[Blue]

B&H listing is here:
-> Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro Lens 106109 B&H Photo



Sigma USA doesn't list the PA mount (did it ever do so)? But Sigma Germany does and always did:
-> 150mm F2.8 EX DG MAKRO OS HSM: SIGMA Deutschland GmbH

However, Sigma Germany doesn't do so yet in their online shop.

Nevertheless, I have a quote for the Sigma lens backed up by Sigma Germany who said (back in April) that the Pentax version would be later but will be (in September this year). They gave my dealer a price.

Today, I checked with Sigma Germany again (I phoned them). They assured me that Sigma Germany will sell the lens in Pentax mount but that they cannot speak for the US. They promised to cross-check with their US colleagues and keep me updated.

Falk, Sigma USA listed it for Pentax but took it down about 6 weeks ago. I have watched the lens situation on the Sigma USA site. There was a similar situation with one of the new zooms.

BTW, "crawfishing" is a southern colloquial that means to side step or back out of an agreement.

[zapp]

Several people here discuss 35 and 85 lenses with 1.4 opening. Pentax does not offer any full format camera. Unless they will offer such a camera quite soon, these focal length would end up in nowhere land. The 1.4/55 has the speed and the angular coverage of a 1.4/85 - this is your 85 mm lens. Don't complain about DOF, we are talking about an APS-C system here. A 1.4/35 is really difficult to make and large and would actually come out as a "norrmal angle" lens on APS-C. A fast (f\2) 23 mm lens with APS-C image circle would be your 35 mm lens. The 1.8/35 mm lens is nice, but like most FA lenses the AF is outdated (noise). Why pay for a full format lens when you could build the same specs for APS-C in a smaller format and make it less expensive. The 135 mm lens would cover the regular 200 mm FF lens. A zoom is different form a prime, and an FA 135 is oversized for an APS-C system.

It all comes down to the roadmap of Pentax cameras. If there will be a full format camera soon, the FA lenses 31/43/77 only need an overhaul, BUT all the zooms would require updates, ..., Pentax is bound to APS-C for some time! Otherwise more DA lenses would make sense. I would assume that a 1.4/24 or a 2/24 mm SDM (resembling a fast 35 in 35 mm land) would be first and a 2/135 maybe second in line for primes. An APS-C 2/135 would be the size of the 2.8/200, An opening of 2.4 or 2.8 would make it a nice and small lens, but the specs would be too close to the macro DA lens, so I would expect a faster lens. A SDM line up of fast primes 24/55/135 would be nice and cover the classical high speed range up to 200 mm FF - next in line would be a APS-C optimized 1.4/31 mm with SDM. The Pentax range of primes for APS-C cameras is unmatched by otehr systems, some adjustments and improvements could help to keep the difference alive.
The large sensor system by Pentax is found in the 645 series, so it would make sense to stick with APS-C for the K series for the time being.

[falconeye]

Falk, Sigma USA listed it for Pentax but took it down about 6 weeks ago. I have watched the lens situation on the Sigma USA site. There was a similar situation with one of the new zooms.

BTW, "crawfishing" is a southern colloquial that means to side step or back out of an agreement.

Sigma USA seems do be in line with Sigma JPN:
ƒ}ƒNƒ�ƒŒƒ“ƒY: APO MACRO 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM | Š”Ž®‰ïŽÐƒVƒOƒ}
Macro lens: APO MACRO 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM | SIGMA CORPORATION

The lady of Sigma Germany I telephoned with however, said the lens for Pentax mount didn't get a barcode number yet but will become available nevertheless. I told her that people from the US watching this lens on the Sigma US site will likely bail out (possibly to buy the Pentax WR 100) and it is bad if USA and Germany have different messages on their web site. She said to contact USA to make them rectify the situation (she sort of didn't accept the second possibility that the lens for Pentax mount won't come and she just doesn't know yet )

[Class A]

The large sensor system by Pentax is found in the 645 series, so it would make sense to stick with APS-C for the K series for the time being.

I don't follow that argument. AFAIC, the 645D could be produced by Kyocera; that's how relevant that camera and lens system is for me with my K-mount lenses.

There are many full-frame capable K-mount lenses out there and respective owners waiting to jump on a full-frame offering. The camera need not be larger than a K-5 (maybe slightly so if the SR requires a bit more space) so I don't see a "Pentax doesn't do big cameras" argument.

