Originally posted by Kunzite Are you sure about that?
What's the wink implying here? There's no reason that the majority of modern lenses being made for a full frame camera should cost $1200 minimum per lens and be larger and/or heavier than other brands. There are plenty of good FA lens designs that are smaller, so these lenses are being redesigned without size as a consideration. Even the equivalent Canon L lenses look lightweight by comparison, and previously I thought of Canon L glass as setting the standard for big and heavy lenses.
For example:
D FA 15-30/2.8 is
37 oz; Canon EF 16-35/2.8L lenses range from 21-28 oz
D FA 24-70/2.8 is
28 oz; Canon EF 24-70/2.8L lenses range from
28-33 oz
D FA 70-200/2.8 is
62 oz; Canon EF 70-200/2.8L lenses range from 46-53 oz
D FA 150-450/4.5-5.6 is
71 oz; Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6L lenses range from 49-55 oz
DA FA 50/1.4 weight is unknown, but the photos make it look quite a bit larger than the FA 50/1.4 that it is replacing.
On the other hand, among the new D FA lenses, just two are actually lighter than their Canon L equivalents:
D FA 28-105/3.5-5.6 is 16 oz; Canon EF 24-105/4L lenses range from
24-28 oz
D FA 100/2.8 macro WR is 12 oz; Canon EF 100/2.8L macro is
22 oz
As for cost, again, Pentax is doing something weird here by focusing only on producing fast, premium zooms without seeming regard for mid grade lenses. Even the DA line has always had mid grade lenses, with f/4 constant aperture zooms bridging the gap between variable aperture kit zooms and f/2.8 premium zooms. Canon has their EF 70-200 f/2.8 L lens, which has always cost over $1000, but they've also always had their EF 70-200 f/4 L lens, which makes premium level optics available for under $1000. If they're trying to win over users from other brands, this is definitely a consideration.