If it’s Friday …
… I must have new lens to show you 😉
This is the slightly quirky Bellows-Takumar 100mm f/4. This is a very simple but high quality lens with no internal focusing- it must be focused by moving the lens backwards and forwards on the bellows rail mounted between it and the camera:
based on it’s serial number mine is one of the earlier versions manufactured between 1964 & 1971, probably about 2/3 of the way through the run, so about 1969, and it is mounted on a type I Asahi Pentax Bellows unit. It is in amazing, like-new shape, as are the bellows, they function smoothly and don’t let in any light- not bad for over 50 years old!
Normally when you put a lens on a set of bellows you do so so that you can use the lens to take macro (close up and magnified) shots- I have a set of bellows that Jackie got me for Christmas that I can’t wait to try out once the spring shoots start appearing for just that purpose! However this lens can only be used with bellows, and as they have not had to include any focusing elements it is super sharp from corner to corner, and as well as taking great macro shots it will also focus out to infinity- something a regular lens on bellows will not do 🙂 It is not great for run-n-gun type photography as the focus is not quick, but I did take this nice hand-held shot of Holly with it-
So while it could be taken into the woods as an all-purpose lens, it really is meant to be used on a tripod, as I did this morning to try it out (and these are all full-size, not cropped in, except for the two that are mentioned as such):
Close up of columbatium plaque 
Showing it will indeed focus out to infinity 
Mountain Laurel leaves 
Look how sharp it is all the way to the corners 🙂 
Star Magnolia bud 
100% crop of previous pic 
Dalek sticker on the back of my car 
Grain on Parish Hall door 
100% crop showing the cracked varnish over the grain 
Mountain Laurel again
A very nice addition to the stable!
and it is not radioactive 😉