The SONY A850 didn't succeed in cracking the full-frame market for SONY but AFAIC that had several reasons (sensor performed beautifully at low ISO but was quite noisy at high ISO, SONY/Zeiss glass quite expensive, SONY was not an established DSLR brand) that do not apply to a future Ricoh/Pentax offering.

I might not see through all this, but if Pentax will not offer a full-frame camera sometime in the future, it means it is just scraping along, surviving but with no bold perspective to growth.

[RonHendriks1966]

However I have found that it is possible to take some adequate photos with the the 50-135--- at 135

I agree with you on that, only I was in a different forrest

Still wanting DA*135mm/f2.0

[Blue]

Sigma USA seems do be in line with Sigma JPN:
ƒ}ƒNƒ�ƒŒƒ“ƒY: APO MACRO 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM | Š”Ž®‰ïŽÐƒVƒOƒ}
Macro lens: APO MACRO 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM | SIGMA CORPORATION

The lady of Sigma Germany I telephoned with however, said the lens for Pentax mount didn't get a barcode number yet but will become available nevertheless. I told her that people from the US watching this lens on the Sigma US site will likely bail out (possibly to buy the Pentax WR 100) and it is bad if USA and Germany have different messages on their web site. She said to contact USA to make them rectify the situation (she sort of didn't accept the second possibility that the lens for Pentax mount won't come and she just doesn't know yet )

Too late, I just got the Pentax 100 WR and will probably be selling my Sigma 105 EX DG in the near future.

[rvannatta]

I agree with you on that, only I was in a different forrest

Still wanting DA*135mm/f2.0

Well, a cow is a cow where ever you take the photo But yes, a new prime
would interest me---profoundly if it were significantly faster than f/2.8, though rising ISO numbers have partially mitigated that issue.

I grew into photography when 'hi speed' Ektachrome was ISO 160 or something like that, and I still haven't exhausted all the new photo opportunities that have become available to me as usable ISO levels have increased.

[zapp]

Sony bought Minolta including a complete lens line up for full frame cameras in place. They used their partnership with Zeiss for a new lens line. Sony makes digital sensors, so the full fomrat Sony is logical. At the same time there is no larger format Sony. This is completely different to Pentax/Ricoh. They do not make sensors, have no full format lens lineup and there is a large format 645 system in place.
A full format Pentax will take away much of the 645 sales and RD funds! Pentax would need to invest in a completely new lens lineup. Even the current FA lenses are not up to a full format system. Face it, full format would be a major step. BTW it is not trivial to go from APS-C to full 35 mm coverage. I don't see it happen in wirhin the next couple of years, unless Ricoh pumps a lot of funding in a system that will compete with other systsme already running for several years.

[Blue]

Sony bought Minolta including a complete lens line up for full frame cameras in place. They used their partnership with Zeiss for a new lens line. Sony makes digital sensors, so the full fomrat Sony is logical. At the same time there is no larger format Sony. This is completely different to Pentax/Ricoh. They do not make sensors, have no full format lens lineup and there is a large format 645 system in place.
A full format Pentax will take away much of the 645 sales and RD funds! Pentax would need to invest in a completely new lens lineup. Even the current FA lenses are not up to a full format system. Face it, full format would be a major step. BTW it is not trivial to go from APS-C to full 35 mm coverage. I don't see it happen in wirhin the next couple of years, unless Ricoh pumps a lot of funding in a system that will compete with other systsme already running for several years.

Really? What do you think the FA 20-35mm/4, FA 35/2, FA 50/1.4, D FA 50/2.8 macro, D FA 100mm/2.8 WR macro, FA 31mm/1.8 LTD, FA 43mm/1.9 Ltd, and FA 77mm/1.8 Ltd are?

[zapp]

Really? What do you think the FA 20-35mm/4, FA 35/2, FA 50/1.4, D FA 50/2.8 macro, D FA 100mm/2.8 WR macro, FA 31mm/1.8 LTD, FA 43mm/1.9 Ltd, and FA 77mm/1.8 Ltd are?


:sarcasm:






:Troll:

20-35 not listed anymore
50/1.4 listed as: not produced anymore
35/2 a leftover from SFX days.
31/43/77 decent lenses with obsolete AF
Macro's first sign of live
do you want to build a full format system around these lenses?

