Your favourite M42 screw mount lens on Digital

So, for all you who have and use M42 screw mount lenses on your DSLR, which is your favourite(s)

For me, it is tough. But having said that my Takumars are probably my favourites. However I do have some others which would be considered just as good.

So, the Taks
SMC-Takumar 35mm F3.5 - This is just wonderful! sharp contrasty and lacks CA. More to do with the coating that has that radiation treatment. It is possibly the best 35mm That Pentax ever made.
Super-Takumar 55mm F1.8. What more can you say about the "pixie-dust". a beautiful lens and fast too. colour, CA control, contrast and sharpness are just wonderful. The 55mm is a must for any pentaxian.

The non-taks
Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm F2.8 - A lens that came with my Praktica many many years ago. Build is okay, focus ring has always been sticky. But, the results are fantastic! But in the end it is a Tessar, hence why it is so good. CA? what CA?
Mamiya-Sekor 55mm F1.4 - A recent purchase. Not quite as good as the Tak, but faster, beautiful bokeh and good contrast. Perfect for portraits. If you can live without AF and WR. Get one of these instead of the DA*55. Honestly it is that good.
Helios 58mm f2 44-2. This is supposed to be the lower resolution model of the 44 series. In the real world, can you tell? Not on my K-5 I can't! It is a rarity amongst Russian lenses. Not on how many are around - there are loads!, but it is a wonderful lens to use and the results are excellent. The is really a peanuts lens. Forget a couple of pints on a Friday, and go onto the auction sites and buy one instead.

For me it is the SMC Takumar 135mm F3.5, a common lens, so cheap to buy (mine was £22) and takes beautiful images. It runs my K135mm F2.5 very close indeed for IQ.

I also have a fondness for my Tamron Adapt-a-matic 300mm F5.6. It's in beautiful condition and cost only £20. The only issue is that it needs stopping down to at least f8 before images are sharp, so this restricts its usefulness somewhat.

Regards
David

I like the Tak 135 3.5 and my 55 f2 performs well but for me the Tak SMC 28 3.5 is probably the forgotten gem

Carl

Tokina RMC 300mm f5.5 M42 - £16.01 from evilbay - a bargain

My SMC Tak 28mm f/3.5 probably although the Jupiter-9 85mm f/2 is pretty nice too. I have a Super-Tak 35mm f/2 but I have got to de-yellow it.

K.

I haven't used all that many but my favourites are all SMC Taks. The 35/3.5, 55/2 and 50/1.4. I was so impressed with the 55/2 I ordered the f/1.8 version too, but I've yet to get my hands on it. Of the three mentioned here, the 50/1.4 is the weakest, despite it's reputation, though I have been using it lately and it's better than I originally thought.

However, the 55/2 & 35/3.5 are truly great in sharpness, colour and contrast.