Originally posted by cheekygeek Haven't had time to read this whole thread, but if you want some
evidence that THIS TIME it is more than just a pipe dream, check out the specs on NEW Sigma lenses for Pentax mount:
Was searching B&H and noticed that Sigma has some new lenses for
Pentax that B&H has listed as "New Item, Not Yet Available". Some have
pricing already set:
12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG ASP HSM II Wide-Angle Zoom Lens (For Pentax)
120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG OS APO HSM AF Lens (For Pentax)
150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro Lens (For Pentax)
180mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG OS HSM Lens (for Pentax)
Not sure whether we want to read anything into this, but all but the
180mm say: "
Designed for use with full frame digital SLR cameras".
I suspect that the 180mm macro is also made for full frame, though it doesn't say so. (A 180mm 1:1 macro with a 1.5x focal length multiplier doesn't make a great deal of sense to me.)
Link to NEW lenses (scroll down)
Gee. Think Sigma knows something that we don't?
Originally posted by monochrome The significant thing is Sigma is marketing new lenses in K-mount. Some other manufacturers haven't done so for a while.
Originally posted by saladin whether a FF camera is coming or not, I like the news that the 120-300 is finally making it to the k mount !
Originally posted by philbaum I agree, this is good news. It seemed like for awhile there, that even Sigma was cutting back on Pentax mount lenses. But since Ricoh came out with a new Pentax lensmap and the K01, there seems to be this "sudden" stocking of new Sigma lenses w/Pentax mount at BH. There may not be too much cost involved in porting already designed lenses over to the K mount, but there is significant expense involved in manufacturing and stocking those same Sigma designs at stores such as BH, Amazon, and Adorama, etc. Sigma is obviously convinced that Pentax is here to stay.
Sorry to throw cold water on all of the wet dreams here, but Sigma is not introducing
any of the lenses listed above in PK mount (i.e., the 12-24, 120-300, 150 Macro or 180 Macro) according to their own website. "Placeholder" listings at B&H do not mean anything. Sigma's website shows
none of those lenses being offered in PK mount. Even the previous non-OS 120-300 f 2.8 was never made in PK mount - what would possibly possess Sigma to make an even
more expensive version of the same lens in the mount that has less market share now then it did when the previous version was introduced?? Honestly, who would buy one at this point (at
$3,200 B&H price, which is nothing more than the price set for the mounts Sigma will actually make) - the same cheapskates that insist they wouldn't pay $3,000 for a FF Pentax body?!
If K-mount is ever going to see lenses like the 120-300 f 2.8 made by third party lens makers again, Pentax will have to introduce a FF dSLR first, because such high-end lenses aren't going to be made for an also-ran "APS-C only" camera maker with dwindling market share - and Pentax market share will only go down if they continue their "bottom feeding" APS-C only stupidity.
120-300mm F2.8 EX DG OS APO HSM