Ricoh files a patent for a Pentax 35-80mm f/4 full frame lens

**RobA_Oz** · 05-31-2016, 08:16 PM

Originally posted by northcoastgreg

I agree. However, a 35-80 f4 could be a fairly compact lens — might it not be a DFA limited zoom? Bring on a DFA 20-35 f4 Limited and a DFA 80-150 f4 Limited and you have a trio of compact, high quality zooms that will be unique to Pentax.

A friend has drawn my attention to tests conducted elsewhere that indicate the DA20-40 has some (reportedly light) vignetting below 24mm, on the K-1. If so, this indicates that it may be possible to tweak the design of the 20-40 to produce a D-FA version, which would be a nice, lightweight f2.8-4 Limited lens, assuming the maximum aperture could be maintained in the process.

Given that he (and I) just ordered a K-1 (each) and he has the DA20-40 (I was smugly content with my DA*16-50, up till now), it's an assertion that will be interesting to test. Still, I've got the FA20 and the FA*28-70, which are both f2.8 lenses.

Mock · 05-31-2016, 08:49 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by VoiceOfReason

Imagine a 24-135 f/4 WR....

The zoom ranges in this thread keep getting wider and wider! I'd really like a DFA 12-1200mm f/4 DC WR, since it weighs 30 pounds less than the DFA* f/2.8 version, and will foot in the boot of my car.

robjmitchell · 05-31-2016, 09:20 PM

Originally posted by johnmflores

What benefits would the K-1 with a bag of F4 zooms have (if any) over a K-3 II with a bag of F2.8 zooms?

Principally resolution and dr for landscape shooters who dont want to carry really expensive bricks. Not that this lens fits the bill exactly.

thibs · 05-31-2016, 10:08 PM

Originally posted by VoiceOfReason

Imagine a 24-135 f/4 WR....

AFAICT, even Canon does not make such lens.
It's more likely we'd see 28-135 or 24-105.

zmohie · 05-31-2016, 10:32 PM

Originally posted by mee

A coherent f/4 lens strategy would include a 24-105 f/4 in my book.. I'd even take a 24-80 f/4 if it was sharp on the wide end..

also 24-70 f 4 and 70-200 f4 at a decent price would be cool!

ogl · 05-31-2016, 10:43 PM

Maybe Ricoh plan to produce the line of F4 zoom lenses for FF?

The next patent for 18-35/4?

It seems to me 35-80 is better optically than 28-105
But focal range 35-80 looks rather vintage for modern days...

Could it be very compact? The smallest FF zoom in the world?

Or it could the sharpest FF zoom...

Just my fantasies...)

Zygonyx · 05-31-2016, 10:48 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by zmohie

also 24-70 f 4 and 70-200 f4 at a decent price would be cool!

Yes, but rangewise overlapping with f/2.8 lenses, hence killing sales...

This 20-35/35-80/100-300 f/4 line'up, if confirmed, is quite interesting and makes sense as far as compactness and IQ are (potentially) concerned.

ogl · 05-31-2016, 10:58 PM

Originally posted by Zygonyx

Yes, but rangewise overlapping with f/2.8 lenses, hence killing sales...

This 20-35/35-80/100-300 f/4 line'up, if confirmed, is quite interesting and makes sense as far as compactness and IQ are (potentially) concerned.

The same thoughts

mrmentera · 06-01-2016, 01:06 AM

Originally posted by OoKU

Ricoh recently filed a patent in a Japan for a 35-80mm f/4 full frame lens that is most likely designed for the Pentax K-1 DSLR camera. Here are the details:

Patent No. 2016-99586
Published on May 30th, 2016
Filing date: October 26th, 2014
Zoom ratio: 2.19
FNO (aperture): 4.1 – 4.1 – 4.1
f (focal length): 36.11 51.17 79.07
L (length): 160.34 166.92 192.65
Ricoh 35-80mm F4?????????????So-net???

Is it possible to predict if it´s a compact design from the drawing? Seem to be an awful lot of glass in it..

Length? Is that for the lens?

gazonk · 06-01-2016, 02:09 AM

Originally posted by mrmentera

Length? Is that for the lens?

I would guess that it's front element to focal plane distance, so it wouldn't be quite as huge as it may seem.

But is it really a K-mount lens? What if it is a 645 lens?

ogl · 06-01-2016, 02:12 AM

Pentax Zoom Lenses with Medium Focal Lengths
it was rather long line of 35 mm middle zooms in film era

gazonk · 06-01-2016, 02:57 AM

The construction seems to be more complex than the 24-70/2.8, with one element more. That's quite a bit more complex than the 20-40 Ltd. I bet it's for the 645 system.

