Originally posted by biz-engineer The new trend is that third party lens makers (we could also call them "pure play lens makers") have now switched from the "cheaper" business model (what was the selling point of Sigma and Tamron a decade ago), to a model of higher quality lenses that outperform OEM lenses: typically Sigma Art, Tamron G1 and G2, and now Tokina Opera. Now for a small brand like Pentax, rebranding of premium third party lenses bring the Pentax system at the top quality end directly. Sony seem to be also using that outsourcing business model with their partnership with Zeiss. We've seen how the Tamron 15-30 is on par with some of the best OEM UWA zooms such as the Nikkor 12-24. By rebranding the Tamron 15-30 lens with in camera software correction, Pentax gets the best glass at a much lower R&D expense, that's indeed a very smart move. Dowside of sharing third party lens dev. is difficulty to have a reliable lens roadmap.
It’s likely much more widespread among camera companies than one thinks, looking in from the outside. Running a large lens department would be a crippling expense for a smaller company. So the only way to ensure a new project launches with at least a basic set of lenses is to mix and match the sourcing: a couple in-house, some rebadged, others via shared co-op development. The quality bar is much higher today, too. Modern high resolution sensors demand it and generally a decade of progress means that buyers expect very high quality almost as routine, so buying in cheap ‘n’ cheerful beer glasses or relying on third-party ones is not an option in the way it might have been a few years ago. Each item has to be very, very good.
There’s no surprise that Pentax are working with Tamron, Tokina and perhaps others too. I don’t think it matters. What really does matter is that the final item has real quality. There’s no reason to buy it otherwise.