[JohnBee]

See details here:Brutal Pentax Lens Price Increase: 15-90% - Pentax Camera News & Rumors - PentaxForums.com
Unfortunately the price change policy covers almost all the lens line, and the DA* 16-50 and DA* 50-135 even doubled their pieces.
For me I think the change will do nothing better but reduce Pentax's market share in US.

Cost effectiveness has always been at the top of my list. Having said that, I'm really not partial to branding(never was) and so if/when the time came for me to expand my kit, then I'd might have to consider whether these new prices would affect my system choice. Could it affect my camera choice? Perhaps, then again... I have pretty much every lens I've ever wanted and so I'm really not sure if I'll ever feel the burn myself. I do however, feel bad for the potential customers if Pentax looses its edge as a cost effective alternative to the competition. Then again... perhaps this is a bad thing as people are drawn to devaluate Pentax as the cheaper alternative too(tough to say). And so I think it could go either way.

But that's just me

[slackercruster]

You have an inflated sense of your importance to Pentax.

Pentax or any other company does not give a fudge about you or me or he or she. $$ is their god and their religion is how to make it as fast as possible.

[slackercruster]

Cost effectiveness has always been at the top of my list. Having said that, I'm really not partial to branding(never was) and so if/when the time came for me to expand my kit, then I'd might have to consider whether these new prices would affect my system choice. Could it affect my camera choice? Perhaps, then again... I have pretty much every lens I've ever wanted and so I'm really not sure if I'll ever feel the burn myself. I do however, feel bad for the potential customers if Pentax looses its edge as a cost effective alternative to the competition. Then again... perhaps this is a bad thing as people are drawn to devaluate Pentax as the cheaper alternative too(tough to say). And so I think it could go either way.

But that's just me

Offering decent equipment at affordable prices is all Pentax has. If a system is to be priced at unaafordable levels...then its name better start with a N, C, L or H and not a P!

[uswrdm02]

Just made me decide NOT to buy a pentax!

[alstauffer]

I think it's not fully implemented and that the move on lenses is because they haven't set the floor price so dealers are playing it safe (or deliberately stirring sh*t) by going to the MSRP price which in the real world no product ever sells for
I think this will sort itself out but probably not over a couple of days

I am hoping this is the case. If not, I think it was a terrible move. One of the reasons I took to Pentax in the first place was the ability to get great lenses for what I considered reasonable prices, but many of them have become outrageous, and I don't see them coming to B&M camera stores near me anyway. I visited all of them when I first moved here, and asked if they had anything from Pentax; I was promptly laughed at and showed something from CaNikon/Sony instead.

Also, I'm a graduate student and have my heart set on a DA 15mm. $650 now?

[kenafein]

Just made me decide NOT to buy a pentax!

I hope Ricoh sees comments like this.

[eddie1960]

Once the pricing settles i think we'll see lower prices just not as low as they were. Given in apsc models the canon 17-55 2.8 is 1200 and the Nikon is close to 1500 I would see the 16-50 settling to 1000-1100 probably making it still a better value than the canikon lenses. I think the 750 price we were seeing was probably razor thin margins which effectively makes selling into B&M difficult. Canadian retail on the 16-50 is 1000 with the low guy at 920, the 50-135 is 1200 with the low guy at 1080 and the 60-250 is 1599 with the low being 1499. DA 15 sells for 799/709

Realistically the US prices have been miles out of whack with the rest of the world. because virtually all sales are at the web level they were being sold at silly margins that kill the idea of B&M chains buying into the system.

