Originally posted by interested_observer Yup! I have read quite a few of them. It would be the lens to get. $1450 is really not that bad, until you consider that the Tamron goes for $1200 (full retail at B&H) and the Pentax does not need the lens based stabilization (so probably about $1K - but who knows about the license fee to Tamron). So, leveling things out, even with the Pentax coatings and focus clutch - we are paying a premium - but not as much as the Nikon folks. Pentax is figuring that its less than the Nikon, so everything should be OK.
No disrespect to Pentax, but it's not Nikon. What I mean by that is the market it serves is entirely different. I get the whole act like you want to be treated thing. But Pentax is the Suzuki of the camera world. Solidly built, dependable, functional, a good value, and even fun to use, but it's not a BMW.
Here is a different example. Anyone remember the HP TouchPad? Well if not, it was HPs first tablet with its newly acquired WEBOS. HP couldn't out buy Apple for the parts it wanted, but it did ok on the spec sheet. Anyway, HP execs felt that all they had to do was match or slightly undercut the iPad for a winner. Well, a few weeks into TouchPad sales, HP pulled the plug on mobile hardware and WebOS, I guess matching the market leader isn't going to get it done.
The point being, Pentax market is entirely different, and it should be at most the same cost as the Tamron and obviously less than the Nikon.
I am mildly excited about this Irix lens. I don't see myself buying it, but I have wished for a weather sealed UW in Pentax mount. I love the size of the DA 15...But nothing below 16mm in Pentax is sealed. So this might peak my interest enough to buy it.