Can't believe no one else has said it yet - that portrait of the man with his dog was just phenomenal. Somehow the image quality there looks far better than most of the test shots. I guess that portrait was just meant to happen. Fantastic work.

..świetny film.. dziek, własnie miałem dwa do wyboru, a ten film pomógł mi dobrze wybrać ! dziekuję Ci :)

Full tears at the end. Beautiful picture of the dog.

It was the first time to watch your video. I was looking for the technical information of Super Takumar, but this gave me more specific thing eventually. Thank you for sharing the beautiful story.

Thank you for making this video. I just got an 8 element and can’t wait to use it. The story of the old dog brought me to tears and is a moment that makes photography worth all the effort. Thank you 🙏

Great video, definitive, clearly a huge amount of work to make but worth it, nails the differences down no matter what you're looking for. Thank you.

Appreciate the story about the man and his dog...glad you were able to deliver the portrait s to him

Thanks so much for your lovely "real world" comparison of the 2 lenses, photos and comments. Lovely music too and many thanks for sharing the story and amazing portrait ! God bless you. Mike

Wonderful video and absolutely sensational 8 element lens. As for the portrait and story both exquisite. Thank you.

The first time I found your channel, watching this is great! I was hoping for this content to find out what to expect from both my 7 and 8 element Takumars, I was lucky to obtain myself! Thank you sir!

this was a great comparison video, thank you! i appreciate the tips for light room you left as well. i inadvertently obtained to super takumar lenses (50mm 1.4, 35mm 3.5) and im very happy with them

What a nice showdown. Thank you and great ending story.

I am searching for the 8 element lens and your video adds to my anticipation. It is a lovely lens. However, the best part of the video is your gift to this man. You can sell photos and get loads of attention as a photographer but none of that can match the good feeling of making something meaningful and sharing it. Lovely.

Excited to get mine. Thank you for the story about the man and his dog. Made me miss my childhood dog who I spent so much time walking and playing ball with. I am 46 and I miss him still.

I had already liked the video before you mentioned the man and his dog. Now I love it. Thank you

....the way you tell the story of the man and his dog is really moving....thanks for that!

I came for the lens review. I subscribed because of your heart.

Good and interesting test. I agree that the 8 elements renders an overall more beautiful picture. That was a very touching of you to take a portrait of the dog. Please keep the videos coming, you have a very soothing style of teaching that is very refreshing and informative.

Late to the party but thank you for this comparison. I have the 7 element 50/1.4 and I guess I can throttle back my obsession to find a 50/1.4 8 element for a while. I will still seek one out but now that obsession is not so over powering.

Great comparison - thanks!

Very interesting test, thank you sir

Nice video thank you so much 👌

Watching with tears in my eyes at the end.

As an older guy who's had to say a last goodbye to 3 dogs now ....this really got to me. Thank you.

As a collector I’m obsessed with finding a good copy of the 8-element version…the price is always a bit prohibitive. As a photographer I don’t see enough difference in IQ to really justify the 8 element over the 7 element especially considering the thorium yellowing of your 7-element version. Good work mate, nice video.

The 7 element sample you have has pretty severe thorium yellowing that's not only apparent in the photos (hence the warm tones), but also can be seen in the glass when you hold it up near the beginning of the video. The color rendition will be much closer between the two if you give it a nice UV bath. You'll pick up about 2/3 of a stop of speed, too.

great review and i'd give you 2 likes just for that tip about pointing the camera to the N/S for the bluest sky- by the way how do they compare with barrel distortion?

Hello, for me, I have to say that I own this lens, the 7 elements are magnificent, I think even more fun, the only thing you have to do is clean the amber tone of the thorium since this lens is radioactive and try it with the rear glass completely clean and crystal clear, you may change your mind. thanks for your page.

Great video thank you. So sad about the dog.... I just got my near mint 8 element this week for a bairgain price of £45 here in UK roughly $54 USD. I also have 5 different 7 element 50mm f1.4 Takumars

nice good on you with the dog

Thanks for the very thorough overview. I do astrophotography as well as floral, and regularly use the 50mm focal length. I have a favorite astro (Milky Way) scene and I shot it recently with a Canon f1.8 STM, and wasn't that impressed. I'd love to try it with the higher quality Takumar 50mm. I'm going to try to get the 8 element, if I can find one that is not too much more expensive, or a 7 element if not, and thanks for the suggestion--I'll get one that says SMC or Super Multi Coated on it. If I get the 8, I'll take care to bracket the shot to control for flare that occasionally comes when there's a bright light in the foreground. Oh yes, although the great info on the Tak was the main benefit for me, I did enjoy the cool dog story. I have subscribed. Cheers.

In my eyes they are about the same in resolution, acuity etc. The actual difference is negligible. The 7 element lens is so thorium tinged in this video, it's not even a good head to head comparison of color and sharpness with a clear lens anyway. Greatness of the 8 element aside, the thing I take away from this is that the 7 element design resists flares. If anyone knows anything about lenses, you would know that the best lenses RESIST flare, and thus they cost thousands of dollars. The 7 element 50mm Takumar is probably cheaper with that extra impressive attribute. If flares are your thing, look at an inexpensive Helios 58mm. Its flares have character and can be beautiful. As a dog lover, the story about the dog and her owner touched me. Good thinking on your part.

