ELEMENTARY

ASAHI TAKUMAR PENTAX 50MM F\1.4 8 ELEMENT – SERIAL NO. 1385773

The 8 element Asahi Takumar 50mm f\1.4 is a rare little lens, not often seen in the United Kingdom. Produced for a short period during 1964 and 1965 it was brought to market to compete with the Zeiss Planar and it did just that and more. Shortly after its inception it was, in fact, declared the best 50mm lens in the world. My example, 1385773, would seem to be a relatively early one, probably from the first half of the 85 batches produced of a total of 128,000 lenses. The run was short because the 8 element design was incredibly complex and very expensive to produce. After two years Pentax downgraded the design to a much more economical 7 element design, having reportedly lost money on every single 8 element lens sold. What they did achieve is bringing many new clients over from the likes of Zeiss and that was, in fairness, the idea behind this lens from the start.

There are a few details of the 8 element lens that will help you to differentiate it from the later 7 element version. Firstly, the rear element protrudes from the housing. Secondly and probably the easiest way to spot one is the position of the red/orange IR marker on the DOF scale. That marker is always on the right of the “4” marker on 8 element lenses. On later 7 element lenses it has moved to the left. There are several other elementary differences but the above two are enough to confirm of deny what you have in your hand.

The later 7 element lenses were a less complex design and Pentax attempted to compensate for that by including an earth element known as Thorium into the glass. Unfortunately, Thorium is now known to be radio-active and eventually degrades, causing a yellow discolouration of the optics. The 8 element lens contains no Thorium, which is another reason it is sought after by collectors and users alike.. at least those who want to keep their hair..

I was blessed enough to find an absolutely top example that appears all but unused. It came with it’s original (also “unused” leather case) as well as it’s original filter with box and instructions! I’m guessing that instruction sheet is quite a rare piece as it’s incredibly flimsy, being made from something no thicker than your average bible page.

Finally, mine did not arrive with it’s appropriate hood but I was able to find one on the fabled auction site for a reasonable sum, that came together with its original and (rather cute) leather carrying case.

Now I’m a user, not a collector and whilst I’m thrilled to have found such a stunning example of this elusive lens, I will also head out to shoot with it with great trepidation and hopefully enough coordination to keep it on the end of my camera and well away from the floor!