Japan · 11 lenses

Pentax (Asahi Optical)

Asahi Optical started in Tokyo in November 1919 as a workshop polishing eyeglass lenses, and in 1952 it built the Asahiflex, the first Japanese SLR for 35mm film. It later bought the Pentax name, first registered by East Germany's VEB Zeiss Ikon. Its lenses carry the Takumar name, after Takuma Kajiwara, brother of founder Kumao Kajiwara. Early Auto-Takumars needed a lever set before each shot. Super-Takumars brought better coatings and an Auto/Manual switch, with a pin on the back that the camera pushes to close the aperture. Super-Multi-Coated Takumars, later marked SMC, introduced Asahi's multi-coating to cut flare. All of them use the M42 screw mount, and the Takumar name ended in 1975 when Pentax moved to the K bayonet. Many Takumars made before the 1970s contain thoriated glass, which slowly turns brown.