[shakereduced]

And whats considered medium telephoto an 85/1.4 or a 135/1.8?

From my understanding 135 is where it starts being considered a regular telephoto, though I could be wrong. I think medium telephoto would probably be between 75 and 130.

[Adam]

there was also a new pentax q lens in the planning?


still to come?

Nobody knows for sure

[totsmuyco]

I think the primes line up should be improved. They should be weather sealed at the very least. If I have request I would like to have a 15 mm or a 16 mm.

[ogl]

The big gap of FF system now - there are no wide-angles primes. With WR, of course.
FA31 is the widest prime now. Wide-angle prime is more important than new 85 or 50 mm.

DFA15-30 is good, but it's zoom. Big and expensive.

[Mattox]

The big gap of FF system now - there are no wide-angles primes. With WR, of course.
FA31 is the widest prime now. Wide-angle prime is more important than new 85 or 50 mm.

DFA15-30 is good, but it's zoom. Big and expensive.

I agree. As I said, the k1 is a pro class landscape body predominantly so the need for a wide prime for those pro's is essential if Ricoh wants to drag in further customers. That means at least 2 primes within the 16 - 21mm range. And considering the market demands fast lenses these days they will be fast

[6718HX]

For me, even one ricoh/pentax designed wide-angle prime, say 21mm, with the quality near that of a loxia would be enough.
Such a lens would also prove why pentax is more than an alternative choice.

[deus ursus]

From my understanding 135 is where it starts being considered a regular telephoto, though I could be wrong. I think medium telephoto would probably be between 75 and 130.

I read in an article on the net somewhere about lenses that lens designers' definition of a telephoto lens is any lens with focal length longer than the physical length of the lens. Which makes the DA 40 a telephoto lens. :-)

[D1N0]

Which makes the DA 40 a telephoto lens. :-)

From a lens designers point of view it would be. From a photographers point of view it depends in sensor size.

[eurostar]

For me, even one ricoh/pentax designed wide-angle prime, say 21mm, with the quality near that of a loxia would be enough.
Such a lens would also prove why pentax is more than an alternative choice.

A new DFA Macro 200/4 would be my choice. I'd sell the A*400/2,8 for it.

[RobA_Oz]

I read in an article on the net somewhere about lenses that lens designers' definition of a telephoto lens is any lens with focal length longer than the physical length of the lens. Which makes the DA 40 a telephoto lens. :-)

Thin lens optics shows that a long focal length positive lens can be made physically shorter than its focal length by adding a suitable negative lens behind, just as a simple refracting telescope does, except that the telescope produces a virtual image. The problem with that definition is that it ignores the registration length (or flange focal distance), which for the K-mount is 45.46mm.

The DA40 Limited has a length of 15 mm and it isn't a thin lens, but in any event a 40 mm thin lens would have to be mounted 5.46 mm behind the mount flange, so, in fact the DA40 must be a retro-focus design, not a telephoto.

On the other hand, the DA70 probably does count as a telephoto design, as you'd expect.

[Mistral75]

(...)

The DA40 Limited has a length of 15 mm and it isn't a thin lens, but in any event a 40 mm thin lens would have to be mounted 5.46 mm behind the mount flange, so, in fact the DA40 must be a retro-focus design, not a telephoto.

(...)

Indeed, it's a retro-focus design.

[deus ursus]

[...]

The DA40 Limited has a length of 15 mm and it isn't a thin lens, but in any event a 40 mm thin lens would have to be mounted 5.46 mm behind the mount flange, so, in fact the DA40 must be a retro-focus design, not a telephoto.

On the other hand, the DA70 probably does count as a telephoto design, as you'd expect.

You're right, I didn't take into account the registration distance. The focal length is measured from the film/sensor plane, right?

[Vantage-Point]

The problem is that when Ricoh Pentax was going to make the standard large aperture lenses (35 mm F1.4, 50 mm F1.4, and 85 mm F1.4 ), the results of the survey that they sent out indicated that at least half of those surveyed said they would rather have compact primes rather than large sized primes. This is why Pentax did not have mock prime lenses at Photo plus. Pentax should do both. They need to continue to have 2 lens lines: HD DA and FA Limited lenses and DFA lenses. Ricoh should upgrade the optical formulas for both the FA limited lenses and the DA limited lenses. Pentax could sell the rest of the FA and DA limited lenses as FA and DA classic limited lenses. Pentax should officially make the DA 40 and 70 limited and the DA* 55 (DC lens motor) full frame lenses. All Limited lenses should be made WR. The seals that make the lenses WR will also make those lenses quieter during their operation. The DFA AW (all weather) lenses should be the large aperture lenses like the 35, 50 and 85 mm F1.4 lenses . This should please most existing and new Pentax users.

[mee]

We're not going to get both. Which I think is why there was the survey, to see where to direct resources specifically. If we were getting both, they wouldn't need to offer a survey --- they'd just make both styles.

Yes, the bigger issue with the older lenses is the drive system. I'm not too sure many people are looking for that authentic of a vintage experience as screwdrive powered lenses today. The rest of the camera world moved on long ago to electric motors in the lens. I would expect any update to the primes to have some form of in-lens motor... even if they rehash old optical formulas.

[Vantage-Point]

I understand that most other camera makers have moved on from using screw drive lenses, but they still make up a large portion of Pentax primes. It presently is the quickest way for Pentax to produce compact new primes. If Pentax is going to produce lenses that only have lens motors in them, then they have to rework lens formulas in order to have large aperture lenses that are not as big as Sigma Art lenses. They could start using double sided aspherical lens elements (like Canon and Sigma are already using) to correct optical problems and keep lens sizes smaller.