I love Pentax but....

Pentaxguy22 · 06-03-2013, 10:54 PM

Is it just me or is lenses for Pentax cost more then Nikon?

Tom S. · 06-04-2013, 05:02 AM

Moved to proper area.

Timd · 06-04-2013, 05:16 AM

Nikon has some cheap lenses, but they are so-so. The excellent Nikon lenses make some Pentax lenses look cheap. With Pentax and Nikon, you get what you pay for.

tlwyse · 06-04-2013, 06:06 AM - **1 Like**

I've been pricing some Nikon gear in anticipation of moving away from Pentax and getting the Nikon D800E. I was expecting Nikon lenses to be through the roof but was pleasantly surprised. Thing is, it's kind of tough to compare. Try finding a really premium 24-70 f/2.8 in the Pentax line-up (16-50mm cropped...sorry, the DA*16-50 is simply a piece of crap) or try and find a premium super-zoom like the Nikon 24-300. There's several real gems like the Nikon 85 f/1.8G that aren't expensive at all. Besides, there's several really good Sigmas for the Nikon FX format that simply aren't available for Pentax.

I also got to believe the build quality of Nikon is going to be better than Pentax. I've still got my DA* 50-135mm where the focusing motor failed after 18 months..it's been a manual focus lens ever since (4+ years now I think).....and my most recent failure is (was) my jewel-like DA Limited 70mm f/2.4.....the aperture blades are hanging up/closing slowly for some reason. It was my favorite lens but that was the last straw for me. On top of that, my K20D's battery attachment always gives me trouble when I shoot vertical...it loses connection and resets the camera which has burned me numerous times.There's only two bright spots in my Pentax gear....the DA 12-24mm f/4 and my Tamron(!) 17-50mm f/2.8...I hear Tamron makes an awesome 24-70mm f/2.8...but only for Nikon and Canon of course.

I've waited long enough for a full-frame Pentax...times up Pentax, you've got exactly 5 months before you lose a long-time Pentaxian (35+ years) before I go to the dark side. :-|

Terry

Last edited by tlwyse; 06-05-2013 at 06:40 AM.

pxpaulx · 06-04-2013, 06:14 AM

Originally posted by tlwyse

I've been pricing some Nikon gear in anticipation of moving away from Pentax and getting the Nikon D800E. I was expecting Nikon lenses to be through the roof but was pleasantly surprised. Thing is, it's kind of tough to compare. Try finding a really premium 24-70 f/2.8 (16-50mm cropped...sorry, the DA*16-50 is simply a piece of crap) in the Pentax line-up or a premium super-zoom like the Nikon 24-300. There's several real gems like the Nikon 85 f/1.8G that aren't expensive at all. Besides, there's several really good Sigmas for the Nikon FX format that simply aren't available for Pentax.

I also got to believe the build quality of Nikon is going to be better than Pentax. I've still got my DA* 50-135mm where the focusing motor failed after 18 months..it's been a manual focus lens ever since (4+ years now I think).....and my most recent failure is (was) my jewel-like DA Limited 70mm f/2.4.....the aperture blades are hanging up/closing slowly for some reason. It was my favorite lens but that was the last straw for me.

I've waited long enough for a full-frame Pentax...times up Pentax, you've got exactly 5 months before you lose a long-time Pentaxian (35+ years) before I go to the dark side. :-|

Terry

Yup, I got my 85mm 1.8g on sale under $400 new from adorama - they pretty regularly have sales on their stuff (just as do Pentax and other brands). Although there aren't necessarily a mountain of directly comparable lenses (aside from typical consumer zooms), Nikon has their fair share of reasonably priced good glass. Of course when you move into the fast 2.8 zooms the asking price does skyrocket! Then again there is significantly better 3rd party support, for instance I got the tokina 16-28 2.8 which is a great performer on FF for under $700.

Clavius · 06-04-2013, 06:55 AM

Next best Pentax lens to compare to the Nikon 85mm 1.8g would be the Pentax FA 85mm 1.4... Yah, lets compare prices of those. LOL! ...And Pentax keeps telling us to "be interesting"!?! I wouldn't mind Pentax becomming interesting again.

Rupert · 06-04-2013, 02:27 PM

I'm happy with my Pentax gear, and generally the prices...before they jumped up. If they are wanting to compete, they aren't making the grade, and that is a shame. Pentax makes some fine gear, but so do others. It's a tough marketplace out there and Ricoh has not shown me that the understand much about it? The change I had hoped for after the miserable performance of Hoya just hasn't happened.

We can hope, but that's about all we have left.

Regards!

Adam · 06-04-2013, 02:39 PM

Originally posted by Pentaxlover22

Is it just me or is lenses for Pentax cost more then Nikon?

