[cali92rs]

For most people shooting a lens like this, with or without stabilization, a steady tripod is a must. I just don't know how many people would really stick a lens this size on their camera and go for a walk in the woods, expecting to come away with some decent shots. I'd have to work out a lot before I could do something like that and the experience wouldn't be particularly enjoyable, even then.

I think you would be surprised. I am in the market for a lens like this so I have been researching a lot of different places.
Being able to handhold a lens is really a nice feature when little things are flying directly overhead. Of course in the case of BIF, IS/SR/VR/OS is often not important because you want to keep your shutter speed as fast as possible.

There are countless examples of folks hand-holding these lenses getting tack sharp results.

[Rondec]

I think you would be surprised. I am in the market for a lens like this so I have been researching a lot of different places.
Being able to handhold a lens is really a nice feature when little things are flying directly overhead. Of course in the case of BIF, IS/SR/VR/OS is often not important because you want to keep your shutter speed as fast as possible.

There are countless examples of folks hand-holding these lenses getting tack sharp results.

Wow. Countless. That's a lot...

I can hand hold 300mm, but even that benefits from stabilization, particularly as my muscles fatigue and I start getting a little tremble. I think there are actually several people like me out there, even though there are plenty of folks who can shoot all afternoon with a four pounds lens and get tack sharp photos.

[Canada_Rockies]

I have hand held my M 400/5.6 on many occasions, even in recent years. I turn 75 in June. I have trembling from blood pressure medication. Read Heie's post on hand holding long lenses. Hand trembling disappears when you use the proper technique.

On my Flickr site there is a series of shots when I was testing the exposure/aperture using my M 400 against a mountain on the other side of the valley. All were hand held. I prefer to use a tripod whenever possible, but if I have to go hand held, I will.

PS I WANT THAT 150-450! First I will upgrade to K-3 or K-3 II because I will gain much more from the extra pixels compared to my K10D than I will get from a lens.

[RGlasel]

It would just be nice to see them pick some price point between the IS and non-IS lenses. A selling point for Pentax would definitely be: "You don't need IS in the lens and you get a price break as a result."

If you look at lens prices, the strongest correlation between a feature and the market price is perceived IQ. Canon's L glass, Sigma's Art series, whatever Nikon does to differentiate more expensive glass from less expensive offerings, Pentax's * and Limited lenses. The second strongest correlation is brand, third is maximum aperture, fourth is AF motor and for systems without in-body stablization, non-IS lenses are cut-rate and obsolete, sometimes not even good enough for kit lenses. So, for new Pentax customers who have a history with another brand that has influenced their perception of value, if Pentax tries to attract them with the benefit of saving money by not including in-lens IS, they will attract cut-rate customers, who really ought to be looking at the availability of cheap used lenses. For that type of customer, used lenses on modern entry-level bodies is the best price/value combination out there.

The other point I want to address is that manufacturing cost only sets a price floor, and distribution costs (i.e. markups from the factory to the end-user) are going to represent at least 50% of the list price. Photographic equipment is not priced in the market according to what it costs to manufacture, it is priced according to what consumers will pay retailers. Price shopping by consumers is the final step in their decision making process, after deciding on product category, brand, type of retail outlet and total spending limit. No offence to anyone, but there is a mountain range of academic and commercial research to show that every consumer is this way.

[cali92rs]

I can hand hold 300mm, but even that benefits from stabilization, particularly as my muscles fatigue and I start getting a little tremble.

And the benefit would be even greater for a long lens such as the 300mm had it been in the lens as opposed to at the sensor

I mentioned that I was in the market for a lens like this...yet what I find important (someone who will shell out the money) is less important than someone that is not even going to buy it
I am arguing from the utility point of view where you are arguing for the honor of Ricoh.

[jpzk]

I have hand held my M 400/5.6 on many occasions, even in recent years. I turn 75 in June. I have trembling from blood pressure medication. Read Heie's post on hand holding long lenses. Hand trembling disappears when you use the proper technique.

On my Flickr site there is a series of shots when I was testing the exposure/aperture using my M 400 against a mountain on the other side of the valley. All were hand held. I prefer to use a tripod whenever possible, but if I have to go hand held, I will.

PS I WANT THAT 150-450! First I will upgrade to K-3 or K-3 II because I will gain much more from the extra pixels compared to my K10D than I will get from a lens.