GodsPetMonkey · 06-01-2016, 03:13 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by ogl

Pentax Zoom Lenses with Medium Focal Lengths
it was rather long line of 35 mm middle zooms in film era

But only one of those was from the 90's, the FA 35-80. That was a nicely sized unit though.

As zoom quality improved consumers voted with their wallets and the end result was more width. The rest of the FA wide angle zooms show Pentax was in tune with that shift at the time. A 24-80 (or better yet, a new constant aperture 24-90!) makes more commercial sense these days, especially with a camera orientated to field use. WR isn't much good if you need to swap lenses constantly to move between wide angle and normal. Given f4 zooms would be targeting users who value a balance between size, weight, IQ and cost a 2 lens setup covering wide to normal and then normal to tele makes sense. A third lens to cover wide angle focal lengths seems like extra cost and weight for the sake of it.

If the lens is tiny and has great IQ then Ricoh will have something to market, but without some stellar qualities 35-80mm is going to feel like it should have been left in the manual focus era (and in that case I'd much rather an A 35-105mm f3.5).

ogl · 06-01-2016, 03:20 AM

Originally posted by gazonk

The construction seems to be more complex than the 24-70/2.8, with one element more. That's quite a bit more complex than the 20-40 Ltd. I bet it's for the 645 system.

35-80/4 for 645? I doubt.

there are 28-45/4.5, 33-55/4.5 and 45-85/4.5
new standard zoom in roadmap is approx.45-90...

Prognathous · 06-01-2016, 03:22 AM

Originally posted by LaurenOE

Very cool. A coherent f/4 strategy would work wonderfully with the K1.

As far as I know fixed-aperture zoom lenses close down the aperture a bit the wider the focal length is, to maintain the same maximum aperture across the zoom range. Personally I don't see the benefit of this and would much rather get the true maximum aperture at all focal lengths. If instead of f/4.0 it's f/2.5 at the wide end and only f/4.0 at the long end, I'm willing to accept it ;-)

05-31-2016, 10:43 PM	#21
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	Maybe Ricoh plan to produce the line of F4 zoom lenses for FF? The next patent for 18-35/4? It seems to me 35-80 is better optically than 28-105 But focal range 35-80 looks rather vintage for modern days... Could it be very compact? The smallest FF zoom in the world? Or it could the sharpest FF zoom... Just my fantasies...) Last edited by ogl; 05-31-2016 at 10:52 PM.

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05-31-2016, 08:16 PM	#16
RobA_Oz Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,197	Originally posted by northcoastgreg I agree. However, a 35-80 f4 could be a fairly compact lens — might it not be a DFA limited zoom? Bring on a DFA 20-35 f4 Limited and a DFA 80-150 f4 Limited and you have a trio of compact, high quality zooms that will be unique to Pentax. A friend has drawn my attention to tests conducted elsewhere that indicate the DA20-40 has some (reportedly light) vignetting below 24mm, on the K-1. If so, this indicates that it may be possible to tweak the design of the 20-40 to produce a D-FA version, which would be a nice, lightweight f2.8-4 Limited lens, assuming the maximum aperture could be maintained in the process. Given that he (and I) just ordered a K-1 (each) and he has the DA20-40 (I was smugly content with my DA16-50, up till now), it's an assertion that will be interesting to test. Still, I've got the FA20 and the FA28-70, which are both f2.8 lenses.

05-31-2016, 08:49 PM - 1 Like	#17
Mock Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Edmonton Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 314	Originally posted by VoiceOfReason Imagine a 24-135 f/4 WR.... The zoom ranges in this thread keep getting wider and wider! I'd really like a DFA 12-1200mm f/4 DC WR, since it weighs 30 pounds less than the DFA* f/2.8 version, and will foot in the boot of my car.

05-31-2016, 09:20 PM	#18
robjmitchell Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne Aus Posts: 1,776	Originally posted by johnmflores What benefits would the K-1 with a bag of F4 zooms have (if any) over a K-3 II with a bag of F2.8 zooms? Principally resolution and dr for landscape shooters who dont want to carry really expensive bricks. Not that this lens fits the bill exactly.

05-31-2016, 10:08 PM	#19
thibs Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Photos: Albums Posts: 7,001	Originally posted by VoiceOfReason Imagine a 24-135 f/4 WR.... AFAICT, even Canon does not make such lens. It's more likely we'd see 28-135 or 24-105.