Many Nikon lenses are now in fact cheaper. So far it doesn't look like Ricoh has gotten anywhere in terms of sales volume.

jcdoss · 06-04-2013, 02:52 PM

Nikon wasn't far behind in ergonomics, but Pentax is way ahead in the smaller and easier to tote around department. I'm still looking forward to picking up more Limited lenses.

normhead · 06-04-2013, 03:03 PM

I'm happy with Pentax, because I already have everything I wanted (and could probably start selling some stuff... you know the cheap stuff you get when you're starting out.)

To take advantage of a D800 you pretty much need to spend a lot of money. I'd want to spend 10 K going to Nikon, without primes. But I have noticed things are expensive in the Pentax world.

For example, using a 16 MP camera a Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 which at ƒ4 will give you 3952 lw/ph at 24 mm for $2000.

At $1500 the Nikon AF-s 16-35 @ 21 mm gives you roughly a hundred less.

The Nikon 18-35 @ 21 mm and ƒ 5.6 give you 3600.

So the cheaper lens @ $250 gives you way more resolution on a D800 than you'd get on any APS-c camera, if you want to max it out and go for the best image quality you're going to pay a lot. So in a way if you own a D800 an 18-35 is a great purchase compared to anything you'd get on APS-c. But if you really want to go top IQ, then it's going to cost you a lot more. So far as I know no APS-c camera has exceeded 3000 lw/ph. So it's a mixed bag. If you pay $3000 for a D800, you can increase resolution with cheap lenses. But you can do better with more expensive lenses. Whether or not that 3K entry price is worth the increase in resolution is determined case by case. For some people the increase in resolution won't be worth 5 cents, for others it will be a make it or break it proposition.

einstrigger · 06-04-2013, 07:13 PM

Originally posted by Timd

Nikon has some cheap lenses, but they are so-so. The excellent Nikon lenses make some Pentax lenses look cheap. With Pentax and Nikon, you get what you pay for.

I'd contend that Nikon's cheap primes are excellent and an awesome value for their performance.

From B&H's current prices:

Nikon 35mm f/1.8g $196.95
Nikon 50mm f/1.8g $216.95
Nikon 85mm f/1.8g $496.95

Pentax 35mm f/2.4 $216.95
Pentax 50mm f/1.8 $246.95
Pentax 77mm f/1.8 $1,046.95 (no 85mm currently manufactured, so this was the closest lens).

The prices don't seem that much different, but when you factor in that Nikon gives you a 5 year warranty versus 1 year with Pentax, it makes you wonder why Pentax isn't cheaper. And then you really wonder when you consider the Nikons above all have SWM for silent focusing versus the old fashioned screw drive of the Pentax lenses. Even DXO confirmed that these cheapo lenses (save the 35mm because it's crop specific) all performed as well as their costlier cousins when they tested them on a D800 here.

As for zooms, you do get what you pay for, but you don't have to pay full price. You can often get a $300 to $400 instant rebate on the fast zooms (14-24, 24-70, 70-200) when you buy them with a new body during the holidays. And if not that, the used market is plentiful.

lytrytyr · 06-04-2013, 07:48 PM

Originally posted by normhead

So far as I know no APS-c camera has exceeded 3000 lw/ph.

The Panasonic-Leica Summilux 25/1.4 does that at f/2.8 on MFT with the 16MP GX1:

Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH - Analysis

Rupert · 06-04-2013, 07:59 PM

I have a question, just for those that are heavily or even moderately invested in Pentax. If I could give you every dime you had invested in Pentax gear, at what you paid for it, would you take it and switch to something else? This would seem to be the ultimate test of how we really see the situation? Honest answers please.......it's OK to be on the Dark Side for a few minutes!

Regards!

Venturi · 06-04-2013, 08:14 PM

Originally posted by Rupert

I have a question, just for those that are heavily or even moderately invested in Pentax. If I could give you every dime you had invested in Pentax gear, at what you paid for it, would you take it and switch to something else? This would seem to be the ultimate test of how we really see the situation? Honest answers please.......it's OK to be on the Dark Side for a few minutes!

Regards!

Unfortunately, excepting my 645 gear, yes without a millisecond of hesitation. To Nikon.

azerak · 06-04-2013, 08:58 PM

Originally posted by Rupert

I have a question, just for those that are heavily or even moderately invested in Pentax. If I could give you every dime you had invested in Pentax gear, at what you paid for it, would you take it and switch to something else? This would seem to be the ultimate test of how we really see the situation? Honest answers please.......it's OK to be on the Dark Side for a few minutes!

Regards!

with the current situation, definitely!

