Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 (8-element)

The legend of the mount: the original 8-element design, sold for barely a year before the 7-element replaced it. Identified by the aperture scale ending at f/16 and the infrared index left of center. The single most hunted Takumar.

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50mmFOCAL LENGTH

f/1.4MAX APERTURE

8e / 6gOPTICS

49mmFILTER

BRANDAsahi Pentax

MOUNTM42

PRODUCTIONc. 1964-1965

MIN FOCUS0.45 m

Lineage: Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 (8-element) → Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 (7-element)

Before you buy

Aperture blades: dry and snappy. Oil on the blades is the mount's most common disease and a real repair cost.
Look through the glass at a light: haze, fungus threads, and balsam separation all announce themselves. Cleaning marks on front coatings matter less than sellers fear.
Focus ring: smooth, even resistance end to end. Grit or a loose helicoid means a reluble at minimum.
Thoriated designs yellow with age. A week of indirect UV largely reverses it; factor the cast into what you pay.
Auto/Manual switch and pin function: the stop-down pin should move freely and the switch should actually stop down.

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Adapters for this mount
M42 adapters for modern mirrorless bodies

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Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 (7-element) →