T a k u m a r 1 : 2.2 f = 55mm
Produced May 1957 to May 1959 using serial numbers 131xxx - 242xxx. Updated Feb. 2024.
(Research Note: Since 2010 I have seen 2.48% (196 copies) of the total estimated 7,900 copies made.)
INTRODUCTION
The first standard Takumar made with a focal length of 55mm. It has a Gaussian optical design with 5 single elements. The original Asahi Pentax (AP) camera was supplied with a choice of three standard lenses, each with different combinations of speed, focal length and optical design. This lens and the Takumar 1:2 / 58mm were new designs and the first to be produced, while the third was based on an earlier design made for Asahiflex cameras.
This new lens filled the initial batch of Takumar lenses (M42) produced commercially. It was sold with Asahi Pentax (AP) and Asahi Pentax S cameras for two years alongside three other standard Takumars; two for the AP and another for the S. Twenty-five batches were produced containing approximately 50 to 1000 copies from May 1957 to May 1959.
AOCo considered it to be the commercially suitable progenitor for a lineage of future standard Takumars. The two slightly heavier and larger 58mm lenses made for the Asahi Pentax (AP), were discontinued immediately.
The last standard preset Takumar 1:1.8 / 55 made for the Asahi Pentax S became a faster companion of this lens and the 58mm focal length for standard Takumars fell into disuse for good. In this format 55mm standard M42 lenses continued evolving over the next 17 years until 1977 well into the K mount era.
The first standard Takumar made with a focal length of 55mm. It has a Gaussian optical design with 5 single elements. The original Asahi Pentax (AP) camera was supplied with a choice of three standard lenses, each with different combinations of speed, focal length and optical design. This lens and the Takumar 1:2 / 58mm were new designs and the first to be produced, while the third was based on an earlier design made for Asahiflex cameras.
This new lens filled the initial batch of Takumar lenses (M42) produced commercially. It was sold with Asahi Pentax (AP) and Asahi Pentax S cameras for two years alongside three other standard Takumars; two for the AP and another for the S. Twenty-five batches were produced containing approximately 50 to 1000 copies from May 1957 to May 1959.
AOCo considered it to be the commercially suitable progenitor for a lineage of future standard Takumars. The two slightly heavier and larger 58mm lenses made for the Asahi Pentax (AP), were discontinued immediately.
The last standard preset Takumar 1:1.8 / 55 made for the Asahi Pentax S became a faster companion of this lens and the 58mm focal length for standard Takumars fell into disuse for good. In this format 55mm standard M42 lenses continued evolving over the next 17 years until 1977 well into the K mount era.
DESCRIPTION
A Gaussian (Kensenota type) design preset Takumar made with 5 separate elements as illustrated in the Asahi Pentax operating manual. The Kensenota type design used in 1957 is simpler than its successors with a single 4th element instead of the double element, cemented pair, of later lenses.
A Gaussian (Kensenota type) design preset Takumar made with 5 separate elements as illustrated in the Asahi Pentax operating manual. The Kensenota type design used in 1957 is simpler than its successors with a single 4th element instead of the double element, cemented pair, of later lenses.
A new preset lens designed with 5 elements in 5 groups (Gaussian). Externally, lenses are black and chrome. The threaded filter ring is 46mm in diameter and the diaphragm has ten triangular blades. The barrel is made of black nickel alloy.
The Asahi Pentax (AP) Instruction Guide gives the viewing angle of 43° and weight as 155 grams. Emanuel (1960) records the weight as 5.3 ozs (150 g) and my copies weigh 147 and 148 grams.
Collaring the barrel is a focusing ring with a distance scale on the trailing edge. Turning this ring anti-clockwise moves a helical mechanism to focus the lens closer. The focus ring and threaded nameplate are black with fine white lettering.
Nameplate style and print font are uniform throughout production, except earlier lenses (SN < 14000) have serial numbers before the name, whilst later copies have serial numbers placed after the name.
Scalloped into and equally-spaced around the circumference of focusing rings are 12 finger grips. Each grip has 10 parallel grooves cut sharp into the metal. Regular spaces remaining between finger grips form squares.
Distance scale units are marked on the left, either in “Feet”, “Meter”, or both, (for export and domestic markets); spelling chosen to suit initial marketing in USA. Distances begin with the infinity symbol and attenuate to the RHS in the following number series. Individual copies can focus significantly closer. Corresponding distance scales for 55mm lenses remained identical up to 1960 when minimum apertures became f16 and made even closer focusing possible.
The Asahi Pentax (AP) Instruction Guide gives the viewing angle of 43° and weight as 155 grams. Emanuel (1960) records the weight as 5.3 ozs (150 g) and my copies weigh 147 and 148 grams.
Collaring the barrel is a focusing ring with a distance scale on the trailing edge. Turning this ring anti-clockwise moves a helical mechanism to focus the lens closer. The focus ring and threaded nameplate are black with fine white lettering.
Nameplate style and print font are uniform throughout production, except earlier lenses (SN < 14000) have serial numbers before the name, whilst later copies have serial numbers placed after the name.
Scalloped into and equally-spaced around the circumference of focusing rings are 12 finger grips. Each grip has 10 parallel grooves cut sharp into the metal. Regular spaces remaining between finger grips form squares.
Distance scale units are marked on the left, either in “Feet”, “Meter”, or both, (for export and domestic markets); spelling chosen to suit initial marketing in USA. Distances begin with the infinity symbol and attenuate to the RHS in the following number series. Individual copies can focus significantly closer. Corresponding distance scales for 55mm lenses remained identical up to 1960 when minimum apertures became f16 and made even closer focusing possible.
