Originally posted by Nicolas06 On Pentax where the FA ltd are f/1.8 and DA ltd f/2.4 or f/2.8 only the plastic finishing, lack of hood and quick shift really make the difference. That may not be enough if the price is too affordable on the plastic wonder version
I can see Pentax ending up with three different 'ranges' of prime lenses.
DA - Low end all plastic, fairly fast and good quality but emphasis on cost (28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm)
DA* - High end, very fast and best quality, emphasis on fast AF and image quality (24mm, 35mm, 55mm, 85mm, 200mm, 300mm, 400mm
Limited - High end, relatively slow but best image quality, emphasis on small size and craftsmanship (15,21,31,35 macro,40,43,70,77,100 macro)
Duplicating, or closely duplicating focal lengths does not negate the other features of the line. So a DA* 55mm f/1.4 and a DA 50mm f/1.8 and a Limited 40mm or 43mm can co-exist. Just like the DA 35mm f/2.4, FA 35mm f/2 and DA Limited 35mm f/2.8, they all cover unique niches.
Originally posted by Nicolas06 The problem with a DA plastic wonder 85mm is that it will reduce the sales of DA70 ltd. many that may consider one ltd as the upgrade pass may just prefer a cheaper plastic wonder.
Maybe, but the DA 70 is for APS-C so a DA 85mm f/2 that covers FF will fit right in. But I do not expect to see these all at once, I think the existing line will all get upgrades first, then 1 maybe 2 new lenses a year for a long time.