Dear Sir, Thank you for the superb comparing lenses video. Please kindly tell me is the 8 element "Planar Killer radioactive?

I have no problem with most people reviewing vintage glass except that many neglect using lens hoods. The hood keeps stray light from bouncing around inside the lens to veil and flare images. Both lenses hold their own and the SMC Pentax coatings give great colours and beautiful tones.

That was so nice of you. Us dog lovers can really relate. That made my day too.

nice. if you can do side by side comparisons of same detail next time...

I really like the portrait of the man with his dog!, did you used 1.4 aperture? It's very sharp indeed. Very nice job!!

thanks for the great review of these. Do they both have the same size filter thread?

Looks all a bit yellowish. Dunno if this is from the yellowed radioactive coating or if it's just me and my screen. Great comparison video.

I wonder if there is yet more differences when you throw the early 70's SMC with the rubberized ring into the mix. I know I have a 7 element Super Takumar and a Super Takumar Multi Coat and I think I have an 8 element as well, but it has a small fungus issue where both of my 7's are clean.

What a great video. How can you distinguish between both lenses?

The two ways to tell the two lenses apart are: a) The 8-element version has the infrared focus mark located to the right of the f/4 mark. b) The diaphragm switch on the 8-element version is marked with “A” and “M.” The 7-element version has: a) The infrared focus mark located to the left of the f/4 mark. b) The diaphragm switch on the 7-element version marked with “AUTO” and “Manual.” Also, the 8-element version has a convex rear element that protrudes out the back of the lens, whereas the 7-element rear glass is flat.

I wonder how good the 8 element would work on the Pentax LX with the adapter. For me this lens with Kodak TRI-X 400 film would be the perfect pairing.

I didnt catch that... which is better ? :D

I prefer the 7 elements over the 8 elements

It was my understanding the 8 element had better bokeh. That is because it does not have the coatings on the lens. The 7 element is newer hand has coatings and performs better at everything else. But you did not focus on the bokeh so I don't thing you will see much difference between he 2 other than the better performance of coated lenses CA, color fringing .

I have the seven element my favorite 50mm lens . I have the Pentax 50mm 2.0 manuel lens, Pentax 1.8 DSLR lens and the Pentax 55mm 2.8 manuel lens .

The wind noise makes this video unwatchable, at least for me. If it gets better, maybe say so in the beginning. Too bad, because I'm interested. Maybe do a voice over?

how do you tell which lens you have? did i miss that in the video?

Thanks for the insight. I am just buying the 8-element today and wanted some info about it before doing so. I agree, it is a very special lens. You will be able to see some of the work we do with it on our site at www.DocCom.net soon no doubt.

I found a Super multi coated Asahi Pentax 50mm 1.4 but it does not say Takumar. Is it still as good lens?

Why were there no black & white images in your comparison?

Am I missing something? I thought in almost every single case, that the 7 element looked better. The colors were more vibrant and it looked less flat. I'm just a beginner photographer, so it's possible I'm missing something. But I am in the market to buy one of these, so I would really love some motivation one way or the other. My untrained eye apparently sees the 7 as the better "look" but please enlighten me.

Yes, It really seems to me that the biggest change is that the 7-element is yellowed in a way that the 8-element hasn't or can't. Here is a video that I found about removing the yellowing due to radioactivity: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oa6IeLCL3a7WlnU.html . I haven't done it but it is probably worth a shot.

Are both m42 mount, I have a 50mm super take 1.4

Jeeeez, I came for a lens review and ended up crying. 🐕

Off topic, but that feeling you felt when you felt in your spirit, the compulsion to do a good thing for a stranger, the way it both humbled you a little emotionally, but gave you the opportunity to do a selfless deed. You reap the rewards of such selflessness. Christ was trying to explain that if everyone of us were to extend that same compassion to everyone else, not one person would ever go hungry again, or not have a place to call home. The world would hardly be able to contain the abundance, just imagine, a world where everyone puts every single other person before themselves. Christ did that when out of love, he sacrificed himself for the sins of the world, that through him, anyone could have eternal life.

I have both. Not much difference mostly hype.

I am looking at this on a 27 inch computer monitor and have to say, many of your photos are out of focus even where they being described as being in focus. My data rate is 450p. I have heard that it is hard to find the focus point in wide apertures without autofocus, but these photos here are out of focus in smaller apertures. Maybe your photos are out of focus due to the fact that they came from video. I think that was a mistake. I have seen much better wide open aperture on youtube for this lens. It is a great comparison video, but to me the 7 element looks best, using your parameters described in the beginning of the video. You would think that the more elements the more distortion. I am looking around for one of these lenses, but had not looked at the difference across the 4 types. This was done in 2018. Maybe it is time to do another version, but with stills, not captures from videos. About the guy and his dog, I believe photos should tell a story. The counter story is that this guy probably got himself a new puppy. The circle of life continues. Just my 2 cents. Jim Moss

Fuck dude I can't even hear your talking because of the wind! Basics first.