Feet ∞ 30 15 10 7 5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2.25 2 1.8
Meter ∞ 10 5 3 2 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.55
Meter ∞ 10 5 3 2 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.55
Three chrome rings complete the lens’ external appearance. Two adjacent rings near the front move independently and have uniform fine-knurled edges. Together they operate the preset diaphragm mechanism to set the aperture. On the barrel just forward of the first ring is a red dot used for selecting the aperture. Eight aperture stops in black numerals adorn these rings. No available half-stops or markings (such as dots) lie between these stops. As with all lenses of this age the minimum available aperture stop available is f=22.
22 16 11 8 5.6 4 2.8 2.2
The third and largest chrome ring is fixed. Its rear end is the M42 screw thread camera mount. On the perimeter is a bi-lateral depth of field (DOF) gauge with six numbered f stops on either side of a centre to engage the distance scales on the focusing ring above. Final production copies of this lens have a forward-pointing red triangle marking the central point of the gauge just above a single numeral 2.2 representing the largest aperture setting. Flanking this triangle are two black vertical lines to indicate the depth of field as read from the distance scale. The remaining set of black lines indicate 5 lesser aperture settings either side. These lines are bent to diverge away from the central point.
DOF gauge style
▲
22 16 11 8 5.6 2.2 5.6 8 11 16 22
▲
22 16 11 8 5.6 2.2 5.6 8 11 16 22
VARIATIONS
- All lenses in early batches (SN <146421) have single distance scales (Feet, usually) with Asahiflex style lettering; those from later batches have dual scales (Feet/Meter).
- The DOF gauge lacks an Infra-red focus indicator.
- Production copies of this lens were used to illustrate official AOCo literature. No copies with the "pre-production" style DOF gauge are known for this lens, probably because it is a new lens pioneering a new shorter focal length.
- No all-black lenses were made to match all-black camera bodies and all copies carry the same prefix before the serial number.
LENS PRODUCTION (∑ lenses) ∑n = 196 Serial Numbers observed in 25 Batches covering 6,156 SN min. < ∑ lenses < 9,632 SN max.
SN min. = accumulated total of serial numbers observed within 25 batches.
SN max. = accumulated total of serial numbers observed between adjacent batches of other lenses.
▼ SN prefix "No" ▲; ▼ ▼ Dual distance scales start with new matching (square font) upper case letters F and M
SN min. = accumulated total of serial numbers observed within 25 batches.
SN max. = accumulated total of serial numbers observed between adjacent batches of other lenses.
▼ SN prefix "No" ▲; ▼ ▼ Dual distance scales start with new matching (square font) upper case letters F and M
▼ 131459 to 131692 (2 / 233) 132386 (1 / 1) 142071 (1/ 1) 142502 to 143171 (11/ 669) 145039 to 145405 (17 / 366) 145856 (1/ 1) 146167 to 146639 (14 / 472) ▼ ▼ 146658 to 146662 (2/ 4) |
Serial Numbers in 25 Batches
(n /SN range) Collection 151131 to 151161 (2/ 30) 151287 to 151711 (12 / 424) 151360 154272 to 154508 (10 / 236) 154813 to 155740 (26/ 927) 156052 to 156268 (8/ 216) 156711 to 156731(2/ 20) 156800 to 156938 (8/ 138) 158924 to 159005 (3 / 81) 160105 to 160865 (19 / 760) |
161316 to 161329 (3/ 13) 161486 to 161798 (10/ 312) 161860 to 162019 (6 / 159) 165542 to 165598 (4 / 56) 178403 to 178451 (3/ 48) 178802 to 179061 (9/ 308) 202503 to 202731 (12/ 314) 241654 to 242021 (10/ 367) ▲ |
MARKETING
In 1958 it was the trend-setting 55mm lens for marketing the new Asahi-Pentax camera (e.g. Canadian Photographer page 36). In the U.S.A. this lens was also sold with Tower cameras. (No hyphen was used in the camera name for Japanese or French language publications. The hyphen was used until the Asahi-Pentax K in English language publications. Sub-editors had a field day).
In a contemporary North American magazine (Modern Photography page 65) the Asahi Pentax (escaped the hyphen) and listed the camera for sale at $195. The illustration in the article written by Myron T Matzkin below No Image Blackout showed the camera fitted with a prototype Takumar 1:1.8/58mm that was not taken into production .
In 1958 it was the trend-setting 55mm lens for marketing the new Asahi-Pentax camera (e.g. Canadian Photographer page 36). In the U.S.A. this lens was also sold with Tower cameras. (No hyphen was used in the camera name for Japanese or French language publications. The hyphen was used until the Asahi-Pentax K in English language publications. Sub-editors had a field day).
In a contemporary North American magazine (Modern Photography page 65) the Asahi Pentax (escaped the hyphen) and listed the camera for sale at $195. The illustration in the article written by Myron T Matzkin below No Image Blackout showed the camera fitted with a prototype Takumar 1:1.8/58mm that was not taken into production .
LITERATURE
All editions of ASAHI PENTAX GUIDE by W. D. Emanuel (1960-1979, Focal Press) list this lens. Later publications omit early Takumar lenses.
All editions of ASAHI PENTAX GUIDE by W. D. Emanuel (1960-1979, Focal Press) list this lens. Later publications omit early Takumar lenses.