This is great. First you make me laugh, then I realise it's an interesting picture. Strong diagonals, bold contrasts, the eyes being drawn between the oof foot and the in-focus details.

Starry bokeh balls, now that is seriously cool! High contrast fits this image very well. Very well done.

All sparkly. Love the contrast and bokeh.

Wonderfully crisp with very natural color and tone. Yuo are going to love this lens!! One of the best in the Asahi line-up, IMHO.

I think the lighting is good, nothing blown out on the glossy leaves. Wasn't aware that the MacroTak showed octagons even wide open, but the oof lights look good nonetheless.

Dinky little bokehgons. Subtle, classically rather cool light. IMO the transitions from in-focus parts to the oof parts is very well handled.

Cool diagonals. And classic Takumar light/rendering. Much preferred by me to the later M series pin-pricks - this is more artsy/coherent.

OK, since I'm here, rather than sending you an email separately...

- glad to see I'm not the only one with the learning curve!

- savoche is right, you can set the clicked/stopped aperture ring to f22 or whatever and only use the non-click ring

- you don't need the two rings to be the same - the non-click ring determines the actual f-stop, so you many have the clicked ring set to f8, but the non-click ring could be at f4 and the lens will be at f4

- I like the non-click ring because it gives me very accurate dof control, and as it's smooth to turn it is easier to use. This is really important (IMO) for photos where speed is critical; like my photos of bees and bugs. I can adjust the aperture really easily to suit the scene (e.g. whether I want all the insect in focus or just the eyes/wide open). The clicking ring is more cumbersome to move in fast situations, sometimes causing the whole M42 mount to turn too!

- My light bulb moment came with very bright/light objects, like colourful petals - once I'd got the exposure/f-stops right, the lens started to deliver some stunning shots. Richard's macro with anthers this day is a prime example. IMO, your Takumar should produce an even better result than the FA 35mm Macro..

- I have tried adjusting the exposure during long exposures, but not to much advantage...plus as you say there is a stability issue. But on videos, it's great for moving from one type of light into another.

Interesting. Pretty bokeh balls (best to keep it around f4 or so).

This one is really cool! Love the contrasts and the oof higlights. Good processing, too.

Nice strong diagonals clashing with the organic meanderings of the vines. Interesting bokeh, too.