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10-01-2012, 12:43 PM   #1
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Who do they think they can sell the 560mm to ???

Could someone ask a very simple question to a Pentax representative :

When Sigma sells (I'm giving French prices) a 120-400 lens (quite good quality) for 800 €,
When Canon sells a 400 / 5.6 (top quality lens) for 1 300 €...

How can Pentax imagine just for only one second that they are going to sell the 560 / 5.6 above 6 000 € ????



10-01-2012, 12:46 PM   #2
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Right now, I doubt anybody will care much for the lens. Things might change if they launch a very high-end APS-C body.

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10-01-2012, 12:53 PM   #3
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Maybe if you call your store directly they can sell you one over the phone for 2000 €

<rimshot />
10-01-2012, 01:24 PM   #4
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Chances are the lens will be down to below 4k (possibly even well below 3k) within months of sales initiation

10-01-2012, 01:27 PM - 1 Like   #5
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While this lens isnt on my wish list, I dont think the pricing is quite as extreme as its made to be. That may all change when the lens reaches the hands of consumers, but as of right now, comparing it to its actual competition of prime lenses between 500mm and 600mm and f/4-f/5.6 we get the following lenses:

Canon 500mm f/4L EF IS II USM Lens - $10499.00
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR II AF Lens (Black) - $8399.00
Sigma 500mm f/4.5 EX DG APO Autofocus Lens (Various Mounts) - $4999.00
Sony500mm f/4.5 EX DG APO Autofocus Lens - $12998.00
Canon 600mm f/4L EF IS II USM Telephoto Lens - $12999.00
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR AF Lens - $9799.00

Suddenly $6999.95 for a 560mm f/5.6 doesnt seem too bad. Yes, its a half to a full stop slower than some of the competition, but aside from the Sigma, its at least $1400 cheaper than the next lens in this area. If the image quality is similar to the competition, I dont think that $6999.95 is unreasonable to ask for the lens. Additionally, Im sure the pricing of the lens will level out with after 6-12 months. I say we wait to pass judgement until image results are seen...
10-01-2012, 02:00 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by PentaxScott Quote
While this lens isnt on my wish list, I dont think the pricing is quite as extreme as its made to be. That may all change when the lens reaches the hands of consumers, but as of right now, comparing it to its actual competition of prime lenses between 500mm and 600mm and f/4-f/5.6 we get the following lenses:
I do believe the lens is overpriced - and this is assuming it has excellent optical quality. However, I also agree that it's not as outrageous as some claim.

In comparing pricing to other lenses, it needs to be thought of as a 600mm f/5.6 lens (or perhaps 600mm ~f/6). All of the lenses you mention are f/4 or f/4.5, so they should cost considerably more.

Nevertheless, the price should be below $5000. In fact, I think it should come down to $3800. This is the pricing I anticipated before it was announced, and is the price I was considering buying one at.



I must add one more thought, however. This is a Hoya-conceived product that's been on the roadmap for a while. Ricoh has recently expressed that they're very disapproving of Hoya's minimum-cost development approach. It's quite possible that the telescope design - while I believe it will still be well-executed - is really more of a "joke," as appearance would suggest. Pentax needs a longer lens, so there's no sense stopping it, but Ricoh may be developing some proper 400/500/600mm lenses as we speak, and they plan on releasing them within a couple of years or so. This would make it even more of a stop-gap than the K-5 IIs (which still has enough merit that I ordered one).

Last edited by DSims; 10-01-2012 at 02:24 PM.
10-01-2012, 02:55 PM   #7
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Assuming the 560mm has excellent IQ for a prime telephoto, you can't compare it to any Sigma telephoto zoom - so who cares what the price is of the 120-400, or 150-500 or even the 50-500... and, I didn't know Pentax was marketing to Canon users

That said, the 560 is still cheaper compared to other primes with exception to the Sigma 500. The Sigma is definitely a good alternative if you do not need weather sealing.

10-01-2012, 06:09 PM   #8
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The telescope design might be a clue. Pentax doesn't have much grip in the pro sports photog area, the usual haunt of such lenses, but within the wildlife and stargazing community it is still a force. Their binoculars and even their telescopes are very well regarded. A 560mm Pentax quality prime would be welcomed by many an astrophotographer, and unlike sports, f5.6 is not such an issue. Prices for quality optics in this area can be ... astronomical

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10-01-2012, 08:25 PM   #9
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I have no dog in this hunt, at all. I would have legitimate use for this lens about twice a year, if that. But I really just do not get this lens, no matter how I look at it.

QuoteQuote:
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR AF Lens - $9799.00
The Nikkor is full-frame, is f/4, is in-lens stabilized with tripod detection, and it's a tank. I would have expected the 560 to come in at around the $4900 mark; maybe an even $5000 because it's got o-rings to keep out the rain.

What really puzzles me though, and I'm maybe I'm just totally uneducated here, but why does Pentax (apparently) keep re-inventing the wheel with fundamentally new optical designs? Why not re-visit the FA600/4 with new coatings and updated circuitry? Where did 560mm come from, other than giving them a 100mm front element size?
10-01-2012, 08:27 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Luin Gor Quote
Could someone ask a very simple question to a Pentax representative :

When Sigma sells (I'm giving French prices) a 120-400 lens (quite good quality) for 800 €,
When Canon sells a 400 / 5.6 (top quality lens) for 1 300 €...

How can Pentax imagine just for only one second that they are going to sell the 560 / 5.6 above 6 000 € ????

Someone with more money than sense or someone with Leno money and LBA.
10-04-2012, 10:43 AM   #11
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Good long lenses are never cheap. I think a lot of us were anticipating a lens in the $2000 range, not dirt cheap but something we could afford and were instantly disappointed by the $7000 price tag. The 560 is pretty close to the price of a new Harley Sportster so you have to ask yourself if your photography hobby is worth as much to you as a new ride is to the biker. I mentioned the Sportster because it is the cheapest model in the lineup and most riders have over $10K invested in their bikes before any extras. If the new lens matches the quality of the high priced Nikon and Canon equilivents mentioned, then maybe the price isn't out of line. If the new lens can't beat the IQ of the Bigma, then the price is out of line. It's really a wait and see at this point.
10-04-2012, 10:52 AM   #12
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i think there are 2 issues here, and I too am disappointed somewhat in the price, as this is a lens I can see myself wanting, but.....

many of the lenses that this lens is competing against are somewhat more expensive to build (supposition on my part) due to the true telephoto design (telephoto by the way does not mean longer than a normal lens, but actually means a lens who's effective focal length is much longer than it's physical length) which has many many elements.

The pentax design is not a telephoto but simply a long simple lens, with a minimum number of corrective elements, therefore it should be cheaper than the competition because it is cheaper to make, unless.......

the optical design is such that it requires very complex and expensive machining of the elements themselves, in order to produce the lens. Specifically this means aspherical element design, and / or very unusual optical materials.

the proof however will be in the results. if this lens blows the competition away, then it will sell at the price even possibly to me, if it does not, i will likely get a sigma 500/4.5
10-05-2012, 01:38 AM   #13
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The wealthy industrialist H.E. Pennypacker has several on pre-order. But not to use as a camera lens, he wants 'em as baseball bats.
10-05-2012, 01:41 AM   #14
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I suspect they priced it this way so as to never have to manufacture one. I am hanging out for a Nikon 300/400/2.8 though. I can dream can't I?
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