[Na Horuk]

Someone was comparing the FA limiteds to Zeiss and Voiglander lenses. These are all great, but the Zeiss are very expensive; both Zeiss and Voigtlander lack AF.. But really, when it comes to "rendering" I', not sure you can find a substitute. You can always get a lens of the same speed, or the same focal length, but even lenses with the same speed and focal length can have dramatically different output.
Btw, do you guys think the FA limiteds will go up in price, once Pentax FF is released?

[Digitalis]

do you guys think the FA limiteds will go up in price, once Pentax FF is released?

The MIJ ones have always commanded an unjustifiable premium, that trend will continue mark my words.

[oxidized]

Pretty sure you cannot use the FA31 on EF bodies( 5D Mk anything), but can use it on EF-s bodies only. FWIW, I use it on my K-01 and it is sublime!

No sensationalism involved. I'm merely laying it out like it is. If you find the language I use unpalatable, that is your problem. I know of many instances where removing the aperture lever by simply snapping it off and ablating any protrusions into the mirror box with sand paper has been used to enable the use of pentax lenses on canon EF mount cameras. Unless it is done professionally changing the lens mount can cause irreversible damage to the functionality of a lens on the camera mount it was intended to be used on.

Not making any judgement on phrasing or anything. We have all seen the butchered lens on ebay. Some users simply dont have the patience to swap the mount and remove the aperture lever. I even recently saw Pentax A 50mm 1.2 on ebay with a chopped off lever. Broke my heart. But a lot of the lenses can be "reversibly" converted to Canon mount without too much effort. Here is the 77mm as an example:
???? Pentax K ???? Canon EF ??-???

[DSims]

Go ahead and buy a FA31. By the end of the year anything under a grand will seem cheap for such an outstanding lens.

I'm afraid twitch may be right here - not only is Pentax Ricoh trying to get their pricing up (closer to Canon/Nikon), but many prices are still based on what the USD/EUR/GBP to JPY ratios were a few years ago.

[CB Knipp]

I have tried the new Sigma 35mm f1.4 on Nikon and was blown away by it. It is larger, and not really all that cheap, but it performed wonderfully. I will be getting one for my K5IIs when it is released in K mount. You should really give it a try.

[Adam G]

No sensationalism involved. I'm merely laying it out like it is. If you find the language I use unpalatable, that is your problem. I know of many instances where removing the aperture lever by simply snapping it off and ablating any protrusions into the mirror box with sand paper has been used to enable the use of pentax lenses on canon EF mount cameras. Unless it is done professionally changing the lens mount can cause irreversible damage to the functionality of a lens on the camera mount it was intended to be used on.

As a Noun the word butcher is used to describe "a person who destroys, ruins, or bungles something" I could have used more graphic language.....I speak several languages, I know curse words that could probably start small fires in dry grass.

Alright, I'll back down on that point. Not sure why I was so snippy yesterday.

With that said, something else for consideration:

So we have photographers from other systems buying and modifying the FA Limiteds for their own use. As long as they're buying new, the cash finds its way back to Pentax. Provides an incentive to keep producing these lenses.

Seems to me a win-win for everyone involved, as long as we're talking about sales of new lenses. For second-hand (or third-, etc.) sales of lenses still in production, it's debatable. And for discontinued glass, well, now we're talking about limited resources.