Third Party Lenses NOT for Pentax

JJJPhoto · 08-02-2008, 08:09 PM

Most of the lenses I'm interested in are available for the Pentax mount, but I ran into a great lens this week that isn't available for the Pentax mount and it really left me feeling sad.

The Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro is a great lens that a friend of mine owns for his Nikon cameras. It's available for Canon, Nikon, and even the Olympus/Panasonic mount but NOT for Pentax.

I really wish this lens was available for Pentax: great focal length, tripod collar, macro focus, and focus range limiter ... and, of course, great image quality.

Am I the only one who occasionally runs into great third party lenses that aren't available for Pentax? It doesn't bother me when Canon or Nikon come out with a new lens, but if a good lens comes out from a third party company like Sigma, Tamron, or even Tokina then it should be available for all mounts.

deudeu · 08-02-2008, 08:17 PM

Sigma | 105mm f/2.8 EX Macro Autofocus Lens for Pentax | 257109

deejjjaaaa · 08-02-2008, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by JJJPhoto

or even Tokina t

Hoya owns Tokina (ot least has sufficient control) & Pentax - why should they compete ?

JJJPhoto · 08-02-2008, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by deejjjaaaa

Hoya owns Tokina (ot least has sufficient control) & Pentax - why should they compete ?

Granted, most of Tokina's new/current lenses are just re-badged Pentax designs (or maybe the other way around) but there are still a couple of lenses sold by Tokina that aren't available for Pentax but are available for other mounts.

Why not sell Tokina lenses for Pentax ... if there isn't a Pentax-branded version of the same lens.

Oh, and I know about the 105mm ... but the 105 is not the 150.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._8_EX_APO.html

**Marc Langille** · 08-02-2008, 08:38 PM

Yep... several of the Sigma super telephotos! Plus the limited production of the Pentax mount Sigma 180/3.5 macro, and not Sigma 120-300/2.8 EX...

Oh well...

deudeu · 08-02-2008, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by JJJPhoto

Granted, most of Tokina's new/current lenses are just re-badged Pentax designs (or maybe the other way around) but there are still a couple of lenses sold by Tokina that aren't available for Pentax but are available for other mounts.

Why not sell Tokina lenses for Pentax ... if there isn't a Pentax-branded version of the same lens.

Oh, and I know about the 105mm ... but the 105 is not the 150.

Sigma | 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus | 104101

Sorry about that. I have never even heard about that lens, my brain didn't register!

JJJPhoto · 08-03-2008, 07:04 AM

Originally Posted by deudeu

Sorry about that. I have never even heard about that lens, my brain didn't register!

No problem. I guess the reason I started this thread was that I just don't understand why third party lens manufacturers don't make all of their lenses available for all the major mounts (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Oly/Panasonic, and even Sony/Minolta).

Yes, the situation is a little different with Tokina and Pentax since they're both owned by Hoya and share lens designs ... but the other third party companies should make all their lenses available for all the mounts.

Look at Zeiss (Welcome to Carl Zeiss Camera and Cine Lenses) they obviously think it's worth their time and money to make every lens available for the Pentax mount.

The reason I say that is simple: Even though Nikon and Canon have MUCH more market share in the DSLR space than the other companies, MOST of that huge market share comes from "point-and-shoot" consumers who purchased a DSLR but who will NEVER purchase another lens beyond the kit lens that came with their DSLR.

On the other hand, I think the percentage of people who buy extra lenses is MUCH higher among the smaller manufacturers like Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic, and Sony because the "point-and-shoot" consumers generally don't buy these brands.

I don't have access to Sigma's sales figures, but I'd be willing to speculate that if you look at the sales of lenses (priced below $1,500) that are available for all mounts you'll find that the total number of lenses sold is very close among Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Olympus/Panasonic because more Pentax and Olympus/Panasonic owners are buying extra lenses.

I mentioned the top price of $1,500 because extremely expensive ($2,000+) glass is usually only purchased by working pros and enthusiasts with obscene amounts of money. While there are working photographers who use Pentax and Olympus cameras, I'm sure there are fewer of us than Canon and Nikon.