70-200 f2.8 unavailable indefinately!

blwnhr · 05-24-2007, 09:43 PM

I just got off the phone to C.R. Kennedy, the Australian importers for Pentax and Sigma with some frustrating news.I had ordered, directly through them, a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 in Pentax mount. It was ordered on the 10th of May and they said it'd be here at the end of the month. I figured it was nearing the end of the month so I'd give them a call and see how progress was. Basically there is none.

These guys are really looking after me now because I'm the only Pentax user in a full state of Canon/Nikon users in motorsport, and after a year of warranty battles I said I was leaving. They gave me a good deal on a K10D and the 70-200 to get me to stay. Basically what I'm saying is that they wouldn't be telling me lies at this point.

So, what I was told was they called Sigma to find out an ETA on the 70-200 only to be told that they had no 70-200s in Pentax mount and weren't doing a production run in the forseable future! This came from teh head of sales from Sigma International. They said that they can not produce every lens all the time and given the sales of the 70-200 in Pentax mount it has sold out. When asked when they would be doing another run they said they weren't sure, but not in the next 2-3 months!

So, where does that leave me? I really want an f2.8 lens because of the work I do, but I could still be waiting in August. They are offering me the 50-500 f4-5.6 for the same price but a lot of people I've spoken to don't think it that good of a lens.

What should I do? I can't go any shorted than 200mm for what I do, and f2.8 is basically the only option for high speed mid-low light situations. Isn't it?

All input is greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Adam.

roentarre · 05-24-2007, 10:36 PM

Hi Adam.

I believe you would use sigma 70-200 with manual pre-focus during the shoots in motorsports as the lens itself hunts a lot.

I got a copy and was initially sold in ebay. The deal went wrong as the buyer did not exist. It is almost brand new as I only bought it when most of the pentax primes and zooms were not avaialble in OZ. - I am using Fa* 80-200 nowadays...

Since you are in Tassie, the postage could be quite easy.

Otherwise, you could just wait for Da* 50-135 f2.8 ...

blwnhr · 05-24-2007, 10:49 PM

Originally posted by roentarre

Hi Adam.

I believe you would use sigma 70-200 with manual pre-focus during the shoots in motorsports as the lens itself hunts a lot.

I got a copy and was initially sold in ebay. The deal went wrong as the buyer did not exist. It is almost brand new as I only bought it when most of the pentax primes and zooms were not avaialble in OZ. - I am using Fa* 80-200 nowadays...

Since you are in Tassie, the postage could be quite easy.

Otherwise, you could just wait for Da* 50-135 f2.8 ...

They offered me the 50-135 f2.8, but it just isn't long enough for what I need to do. Basically the 300 I have now is perfect. I was willing to sacrifice the length to go to 200, but not to 135.

What aperture is the 80-200?

So you still have the 70-200? How old is it?

roentarre · 05-24-2007, 10:57 PM

Originally posted by blwnhr

They offered me the 50-135 f2.8, but it just isn't long enough for what I need to do. Basically the 300 I have now is perfect. I was willing to sacrifice the length to go to 200, but not to 135.

I would love to own 50-135 f2.8 just for the SDM but you are definitely right for that small reach ...

Originally posted by blwnhr

What aperture is the 80-200?

f2/8

Originally posted by blwnhr

So you still have the 70-200? How old is it?

I bought it from Cameta at December 2006. Usually my lenses would be used to the extent that the paint came off and uv filter scratched etc. But this lens is hardly used that it has been sitting in my cabinet for few months now.

Is your 300mm pentax?

mcleoud151 · 05-24-2007, 11:35 PM

I like my 100-300 F4 (Sigma EXDG), but it's a bit slow on the AF as well. Lens seems pretty sharp even wide open. It is only a bit more than the 70-200 (1100, BH I think..)

mcleoud151 · 05-24-2007, 11:37 PM

Just read farther down...I'm drooling. I always wanted the FA 80-200.

blwnhr · 05-24-2007, 11:38 PM

I'm unfamiliar with the Fa* 80-200. Is this a new or old lens? Where did you get it from? A Google search didn't come up with much.

No, the 300 is a Sigma I bought back in my MZ-50 days. Not a particularly good lens, but has served me well up until now.

Hold onto that Sigma 70-200, I might be making an offer (if it's still for sale).

-spam- · 05-25-2007, 12:17 AM

Originally posted by roentarre

I am using Fa* 80-200 nowadays...

I would kill for one of those things.