05-31-2016, 10:32 PM	#20
zmohie Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: egypt Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 435	Originally posted by mee A coherent f/4 lens strategy would include a 24-105 f/4 in my book.. I'd even take a 24-80 f/4 if it was sharp on the wide end.. also 24-70 f 4 and 70-200 f4 at a decent price would be cool!

05-31-2016, 10:48 PM - 1 Like	#22
Zygonyx Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ile de France Posts: 4,033	Originally posted by zmohie also 24-70 f 4 and 70-200 f4 at a decent price would be cool! Yes, but rangewise overlapping with f/2.8 lenses, hence killing sales... This 20-35/35-80/100-300 f/4 line'up, if confirmed, is quite interesting and makes sense as far as compactness and IQ are (potentially) concerned.

05-31-2016, 10:58 PM	#23
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	Originally posted by Zygonyx Yes, but rangewise overlapping with f/2.8 lenses, hence killing sales... This 20-35/35-80/100-300 f/4 line'up, if confirmed, is quite interesting and makes sense as far as compactness and IQ are (potentially) concerned. The same thoughts

06-01-2016, 01:06 AM	#24
mrmentera Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Falun Posts: 90	Originally posted by OoKU Ricoh recently filed a patent in a Japan for a 35-80mm f/4 full frame lens that is most likely designed for the Pentax K-1 DSLR camera. Here are the details: Patent No. 2016-99586 Published on May 30th, 2016 Filing date: October 26th, 2014 Zoom ratio: 2.19 FNO (aperture): 4.1 – 4.1 – 4.1 f (focal length): 36.11 51.17 79.07 L (length): 160.34 166.92 192.65 Ricoh 35-80mm F4?????????????So-net??? Is it possible to predict if it´s a compact design from the drawing? Seem to be an awful lot of glass in it.. Length? Is that for the lens?

06-01-2016, 02:09 AM	#25
gazonk Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Oslo area, Norway Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,746	Originally posted by mrmentera Length? Is that for the lens? I would guess that it's front element to focal plane distance, so it wouldn't be quite as huge as it may seem. But is it really a K-mount lens? What if it is a 645 lens?

06-01-2016, 02:12 AM	#26
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	Pentax Zoom Lenses with Medium Focal Lengths it was rather long line of 35 mm middle zooms in film era

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06-01-2016, 02:57 AM	#27
gazonk Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Oslo area, Norway Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,746	The construction seems to be more complex than the 24-70/2.8, with one element more. That's quite a bit more complex than the 20-40 Ltd. I bet it's for the 645 system.

06-01-2016, 03:13 AM - 1 Like	#28
GodsPetMonkey Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 134	Originally posted by ogl Pentax Zoom Lenses with Medium Focal Lengths it was rather long line of 35 mm middle zooms in film era But only one of those was from the 90's, the FA 35-80. That was a nicely sized unit though. As zoom quality improved consumers voted with their wallets and the end result was more width. The rest of the FA wide angle zooms show Pentax was in tune with that shift at the time. A 24-80 (or better yet, a new constant aperture 24-90!) makes more commercial sense these days, especially with a camera orientated to field use. WR isn't much good if you need to swap lenses constantly to move between wide angle and normal. Given f4 zooms would be targeting users who value a balance between size, weight, IQ and cost a 2 lens setup covering wide to normal and then normal to tele makes sense. A third lens to cover wide angle focal lengths seems like extra cost and weight for the sake of it. If the lens is tiny and has great IQ then Ricoh will have something to market, but without some stellar qualities 35-80mm is going to feel like it should have been left in the manual focus era (and in that case I'd much rather an A 35-105mm f3.5).

06-01-2016, 03:20 AM	#29
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	Originally posted by gazonk The construction seems to be more complex than the 24-70/2.8, with one element more. That's quite a bit more complex than the 20-40 Ltd. I bet it's for the 645 system. 35-80/4 for 645? I doubt. there are 28-45/4.5, 33-55/4.5 and 45-85/4.5 new standard zoom in roadmap is approx.45-90...

06-01-2016, 03:22 AM	#30
Prognathous Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 102	Originally posted by LaurenOE Very cool. A coherent f/4 strategy would work wonderfully with the K1. As far as I know fixed-aperture zoom lenses close down the aperture a bit the wider the focal length is, to maintain the same maximum aperture across the zoom range. Personally I don't see the benefit of this and would much rather get the true maximum aperture at all focal lengths. If instead of f/4.0 it's f/2.5 at the wide end and only f/4.0 at the long end, I'm willing to accept it ;-)