Originally posted by audiobomber I don't believe the current US pricing will last. Marketing is not an exact science. Sometimes they throw something out there to see if it will float. If sales drop too much, they will lower the price. This is basic economics.
The same thing happened, at least here in spoiled Canada, when Pentax tried to jack our prices a couple of years ago. Nobody wanted to pay $1,500+ for the 50-135, for example, so it dropped to below $1,200 and remains there.
By the way, I concur with those who don't think an APS-C lens should cost anywhere near as much as a full-frame equivalent. It's absurdity for Pentax to price lenses like the 50-135 so high, whether or not such cropped-sensor lenses have weather-sealing or a * in its name. (For the record, the 50-135 is not worth more than $1,000 in my mind; IQ at f/2.8 is sub-par, and IQ from 100-135 mm is also not great. It's certainly no Canon L-series!)