Super Takumar 28mm f/3.5

For years the only lens I had was a 50mm. The 50mm was the lens I cut my teeth on. I learned with this focal length and it is what looks best to my eye for nearly any subject or genre of photography. It is, in my opinion, the most versatile and thus the most important focal length there is. After a couple solid years with the 50 I decided to buy a 35mm. I had always wanted something wider for landscapes and street photography so naturally the 35mm seemed like the right choice. It’s what everyone else was using. But to my surprise I quickly found that I didn’t enjoy this focal at all. It felt too close to 50 for me. Almost like looking through a 50 but something, hard to describe was just off. I couldn’t frame my shots how I wanted and it became discouraging. So for quite awhile I set the 35mm down and didn’t use it and eventually ended up selling the first 35mm lens I had owned. Some time later, a 28mm entered my life…

It was night and day. Maybe it was me and not the lens. Maybe psychological. But I immediately fell in love with the 28mm focal length. It was far enough away from 50mm to produce a noticeable difference but not so wide as to feel uncomfortable. Much like the 50mm, it just felt right. 28mm has become one of my favorite focal lengths and I reach for it often when I get out on the street. This particular 28 is something quite special. The flare and bokeh character is something to behold. This will be my last post about the Takumars for awhile however. I haven’t been able to add to my collection lately but that will change soon enough. As well I have several new projects I will be sharing and discussing here over the next couple of weeks. Below I have included some stills and video showcasing the beautiful quality of this particular lens. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.