[ewalk]

Very true!

[Digitalis]

We know Pentax are working on a 28mm f/4 AL WR for the New 645D. So we can at least count on that lens making an appearance.

[coon]

We know Pentax are working on a 28mm f/4 AL WR for the New 645D. So we can at least count on that lens making an appearance.

Hmm, if that's true, then they could also make a 28/4 tilt-shift superrotator lens for 35mm with 13mm shift (ok, maybe a bit less due to tilt). The approx. 25mm difference in flange focal distance should give enough room for the mechanics if the rear element is not too far recessed in the 645's body.

It would allow to make a stitched 35MP image with ~15mm fov with a K10D, 50MP with K20D...

coon

[Aristophanes]

Is the market really there anyway? I mean, most people will stay with the kit lens. Not many people buy a fast prime. If they sell a prime at 120$ to 10% of their 5-6% market share I don't think they will make a lot of money from that. So it's probably not very high on their priority list.

And BTW 35mm and 50mm are FF focal lengths. Are they that useful for APS-C? 35mm is a tad too long for a "normal" and 50mm is not quite long enough for portrait. They can work as is but I'd prefer to see more useful FL if possible. I'd like to see a DA L 26 or 28mm f/2 (or even 30mm f/2 like Samsung did for their NX10) and a DA L 55mm f/2.

Sub-US$150 and you are into impulse buying territory. That's a lot of potential sales.

It must be balanced, however, against the loss of revenues from sales of the DA35/40 higher price point items.

[Rory]

Sub-US$150 and you are into impulse buying territory. That's a lot of potential sales.

It must be balanced, however, against the loss of revenues from sales of the DA35/40 higher price point items.

I think the only way it would really hinder any upper echelon sales is if it's >$250. At that point, people are only going to buy one or the other. I'm sure a lot of limited owners would try an appealing $150 prime in a heartbeat.

[glanglois]

It's a relatively easy first step from P&S-style photography (with the typical slow zoom) to a somewhat more thoughtful style.

If anything, it should increase interest in primes and drive more sales of the higher end. Needn't be 1.4 - just a noticeable improvement over a 18-50mm 2.8 at a lower price.

[rparmar]

.I can get a 50mm Canon 1.8 new for less than half the price of a 2nd hand F 50mm 1.7 thats probably 15+ years old!

Even if your price information is correct, the Pentax lens is better. And the body you get for the same price is also better than the Canon.

Better meaning better IQ. You know. For photographers.

[Blue]

.

31mm too expensive
DA 40mm too slow
DA 35mm too slow

Pentax doesn't have an entry level option for low light photography! Nikon, Canon, Sony all have them! I can get a 50mm Canon 1.8 new for less than half the price of a 2nd hand F 50mm 1.7 thats probably 15+ years old!

'Having heaps in the focal range' is great , but when they are either too darned expensive (FA 31mm, FA 43mm, DA 55mm 1.4) or too slow (DA 40mm, 35mm limited) it doesn't really help. I came to Pentax from Canon because I thought (and still think) that they are a real photographers camera maker. But I find myself getting hot under the collar when I see brand new Canon 50mm 1.8's going for $100 delivered on ebay! I still haven't got a fast AF prime and at this rate it will be a long time until I can afford one...

The FA 50/1.4 was $199 for a long time until the recent increase to ~$350. That design is 1 year newer than the Canon lenses everyone likes to bring up only it is better built (which is sort of scary) and performs a lot better not to mention it if f1.4 rather than f1.8. The FA 35/2 was $299 when it was canceled. I can't imagine what a cheaper lens would look like given the FA 35/2 and FA 50/1.4 as a reference. A plastic mount may knock $10 to 15 off the price. However, I can speculate that there would be a lot of pissing, moaning and whining about build quality etc. if Pentax were to roll out a couple of $150 lenses because naturally everyone wants them to perform with the other lenses in the lineup. The reason Canon can crank out that cheap 50 is the R&D was paid for 20 years ago, and they have a McDonalds drive through assembly line cranking the damn things out.

