Originally posted by derekkite 400 f4 is a 300 2.8 with another 100mm. The cheapest on the market is the sigma at more than $3k. It is a big lens.
A 5.6 would be interesting and affordable as long as it is sharp wide open. If it has to be stopped down to perform reasonably, then might as well stick with a bigma and get another 100mm+.
I'm interested by the fact that everyone is jumping to the conclusion that this new rumoured 135-380 lens is going to be sigma 100-300 or pentax DA60-250 levels of quality and therefore a higher price.
but the HD WR 55-300 is not stunning money. if they are building it to be as good as the 55-300 then I can't see how a £850 - £1100 price point won't be impossible.
it's all a balance of sales against no sales surely? a mid quality, pentax made WR telephoto lens with the new HD coatings to fill the gap in their lens lineup will garner interest from a lot of users and maybe even tempt across users of other systems. producing a top drawer WR HD telephoto modelled on the likes of the DA 60-250 will garner a lot of drooling but the price will put a lot of people off.
bearing in mind, take a 60-250, add the new 1.5 TC and at 1.5 crop on the APS-C you have 575mm equivalent.
the 135-380 lens is equivalent to 570mm. now why make a 135-380 telephoto at huge money on that basis. who is it going to tempt?
it's not long enough for hardcore birders, and a lot of people with the 60-250 might be content with just adding the new TC to their collection and keeping their lens rather than spend more money and upgrade.
or they sell, saturate the market and see the resale price of the 60-250 go down a bit on the 2nd hand market for a short while and upgrade to the new lens.
obviously weight will be a factor, Pentax are known for good, not humongously heavy lenses so I hope this new lens will not be a beast like the bigma.
but i feel it more likely, if they are trying to build market share that they go the mid picture quality route. build on the good reputation of the 55-300 (which under the right conditions can take a stunning shot) and produce a sub £1000 to £1100 lens for the broader market.