----- Original Message ----- From: "Toralf Lund" Subject: The meaning of letters in lens names?
> And now a question that will reveal my status as a complete novice: > > What exactly do the different letters in the Pentax lens designations > mean? I've been looking for an explanation on the K mount info page and > other places, but not found anything... The gospel according to Mike Johnston: 1952: Takumar lenses. Allegedly named after a man named Takuma Kajiwara, who was either a Japanese painter [Comen], or "a Japanese photographer who lived in New York in the 1950's [sic]...a personal friend of George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak Co. It's reported Mr. Kajiwara designed the early Takumar lenses" [Jonkman]. These were M42 screwmount lenses. The M42 screwmount was a German invention that came to be known as "Pentax screwmount" because Asahi made the most popular camera line to use it. It is distinct from the Leica screwmount, which Marc James Small dubbed "LTM" (Leica Thread Mount). Many enlarger lenses still use Leica screwmount, and recent years have seen the first new Leica screwmount lenses in decades, made by Cosina under the Voigtlaender name. There are no current-production M42 screwmount lenses that I know of. 1958: a series of semi-automatic lenses called "Auto-Takumar." M42 screwmount. 1963: The "Super-Takumar" line. M42 screwmount. 1971: The "Super-Multi-Coated Takumar" line. M42 screwmount. Introduced with the Spotmatic SPII. These lenses had early multicoating nearly identical to Zeiss T* coating, and linkages for open-aperture metering with the Spotmatic F. Early versions had metal knurled focusing rings and the words "Super-Multi-Coated" spelled out on the front of the lens. Later versions switched to a rubberized focusing rings and were marked "SMC Takumar." Note that both "Super-Multi-Coated Takumar" and "SMC Takumar" lenses are often both indiscriminately called "SMCT" and "SMC Takumar." People should really be specific and either spell out the name of the earlier lenses or else abbreviate it "S.-M.-C. Takumar" to distinguish earlier from later versions. 1975: Pentax switched from M42 screwmount to the "K" bayonet mount. The Pentax screwmount had been universal, with many manufacturers making lenses that would fit any M42 camera; Pentax attempted to do the same with the K mount, leaving the patent open to anyone who wanted to use it--and bucking the trend towards proprietary bayonet mounts. Consequently, a number of smaller manufacturers also used the Pentax K-mount. Despite this, it never really achieved universal status. The early Pentax K-mount lenses are called "SMC Pentax" lenses and are briefly referred to as "K" lenses. Many carried over from the last of the M42 lenses and are very fine lenses optically and mechanically. They were contemporaneous with the first three Pentax K-mount cameras, called the KX, KM, and K2. 1977: A lens line introduced for the compact M bodies. They are smaller than the SMC Pentax lenses and are generally neither quite as good optically nor quite as nicely built, although they are mostly still of very fine quality and very well-made. They are marked "SMC Pentax-M," abbreviated "SMCP-M" and referred to briefly as "M" lenses. Although they are K-mount lenses, they are NOT "K" lenses, an appellation which refers to the SMC Pentax line. 1983: A line of lenses usable with program mode, marked "SMC Pentax-A," abbreviated "SMCP-A" and referred to as "A" lenses. Although they are generally slightly better than the M lenses optically, they are generally not quite as well made. They are the first Pentax lenses that more or less lacked the legendary smooth focusing feel of the Super Takumars. 1987: F lenses. The first autofocus line. Compatible with the K-mount. 1991: FA lenses. The current autofocus line, also compatible with the K-mount. 1997 (? someone correct me if I'm wrong): The Limited lenses. Designed for an autofocus rangefinder that was shelved. FA lenses with metal barrels sold as premium, deluxe autofocus lenses with metal barrels, they are in fact NOT "limited," but are regular stock items. There are now three, all with unusual focal lengths: the 43mm, the 77mm, and the 31mm. So, to recap, it looks like this: M42 screwmount lens series: ================== 1952: Takumars 1958: Auto-Takumars 1963: Super-Takumars 1971: Super-Multi-Coated Takumars, later ones marked SMC Takumar K-mount lens series: ============ 1975: SMC Pentax lenses, also called K lenses 1977: M lens line 1983: A lens line Autofocus lens series: ============= 1987: F autofocus lenses 1991: FA autofocus lenses 1997(?): Limited (FA) lenses Above quote from a Mike Johnston post from a couple of years ago. William Robb
