[stevebrot]

I think he means an update to the 35 F2.4, as well as a new cheap lens in a similar vein that is in the 15-24mm range.
The 50 1.8 is pretty recent, so that should stay.

That makes sense. A little was lost in translation, it would seem. Based on your comment, I read see his point as a lament that there are not additional similar lenses. It would be nice to have a DA 15mm or DA 20mm with performance similar to the 50/1.8 at a $180 USD price point. Heck, it would be nice to have such a lens for $300 USD! Who knows, maybe in some parallel universe such a thing exists. For now, we have to buy our dreams from Samyang.


Steve

---------- Post added 09-17-14 at 09:22 AM ----------

I too would like Pentax to fill the primal gaps in the 15-30 range

This has been the cry of Pentax APS-C users as long as I have been active on this site. How many threads have been launched seeking a quality lens in the sub-20mm range? I would expect several hundred. There are a lot of frustrated landscape and cityscape photographers out there.


Steve

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Last edited by stevebrot; 09-17-2014 at 09:22 AM.

[ogl]

I agree with all the points, but I am by no means depressed by them

I guess I'm more of a "the glass is half full" kind of guy.

There's 3rd party lenses that fulfill those needs, except for the all-weather wide prime - which as far as I'm concerned, nobody else offers anyway. So, not worth getting depressed about Just shoot what you got and if the weather gets bad, slap a zoom on the camera. At least you'll get the shot.

English is not my native language. No any depression of course. It would be silly. Ricoh puzzles me.
I chose wrong word.

---------- Post added 09-17-2014 at 09:45 AM ----------

ROFL

All this time (since 2007) I thought this forum was about photography with Pentax cameras and lenses. You are absolutely correct, you do not talk about anything other than Ricoh's business plans. It gets a bit tedious at times since your comments are almost always negative, but that appears to be your purpose and it is not good to deprive people of their purpose.

BTW...sorry about your negative experience with the DA 20-40 Limited. Early reviews were mixed and I figured that was enough to take the lens off my radar.


Steve

Steve, I mean this thread. Not forum. There are threads about only photography and I've posted my pictures there.
But I like PRIMES. It's really sad that no new primes. Even in roadmap. I could buy. I don't want zooms.

Really, I need any AW wide prime for landscapes and for trips. The price is not important. Simply all-weather wide angle prime. DA*.
Metal. Sharp. Contrast. The two lenses would be really cool - 18 mm and 25 mm, for example.

If they can't, make plastic cheap wide-angle prime. It woudn't be pity to use it everywhere. But...they produce 16-85/3.5-5.6 - big, slow and just WR zoom...

[normhead]

You wrong and biassed. It's just discussion. I think you don't understand it at all.
Do you realize what is this forum intended for? I don't talk about photography. I talk about the direction of Ricoh's lens developing. And nothing else.


If you can't discuss, why do you post here? Find another thread and talk about photography till the Second Coming.

Good point, you're on my ignore list.... we'll both be happier.

[Blue]

You should take it easy on national stereotypes. This comment can't lead to a positive discussion ..

I think the OP raises a few legitimate issues

Perhaps he does, but something other than a persistent negative tone would be helpful. The OP helped a lot when he chose "puzzle." Lets not have this thread go sideways.

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Last edited by Blue; 09-17-2014 at 10:28 AM.

[stevebrot]

Ricoh puzzles me.
I chose wrong word.

Yes, that is a much better word and a very, very good word.


Steve

[ChristianRock]

All my primes are manual types (except the DA40) so that's my half-full(-of-liquid) choice. Zooms are the easy sell in today's market, sadly.. I too would like Pentax to fill the primal gaps in the 15-30 range, but my Vivitar 28/2 has no plans to leave my kit.

I'm with you there... my next purchases, over the next couple years, should be a Sigma 24 2.8 (manual focus) and the Samyang or Rokinon 16mm f2. My primes are 28/35/50/55/135 so I'm well covered in that range - in the future I might upgrade some lenses and maybe get the DA 70 Limited, as that's the perfect FL for portraits.
But the point is, there's plenty of wide angle options in the used and third party market, along with the Pentax offerings. Still, I wouldn't mind a plastic fantastic wide angle...

