I’ll admit that I’ve never been a photographic specialist. I’m not into landscapes or portraits or macros, as much as I’m just into photography in general. Having a niche is great, but it doesn’t really satisfy my curiosity much and I’d rather just make photos of whatever I feel like.

So, when I see a much-vaunted SMC Macro Takumar f4 50mm at a good price, I’m curious about its potential as more than just a macro lens. At this, it clearly excels, especially on the Olympus OMD EM5 Mark 2, where the Micro Four Thirds sensor uses the best and sharpest part of old 35mm lenses: the centre.

The photo above is not at kiss the insect level of close-up, but you can see how much detail the glass picks up. It’s a fine pairing with the modern sensor in this camera. It’s probably best at these close distances, but I was also surprised at how optimised this version of the lens is at further distances. I believe it was tweaked in later versions to be better in this regard.

The big downside at longer distances, especially on a smaller camera, is handling. The Takumar has a long focus-throw. This makes it great for macro focussing, but a little painful at regular distances. Ergonomic in this context it is not, and more than once I found myself getting annoyed. Still, just look at the detail. Hardly the fault of the lens, as it was made specifically for sharp macro photos.

What looked earlier to be a distinctly plain sunset turned out to be a wonderful one, full of colour and vibrance. The Takumar proves that it’s more than just a lens for macro photography, if you’re prepared for the ergonomics.