Originally posted by lol101 That is just not true. Never did Canon or Nikon promote a 100% APS-C lens lineup. People who bought APS-C lenses had the choice of buying them or sticking to FF compatible lenses.
I know that for a fact because I have bought a Canon APS-C DSLR but nothing but FF compatible lenses to go with it. And it was not special order, I just went into a shop and bought them.
You're seing no problem because you have a large FA array but I don't and many people who recently bought into Pentax don't either.
All I am saying is this: if Pentax plans to release a FF in the next three years, please, release FF compatible lenses NOW. These can be used on APS-C with no problems (as you know) so I don't see who wouldn't benefit from it.
If Pentax is currently planning a FF camera but is sticking to sell APS-C only lenses until the camera is ready, I would find it borderline dishonest and Pentax would have no credibility as a FF system.
Plus, releasing FF lenses (and clearly stating it, unlike the release of the DA* 200 and 300 where they stated explicitely that they were APS-C only lenses) would send a message to people considering buying the now affordable (and still better IQ-wise than any APS-C camera, including K20) 5D or the coming Sony that they can be confident that they can buy a lens compatible with everything the future might bring (pretty much like in the film days).
Right now, they are sending the opposite message quite clearly and that is bad communication if this is not their intention.
I never said that Nikon and Canon promoted a 100% APS C line up and Pentax has not made a claim of 100% line-up of APS C lenses either. You could still get FA20, FA31, FA43, FA50, FA77, DFA100 macro and DFA50 macro. The only reason none of the Canon lenses were not special order was because Canon is much more freely available, nothing more than that. Canon and Nikon had to produce some wide angle lenses to fulfill the wide angle requirements for APS C, so they are no less guilty of anything than Pentax.
Pentax have all these FF FA lenses available *now* and the DA*200 and DA*300 are also available which are FF compatible. I really do not see the problem. Yes, Pentax will need a couple of extra FF wide angle lenses but that is about it. Pentax have not made any overtures as to whether they will go FF and by releasing FF lenses all they will be doing is admitting the fact when they quite possible don't want/need to at this juncture.
Pentax need to secure current sales so as to build the company and if they admit to FF, they may undermine current APS C sales.
My choice of puchasing FF lenses is a choice I made for a number of factors. One of which being that I always thought that Pentax would possibly go FF at some stage, but also because I thought that they were top notch lenses. The reason I purchased APS C lenses because I *required* thses lenses *now* and if I didn't I would have missed photographic opportunities that presented themselves now. Why anyone would defer purchasing a lens in the hope that one day Pentax would release a FF camera body and therefore FF lenses is quite beyond me.
I also fail to see how you think that Pentax had duped their customers. They have APS C cameras and developed APS C lenses to suit that format which seems bleedingly obvious thing to do. The idea is that lenses desgined specifically for APS C would be better suited to that particular format and possibly smaller and cheaper due to that. Just because FF maybe released does not mean that the APS C lenses do not work as well as they used to. The APS C cameras and lenses will still be working just as well when FF is available and you will still be able to use/purchase and take photos with them. What is the problem?
Maybe you can tell me where these FF lenses that you want Pentax to make will fill a void in the Pentax lense line-up considering there is *no* FF camera in the Pentax line-up. There is *no* requirement for *any* FF lenses until Pentax make a FF camera.
There is also ne reason for Pentax to release FF lenses *now* as there are no FF bodies for them to go onto to. There would be absolutely no point. If Pentax decide to release a FF body, I can *assure* you that there will be FF lenses that will be released as well. If the FF body *is* 3 years off, then I am sure there will be FF lenses 2-3 years off too.