Pentax FA50mm: Discontinued Lens

[Francesco]

Just spoke to a pentax rep in Montreal and he told me that the 50mm will be discontinued in the fall of 2010.

[lurchlarson]

I wonder if they are getting ready to drop the DA* 55mm price?

[atiratha]

No wonder, the price is outrageous compared to how much it used to cost. Now they can finally justify discontinuing this fine lens on the grounds of low sales.

[Francesco]

He told me that the price will not change on the 55MM!

[mikemike]

Will there be a new lens at 50 to replace it, maybe a DAL?

[RBellavance]

Was this rep Jean D. ? Any other info about upcoming things (not that I really expect any, mind you - Pentax leaks usually originate from eastern Europe, not eastern Canada ) ? And did they have a 645D ?

Unfortunately, I don't have the time to go to Salon D-Clic this weekend.

[Francesco]

No it wasn't Jean D. but an Oriental man, didn't get his name. Told me that new lens should be comming in the fall lineup and thus had to discontinue the 50 mm....

Got to see the new Sony Alpha NEX-3 nice camera!!!!

The pentax booth was not much to look at, Two DSLR cameras and some lens...

[Francesco]

They told me that they will keep only the 55mm

[RBellavance]

Told me that new lens should be comming in the fall lineup and thus had to discontinue the 50 mm....

They told me that they will keep only the 55mm

These two statements are somewhat contradictory...

[lurchlarson]

He told me that the price will not change on the 55MM!

I wonder if Pentax is trying to move up market or just wants to charge more than they usually do. It's a pity.

[kiwi_jono]

Or maybe a cost effective f=35 is on the way as the standard lense?

[unixrevolution]

It's a shame about the FA 50mm. Great lens. A fast 35mm would be a great replacement.

[youky63]

It's a shame about the FA 50mm. Great lens. A fast 35mm would be a great replacement.

Wait, no brand can survive without a fast 50mm lens. It was already difficult to understand why Pentax was the only brand without a cheap 50mm f/1.8, so I really don't think there will be no replacement for this FA lens.
And I even think they could be 2: a SDM WR FA 50mm (same optic formula) and a cheap 50mm f/1.8 to avoid the actual situation where many costumers don't want a Pentax because there is no cheap lenses (at the opposite to Canon, Nikon and Sony).

[wlachan]

About time anyway since it's showing its age and with a few cases of falling apart w/o the contact brush to repair, it isn't as attractive anymore.

[wlachan]

Wait, no brand can survive without a fast 50mm lens. It was already difficult to understand why Pentax was the only brand without a cheap 50mm f/1.8, so I really don't think there will be no replacement for this FA lens.
And I even think they could be 2: a SDM WR FA 50mm (same optic formula) and a cheap 50mm f/1.8 to avoid the actual situation where many costumers don't want a Pentax because there is no cheap lenses (at the opposite to Canon, Nikon and Sony).

On the other hand, I wonder how many actually use their 50mm regularly these days.