[RBellavance]

If the rumours are true, you'll soon be able to buy a DA-L 30/2.1 for 160 US$.

[Rory]

The FA 50/1.4 was $199 for a long time until the recent increase to ~$350. That design is 1 year newer than the Canon lenses everyone likes to bring up only it is better built (which is sort of scary) and performs a lot better not to mention it if f1.4 rather than f1.8. The FA 35/2 was $299 when it was canceled. I can't imagine what a cheaper lens would look like given the FA 35/2 and FA 50/1.4 as a reference. A plastic mount may knock $10 to 15 off the price. However, I can speculate that there would be a lot of pissing, moaning and whining about build quality etc. if Pentax were to roll out a couple of $150 lenses because naturally everyone wants them to perform with the other lenses in the lineup. The reason Canon can crank out that cheap 50 is the R&D was paid for 20 years ago, and they have a McDonalds drive through assembly line cranking the damn things out.


:sarcasm:

Do you think the factory moving from Japan to Vietnam would lower the price, if the build quality was the same as the FAs?

If the rumours are true, you'll soon be able to buy a DA-L 30/2.1 for 160 US$.

Has this been discussed somewhere, or is it just more hypotheticals? I'd be unhappy if they released a prime w/o a focus ring.

[dgaies]

Has this been discussed somewhere, or is it just more hypotheticals? I'd be unhappy if they released a prime w/o a focus ring.

Who said anything about no focus ring? Do you mean quick-shift focusing?

[RBellavance]

Has this been discussed somewhere, or is it just more hypotheticals? I'd be unhappy if they released a prime w/o a focus ring.

Nothing announced from Pentax, if that's what you mean, but here are 2 references where I read about his:

Re: New Glass @ Photokina [Poll]: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/111759-brief-info-abou...ml#post1152837

[Blue]

Do you think the factory moving from Japan to Vietnam would lower the price, if the build quality was the same as the FAs?

. . .

I don't have any idea about the cost analysis, time studies etc. However, when the FA 50/1.4 was MIJ, it cost $199 shipped. Now, it costs $359 shipped. I don't "assembled in Vietnam" can be assumed to reduce the prices to previous prices. Perhaps it keeps the prices from being even higher. However, I'm not going to advocate "usury" of workers to save me $20 or $30 on a lens.

[glanglois]

The FA 50/1.4 was $199 for a long time until the recent increase to ~$350. That design is 1 year newer than the Canon lenses everyone likes to bring up only it is better built (which is sort of scary) and performs a lot better not to mention it if f1.4 rather than f1.8. The FA 35/2 was $299 when it was canceled. I can't imagine what a cheaper lens would look like given the FA 35/2 and FA 50/1.4 as a reference. A plastic mount may knock $10 to 15 off the price. However, I can speculate that there would be a lot of pissing, moaning and whining about build quality etc. if Pentax were to roll out a couple of $150 lenses because naturally everyone wants them to perform with the other lenses in the lineup. The reason Canon can crank out that cheap 50 is the R&D was paid for 20 years ago, and they have a McDonalds drive through assembly line cranking the damn things out.


:sarcasm:

Bumping the price of a nicely-built FA 50/1.4 and cancelling the FA 35/2 would make sense if there were plans for $150-$200 DA L 50/1.8 (or 50/2) and 35/2.

These would provide an entry point for the enthusiast-to-be who wants to get acquainted with primes and DOF. With luck, they'll move into Limiteds. It's more about product positioning than the manufacturing cost of the mount, right?

I can see another "track" for outdoors users. Here we find WR advancing to *. Zooms can be advantageous to begin with here - many won't want to carry two or three primes, or change lenses in the mist.

And yes, there will be P&M regardless of the announcements. Always was and will be. Lots of different points of view here. And that's perfectly OK with me.

[Rory]

Who said anything about no focus ring? Do you mean quick-shift focusing?

I thought I'd read somewhere that the superzoom L doesn't have a focus ring. I was assuming this, and the plastic replacement of everything, was the cost cutting budget to hit the alleged $160.