You make sure to post LOTS of pictures taken with that gear !

Looking forward to "users' images" as soon as possible; that will determine whether or not I'll be jumping "up" to that lens and a K3II !!
Yeah, I'm a bit of a follower, not really wanting to be the first to find out how this will work out.
Cheers!

[OJGoreng]

I might cancell my W-end just to get it when it arrives on saturday, as tomorrow is "labour day" holliday... but despatch isn't confirmed YET...

Ah yes, that holiday was cancelled here ages ago. I just received a two-hour delivery time frame from the postal service... I should be home by then. Nice.

BTW, FWIW, up until today I couldn't find any dealer here who had it in stock or even had an expected arrival date; my usual dealer still doesn't even list the lenses on its site (as "expected" or something). But today all of a sudden a large chain of photography shops listed it as "in stock - order today, receive it tomorrow", so I jumped on it. Head first.

I guess I'll now have to update my K-3 with the buggy firmware. Then again, it wasn't buggy for everyone, was it (then again, that's the worst kind of buggy...)? But those pre-set buttons are one of the main attractions of that lens to me, so I guess there's no other way.

---------- Post added 04-30-2015 at 10:06 PM ----------

Just been told the first shipments to Europe have arrived in Germany, despatch is taking place now.
First arrival in Paris scheduled to be this saturday, available next tuesday (5th of may).
I guess Amsterdam is a bit closer than Paris from Berlin.

The weird thing is that the importer for NL is Pentax France...

[Zygonyx]

Ah yes, that holiday was cancelled here ages ago. I just received a two-hour delivery time frame from the postal service... I should be home by then. Nice.

BTW, FWIW, up until today I couldn't find any dealer here who had it in stock or even had an expected arrival date; my usual dealer still doesn't even list the lenses on its site (as "expected" or something). But today all of a sudden a large chain of photography shops listed it as "in stock - order today, receive it tomorrow", so I jumped on it. Head first.

I guess I'll now have to update my K-3 with the buggy firmware. Then again, it wasn't buggy for everyone, was it (then again, that's the worst kind of buggy...)? But those pre-set buttons are one of the main attractions of that lens to me, so I guess there's no other way.

---------- Post added 04-30-2015 at 10:06 PM ----------



The weird thing is that the importer for NL is Pentax France...

Well done, so you will be first to shoot with it !
I won't intend to upgrade FW until they fix that screen bug : that will give me some time to hopefully learn use of the 3 switchs of this lens, before being in full use with saved distance allowed by the buttons.

[D1N0]

Canon is still selling at its initial release price.

The Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L USM was introduced in 1995. I doubt it was the same price for 20 years

[OJGoreng]

Well done, so you will be first to shoot with it !

Four-day weekend coming up due to a national holiday next week; very mildly overcast weather predicted (so it should be bright enough to test it with the 1.4x converter), bird migration still in full force... I expect a few interesting days .

[Nicolas06]

Price shopping by consumers is the final step in their decision making process, after deciding on product category, brand, type of retail outlet and total spending limit. No offence to anyone, but there is a mountain range of academic and commercial research to show that every consumer is this way.

Then this kind of lense must be of very low interrest to most, even to photographers because the volume are pretty low for this kind of expensive bulky telezooms. This doesn't show lens maker as very efficiant to make people wanting their stuff.

[Mistral75]

The Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L USM was introduced in 1995. I doubt it was the same price for 20 years

There have been two new versions since then:

- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, announced on August 1st, 2001

- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II, announced on January 5th, 2010, the one cali92rs and others are writing about.

[D1N0]

There have been two new versions since then:

- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, announced on August 1st, 2001

- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II, announced on January 5th, 2010, the one cali92rs and others are writing about.

Yeah but that is not cheaper than the Pentax, which is introduced for €1999,- and the cheapest Canon IS USM II is €2039,- right now. The EF 70-200mm F/2.8 L USM is still sold and goes for €1149,-

[Stavri]

Why are people complaining about the price of a lens that hasn't been tested and properly reviewed yet? Does anyone complain about the price of a new 4K TV before they get a chance to check it out firsthand?

[jatrax]

Why are people complaining about the price of a lens that hasn't been tested and properly reviewed yet?

What else should they be doing? Taking pictures?