06-03-2013, 10:54 PM	#1
Pentaxguy22 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 384	I love Pentax but.... Is it just me or is lenses for Pentax cost more then Nikon?

06-04-2013, 02:39 PM	#8
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,594	Originally posted by Pentaxlover22 Is it just me or is lenses for Pentax cost more then Nikon? Many Nikon lenses are now in fact cheaper. So far it doesn't look like Ricoh has gotten anywhere in terms of sales volume. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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06-04-2013, 05:02 AM	#2
Tom S. Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Michigan Photos: Albums Posts: 4,317	Moved to proper area.

06-04-2013, 05:16 AM	#3
Timd Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cape Town, SA Posts: 262	Nikon has some cheap lenses, but they are so-so. The excellent Nikon lenses make some Pentax lenses look cheap. With Pentax and Nikon, you get what you pay for.

06-04-2013, 06:06 AM - 1 Like	#4
tlwyse Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Waxhaw, NC, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 211	I've been pricing some Nikon gear in anticipation of moving away from Pentax and getting the Nikon D800E. I was expecting Nikon lenses to be through the roof but was pleasantly surprised. Thing is, it's kind of tough to compare. Try finding a really premium 24-70 f/2.8 in the Pentax line-up (16-50mm cropped...sorry, the DA16-50 is simply a piece of crap) or try and find a premium super-zoom like the Nikon 24-300. There's several real gems like the Nikon 85 f/1.8G that aren't expensive at all. Besides, there's several really good Sigmas for the Nikon FX format that simply aren't available for Pentax. I also got to believe the build quality of Nikon is going to be better than Pentax. I've still got my DA 50-135mm where the focusing motor failed after 18 months..it's been a manual focus lens ever since (4+ years now I think).....and my most recent failure is (was) my jewel-like DA Limited 70mm f/2.4.....the aperture blades are hanging up/closing slowly for some reason. It was my favorite lens but that was the last straw for me. On top of that, my K20D's battery attachment always gives me trouble when I shoot vertical...it loses connection and resets the camera which has burned me numerous times.There's only two bright spots in my Pentax gear....the DA 12-24mm f/4 and my Tamron(!) 17-50mm f/2.8...I hear Tamron makes an awesome 24-70mm f/2.8...but only for Nikon and Canon of course. I've waited long enough for a full-frame Pentax...times up Pentax, you've got exactly 5 months before you lose a long-time Pentaxian (35+ years) before I go to the dark side. :-\| Terry Last edited by tlwyse; 06-05-2013 at 06:40 AM.

06-04-2013, 06:14 AM	#5
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Originally posted by tlwyse I've been pricing some Nikon gear in anticipation of moving away from Pentax and getting the Nikon D800E. I was expecting Nikon lenses to be through the roof but was pleasantly surprised. Thing is, it's kind of tough to compare. Try finding a really premium 24-70 f/2.8 (16-50mm cropped...sorry, the DA16-50 is simply a piece of crap) in the Pentax line-up or a premium super-zoom like the Nikon 24-300. There's several real gems like the Nikon 85 f/1.8G that aren't expensive at all. Besides, there's several really good Sigmas for the Nikon FX format that simply aren't available for Pentax. I also got to believe the build quality of Nikon is going to be better than Pentax. I've still got my DA 50-135mm where the focusing motor failed after 18 months..it's been a manual focus lens ever since (4+ years now I think).....and my most recent failure is (was) my jewel-like DA Limited 70mm f/2.4.....the aperture blades are hanging up/closing slowly for some reason. It was my favorite lens but that was the last straw for me. I've waited long enough for a full-frame Pentax...times up Pentax, you've got exactly 5 months before you lose a long-time Pentaxian (35+ years) before I go to the dark side. :-\| Terry Yup, I got my 85mm 1.8g on sale under $400 new from adorama - they pretty regularly have sales on their stuff (just as do Pentax and other brands). Although there aren't necessarily a mountain of directly comparable lenses (aside from typical consumer zooms), Nikon has their fair share of reasonably priced good glass. Of course when you move into the fast 2.8 zooms the asking price does skyrocket! Then again there is significantly better 3rd party support, for instance I got the tokina 16-28 2.8 which is a great performer on FF for under $700.

06-04-2013, 06:55 AM	#6
Clavius Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: De Klundert Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,150	Next best Pentax lens to compare to the Nikon 85mm 1.8g would be the Pentax FA 85mm 1.4... Yah, lets compare prices of those. LOL! ...And Pentax keeps telling us to "be interesting"!?! I wouldn't mind Pentax becomming interesting again.

