Vintage Lens Review | Super Takumar 55mm F1.8

A concise review, after a few months (sample images provided)

READ ME: I like *most* of them quite a bit, and would recommended most people to pick up a copy of any of these for themselves. This review series is NOT about the professional specs of the lens, but more so the character, any quirks, and my experience with them.

Logic behind purchase: I grabbed this lens as part of a combo deal with a Pentax Spotmatic film camera, and some handmade leather straps, from a small coffee + film hybrid store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I already had a ton of 50mm lenses, but I specifially bought this to use on my crop sensor Leica CL for the 85mm-ish field of view.

Impressions: I can’t fault it, but I’m not in love with it either. For the intended use on the Leica, it fell short. I didn’t love the colors (all though they’re rather neutral, I got really used to the warmer colors with my SuperTak 35mm F2 + Leica CL combo. When used on the Canon R6, I liked it a bit better, but I would never choose this lens over my SuperTak 50mm f1.4. Overall slightly above average, and not my first choice since I already have better lenses.

Size/Weight: It’s small, and weighty for its size, but not heavy. Again, average, especially within the Super Takumar range.

Favorite Usage: It’s currently in my storage unit in a dust proof case. Maybe I’ll use it again someday, probably not.