f3.5 Super-Takumar is a non multicoating lens. It may be prone to flare when shooting against the sun, in which case a good filter and a hood are required for optimal use.

It renders colors beautifully and it has very good contrast and sharpness. These Takumar lenses may be old, but the build quality is impeccable still after 50+ years.

The 24mm f3.5 Super-Takumar has a minimum focusing distance of 0,25m, it weighs 247g and uses a 58mm filter.