Still going to hold out for a pentax HSM version of the 70-200 and their 300mm f2.8

blwnhr · 05-25-2007, 02:05 AM

Do you have any idea of when the Pentax version will be released?

-spam- · 05-25-2007, 07:11 AM

Originally posted by blwnhr

Do you have any idea of when the Pentax version will be released?

Sometime after the new pentax SDM lenses are. Probably end of september at the latest (we hope)

Wethphotography · 05-25-2007, 07:54 AM

Adam,
I recieved an email response today from Sigma Corporation of America telling me that "the new 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro for Pentax is projected to be available this early summer. Unfortunately we do not have an exact date at this moment." That seems to be at odds with what your source told you. Hopefully within this year, Pentax and Sigma will get the DA 50-135 f2.8 and the 70-200 2.8 out to consumers to satisfy the growing pent-up demand.
The lack of availability of f2.8 telephoto zooms in a pentax mount is frustrating. The fact that Pentax doesn't/hasn't continued manufaturing one like C/N is a real mistake and probably keeps more professionals from trying Pentax, IMHO. I was speaking with a professional photographer (his income comes from his photography) the other day and showing him the K10D. He really liked the camera and the SR (he uses Nikon); he then asked me about Pentax's "glass." I sang the praises of the limited lenses and shorter zooms, but he was put off by the lack of a current 2.8 lens in the 70-200 range. Imagine if Pentax still produced the FA*80-200 2.8...it could be priced similar to the non-VR Nikon 70-200 2.8 for about 900$. My guess is they would sell a large number.

The lack of VR would be a non-issue with the SR.

blwnhr · 05-25-2007, 08:50 AM

Originally posted by Wethphotography

I recieved an email response today from Sigma Corporation of America telling me that "the new 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro for Pentax is projected to be available this early summer. Unfortunately we do not have an exact date at this moment."

How long (weeks, months) until "early summer"? (Remember I'm on the opposite side of the world. I would have thought that was now pretty much).

Even if it was within the next month that they started manufacture it would be upwards of 2 before availability in Australia I would think.

Something interesting I heard tonight from a reputable source, Pentax has about 1/3 market share in Australia, compared to about 1/5 in other countries.

Wethphotography · 05-25-2007, 09:09 AM

Originally posted by blwnhr

How long (weeks, months) until "early summer"? (Remember I'm on the opposite side of the world. I would have thought that was now pretty much).

Even if it was within the next month that they started manufacture it would be upwards of 2 before availability in Australia I would think.

Something interesting I heard tonight from a reputable source, Pentax has about 1/3 market share in Australia, compared to about 1/5 in other countries.

Adam, on one hand I was heartened that it seems they are planning on producing more ... on the other hand I share your analysis that it will still be several weeks if not months before they are available here in N. America. I do not know what that means for you in Australia. Though with Pentax having such high market share there, I would have assumed you would get them first....but I know what happens when we "assume"

SupremeMoFo · 05-25-2007, 08:42 PM

Originally posted by blwnhr

How long (weeks, months) until "early summer"? (Remember I'm on the opposite side of the world. I would have thought that was now pretty much).

Summer there = winter here. June is winter here/their summer.

Originally posted by Wethphotography

Adam, on one hand I was heartened that it seems they are planning on producing more ... on the other hand I share your analysis that it will still be several weeks if not months before they are available here in N. America. I do not know what that means for you in Australia. Though with Pentax having such high market share there, I would have assumed you would get them first....but I know what happens when we "assume"

It's not heartening actually, the Macro version is a different (new) lens to what blwnhr ordered. I've ordered the non-DG version, I really should get in contact with the place I ordered it from to find out what's going on.

Richard Day · 05-26-2007, 05:29 AM

Until Pentax release the firmware to support SDM there is no chance any other manufacturer can offer SDM in Pentax mount. I suspect the firmware won't be released until late July, early August, at least.

It will take manufacturers a while to implement their versions, say 6 - 12 weeks being very optomistic, then add manufacturing and shipping times, probably 3 to 4 months at best.

This means, that at the earliest, it will be the year end for any 3rd party to have something to offer. That's if they even bother to support SDM, which I doubt in the early stages.

I suspect that Pentax will switch over to SDM almost exclusively for their new lens offerings, maybe even the kit stuff eventually.

