Originally posted by fuent104 
What is Pentax's obsession with slow lenses. Seriously. They really, really, really like slow lenses a lot.
I don't like to dis the new products, especially before they are released, but I just don't see the point of this lens. Or, to be more specific, I don't see why on earth they would release this physically larger, slower lens prior to releasing something with potential for better performance on the wide end, like a fast wide lens or a faster wide zoom.
It's like the people who design these products have never been in a low-light situation with a camera and wanted to take a photograph.
You know, I used to think that fast lenses = good lenses. You know what lens disabused me of that idea? A Tele-Takumar 200mm f5.6 preset. Now you can get vintage 200mm f4 lenses and even vintage 200mm f3.5 lenses, but none have the superb color and contrast of that f5.6 design. Optical design, like many things in life, is a set of trade-offs.
This lens (the 08) is already quite wide (for a Q) with a 49mm filter size. To make it faster, at the same focal length would mean an even wider objective lens set (and bigger filter size yet). That also means more materials (larger diameter glass) and that means more cost (which equates to more moola) and also more weight. The more moola the smaller the potential market.
Pentax knows what they are doing and should be applauded for adding this new lens to the Q line-up.
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