Your 50mm f1.4 Super Takumar may have a small problem however, it contains a thoriated
element, (it's slightly radioactive, not enough to do you any damage but), which tends to yellow
with age as a result. There are a number of cures, one of which is to expose the elements to
ultraviolet light, there's a description of how to do that here:
http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/forum/messages/674/2193.html?1077808160
and a more amusing but violent cure here:
http://www.hermes.net.au/bayling/repair.html
If you're just shooting B&W you don't even have to care, since the effect is simply the that of having
a mild yellow filter.
For a wide angle you should be on the lookout for a SMC Takumar 35mm f3.5, it's a very sharp well built
lens, which can usually be had for a song. It's only drawback is that it's rather dim focusing indoors on a
Spotmatic. There are however a plethora lenses available in Pentax Screw Mount of 28mm and 35mm focal
lengths which are at least very good quality.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I'm Morrighan aka Phantom Queen.
I am a complete newbie to film camera usage and I thought I'd check you folks out because I just lucked out and bought an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic at Goodwill for like $20 and after doing some research I do think that deal was a good one. I'm not sure which version it is exactly as I can only see so far that it is not the Spotmatic 2. Serial on it is #2572117 and it's got the 1:14/50 Super Takumar lens. It does seem clear of any major problems. No mold on the lens that I can tell and the shutter works and all...I won't know for sure until I get another battery into it, but I have a feeling I did pretty good with this one.
I have two other cameras too.
A Yashica Electro GS, and a Ricoh TLS. Both were gifts. I haven't used them much mainly because of film costs. I tend to use my digital Fuji s7000 more, but I do want to get more into film too.
I"m starting classes for film as soon as I can get the grant set up.
Until then I am going to read the manuals and really learn the 3
cameras to see which of them is going to be my "first" camera and the
one I will use for class. I do like the fact that I can use the Lenses for the Ricoh and Pentax interchangably. I have a 135MM zoom
and a bunch of filters as well, but no wide angle as yet.
Any suggestions as to anything else lens-wise I should be looking out for?
Did I do as good in getting this one as I think I did?
:)
--
I can understand why mankind hasn't given up war. During a war you get to drive tanks through the sides of buildings and shoot foreigners - two things that are usually frowned on during peacetime.
--P.J. O'Rourke