All, but the macro lenses may be called leftovers. Leftover can be good performers, the limited line consists of great lenses, but old shreaky AF. Check the year of introduction for FA lenses AND check out how DA/FA lenses have been introduced recently. DA wins by a huge margin for some reason. The FA 80-200 was replaced with a DA 50-135, and so were most other FA lenses. Great for APS-C users though

[Blue]

20-35 not listed anymore WRONG
50/1.4 listed as: not produced anymore WRONG
35/2 a leftover from SFX days. Incorrect, released in 1999 and has Ghostless Coating
31/43/77 decent lenses with obsolete AF I already knew when they were released, 31 released in 2001, 77 in 1999 and 43 in 1997, all have Ghostless Coating
Macro's first sign of live
do you want to build a full format system around these lenses? I use them on my MZ-3 and digital bodies.

All, but the macro lenses may be called leftovers. Leftover can be good performers, the limited line consists of great lenses, but old shreaky AF. Check the year of introduction for FA lenses AND check out how DA/FA lenses have been introduced recently. DA wins by a huge margin for some reason. The FA 80-200 was replaced with a DA 50-135, and so were most other FA lenses. Great for APS-C users though

I don't have to check out the year of introduction, I already know. The AF issues are in the body.


Pentax Normal SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens 20817 B&H Photo

BH recently received a batch of of FA 20-35mm which they sold out of at $659 each and also a batch of FA 35/2. Those special batches were from the Japanese market. If you go check the release date of some of the lenses in the Nikon catalog, you will be surprised. Plus the D FA 100 WR is one of the newest releases. The DA 40 LTD and DA 14mm are some of the oldest DA lenses in the catalog but only about 3 years newer than the 31.

here is a list of lenses in Production for the Japanese market.

Interchangeable Lenses : Digital Cameras : Products : PENTAX

If you check the list of discontinued lenses for the Japanese market, you will see that more DA lenses have been discontinued than FA lenses. The DA 16-45 is a casualty.

Interchangeable Lenses (Models discontinued in the Japanese market) : Digital Cameras : Products : PENTAX

[Aristophanes]

Those special batches were from the Japanese market.

These can be new, old stock (NOS) released as warranty periods expire.

This is a common manufacturing process and the timing is right.

[Blue]

These can be new, old stock (NOS) released as warranty periods expire.

This is a common manufacturing process and the timing is right.

They can't be sold as new without a warranty, especially at $659 and $450 respectively. Every State in the Union as Warranty laws. Furthermore, the link shows them still available in the Japanese market. I highly doubt Pentax had been warehousing them all this time when the demand for them was there. Whether or not it had AIV would answer the question.

[Aristophanes]

They can't be sold as new without a warranty, especially at $659 and $450 respectively. Every State in the Union as Warranty laws. Furthermore, the link shows them still available in the Japanese market. I highly doubt Pentax had been warehousing them all this time when the demand for them was there. Whether or not it had AIV would answer the question.

Not what I meant. They reserve x amount of finished stock, fully assembled, for warranty repairs. When the sales peak passes through expiration of the warranty period, unused excess is released as NOS to the market. Companies deliberately overestimate their warranty claims potential to do this. There are depreciation tax advantages as well in combining inventory reserves with warranty reserves. They also hold excess for something called adverse variation, which is code for "when we really make a design or manufacturing mistake". It is now cheaper to pull a new model off the shelf to disassemble for repairs on a warranty submission than it is to reserve and catalog bins of unassembled spare parts. This has also fueled the factory refurbishment channel.

So when 50% of the model exits warranty, a corresponding # of NOS released as 'new'.

[zapp]

They can't be sold as new without a warranty, especially at $659 and $450 respectively. Every State in the Union as Warranty laws. Furthermore, the link shows them still available in the Japanese market. I highly doubt Pentax had been warehousing them all this time when the demand for them was there. Whether or not it had AIV would answer the question.

Maybe Pentax JP is sitting on old stocks of lenses. The 20-35 and the 50 not are listed anymore at other Pentax representations.
Even though you can still buy some of theses lenses, do you think the lens line up would suite a new full format camera.

I am not putting Pentax down, I am not saying they will never have a full format digital solution in 35 mm land, but it is obvious that such a camera would require more prepartion time, larger investments, innovation, ... At the moment the 645 needs to cash in on invested money, more new lenses are welcome, why should you actually offer a second solution without any pressure?