[justin-23]

I have very little interest in long lenses, let alone exotically long lenses so I've been following the rumours surrounding the 560 in the name of lazy curiosity, largely since it's nice to see a camera or lens maker do something new. But I was under the impression that the 560 is:

-very awkwardly shaped, and one would imagine balanced...
-lacking or limiting exotic elements...
-as fast as a garbage truck...

...all in the name of being cheap.

Though I acknowledge that there has been some frankly insane pricing decisions committed by Pentax in the last little while, it benefits them to have the cheapest extra-long option for novice birders, astrophotographers, and sports-shooters (or merely those on a budget). It does not benefit Pentax at all to have a single extreme telephoto option which is harder to transport, has a less advanced optical design, and is significantly slower than a comparably priced third party option (which is incidentally available in the other mounts as well). As I mentioned above, I don't follow the prices of long glass very closely, but I really do feel that for this lens to make any impact it needs to be under US $2000. In other words, at $4000 I yawn and read some reviews, at $1600 I start telling myself that I should really be taking more bird pictures. That's one market. The other is people who already knew they wanted to take bird pictures, and at $1600 they have some incentive to switch systems.

Also, with regard to the trade off between the focal length and aperture, I cannot imagine a possible world where 60mm of reach would cost as much in dollars as two thirds of a stop of light gathering. But if it were, Sigma has a 500mm f6.3 for around $1000 (and it comes with your choice of a free 150mm f5.0 or, for a few hundred more a 50mm f4.5).

Now I never said anything about mediocre, but it has to be cheap because, if not, well what the the hell is it? And who the hell is it for?

I kind of agree here. People for a long time thought Pentax would make the first sub $2k FF camera. There has also been the thought that Pentax lenses are cheaper overall as well.
Anything over $3k for this lens is probably too much. If sigma can make a 150-500 zoom and sell it for $1k, then I can't see how Pentax can't make a 560 f5.6 for say under $2.5k
Of course it will probably be $3800 as rumoured which means I'll look at the bigma instead. Still the lens is using nothing exotic, is longer to bring the price down as well.

The price of the DA560 is what i most want to learn from Photokina.

[rawr]

Just looking at prices in Australia for other non-zoom super telephotos at DCW:
- $1729 - Canon Lens 400mm EF f/5.6L USM
- $6099 - Sigma Lens 500mm f/4.5 APO EX DG HSM - Canon Mount
- $9949 - Nikkor Lens - AF-S 500mm f/4G IF ED VR
- $11799 - Canon Lens EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM
- $14799 - Canon Lens EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM

You can see that while there is no directly comparable lens there, even $3800 (yikes!) would make any Pentax 560mm a competitive deal in the stratospheric price world of DSLR super-tele.

And while bigma(s) may be more affordable, any bigma test I've seen says it is at it's weakest at 500mm. The 560mm can be expected to well and truly trounce the bigma at 500mm. Hence for some shooters the extra cost over any bigmas may be worth it.

Ideally Pentax will deliver a good price AND a nice sharp lens. It's not impossible.

[Caat]

Just looking at prices in Australia for other non-zoom super telephotos at DCW:
- $1729 - Canon Lens 400mm EF f/5.6L USM
- $6099 - Sigma Lens 500mm f/4.5 APO EX DG HSM - Canon Mount
- $9949 - Nikkor Lens - AF-S 500mm f/4G IF ED VR
- $11799 - Canon Lens EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM
- $14799 - Canon Lens EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM

You can see that while there is no directly comparable lens there, even $3800 (yikes!) would make any Pentax 560mm a competitive deal in the stratospheric price world of DSLR super-tele.

And while bigma(s) may be more affordable, any bigma test I've seen says it is at it's weakest at 500mm. The 560mm can be expected to well and truly trounce the bigma at 500mm. Hence for some shooters the extra cost over any bigmas may be worth it.

Ideally Pentax will deliver a good price AND a nice sharp lens. It's not impossible.

That's true. I'm personally happy with my Bigma at 500mm but it could be a lot better - although crucially not at that price, and not on a 10x zoom. But this is why you'd expect a prime to be a lot better. For me the properties where the 560mm need to be good versus the Bigma is contrast and CA control - two things it should do with ease. Sharpness needs to be better as well but I think is less of an issue compared to the Bigma than it's general image quality issues.

In a way I would have thought Pentax would have been better off with a 400mm f/5.6 lens. Cheaper, shorter, lighter. I would have thought that there was more of a market for a 400 than a 560 - given the gap between 560 and 300. Make a 400mm with a very short MFD for pseudo-macro abilities and you'd have an added value feature and increase the flexibility of the lens. But I am sure the 560 will sell.

[rawr]

I would have thought Pentax would have been better off with a 400mm f/5.6 lens.

Me too. Something to match the excellent and affordable Canon 400 5.6, which I have eyed admiringly many times.

But maybe Pentax can do a 400 again one day. They should still have the plans in a drawer somewhere for the SMC PENTAX-FA* 1:5.6 400mm they discontinued less than 10 years ago. Just update the AF and the lens coating and there you go.

[french_mike]

From Facebook Pentax Spain
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.486640398015687.114911.15820433085...3

[Caat]

Very fancy looking.

I'd make it grubby within five minutes.

[RobA_Oz]

That picture suggests the outer ring and screw-head from the prototype/mockup displayed previously has gone, whatever that means (poor Photoshop skills, deliberate fudging to sow confusion, or changed specification). We'll know soon enough.

[Vylen]

Well... seems like Pentax Spain is happily showing off pictures of everything isn't it, heh.

[french_mike]

it look like an canon L

[rawr]

Related:

[Asahiflex]

I'd love to know if that DOF scale is for APS-C or FF

[TenZ.NL]

The green ring on the back disappeared and now there is a red ring near the tripod collar? There seem to be more differences.
This is the one at CP+


Does anyone know what more lenses Pentax have with red rings?

[siva.ss.kumar]

If this is collapsible, it would make adding camouflage lens covers/coats tricky
You don't want to be seen pointing this shiny long white stuff on a herd of elephants. There is a legend in Indian forests that elephants don't like whites

[Vylen]

It seems like the red ring is for HD coated lenses. The upcoming 645 90mm Macro also has a red ring.

[french_mike]

the pics on the Facebook page are gone !