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01-24-2016, 12:34 AM   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by jatrax Quote
I am not sure what if any significance there is to B&H marking the silver 43 as "discontinued".
?????

I clicked through on the supplied link and saw no such discontinued. Did I miss something?


Steve

01-24-2016, 12:38 AM   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alex645 Quote
If the biggest camera dealer in the world says it is discontinued, that means it is discontinued.
Except when it isn't. B&H has a history of doing this. Sometimes it means that the manufacturer's product number has changed. Other times, it means that they are not able to secure stock from the distributor with no estimated date for availability. I.e. unable to order and therefore unable to provide backorder option to customers = "discontinued". There was a recent example, though I can't remember it at present. It will come to me later, I am sure.

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01-24-2016, 12:50 AM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
?????

I clicked through on the supplied link and saw no such discontinued. Did I miss something?


Steve
Just found the other thread on the subject. I will ask the mods to merge the two threads.


Steve
01-24-2016, 01:16 AM - 1 Like   #34
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QuoteOriginally posted by RonHendriks1966 Quote
The 31mm Silver is sold out for some years now. If I'm correct they made the last batch in 2012. A new HD-SERIE would be a good idea.
I got a brand new silver one (AIV) last 2015 from B&H (or Adorama? I can't remember.) They do appear every now and then. My 43 and 77 came in black though.

01-24-2016, 02:09 AM   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Except when it isn't. B&H has a history of doing this. Sometimes it means that the manufacturer's product number has changed. Other times, it means that they are not able to secure stock from the distributor with no estimated date for availability. I.e. unable to order and therefore unable to provide backorder option to customers = "discontinued". There was a recent example, though I can't remember it at present. It will come to me later, I am sure.

Steve
Steve, so are you saying this lens is not discontinued?
01-24-2016, 02:12 AM   #36
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actually who cares. The design is so old that any update can be quite helpful.
01-24-2016, 02:51 AM   #37
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Everyone keeps wondering if the FA limiteds will get discontinued. I doubt this will happen, since the limited lenses are a part of what makes Pentax unique.

If I were working for Pentax, I'd prioritize expanding the D FA lens lineup first, and only then consider releasing updated versions of the FA limiteds. But I would never pull them entirely.


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01-24-2016, 05:55 AM - 1 Like   #38
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Everyone keeps wondering if the FA limiteds will get discontinued. I doubt this will happen, since the limited lenses are a part of what makes Pentax unique.

If I were working for Pentax, I'd prioritize expanding the D FA lens lineup first, and only then consider releasing updated versions of the FA limiteds. But I would never pull them entirely.
If I were Pentax I would even keep the aperture rings. There can be other lenses at the approximate FL's that have internal focusing motors.
01-24-2016, 09:12 AM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
If I were Pentax I would even keep the aperture rings. There can be other lenses at the approximate FL's that have internal focusing motors.
Yes. Let them make D-FA Limited or D-FA* lenses if they wish, but the whole point of the FA Limiteds has IMO always been about the back compatibility to film bodies (of which Ricoh knows all too well there are still plenty around).
01-24-2016, 10:45 AM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alex645 Quote
Steve, so are you saying this lens is not discontinued?
I am saying that availability at B&H is an indication of whether they are able to source an item for sale. They sell what the distributor (Ricoh N. America) is able to reliably make available to them. If a distributor cannot give a firm date for resupply, B&H marks the listing as "no longer available"* and also removes the listing from their site's search results. This happens fairly frequently with the item miraculously reappearing some weeks or months later. Probably the most well-known example around these parts is the genuine Pentax Mount Adapter K. It has been "no longer available" dozens of times.

As to why the distributor is not able to fulfill a wholesale order, that could be due to a number of things, including erratic supply, poor profitability, and/or marketing decisions on the part of the manufacturer.


Steve


* not the same as "discontinued"

Last edited by stevebrot; 01-24-2016 at 10:57 AM.
01-24-2016, 12:11 PM   #41
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I'm not acquainted with this lens but you have my condolences :-(
01-24-2016, 12:31 PM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
This happens fairly frequently with the item miraculously reappearing some weeks or months later. Probably the most well-known example around these parts is the genuine Pentax Mount Adapter K. It has been "no longer available" dozens of times.
* not the same as "discontinued"
I agree: Discontinued is not the same as no longer available. But I don't see the Pentax Mount Adapter K as an apples to apples situation with the OP's lament of the silver limited 43mm. The mount adapter K will have a demand until Pentax reinvents the wheel. But the product is probably only made in batches and not on one continual run. The 43mm silver limited was sort of a specialty item to match the silver Pentax special editions, and as the next gen limiteds have been replaced from green rings to red, the HD moniker, rounded aperture blades and improved coatings, it seems logical that this particular specie is about to evolve and is actually.....discontinued. I'm guessing B&H didn't use that wording because the black is still available and another almost the same apple will fall from the Ricoh tree.
01-24-2016, 01:08 PM   #43
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alex645 Quote
The 43mm silver limited was sort of a specialty item to match the silver Pentax special editions
Not.

Lenses are made in batches, too. And ordered by and shipped to distributors in discrete lots.

Ricoh Imaging NA might have run out of stock for a few days. Or maybe they're all gone. No one knows.

Last edited by monochrome; 01-24-2016 at 03:01 PM.
01-24-2016, 01:53 PM   #44
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We might be reading more into things than what appears to be a minor random mistake by someone at B&H. If Ricoh in Japan lists both the black and silver in its current products rather than posting it in the well-maintained Discontinued section, then you would think this would be the leading indicator. Not that the silver version in an SMC coating will assuredly come off the production line in Vietnam again. My guess is someone at B&H made a best-guess that it won't become available. However, "no longer available" probably would have been the safer and more generally accurate designation. From the perspective of the sales department or the typical customer (which none of us here are), it isn't much of a distinction.
01-25-2016, 03:02 AM   #45
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So when will the 43mm 1.9 HD WR appear?
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