05-24-2007, 09:43 PM	#1
blwnhr Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 663	70-200 f2.8 unavailable indefinately! I just got off the phone to C.R. Kennedy, the Australian importers for Pentax and Sigma with some frustrating news.I had ordered, directly through them, a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 in Pentax mount. It was ordered on the 10th of May and they said it'd be here at the end of the month. I figured it was nearing the end of the month so I'd give them a call and see how progress was. Basically there is none. These guys are really looking after me now because I'm the only Pentax user in a full state of Canon/Nikon users in motorsport, and after a year of warranty battles I said I was leaving. They gave me a good deal on a K10D and the 70-200 to get me to stay. Basically what I'm saying is that they wouldn't be telling me lies at this point. So, what I was told was they called Sigma to find out an ETA on the 70-200 only to be told that they had no 70-200s in Pentax mount and weren't doing a production run in the forseable future! This came from teh head of sales from Sigma International. They said that they can not produce every lens all the time and given the sales of the 70-200 in Pentax mount it has sold out. When asked when they would be doing another run they said they weren't sure, but not in the next 2-3 months! So, where does that leave me? I really want an f2.8 lens because of the work I do, but I could still be waiting in August. They are offering me the 50-500 f4-5.6 for the same price but a lot of people I've spoken to don't think it that good of a lens. What should I do? I can't go any shorted than 200mm for what I do, and f2.8 is basically the only option for high speed mid-low light situations. Isn't it? All input is greatly appreciated. Cheers, Adam.

05-26-2007, 05:29 AM	#15
Richard Day Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Gloucester UK Posts: 441	Some considerations to ponder on Until Pentax release the firmware to support SDM there is no chance any other manufacturer can offer SDM in Pentax mount. I suspect the firmware won't be released until late July, early August, at least. It will take manufacturers a while to implement their versions, say 6 - 12 weeks being very optomistic, then add manufacturing and shipping times, probably 3 to 4 months at best. This means, that at the earliest, it will be the year end for any 3rd party to have something to offer. That's if they even bother to support SDM, which I doubt in the early stages. I suspect that Pentax will switch over to SDM almost exclusively for their new lens offerings, maybe even the kit stuff eventually.

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05-24-2007, 10:36 PM	#2
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Hi Adam. I believe you would use sigma 70-200 with manual pre-focus during the shoots in motorsports as the lens itself hunts a lot. I got a copy and was initially sold in ebay. The deal went wrong as the buyer did not exist. It is almost brand new as I only bought it when most of the pentax primes and zooms were not avaialble in OZ. - I am using Fa* 80-200 nowadays... Since you are in Tassie, the postage could be quite easy. Otherwise, you could just wait for Da* 50-135 f2.8 ...

05-24-2007, 10:49 PM	#3
blwnhr Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 663 Original Poster	Originally posted by roentarre Hi Adam. I believe you would use sigma 70-200 with manual pre-focus during the shoots in motorsports as the lens itself hunts a lot. I got a copy and was initially sold in ebay. The deal went wrong as the buyer did not exist. It is almost brand new as I only bought it when most of the pentax primes and zooms were not avaialble in OZ. - I am using Fa* 80-200 nowadays... Since you are in Tassie, the postage could be quite easy. Otherwise, you could just wait for Da* 50-135 f2.8 ... They offered me the 50-135 f2.8, but it just isn't long enough for what I need to do. Basically the 300 I have now is perfect. I was willing to sacrifice the length to go to 200, but not to 135. What aperture is the 80-200? So you still have the 70-200? How old is it?

05-24-2007, 10:57 PM	#4
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Originally posted by blwnhr They offered me the 50-135 f2.8, but it just isn't long enough for what I need to do. Basically the 300 I have now is perfect. I was willing to sacrifice the length to go to 200, but not to 135. I would love to own 50-135 f2.8 just for the SDM but you are definitely right for that small reach ... Originally posted by blwnhr What aperture is the 80-200? f2/8 Originally posted by blwnhr So you still have the 70-200? How old is it? I bought it from Cameta at December 2006. Usually my lenses would be used to the extent that the paint came off and uv filter scratched etc. But this lens is hardly used that it has been sitting in my cabinet for few months now. Is your 300mm pentax?

05-24-2007, 11:35 PM	#5
mcleoud151 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Oregon Coast Photos: Gallery Posts: 272	I like my 100-300 F4 (Sigma EXDG), but it's a bit slow on the AF as well. Lens seems pretty sharp even wide open. It is only a bit more than the 70-200 (1100, BH I think..)