[hakami654]

سلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

[formercanuck]

Almost need to go to the Pasadena camera show and pick up a manual 24mm. I think they were ~$30.

[robjmitchell]

I don't understand why all-weather Pentax DSLR system have no AW primes in the most demanded range.

1. No all-weather wide prime.
2. And no any prime between 21-31 mm.
3. No continuing of serie DA35/2.4 and DA50/1.8. Cheap, sharp and high contrast.
Something for wide-angle. 18/4 or 16/4.5. And 85/2.8 for tele or 100/3.5.
Any lens could be good.


To make landscapes and street photos in time of no good weather is necessity for system where cameras has good WR.



Between 12 till 200 mm - only DA*55 has good WR, DFA100 macro has simple WR.

1. Primes need changing, zooms do not. WR on zooms makes more sense, most of the primes were designed pre WR, only non cheap primes since are 35ltd and 15ltd. everything else has been WR.
2. Fair call, a fast 24 is definitely needed, but is kind of low priority till a FF camera comes out.
3. The purpose of cheap primes is to create narrow DOF that cheap zoom cannot. Wide angles get stopped down anyway, and on the long end even a humble 50-200 can get subject isolation. Pentax also has the 40l. No other camera make offers more cheap prime options.
4. Where is our WR ultra wide, the only lens on the road map that has seen no action!

[Pål Jensen]

I don't understand why all-weather Pentax DSLR system have no AW primes in the most demanded range.

1. No all-weather wide prime.
2. And no any prime between 21-31 mm.
3. No continuing of serie DA35/2.4 and DA50/1.8. Cheap, sharp and high contrast.
Something for wide-angle. 18/4 or 16/4.5. And 85/2.8 for tele or 100/3.5.
Any lens could be good.


To make landscapes and street photos in time of no good weather is necessity for system where cameras has good WR.



Between 12 till 200 mm - only DA*55 has good WR, DFA100 macro has simple WR.

99% of all lenses sold are zooms....

---------- Post added 09-21-14 at 05:33 PM ----------

BTW...sorry about your negative experience with the DA 20-40 Limited. Early reviews were mixed and I figured that was enough to take the lens off my radar.


Steve

It is highly regarded on the lens database section on this forum. Only surpassed by the universally loved 50-135/2.8.

[lytrytyr]

It is highly regarded on the lens database section on this forum. Only surpassed by the universally loved 50-135/2.8.

FWIW, among zooms, also by the 12-24 and 60-250.

[Fries]

Not all primes might be officially WR but they can handle some abuse...

[zapp]

I don't understand why all-weather Pentax DSLR system have no AW primes in the most demanded range.

1. No all-weather wide prime.
2. And no any prime between 21-31 mm.
3. No continuing of serie DA35/2.4 and DA50/1.8. Cheap, sharp and high contrast.
Something for wide-angle. 18/4 or 16/4.5. And 85/2.8 for tele or 100/3.5.
Any lens could be good.


To make landscapes and street photos in time of no good weather is necessity for system where cameras has good WR.



Between 12 till 200 mm - only DA*55 has good WR, DFA100 macro has simple WR.

Pentax/Ricoh is slow in presenting new and interesting designs. Actually the only interesting design in years was the limited zoom which is just a flop - quality wise. Two of three new lenses shown at photokina were just a joke. Without asking for specific lenses here, i can only say that your are completely correct with your obeservations. The FA31 is Pentax large aperture wide angle - but only in fullframe land. In APS-C land it is an over engineered wide angle with angle of view of a 50 mm lens. We got a larger aperture 55 DA*, but no wide angle counterpart. The two alrge aperture DA* zooms are old and outdated, but all the FA series lenses are even older and their AF performance is not funny any more.
No manufacturer will present a lot of primes anymore, especially not slow aperture primes like 2.8/85 or 3.5/100.
Currently we should be happy that Pentax has some decent DA glass, small lenses, well made, but of not to ambitous parameters in theri lineup. It would be nice to see some additions - any new prime, high-end zoom, sign of life would be appreciated.

---------- Post added 25-09-14 at 09:48 PM ----------

99% of all lenses sold are zooms....

---------- Post added 09-21-14 at 05:33 PM ----------



It is highly regarded on the lens database section on this forum. Only surpassed by the universally loved 50-135/2.8.

