[sjwaldron]

Thank you, it cuts a nasty rumour about the FA limited; I wonder what are the intentions of the guys who spread these kind of rumours.
Very impatient as you to have a 400 mm Pentex; I have a FA*600 but the 400 mm will idealy complement it when some hiking is needed. I'll post some pictures in another threads - by the way I have posted several bunch of bird pictures on dpreview
Tired of photokina bashing threads; flycatcher season with FA*600: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Bird shots with FA*600: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Regards

Excellent photos. FA*600 sounds like a massive lens.

I don't think I could afford or really want something 600mm as it would be difficult to manage. Not to mention spending the time and taking risk of buying something used isn't really my thing. I don't feel asking for a quality teleconverter for 400mm lens is asking the world of Pentax.

[Ben_Edict]

If I read the initial post correctly, Pentax does NOT say, they'll keep the FA Limiteds in production. What they say, is they keep selling them for the time being - that could easily mean, they are selling off the remaining stock. No word oabout keeoing them in production.

In my own experience, what you hear at Photokina from Pentax representatives is usually reliable, though many people do not like those statements. I myself posted the Pentax notion about not introducing FF cameras, which was very explicitly stated around Photokina 2 years ago. I got pages full of non-believing comments on this, because people often think, if they believe hard enough in something considered being important or true, reality will follow. It won't.

Alas, I cannot see any factual message in this short email exchange, that would underline Pentax' commitment to actually continue production of the FA Limited series. But as I cannot read or write Japanese, there may be something lurking in those lines, which I simply do not get.

Ben

[goubejp]

Excellent photos. FA*600 sounds like a massive lens.

I don't think I could afford or really want something 600mm as it would be difficult to manage. Not to mention spending the time and taking risk of buying something used isn't really my thing. I don't feel asking for a quality teleconverter for 400mm lens is asking the world of Pentax.

Thank you; some of the pictures are shot with a sigma 1.4 x teleconverter - which AF on this lens cause it is screw driven. I would also appreciate a Pentax TX compatible with both the FA* and the DA*

Kind regards

[sjwaldron]

If I read the initial post correctly, Pentax does NOT say, they'll keep the FA Limiteds in production. What they say, is they keep selling them for the time being - that could easily mean, they are selling off the remaining stock. No word oabout keeoing them in production.

Alas, I cannot see any factual message in this short email exchange, that would underline Pentax' commitment to actually continue production of the FA Limited series. But as I cannot read or write Japanese, there may be something lurking in those lines, which I simply do not get.

Ben

I edited my initial post slightly:

"FA Limitedレンズは、今は販売中止の予定や情報はありま
せん。ご安心下さい。"

Here is a direct translation as I can manage:
(as for) FA Limited lens, (as for) now, sales suspension plans and news (gossip) do not exist. Please have relief.

The only thing factual is that it came from someone working at Hoya in Japan. It's about all us "normal" people we can get, right?

I think the primary goal here is to directly tell Pentax Japan what we want as people who have invested time and money into their photography tools.

[r0ckstarr]

I also sent a message to Pentax yesterday due to the continued concerns that keep popping up; from giving samples to the few pros who participate in PF.com and address the future for the rest of us. I gave them links to certain threads at PF.com just to see if anyone is home. I have no expectations of my long winded request getting addressed but it cost me nothing to try and I will continue sending the same message.

How about 999 members join me in hitting their support and product info message screens, emails or blogs with requests to address issues, not make a new lens tomorrow, just acknowledge the issues for a start. A plan comes next.

If YOU were in a decision making postion and your mid-managers told you that thousands of new requests are flooding every office weekly, wouldn't you at least want to know what the topics are? Wouldn't it stay on your mind as you make decisions? Enough volume will get noticed even if publicly the issues cannot be addressed, maybe internally they will.

Lets take some of this energy used to complain to each other and complain daily to the Pentax office/department of your choice.

'nuff said. I need to resend my messages to Pentax.

I agree. That's pretty much what I suggested in this thread about the FA's.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/115758-annihil...ml#post1197053

[Blue]

If I read the initial post correctly, Pentax does NOT say, they'll keep the FA Limiteds in production. What they say, is they keep selling them for the time being - that could easily mean, they are selling off the remaining stock. No word oabout keeoing them in production.

In my own experience, what you hear at Photokina from Pentax representatives is usually reliable, though many people do not like those statements. I myself posted the Pentax notion about not introducing FF cameras, which was very explicitly stated around Photokina 2 years ago. I got pages full of non-believing comments on this, because people often think, if they believe hard enough in something considered being important or true, reality will follow. It won't.

Alas, I cannot see any factual message in this short email exchange, that would underline Pentax' commitment to actually continue production of the FA Limited series. But as I cannot read or write Japanese, there may be something lurking in those lines, which I simply do not get.

Ben

Was those comments actually from a Pentax representative or a vendor with a burr in his bonnet for the Pentax office being moved to France?

[interested_observer]

So, exactly where did you find an email address for Pentax Japan. I have searched through their website, and for the US they refer everything back to Pentax USA. There is an email address for the CCTV cameras, but that is not the consumer products. Here is their inquiry page...

• Inquiries : Products : PENTAX

... also, check this out - where their Pentax Forum is located in Japan

• International Service Network (Japan) : Support & Service : PENTAX

PENTAX Forum

MB ( Middle Basement ) Floor, Shinjuku Center Building, 1-25-1, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-0690 Japan

... I guess that pretty much sums up how Pentax feels about us. Maybe I should be happy that its not the sub-basement or lower- basement.

Going to Hoya Corporation, they have a Contacts page..

