Takumar is the name that
Asahi Optical gave to its
lenses
A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
, notably but not exclusively those for its own
SLR cameras. Named after the Japanese-American portrait painter, , whose brother
Kumao Kajiwara founded Asahi Optical. The name adorned its lenses until 1975, when Asahi switched from the
M42 screw mount
The M42 lens mount is a screw thread mounting standard for attaching lenses to 35 mm cameras, primarily single-lens reflex models. It is more accurately known as the M42 × 1 mm standard, which means that it is a metric screw thread ...
to the bayonet
K-mount. K-mount lenses were simply named "SMC Pentax". Some Takumar lenses were also made for the
K-mount.
Details
The Takumar designation was used on lenses designed for Asahi's 35 mm cameras, 6×7 cameras, and for other purposes too.
* ''Takumar'' lenses were made in M37 screwmount for the original Asahiflex cameras and continued into the M42 period.
* ''Auto-Takumar'' lenses were a type of preset lens. The user selected an aperture then engaged a lever to energise the stopping-down mechanism. The camera would then trip this mechanism when the shutter was fired.
* ''Super-Takumar'' lenses featured an improved form of
lens coating (to reduce
flare
A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
) and a more sophisticated stopping-down mechanism. There was a switch on the lens to select "Auto" or "Manual" modes. In manual mode, the lens would always be in the selected aperture. In Auto mode, the lens would remain wide open (at maximum aperture) until a pin on the rear of the lens was pushed in. This pin would be automatically pushed in by the camera when the shutter was tripped.
* ''Super-Multi-Coated'' (later ''SMC'') ''Takumar''. These lenses introduced Asahi's lens multi-coating process (to further reduce reflections and flare). They also introduced a lug on the rear of the lens which moved with the aperture selected. When used with a camera body which could read the lug, this enabled the use of open-aperture metering. Examples of such cameras are Asahi's Spotmatic F and the ES/ESII. These SMC-Takumar M42 thread mount lenses included: 15/3.5 rectilinear ultra-wide angle, 17/4 full-frame fisheye, 20/4.5, 24/3.5, 28/3.5, 35/2.8, 50/1.4, 50/4 macro, 55/1.8, 55/2, 85/1.8, 100/4 macro, 105/2.8, 120/2.8, 135/2.5, 135/3.5, 150/4, 200/4, 300/4, 400/5.6, 500/4.5, 1000/8.
Pentax resurrected the Takumar name in the 1980s and 1990s for a budget line of zoom and prime lenses that lacked the Pentax "Super Multi-Coating" anti-reflective coating that reduces lens flare. These lenses are marked "Takumar (Bayonet)" or "Takumar-F" to distinguish them from the older screw-mount Takumar lenses.
Non-Asahi cameras with Asahi lenses branded Takumar include the Suzuki Press Van and two versions of the Takane Mine Six.
[Suzuki Press Van: ''Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi,'' items 795–6; &nbs]
page on "spring cameras"
Takane Mine Six: ''Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi,'' items 1619, 1621.
Gallery
Image:tele_tak_300_63_ft.jpg, Tele-Takumar 1:6.3 300 mm
Image:smct_20_45_ft.jpg, Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 1:4.5 20 mm
Image:smct_20_45_rr.jpg, Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 1:4.5 20 mm
See also
*
Nikkor
Nikkor is the brand of lenses produced by Nikon Corporation, including camera lenses for the Nikon F-mount.
Nikko parent company brand, from which the Nikkor brand evolved.
The ''Nikkor'' brand was introduced in 1932, a Westernised rendering of ...
*
Rokkor
Rokkor was a brand name used for all Chiyoda Kōgaku Seikō and later Minolta lenses between 1940 and 1980, including a few, which were marketed and sold by other companies like Leica. The name was derived from the name of Rokkō (六甲山), ...
*
Fujinon
Fujinon is a brand of optical lenses made by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd, now known as Fujifilm. Fujifilm's Fujinon lenses have been used by professional photographers and broadcast stations as well as cinematography. Fujifilm started manufacture ...
*
Zuiko
Zuiko ( ja, ズイコー, italic=default or ja, 瑞光, italic=default, label=none) is a brand of optical lenses made by Olympus Corporation that was used up to and into the Four Thirds system era. The name Zuiko ( ja, 瑞光, italic=default, ...
*
Yashinon
*
Yashikor
References
* ''
Asahi Camera
was a Japanese monthly photographic magazine, published from April 1926 until July 2020, when it was discontinued due to declining circulation.
History and profile
The first issue was that for April 1926.During the twentieth century, Japanese mon ...
'' editorial staff. ''Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi'' (昭和10〜40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. .
External links
{{Commons category, Takumar lenses
Comprehensive Pentax Screwmount (M42) Lens info
at Pentaxforums.com
Photographic lenses by brand
Pentax lenses
Japanese brands
Japanese inventions