[ChristianRock]

After the FF, I want to see Pentax releasing some real good glass. I mean, just read some of the specs of the latest Canon wide angle:

One large diameter grinding aspheric lens, one large-diameter glass molded aspherical lens, two glass molded aspherical lens, one super UD lenses, one lens UD

Good grief! We only have, as far as I know, one grinded aspherical lens element (FA 31) in our entire catalog, and no molded aspherical whatsoever...

Of course that's a 3 thousand dollar lens we are talking about...

[monochrome]

and no molded aspherical whatsoever...

I think some of the Q lenses have molded aspherical elements.

How many million dollars does the machinery to make lens elements cost? There's a YouTube video out there of the

You Tube

You Tube

. We know Ricoh invested significant money in the evaporators for HD coatings - a layering process for which they own patents. Element-making is just parts - they can't license the process or take contract work. They can't extend the technology to other optical applications such as Aero-Bright on Tokyo Surveillance Cameras.

[ChristianRock]

I think some of the Q lenses have molded aspherical elements.

I'm pretty sure those are molded resin, not molded glass. Which is ok - DA Limiteds have molded resin. Not as high quality as molded glass, though, but it works, and Nikon, Sigma and Tamron also use molded resin a lot.

Molded glass is only found in very high end lenses.

[Zygonyx]

@beachgardener : not "amongst" : these are classical and boring-always-the-same-ugly-big-and-common-things from Canon.
Apart resolution : dynamics to be checked.

[mee]

Anybody else feel like pentax users are the Chicago Cubs fans of the photography world?

The Cubs win the world series in 2015.

[beachgardener]

@beachgardener : not "amongst" : these are classical and boring-always-the-same-ugly-big-and-common-things from Canon.
Apart resolution : dynamics to be checked.

yea maybe the wrong words used, but I wonder how they will fare all the same

[Uluru]

After the FF, I want to see Pentax releasing some real good glass. I mean, just read some of the specs of the latest Canon wide angle:



Good grief! We only have, as far as I know, one grinded aspherical lens element (FA 31) in our entire catalog, and no molded aspherical whatsoever...

Of course that's a 3 thousand dollar lens we are talking about...

A good DSLR prime lens that improves on classic FA limited, would in today's world cost ~ $2500 each. And it is worth it. Top tier glass, best coating, well dampened focus, uncompromising deliciousness of the rendering, no cutting edges, limited series lens for the K-mount. Truly superior stuff that betters FA and DA Ltd.

If Leica had any more market share of its mount, they could in theory halve the cost of their lenses.
But reality is that DA Limited is more than good enough for pleasing visual results, and improvements available are those that raise the costs quickly — but not making them (improvements) necessarily visible in the final, printed picture.

Optics is a darn complicated game, and Pentax has, hands down, always given best image and construction quality for the money. I would never use any Nikon or Olympus or Fuji lens (or God forbid, Canon's trash) because it does not follow the same recipe for awesomeness.

Pentax is the optics company — they just happen to make cameras best suited for their lenses because no one else has the brains for it. That's all.

---

Last edited by Uluru; 01-30-2015 at 08:13 PM.

[vZwicky]

The Cubs win the world series in 2015.

Who wudda thunk it?

[reytor]

I stick with interchangeable digital back-screen combos. Don't want GXR and stick with fixed lens-sensor combination.
Want a super sensitive FF for night shootouts? bam! slip in a 6MP digi back.
Want a super high resolution FF sensor? bam! Slip in a 50MP back.
Want reach? Bam! Slip in a 24MP APSC back.
Want selfie camera? Bam! Slip in an iPhone.
Want a hammer? Bam! Slip in a hmmm hammer.

[monochrome]

The Cubs win the world series in 2015.

While Cardinals fans are lining up in blissful ignorance to once again sell out Busch Stadium 80 times, all the local sportswriters are whispering, "Cubs?"

Who wudda thunk it?

Pete, Tom, Laura and Todd Ricketts

[mee]

Who wudda thunk it?

Pentax users are like Cubs fans. Cubs win World Series in 2015. Pentax FF confirmed 2015.

[robtcorl]

Pentax users are like Cubs fans. Cubs win World Series in 2015. Pentax FF confirmed 2015.

You forgot pigs fly 2015.

[mee]

You forgot pigs fly 2015.

That wasn't in the movie script!

[vZwicky]

The Red Sox got theirs, and I watched what I didn't think would ever happen in my lifetime when my New Orleans Saints made it happen in 2010. So I have faith that any year now could be the breakout year for the Cubbies. And for Pentax.

[monochrome]

The Red Sox got theirs

That was a really bad fall in my town.

RE: Pentax the Cubs - new owners often breathe new life into a long-disparaged franchise.