• HOYA CORPORATION|Contacts

... with a link for Pentax Brand, which send you right back to where you started. I guess that contacting either Hoya or Pentax is discouraged.

I wound up sending an email to...

• https://www.hoya.co.jp/english/contact.php?ct=business

---

Last edited by interested_observer; 09-26-2010 at 04:53 PM.

[brecklundin]

Excellent photos. FA*600 sounds like a massive lens.

I don't think I could afford or really want something 600mm as it would be difficult to manage. Not to mention spending the time and taking risk of buying something used isn't really my thing. I don't feel asking for a quality teleconverter for 400mm lens is asking the world of Pentax.

How about the Pentax 1.7x AF converter that is supposed to be for sale new in shops in Japan right now? You would even still have AF is I understand correctly on how that TC works. If you can locate a source it's around $350 shipped to the US.

[jimH]

I also sent a message to Pentax yesterday due to the continued concerns that keep popping up; from giving samples to the few pros who participate in PF.com and address the future for the rest of us. I gave them links to certain threads at PF.com just to see if anyone is home. I have no expectations of my long winded request getting addressed but it cost me nothing to try and I will continue sending the same message.

How about 999 members join me in hitting their support and product info message screens, emails or blogs with requests to address issues, not make a new lens tomorrow, just acknowledge the issues for a start. A plan comes next.

If YOU were in a decision making postion and your mid-managers told you that thousands of new requests are flooding every office weekly, wouldn't you at least want to know what the topics are? Wouldn't it stay on your mind as you make decisions? Enough volume will get noticed even if publicly the issues cannot be addressed, maybe internally they will.

Lets take some of this energy used to complain to each other and complain daily to the Pentax office/department of your choice.

'nuff said. I need to resend my messages to Pentax.

I appreciate where you're coming from on this imtheguy, however, they (Pentax) have to make a business decision on whether or not it is profitable to continue along a certain path. It doesn't matter what their middle managers tell them about our wishes and wants, it still boils down to whether it makes money or not. Either we buy more lenses or not means if they will keep on making those lenses. Myself, I can't afford to buy scads of FA fixed focus lenses. I like them, but economics plays a part here also. It's not like there aren't alternative lenses on the market. Both Tamron and Sigma are providing very good lenses to replace the Pentax lenses. Maybe not the primes, but very good serviceable zoom lenses to be sure. I, myself have both a 17-50 f 2.8 and a 70-200 f 2.8 Tamron lenses that I like very much. So, as long as we maintain a presence with Pentax bodies, there should be suppliers of lenses to fit our Pentax cameras.

[creampuff]

I wanna thank sjwaldron for the effort to contact Pentax Japan and I'm pleased about their response.
In spite of this, there are still some who still appear to doubt and question, remain unconvinced or want to read more into what is not stated.
Is it any wonder the level of negativity on this forum is high!

[Blue]

I appreciate where you're coming from on this imtheguy, however, they (Pentax) have to make a business decision on whether or not it is profitable to continue along a certain path. It doesn't matter what their middle managers tell them about our wishes and wants, it still boils down to whether it makes money or not. Either we buy more lenses or not means if they will keep on making those lenses. Myself, I can't afford to buy scads of FA fixed focus lenses. I like them, but economics plays a part here also. It's not like there aren't alternative lenses on the market. Both Tamron and Sigma are providing very good lenses to replace the Pentax lenses. Maybe not the primes, but very good serviceable zoom lenses to be sure. I, myself have both a 17-50 f 2.8 and a 70-200 f 2.8 Tamron lenses that I like very much. So, as long as we maintain a presence with Pentax bodies, there should be suppliers of lenses to fit our Pentax cameras.

I don't buy Pentax bodies to specifically run Tammy and Sigma lenses. As far as I know, Pentax only made one fixed focus lens and that was the 18mm/11 FE Takumar. (J/K I couldn't resist) The limited series are fixed focal length i.e. prime.

[Blue]

I think Pentaxians concern is this. It comes down to sustainability as a niche brand. If they can't sustain sales of the ltd series of lenses, how sustainable is Pentax over the long haul. That is my concern about them dropping there crown jewels. If they start dropping the ltds without suitable increases in replacements, they will be just another crap dealer.

Edit: It isn't like their factory is cranking out 1000+ FA 31 or 43 or 77 lenses per day. They can produce these in batches of orders on demand. That is one of the benefits of being a small maneuverable company with a desirable specialty niche. The profitability line is just b.s.

[Urkeldaedalus]

I'm glad if it's s true that the FA Limiteds are indeed not being discontinued. The truth is, however, they will be eventually, hopefully to be replaced by something else, but maybe not, and Pentax will still keep going on regardless. Pentax actually has already discontinued (arguably) better lenses than the FA Ltds. in its history and it's still going. Some of these classics even show up from time to time in this forum's marketplace.

More than anything I hope Pentax keeps its fine lens design tradition alive. It's high time for the next generation of great lenses, even if most of them end up being for the 645D

[Blue]

. . . unless they are working on a new motto: "Be the Same."

[sjwaldron]

So, exactly where did you find an email address for Pentax Japan.

There is a link on the bottom-left of the pentax.jp site:
????????????PENTAX

Follow the process to get to their enquiry input screen. By "email" I mean I sent them an electronic message through their site and they responded by email. I completely filled out their form and even listed my K-7 body's serial number. I put zeros into the phone number field, but of course included my email address.

If you at least know hiragana and katakana, I suggest downloading the Firefox web browser plus the "rikai chan" plugin and a related dictionary as it suggests ( Rikaichan Project ) that displays translations of words when you highlight (mouseover) them on the page.