Originally posted by DSims Sounds more like your personal wishlist than anything that would be practical or profitable for a manufacturer. DA*55 and Lightroom in the bundle?
I picked up my copy of Lightroom 4 for $50 on Newegg. Chances are, Pentax would pay even less as they are buying a few thousand seats, and are a 'native' DNG manufacturer.
Originally posted by DSims * lenses don't get bundled, and as great as that lens is, must buyers wouldn't go for it.
Then they can buy a different kit. DA* lenses don't get bought much at all, and I think this would be a great way to get more of them in front of consumers - not just prosumers to professionals. Product presentation is not always about selling the lens that day...but also getting the word out.
Originally posted by DSims And Lightroom is probably even more unnecessary. It could be a lot of work for Pentax to arrange this agreement with Adobe, but it's questionable whether it would add any sales at all.
A lot of work? Adobe already has these programs and legal contracts in place. Pentax would just have to negotiate for a few terms and sign on the dotted line. I'd be surprised if it would cost Pentax more than $25 per activated copy. Beyond the DNG public relations coup, Adobe would have the potential to upsell the user a Photoshop license.
Originally posted by DSims Also, has anyone ever produced a constant f/2.8 lens with that broad a zoom range (18-85mm)? I'd love to be wrong, but I don't think it can be done in a practical manner. f/3.5 to f/4 sounds more realistic, with f/3.2 being the best surprise one could hope for.
Well Canon introduced the weather-sealed L series 24-70 f/2.8 in 2002 - and that's a very well regarded 3x zoom lens for full frame (at a retail launch price of about $2k). Computerized lens design programs have come a long way in the last 10 years as the computational power has increased exponentially. If the lens was restricted to cropped frame only, or even sacrificed full frame performance in the borders, the ~18-85 4.5x lens would be very doable at a $1k retail price point. In a kit of course, some margin is sacrificed. Pentax needs volume now before it becomes too marginal a brand.
Originally posted by DSims Some faster wide-angle lenses is a good idea, though. It looks as if Pentax is at least partly working on that.
They've been doing a lot of stuff 'partly'. Time for them to live up to their legacy. I understand Hoya was a neglectful parent company, but I think Pentax has only a couple year window to get things right...otherwise it's bye-bye.
The
K30 is #58 on the sales list in Japan (a market that's traditionally strong for Pentax). Pentax is in trouble. From an optics standpoint, they've been living off their past accomplishments for far too long. The DA* 55mm f/1.4 shows that the engineers can still get it done, but management just has to make the investment.
Last edited by dmytty; 08-17-2012 at 09:45 PM.
Reason: link