Takumar, Asahi 58mm f2 Analogue camera

The Takumar 58 mm f/2,

It is a rare and historically important standard lens introduced in 1957 for the M42 screw mount, designed to accompany the original Asahi Pentax (AP) SLR. It was one of the first fast lenses offered by Asahi Optical Co., and the only Takumar to use a Sonnar-type optical formula, a design more commonly associated with Zeiss. Produced for only about a year, it was quickly superseded by the more conventional 55 mm double-Gauss designs, making surviving copies highly collectible today.

The lens features a 6-element arrangement and a preset 10-blade aperture, stopping down to f/22. It focuses as close as 60 cm, offers a magnification ratio of 0.12×, and uses a 46 mm filter thread. The lens weighs about 160 g, measures about 55 × 33 mm, and includes a preset double-ring mechanism — one ring to set the aperture, the other to open and close it for metering and focusing. The construction is all-metal, with a chrome and black finish, and the name is engraved as reads “Takumar 1:2 f=58mm.” There is no internal focusing, no auto-aperture coupling, and no infrared index. A rare all-black variant also exists.

In use, the Takumar 58 mm f/2 is celebrated for its creamy, painterly bokeh, its soft contrast, and its distinctive rendering that gives images a subtle 3D touch. Although not clinically sharp, it rewards meticulous focusing and excels in portraiture and artistic photography.

It is a rare and collectible jewel. It is gorgeous and is in very good cosmetic condition.