[kenspo]

@Kenspo would know this already.. or he may be testing one right now.

@Kenspo how many spokes do we have in the wheel? 24 or 28? <- Answering this question should be ok I am thinking.

Hehe, they are not in production yet

Give it up. You're just going to get him in trouble.. and this is his JOB we're talking about.

Hehe..people can ask..i just can't answer everything

[RonHendriks1966]

Anyone going to Yokohama and can tell if that new lens, DFA 50mm even has glass in it or is just some plastic thingy?

[normhead]

Anyone going to Yokohama and can tell if that new lens, DFA 50mm even has glass in it or is just some plastic thingy?

It says on their site the size may not be indicative of the final version, so what would be the point?

[Zygonyx]

In any case, as it is reported to be a mock-up, you got the answer...

[Glorfindelrb]

It does look like a pretty advanced mock-up for the mechanical aspect. I expect to see exactly this design at release and I'm happy with it.

[shardulm]

Give it up. You're just going to get him in trouble.. and this is his JOB we're talking about.

Honestly I tried.

[RonHendriks1966]

It says on their site the size may not be indicative of the final version, so what would be the point?

In any case, as it is reported to be a mock-up, you got the answer...

So this is something for x-mass or 2018 as development is still in early stage.

[monochrome]

So this is something for x-mass or 2018 as development is still in early stage.

Where's your source for that? It could be for July, September - it could be any time.

It certainly isn't a 3-D printed fantasy.

[biz-engineer]

So this is something for x-mass or 2018 as development is still in early stage.

Back to a relevant comment from you. You pointed out that Ricoh would be waiting for the sales figures of the K1 to indicate breakeven on the sale of lenses. I think that was a very good point. IMO, they already have the lenses designed (the DFA24-70 and 15-30 came straight from Tamron, and the 70-200 and 150-450 were designed before 2016, and the 28-105 was likely a redesign based on the former FA28-105), that leave 2016 for a team to design a couple of new lenses. But they may want to present a mokup of the lenses to sense the demand, and avoid spending the cash on early inventory if it happens that no one is interested to buy.

[RonHendriks1966]

Back to a relevant comment from you. You pointed out that Ricoh would be waiting for the sales figures of the K1 to indicate breakeven on the sale of lenses. I think that was a very good point. IMO, they already have the lenses designed (the DFA24-70 and 15-30 came straight from Tamron, and the 70-200 and 150-450 were designed before 2016, and the 28-105 was likely a redesign based on the former FA28-105), that leave 2016 for a team to design a couple of new lenses. But they may want to present a mokup of the lenses to sense the demand, and avoid spending the cash on early inventory if it happens that no one is interested to buy.

That will all come down to the price for the lenses. They know how many K-1 they sold, so they should have an idea on sales. With a good price a 1:5 ratio for the 50mm and a 1:10 ratio on sales for the 85mm could be done.

---------- Post added 23-02-17 at 23:06 ----------

Where's your source for that? It could be for July, September - it could be any time.

It certainly isn't a 3-D printed fantasy.

Just looking at history. When did the dfa*70-200 mm hit stores? It was on display at Photokina in 2014!

[Glorfindelrb]

They communicated about having to redefine QC for the DFA* 70-200 to get it right and that delayed them. Everything might be ready to produce those qualitative lenses now. To take the 70-200 as a reference for delay is not pertinent but I suspect you to know it. They might be late again so, Pentax is not for impatients.

[wkraus]

... the 28-105 was likely a redesign based on the former FA28-105...

The next-to-last FA version (FA 1:4-5.6 28-105mm IF) was a Tamron rebadge and a 15/12 construction; the last one (FA 1:3.2-4.5 28-105mm IF AL) was a 12/11 construction. The D FA is 3.5-5.6 and a 15/11 construction using ED elements. What makes you think they might be related?

[Uluru]

They communicated about having to redefine QC for the DFA* 70-200 to get it right and that delayed them. Everything might be ready to produce those qualitative lenses now. To take the 70-200 as a reference for delay is not pertinent but I suspect you to know it. They might be late again so, Pentax is not for impatients.

That is called engineering superficial talk; the real reason is much deeper that that.
Let Mr Sherlock Holmes from the Walkabout Creek explain this secret to PF members:

They had issues with design of the tripod collar on 70-200, because of their chosen design for the 70-200, which for granted will not work well on K5 and K3 camera designs. Why? Because of the hand grip on those cameras; fingers are stuck against the large barrel of the lens and after a while it hurts like a torture machine. The real reason? Lens motor and the aperture of the lens.

On the K1 things work better, because all is wider and bigger, and on the new KP it works perfect, because one can choose which grip to use. Even the L grip for the KP is designed to not curl your fingers inwards too much.

So I presume that the new camera in the K3 series will be redesigned firstly to accommodate Pentax' 70-200 oddity. And the decision to release the KP with interchangeable grips, is not a 'novelty' or purely 'retro aesthetic' decision: it concerns lens motors Pentax is aiming to deploy in future lenses, and it also concerns the apertures chosen for new lenses. Therefore design of new cameras is made to keep the fingers away from lenses, as far as possible.

Vertical front dial on a smallish KP is a fine clue to this strategy, and I bet you missed it, dear Dr Watson. Typical horizontal dial pushes the index finger more toward the lens, but a vertical dial keeps it disciplined.

In theory, they should have copied Nikon's 70-200 approach, which leaves plenty of fingerspace, but of course, because of the motors Pentax decided to use, it was not possible. They did not wish to rebrand Tamron either, but wanted own design, and wished to avoid the SDM / USM like plague. DC is simpler and it works better. Lenses will require less updates with it, which is an unfortunate norm in Canon-Nikon-Tamron land, because of the motors they use — those lenses must be updated more frequently.

The result was therefore a 70-200 unlike all others.

One thing leads to another. Choosing a DC motor for the 70-200, and most likely for other new Pentax lens designs, had an impact on all camera designs since. From the redesign of new cameras, it becomes visible Pentax is aiming for:
(1) lenses with wider apertures, and
(2) DC motors for own lens designs, both of which
(3) maximise on purchase value and
(4) reduce cost on updates and maintenance

Drawbacks? Less speed in more complex lens designs, so Pentax will always have by fraction slower-to-get-things-into-focus lens motors. But they will have less problems and instead of re-issuing SDM/USM lenses every 3 or 4 years, they can spend time making more curious lenses.

[mee]

Hehe..people can ask..i just can't answer everything

Well.. if that is the case.. tell me about this new D-FA telephoto.. I suspect it will be a cheaper, yet well performing type similar to the Canon/Nikon/Tamron SP 70-300mm variable aperture.

---------- Post added 02-23-17 at 05:12 PM ----------

Honestly I tried.

I thank you for your honesty.

[normhead]

Well.. if that is the case.. tell me about this new D-FA telephoto.. I suspect it will be a cheaper, yet well performing type similar to the Canon/Nikon/Tamron SP 70-300mm variable aperture.

And here I was hoping for a 150-300 with a built in 2x TC.