Pentax lenses in Pentax forum are tyically completely overrated. Carefully read the independent reviews and you understand what a lens can do and what not - or try before you buy.
I never bought any Pentax zoom, Pentax stands for DA primes not for zoom lenses in my opinion. Some people would prefer to say FA limited primes, but zooms? I don´t think that 99% of the lenses Pentax sells are zooms and I especially don´t think that zooms pull users to Pentax - at least not serious users.
Btw. I do not love the 50-135, so please delete the universally loved in your thread. It is a decent lens, but far from great, special, spectacular, wanted, innovative, ... it is just there.

[Pål Jensen]

Pentax lenses in Pentax forum are tyically completely overrated. Carefully read the independent reviews and you understand what a lens can do and what not - or try before you buy.
I never bought any Pentax zoom, Pentax stands for DA primes not for zoom lenses in my opinion. Some people would prefer to say FA limited primes, but zooms? I don´t think that 99% of the lenses Pentax sells are zooms and I especially don´t think that zooms pull users to Pentax - at least not serious users.
Btw. I do not love the 50-135, so please delete the universally loved in your thread. It is a decent lens, but far from great, special, spectacular, wanted, innovative, ... it is just there.

Virtually every "independent" reviews on the web is worthless. They are usually done with AF. Then you are not testing the lens but the AF system on that particular camera with that particular lens. In addition to the AF/lens focus accuracy, even an 100% calibrated and performing AF system do not have the resolution of any lens. That is, the AF system will say that the images is in 100% focus when in fact isn't. Whether you in fact hit the sweetspot or not is a matter of luck. This doesn't matter much when shooting three dimensional subjects, but for the tests charts usually used in these tests it is of vital importance.
Another issue is that these tests usually test only the performance at one focus distance only. Lenses can perform diferently at different distances. Furthermore, these independend tests test usually only one sample of the lenses. There are sample to sample variation.

In the user reviews you get feedback on real life shooting condition. Various focusing distances, color renditions, flare... you name it with 3D objects. You get this with a pool of lenses; not only one sample that might or might not be representative.

[Rondec]

Pentax/Ricoh is slow in presenting new and interesting designs. Actually the only interesting design in years was the limited zoom which is just a flop - quality wise. Two of three new lenses shown at photokina were just a joke. Without asking for specific lenses here, i can only say that your are completely correct with your obeservations. The FA31 is Pentax large aperture wide angle - but only in fullframe land. In APS-C land it is an over engineered wide angle with angle of view of a 50 mm lens. We got a larger aperture 55 DA*, but no wide angle counterpart. The two alrge aperture DA* zooms are old and outdated, but all the FA series lenses are even older and their AF performance is not funny any more.
No manufacturer will present a lot of primes anymore, especially not slow aperture primes like 2.8/85 or 3.5/100.
Currently we should be happy that Pentax has some decent DA glass, small lenses, well made, but of not to ambitous parameters in theri lineup. It would be nice to see some additions - any new prime, high-end zoom, sign of life would be appreciated.

---------- Post added 25-09-14 at 09:48 PM ----------



Pentax lenses in Pentax forum are tyically completely overrated. Carefully read the independent reviews and you understand what a lens can do and what not - or try before you buy.
I never bought any Pentax zoom, Pentax stands for DA primes not for zoom lenses in my opinion. Some people would prefer to say FA limited primes, but zooms? I don´t think that 99% of the lenses Pentax sells are zooms and I especially don´t think that zooms pull users to Pentax - at least not serious users.
Btw. I do not love the 50-135, so please delete the universally loved in your thread. It is a decent lens, but far from great, special, spectacular, wanted, innovative, ... it is just there.

What makes Pentax special are the quality primes that they offer, which are quite different from the type of primes offered by Canon/Nikon. That said, I think most folks who buy Pentax buy one or two zooms before they buy any primes. Whether it is a super zoom like the 18-135 or kit lens and 55-300, those have got to sell ten times as many copies as the primes. It is just that I don't think Pentax zooms stand out from the crowd at all -- except maybe in having sealing at lower price points.

Lens reviews are what they are. Far more useful is the narrative body of a review, where you can see strengths, weaknesses, other gear that the reviewer has used and comparisons. People who have used a lot of upper end gear are much more likely to give harder reviews than those who haven't.