05-24-2007, 11:37 PM	#6
mcleoud151 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Oregon Coast Photos: Gallery Posts: 272	Just read farther down...I'm drooling. I always wanted the FA 80-200.

05-24-2007, 11:38 PM	#7
blwnhr Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 663 Original Poster	I'm unfamiliar with the Fa* 80-200. Is this a new or old lens? Where did you get it from? A Google search didn't come up with much. No, the 300 is a Sigma I bought back in my MZ-50 days. Not a particularly good lens, but has served me well up until now. Hold onto that Sigma 70-200, I might be making an offer (if it's still for sale).

05-25-2007, 12:17 AM	#8
-spam- Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 354	Originally posted by roentarre I am using Fa* 80-200 nowadays... I would kill for one of those things. Still going to hold out for a pentax HSM version of the 70-200 and their 300mm f2.8

05-25-2007, 02:05 AM	#9
blwnhr Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 663 Original Poster	Do you have any idea of when the Pentax version will be released?

05-25-2007, 07:11 AM	#10
-spam- Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 354	Originally posted by blwnhr Do you have any idea of when the Pentax version will be released? Sometime after the new pentax SDM lenses are. Probably end of september at the latest (we hope)

05-25-2007, 07:54 AM	#11
Wethphotography Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Washington, D.C., USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 417	Adam, I recieved an email response today from Sigma Corporation of America telling me that "the new 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro for Pentax is projected to be available this early summer. Unfortunately we do not have an exact date at this moment." That seems to be at odds with what your source told you. Hopefully within this year, Pentax and Sigma will get the DA 50-135 f2.8 and the 70-200 2.8 out to consumers to satisfy the growing pent-up demand. The lack of availability of f2.8 telephoto zooms in a pentax mount is frustrating. The fact that Pentax doesn't/hasn't continued manufaturing one like C/N is a real mistake and probably keeps more professionals from trying Pentax, IMHO. I was speaking with a professional photographer (his income comes from his photography) the other day and showing him the K10D. He really liked the camera and the SR (he uses Nikon); he then asked me about Pentax's "glass." I sang the praises of the limited lenses and shorter zooms, but he was put off by the lack of a current 2.8 lens in the 70-200 range. Imagine if Pentax still produced the FA*80-200 2.8...it could be priced similar to the non-VR Nikon 70-200 2.8 for about 900$. My guess is they would sell a large number. The lack of VR would be a non-issue with the SR.

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05-25-2007, 08:50 AM	#12
blwnhr Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 663 Original Poster	Originally posted by Wethphotography I recieved an email response today from Sigma Corporation of America telling me that "the new 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro for Pentax is projected to be available this early summer. Unfortunately we do not have an exact date at this moment." How long (weeks, months) until "early summer"? (Remember I'm on the opposite side of the world. I would have thought that was now pretty much). Even if it was within the next month that they started manufacture it would be upwards of 2 before availability in Australia I would think. Something interesting I heard tonight from a reputable source, Pentax has about 1/3 market share in Australia, compared to about 1/5 in other countries.

05-25-2007, 09:09 AM	#13
Wethphotography Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Washington, D.C., USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 417	Originally posted by blwnhr How long (weeks, months) until "early summer"? (Remember I'm on the opposite side of the world. I would have thought that was now pretty much). Even if it was within the next month that they started manufacture it would be upwards of 2 before availability in Australia I would think. Something interesting I heard tonight from a reputable source, Pentax has about 1/3 market share in Australia, compared to about 1/5 in other countries. Adam, on one hand I was heartened that it seems they are planning on producing more ... on the other hand I share your analysis that it will still be several weeks if not months before they are available here in N. America. I do not know what that means for you in Australia. Though with Pentax having such high market share there, I would have assumed you would get them first....but I know what happens when we "assume"

05-25-2007, 08:42 PM	#14
SupremeMoFo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 668	Originally posted by blwnhr How long (weeks, months) until "early summer"? (Remember I'm on the opposite side of the world. I would have thought that was now pretty much). Summer there = winter here. June is winter here/their summer. Originally posted by Wethphotography Adam, on one hand I was heartened that it seems they are planning on producing more ... on the other hand I share your analysis that it will still be several weeks if not months before they are available here in N. America. I do not know what that means for you in Australia. Though with Pentax having such high market share there, I would have assumed you would get them first....but I know what happens when we "assume" It's not heartening actually, the Macro version is a different (new) lens to what blwnhr ordered. I've ordered the non-DG version, I really should get in contact with the place I ordered it from to find out what's going on.