Now if you are desperate to grab a lens before things settle down just pick it up from a canadian online dealer. I'tt show up with the 1 year international warranty in the box and a 2 year Canadian warranty card as well

Lots of canadian have shopped US web stores over the years when there was a big disparity in a particular model (the DA12-24 was certainly one of the most glaring ones it's retail up here has been 1299/965low (still is actually)

[kenafein]

Once the pricing settles i think we'll see lower prices just not as low as they were. Given in apsc models the canon 17-55 2.8 is 1200 and the Nikon is close to 1500 I would see the 16-50 settling to 1000-1100 probably making it still a better value than the canikon lenses. I think the 750 price we were seeing was probably razor thin margins which effectively makes selling into B&M difficult. Canadian retail on the 16-50 is 1000 with the low guy at 920, the 50-135 is 1200 with the low guy at 1080 and the 60-250 is 1599 with the low being 1499. DA 15 sells for 799/709

Realistically the US prices have been miles out of whack with the rest of the world. because virtually all sales are at the web level they were being sold at silly margins that kill the idea of B&M chains buying into the system.

Now if you are desperate to grab a lens before things settle down just pick it up from a canadian online dealer. I'tt show up with the 1 year international warranty in the box and a 2 year Canadian warranty card as well

Lots of canadian have shopped US web stores over the years when there was a big disparity in a particular model (the DA12-24 was certainly one of the most glaring ones it's retail up here has been 1299/965low (still is actually)

One board member this morning said that the 50-135 goes for 1150 in Japan at current exchange rates. This is a more reasonable price point. Ricoh should have determined the new price before this change, even if they had to adjust it some later. They are simply losing confidence.

[eddie1960]

One board member this morning said that the 50-135 goes for 1150 in Japan at current exchange rates. This is a more reasonable price point. Ricoh should have determined the new price before this change, even if they had to adjust it some later. They are simply losing confidence.

It may well be confusion between the dealers and Pentax at the moment as well. I would think the 50-135 at 1199 and th 16-50 at 999 with rebate programs to drive sales at key times is more likely where it will go
MSRP prices probably need attention. Given Pentax US history of slow implementation of things it may take another month or so to sort out
lower price lenses like the DAl35 probably will end at 199 (pretty much where it is for the rest of the world aside from taxes)

[devorama]

No no no! Augh! I just rented a DA* 16-50mm for a trip because I knew I'd need it's weather sealing. I fell in love with this lens. I figured that at $800, maybe I could afford to buy one if I sold my Tamron 17-50 F/2.8 lens. But now it's $700 more? Oh cruel fate! The Tamron is nice, but if you want a weather sealed lens, what choice does one really have? I'm hoping there are some huge rebates on these lenses soon.

[sterretje]

Still less expencive than here in sweden. Congrats US citizens, you know pay european prices for some of your lenses.
Wanna hear something stupid thou? It would be as expensive for me to fly from sweden to new york, go to the city, walk to b&h, buy the da15 fly back home, as if i bought it here. So quit you complaining, it is realy annoying when people complain abou cheap prices...

Just my 2 öre

So true; it's the same here.

[cali92rs]

Pentax or any other company does not give a fudge about you or me or he or she. $$ is their god and their religion is how to make it as fast as possible.

The truest comment I have read on this or any other message board, EVER...

That is why it is silly, in my opinion, to be brand loyal.

[alstauffer]

Looks like B&H still has the 'add to cart to see price' scheme for the Pentax Flashes. I wonder if they will double in price over the next month as well.

[Frogfish]

I may well go off and buy the 60-250 this week because it is still available for around US$1,150 - 1,200 here and if the street price is anywhere near that new US$2,000 list ... I'll never buy it. As for the 16-50 and 50-135 and it's 90% rise, for fault plagued lenses, ....... it seems some people at Pentax have just totally lost it. These prices will put many of their lenses beyond that of Canon/Nikon and I couldn't blame anyone for jumping ship. Those price rises are just insane. Even if they bring out a FF camera will people stick around for the launch and to pay those prices ?

I can see Zeiss & Voigtlander to say nothing of Sigma & Tamron, doing very well out of this. Sigma need to bring back the 50-150/2.8 now, it would massacre the 50-135 if still around $600 - 700.

In fact I see a 5DII in my future, plus the MPE65 for my macro, the 400 5.6 + x1.4 TC for birding and some fast portrait lenses for that gorgeous FF portrait look. I'll keep one of my K5s and my favourite PK lenses.

[Rupert]

In a word...or two....It Sucks!

Regards!