Makinon MC 135/2,8 (K-mount)

Hi there fellow pentax users!
I am quite impressed with all the knowledge some of you have about the K-mount lens, so I decided to post a question here, where all knowledge is gathered . It regards some particular prime lens.
So, I was scavenging the web and flea market for quite a long time for some pentax prime 135mm lens. I had my eye on the SMC M 135/3,5 version but just couldn't get one at a reasonable price. About a month ago I recieved a gift from my father's friend. A Makinon MC 135/2,8 prime manual lens. I was really stunned when testing it. A great bokeh, sharp wide open with beautiful contrast and colour tone. Although this isn't really a pentax made lens I would be really happy if someone would share some information about this lens with me.

I've made some test shots in comparison with DA*50-135/2,8.

Makinon 135/2,8 @ f/2,8



Pentax DA* 50-135/2,8 @ f/2,8




and a 100% crop:
Makinon 135/2,8 @ f/2,8



Pentax DA* 50-135/2,8 @ f/2,8



I guess that lens coating makes the difference in colour tones as I had the same settings set on my K200D?

Thanks in advance!
Regards, Luka

I cant help with this specific lens Luka but what I remember of Makinon lenses is they were not regarded as been of any outstanding quality, so it looks like you got a good one.

Makinon was one of the low cost brands of the 1970s and possibly 1980s. There were hundreds of different 135mm f2.8 lenses available, some good, some not so good.

If you get a good example of any of them it will no doubt be acceptable or maybe quite good in some cases.

It could be a very useful portrait lens if it makes the skin tomes more flattering.

Thank you both. I guess I'm fortunate to have a good example then It's interesting how even the low cost lens were supremely built back in the days.
regards, Luka

Looks like you got a good example. I am especially interested to see the differences in colour. Were you using auto white balance or a specific setting?

If a lens provides what you want, then it is a good one. Doesn't matter if it costs a thousand pounds or a couple of quid.

Cheers, Kris.

I noticed a similar distinct difference between my 16-50DA* and my Tamron Macro, the DA* definately produces warmer images. I'll have to do some comparision tests with the 50-135 now.

Did you use the makinon lens on the K200? I have an old Auto Makinon 135mm f/2.8 Macro , I know it works with the k10d but i could not find any to buy so I wondered if it works with the K200D, If it does, do I need some sort of mount?

Thanks Lily.

If it works with the K10D it'll work with any Pentax dSLR.

K.

Makinon lenses were as John stated from the '70's. They were indeed from the value end of the spectrum, but unlike some of their competitors did get respectable reviews on value-for-money basis.

Hoya's were rated similarly, and were more easily available locally, so I purchased those, although I did get a Makinon 500 Mirror as Hoya did not offer such a lens.

You could usefully add the details your lens to this data here on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_k_mount#Makinon

The Makinon looks to be adding a bit of a purple cast which
should be correctable, but could result in PF on chrome, leaves
etc.

Most 135mm's were reasonable being just 4 elements.

I seem to remember reading that 135mm lenses were one of the easiest to make a decent stab at, with almost no complete dogs.

Older lenses do tend to produce cooler colours than current ones. I generally put it down to different coatings, plus I get the impression that photographers then were after a more natural look rather than the currently-fashionable vibrancy.

I have the Makinon 500mm f8 mirror lens, but can't really offer much of a review as it looks to have some sort of tide mark in the rear elements (not sure if it's glue letting go or a grease mark). It's not too bad, but I suspect crops from my 100-300mm or even 50-135mm would be better. On the plus side it was free (given to me by a colleague who found it at the back of their wardrobe after disposing of their other Pentax gear).

Looks like a decent lens

I have the Hoya 135/f2.8 with an m42 mount which seems to give pretty similar results not that I have used it much as yet so I may be wrong

I've got the Makinon 135mm 2.8 too - is yours the macro/close focus version? I've found it to be a really nice lens to use. I actually got it from my uncle along with his other film-era pentax lenses and, as it had an oily iris, was the first camera lens I stripped down completely to clean and repair. It works beautifully now, though I find myself bringing the lighter and more compact M135 3.5 with me when I am shooting film now.

Thanks K. I would have thought so myself, but I took it to a camera shop and the guy fitted it on a k7 and told me it wasn't compatible, so i wasn't sure.

He might have been a pentax expert.

The general 1.2.3 is
Check use of aperture is enabled in the menu.
Set the dial to "M".
Set the aperture you want. e.g. f8
focus
press the green button to meter the scene.
Refocus and press the shutter

If it mounted on the K-7 is should be OK on others. e.g. manual lenses I've tried on GX10 (K10d) also worked on GX20, K-7, k-5.