[Clem Nichols]

Good news re the upcoming (after March 7) release of the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 lens. Has anyone heard if Sigma has any plans of re-releasing their 70-200 f/2.8 with a Pentax mount? I'm guessing that it was available for only a relatively short time. Furthermore, I'm thinking that with the increasing popularity of Pentax's digital SLR's Sigma might see things a bit differently than when they decided to stop manufacturing this lens with the Pentax mount.

CN

[offertonhatter]

Don't know if Tamron will make it with a pentax fit, I hope they do.

Apparantly Jacobs here in the UK have the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 with Pentax fit, yet on the Sigma Website, no mention of the Pentax mount.

I hope that at least one of them will provide a Pentax fit, ar Pentax will have to bring forward the 60-250 F2.8 forward asap, as I need a better lens then my Sigma 55-200 F4-5.6

[Gooshin]

Don't know if Tamron will make it with a pentax fit, I hope they do.

Apparantly Jacobs here in the UK have the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 with Pentax fit, yet on the Sigma Website, no mention of the Pentax mount.

I hope that at least one of them will provide a Pentax fit, ar Pentax will have to bring forward the 60-250 F2.8 forward asap, as I need a better lens then my Sigma 55-200 F4-5.6

if it can maintain the IQ level of the 50-135* i will be happy

i'm still scratching my head as to why the 60-250* will be an F4

[time-snaps]

..to my best of knowledge there are no more Sigma 70-200 available. The last few in London went out last Nov form Spectrum Photography in Warren Street (guess not being online, they had a few left, as people need to call or visit to find out).

I was looking for this one for about 5 months in 2007, untill I finally bought a second hand one from a chap in Germany (Euro 700.00). If you find one I would go for it, even at GBP 550.00 its a great lens!

[rover]

Unfortunately the release of the 70-200 will only be in Canon mount on March 7. No date for release in other mounts.

[AVANT]

i'm still scratching my head as to why the 60-250* will be an F4

Because 250 is fairly long. A F2.8 will be significantly larger, heavier, more R&D, less cost effective to build. It looks like they've dropped the 60-250 plans as of now anyways. It overlaps so much with the 50-135 that I wonder why they wanted to release a 60-250 to begin with. I would have thought the next DA* zoom would be a longer lens in general. Closer to the Sigma 100-300 F4, which has been getting very good reviews on other mounts by the way.

[egordon99]

1)Because it's pretty much a replacement for the "film" 100-300mm f/4 as it has a similar FOV on a APS-C sensor
2)An 60-250mm f/2.8 would be ALOT more expensive than f/4. Compare the prices of the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 (Sigma | Zoom Telephoto 120-300mm f/2.8 EX APO DG IF HSM | 135101)
and their 100-300mm f/4 (Sigma | 100-300mm f/4 EX DG IF HSM Autofocus Lens | 134101 | B&H)
$2600 vs. $1000.

Still scratching your head?

i'm still scratching my head as to why the 60-250* will be an F4

[Gooshin]

1)Because it's pretty much a replacement for the "film" 100-300mm f/4 as it has a similar FOV on a APS-C sensor
2)An 60-250mm f/2.8 would be ALOT more expensive than f/4. Compare the prices of the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 (Sigma | Zoom Telephoto 120-300mm f/2.8 EX APO DG IF HSM | 135101)
and their 100-300mm f/4 (Sigma | 100-300mm f/4 EX DG IF HSM Autofocus Lens | 134101 | B&H)
$2600 vs. $1000.

Still scratching your head?

so 200mm we can do f2.8 for around a grand, and magicaly 250 becomes overly expensive?

how many of you here are actual engineers?

in your sigma comparison, how much of that price difference reflected in actual cost, and how much of it is reflected in simple market control?

[egordon99]

Yep! Nothing magical about it, you just need that much more glass. Compare the price of a 200mm f/2.8 prime and a 300mm f/2.8 prime (and how about a 400mm f/2.8 prime?) So 250mm @f/2.8 would fall in the middle.

(not to mention the added complexity of a zoom vs. a prime)

200mm f/2.8 needs at least a front element of at least ~71mm in diameter. 250mm f/2.8 would need ~90mm.

Not to argue, but you do know what f/2.8 means?

so 200mm we can do f2.8 for around a grand, and magicaly 250 becomes overly expensive?

[kenyee]

how many of you here are actual engineers?

uhh...if you go look on dpreview, there was a discussion about a 17-70/2.8 to which I said it was not possible to do for physics/size reasons and someone refused to believe that and wanted documentation that wasn't possible.

Someone replied and gave him a pointer to a lens design database (with software to help you customize various formulas) and a textbook to which the other guy said it was too techical...

At any rate, look at the lens database if you're truly that curious.

And yes, I'm an engineer...EE though, not optical

[Gooshin]

fine

i guess i'll just have to keep looking for an affordable 70-200

[offertonhatter]

the Sigma 100-300 F4 is indeed a mighty lens, but personally I want something a little shorter to a good telephoto, the 60-250 DA* seems spot on for me, However Hoya have got plans for it, hence whay they have delayed it, it is still coming I have heard but don't know when.

Maybe I should just bite the bullett and get the Bigma instead.

[Gumysh]

Good news re the upcoming (after March 7) release of the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 lens. Has anyone heard if Sigma has any plans of re-releasing their 70-200 f/2.8 with a Pentax mount? I'm guessing that it was available for only a relatively short time. Furthermore, I'm thinking that with the increasing popularity of Pentax's digital SLR's Sigma might see things a bit differently than when they decided to stop manufacturing this lens with the Pentax mount.
CN

I personally hope that Sigma will start production of K-mount lenses again - and including HSM now That would be really nice, it could attract more people to Pentax. But, who knows? I'm as curious as you about this and welcoming any news (possibly the good one).

I was incredibly lucky boy when I got the chance to buy the 70-200 Sigma (a used piece just for 520 €). I love it and I really wish this lens returned back to production with K-mount. The only thing I regret is the absence of HSM The speed and accuracy are not the issues - the AF is very fast -, but when the manual override is needed, switching between MF/AF is really painful.

[Gooshin]

just thinking outloud

and lets take the K100D here since it uses AA's

wouldn't auto focusing a gigantic lens drain the batteries very fast?

[Lowell Goudge]

just thinking outloud

and lets take the K100D here since it uses AA's

wouldn't auto focusing a gigantic lens drain the batteries very fast?

I have an *istD and the sigma 70-200 F2.8, which I use a lot with a 1.4x TC

This is a screw drive lens, hence big fast and I think would fit the criteria of "draining the batteries very fast"

It does not! I have never had an issue with loss of batteries even when taking several hundred photos. Instant review and pixle peeping on camera use A LOT MORE.

IF lenses were developed specifically to reduce the mass of the elements focused, and therefore reduce power. USM or what ever each maker calls it is even more efficient.

In fact I believe a lens like my sigma 10-20, which has the focusing collar driven full time (due to volume restrictions on the lens) probably takes more power