06-04-2013, 02:27 PM	#7
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	I'm happy with my Pentax gear, and generally the prices...before they jumped up. If they are wanting to compete, they aren't making the grade, and that is a shame. Pentax makes some fine gear, but so do others. It's a tough marketplace out there and Ricoh has not shown me that the understand much about it? The change I had hoped for after the miserable performance of Hoya just hasn't happened. We can hope, but that's about all we have left. Regards!

06-04-2013, 02:52 PM	#9
jcdoss Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,768	Nikon wasn't far behind in ergonomics, but Pentax is way ahead in the smaller and easier to tote around department. I'm still looking forward to picking up more Limited lenses.

06-04-2013, 03:03 PM	#10
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	I'm happy with Pentax, because I already have everything I wanted (and could probably start selling some stuff... you know the cheap stuff you get when you're starting out.) To take advantage of a D800 you pretty much need to spend a lot of money. I'd want to spend 10 K going to Nikon, without primes. But I have noticed things are expensive in the Pentax world. For example, using a 16 MP camera a Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 which at ƒ4 will give you 3952 lw/ph at 24 mm for $2000. At $1500 the Nikon AF-s 16-35 @ 21 mm gives you roughly a hundred less. The Nikon 18-35 @ 21 mm and ƒ 5.6 give you 3600. So the cheaper lens @ $250 gives you way more resolution on a D800 than you'd get on any APS-c camera, if you want to max it out and go for the best image quality you're going to pay a lot. So in a way if you own a D800 an 18-35 is a great purchase compared to anything you'd get on APS-c. But if you really want to go top IQ, then it's going to cost you a lot more. So far as I know no APS-c camera has exceeded 3000 lw/ph. So it's a mixed bag. If you pay $3000 for a D800, you can increase resolution with cheap lenses. But you can do better with more expensive lenses. Whether or not that 3K entry price is worth the increase in resolution is determined case by case. For some people the increase in resolution won't be worth 5 cents, for others it will be a make it or break it proposition.

06-04-2013, 07:13 PM	#11
einstrigger Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sacramento, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 728	Originally posted by Timd Nikon has some cheap lenses, but they are so-so. The excellent Nikon lenses make some Pentax lenses look cheap. With Pentax and Nikon, you get what you pay for. I'd contend that Nikon's cheap primes are excellent and an awesome value for their performance. From B&H's current prices: Nikon 35mm f/1.8g $196.95 Nikon 50mm f/1.8g $216.95 Nikon 85mm f/1.8g $496.95 Pentax 35mm f/2.4 $216.95 Pentax 50mm f/1.8 $246.95 Pentax 77mm f/1.8 $1,046.95 (no 85mm currently manufactured, so this was the closest lens). The prices don't seem that much different, but when you factor in that Nikon gives you a 5 year warranty versus 1 year with Pentax, it makes you wonder why Pentax isn't cheaper. And then you really wonder when you consider the Nikons above all have SWM for silent focusing versus the old fashioned screw drive of the Pentax lenses. Even DXO confirmed that these cheapo lenses (save the 35mm because it's crop specific) all performed as well as their costlier cousins when they tested them on a D800 here. As for zooms, you do get what you pay for, but you don't have to pay full price. You can often get a $300 to $400 instant rebate on the fast zooms (14-24, 24-70, 70-200) when you buy them with a new body during the holidays. And if not that, the used market is plentiful.

06-04-2013, 07:48 PM	#12
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by normhead So far as I know no APS-c camera has exceeded 3000 lw/ph. The Panasonic-Leica Summilux 25/1.4 does that at f/2.8 on MFT with the 16MP GX1: Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH - Analysis

06-04-2013, 07:59 PM	#13
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	I have a question, just for those that are heavily or even moderately invested in Pentax. If I could give you every dime you had invested in Pentax gear, at what you paid for it, would you take it and switch to something else? This would seem to be the ultimate test of how we really see the situation? Honest answers please.......it's OK to be on the Dark Side for a few minutes! Regards!

06-04-2013, 08:14 PM	#14
Venturi Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Tulsa, OK Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,636	Originally posted by Rupert I have a question, just for those that are heavily or even moderately invested in Pentax. If I could give you every dime you had invested in Pentax gear, at what you paid for it, would you take it and switch to something else? This would seem to be the ultimate test of how we really see the situation? Honest answers please.......it's OK to be on the Dark Side for a few minutes! Regards! Unfortunately, excepting my 645 gear, yes without a millisecond of hesitation. To Nikon.

06-04-2013, 08:58 PM	#15
azerak Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 207	Originally posted by Rupert I have a question, just for those that are heavily or even moderately invested in Pentax. If I could give you every dime you had invested in Pentax gear, at what you paid for it, would you take it and switch to something else? This would seem to be the ultimate test of how we really see the situation? Honest answers please.......it's OK to be on the Dark Side for a few minutes! Regards! with the current situation, definitely!