Ricoh official update the K-mount roadmap

D1N0 · 03-20-2017, 05:25 AM

I am not the one to seek confirmation for your purchase with. Not unless you pay me.

surfar · 03-20-2017, 05:30 AM

XT20 +10-24 is a good combo,just don't go out in bad weather.

D1N0 · 03-20-2017, 05:55 AM - **1 Like**

Super wides and rain don't mix anyway. You can't very well shield the front element form rain drops and they will be visible on a super wide.

CarlJF · 03-20-2017, 06:27 AM

Originally posted by bons

I'm a photographer with 40 years experience. I have experience in film rangefinder and SLR cameras. Self-manual processing and printing of color negative and positive films. And so on. The first Pentax I have is K5. Purchased in 2012. Even then I planned for it a NEW DA wide-zoom. And DA 10-24 mm is not the same as DA 12-24 mm. Or do not you agree? I tested Sigma 8-16, Sigma 10-20/3.5 - it's bearable, but not very good. I tested Tamron 10-24 - is awful. I have DA 15 - it's convenient, but I do not like the image quality... And K-1 + 15-30mm is too heavy for traveling (by weight), in addition to my K3-II + great DA* 60-250.

So - I do not see any options... With Pentax.

AFAIK, no matter the brand, you will not find significantly better on APS-C than the lenses you already tested, particulalrly if you want shorter than 10mm. There's some Tokina lenses available in Canon and Nikon mount, but the 12-24 is basically the same as the Pentax 12-24. There's the Tokina 11-20 and 11-16, but if the two Sigma or the Pentax 12-24 and 15Ltd weren't good enough for you, I doubt these Tokina will satisfy you.

If you don't mind manual focus only, the Samyang and Rokinon 10mm are well regarded.

Otherwise, FF is the way to go.

bons · 03-20-2017, 07:03 AM

Originally posted by CarlJF

AFAIK, no matter the brand ...

Absolutely agree with you. But I really hoped for this lens from Pentax. (Wide Zoom). For so many years of development - it should be a masterpiece. I do not consider FF DSLR - the weight and dimensions are not for travel. I like the Pentax 12-24mm. But it is from 12mm, and this is not enough for European cities.

I have a Samyang 8mm CSII and are very pleased with it.

And really I choose between - Fuji X-T20 + 10-24 / 4 and Sony A7II + 16-35 / 4. But I do not see the benefits of FF. (I do not sell photos).

Until May 2017 I will wait for Pentax Wide Zoom... I hope that this will not rebrand the new Tamron 10-24.

**monochrome** · 03-20-2017, 07:31 AM

Over time, markets change, technology changes, priorities change, opportunities change, users change. My supposition is adding FF to the brand lineup materially changed lens release priorities. Bummer if your first priority was demoted by a change in Pentax priorities, but so it is. May will likely come and go.

**pres589** · 03-20-2017, 07:49 AM

If 12mm of width on crop isn't wide enough, the only game in town worth mentioning is the Sigma 8-16, right? Or else go to a prime lens.

You have to "live in the now" with this kind of thing. Wishing and hoping that X lens is going to show up at some point in the future is a good way to be disappointed. I guess I make jokes about it but if this is keeping someone from getting the shots they want, they have to be rational about it.

Good luck with the Fuji.

CarlJF · 03-20-2017, 08:24 AM

Originally posted by bons

But I do not see the benefits of FF. (I do not sell photos).

The benefit here isn't related directly to the format itself but to the fact that, for whatever reason, it's easier to get a high quality UWA lens for a FF camera than an APS-C one. In other words, it's a case of first selecting the lens you want and than take the body that fits with it. But you will have to spend good money to get significantly better than what you already have in APS-C.

The Fuji could be fine, but it's still APS-C and I would be very surprised if a XT-20 with the Fuji 10-24 gave much better results than the best lenses mentioned above. Looking at Photozone charts, it's not significantly better than the Sigma 8-16 (both excellent in the center but softer on the edges) at 10mm and, from 12mm, the Pentax is just as good... If you weren't happy with the results of the 8-16 or 12-24, it's not clear you would with the Fuji...

Just thinking of it. For achitecture, have you considered upgrading your K-5 to a body with pixel-shift ? I guess that with the exact same lenses you have, a 24MP, no AA, pixel shift architectural shots will look significantly better with more details than what you can get from a K-5...

Doundounba · 03-20-2017, 08:51 AM - **2 Likes**

For myself, I think Ricoh is just shooting itself in the foot by leaving a lens for such a long time on the roadmap and not delivering it. I know that several years ago now, I bought a used Sigma 10-20mm F/4-5.6 rather than the Pentax 12-24mm, because I found an inexpensive used copy locally and the roadmap said there was a new DA Wide Zoom coming. It was supposed to be a temporary purchase, and with use I find that the long end of the Sigma (20mm @ F/5.6) is a bit limiting, but Ricoh are still dangling this potential new lens in front of my nose. I've been hoping for 12-28mm, which would really hit the spot for me, especially with something like F/3.5-4.5. The current 12-24mm is just expensive enough that I wouldn't want to spend the money for it only to find a new lens becoming available three months later, so for now I'm just sitting tight. But I have to say I find it annoying that they would keep promising this lens for five years and not deliver it...

**pres589** · 03-20-2017, 08:54 AM

You know, now that I think about it, if I wasn't happy about having a wide range of lenses to chose from with a Pentax, I don't know that my next step would be to go to Fuji's X-mount... But if the lenses you really want are there, by all means!

lytrytyr · 03-20-2017, 09:56 AM

Originally posted by bons

I'm a photographer with 40 years experience. I have experience in film rangefinder and SLR cameras. Self-manual processing and printing of color negative and positive films. And so on. The first Pentax I have is K5. Purchased in 2012. Even then I planned for it a NEW DA wide-zoom. And DA 10-24 mm is not the same as DA 12-24 mm. Or do not you agree? I tested Sigma 8-16, Sigma 10-20/3.5 - it's bearable, but not very good. I tested Tamron 10-24 - is awful. I have DA 15 - it's convenient, but I do not like the image quality... And K-1 + 15-30mm is too heavy for traveling (by weight), in addition to my K3-II + great DA* 60-250.

So - I do not see any options... With Pentax.

Laowa 12mm or Irix 15mm on a K-1.

Then for travel, use the DA*60-250 in crop mode.

surfar · 03-20-2017, 06:04 PM

Originally posted by bons

And really I choose between - Fuji X-T20 + 10-24 / 4 and Sony A7II + 16-35 / 4. But I do not see the benefits of FF

Well, one benefit of the Sony is the Techart Pro adapter that changes many lenses from manual to AF...Sony body is around 50% more + the adapter.Theres also the adapters that you can use Canon glass with too.( maybe theres a Nikon one now too???)

Fuji glass is excellent ...lots to choose from.

DeadJohn · 03-22-2017, 01:31 PM

Originally posted by bons

...I tested Tamron 10-24 - is awful. I have DA 15 - it's convenient, but I do not like the image quality....

Maybe you had bad copies of those lenses. The Tamron 10-24 gives me acceptable results; corners at 10mm through 12mm are soft but still usable. The DA 15 is a special lens, with legendary flare resistance and great colors.

**Clarkey** · 03-25-2017, 09:36 AM

Originally posted by Uluru

In digital age there will be more photo enthusiasts than during the film age. I would say twice as many at least. Each household will have twice as many proper digital cameras than film cameras — despite mobile phones. The success of mobile phones lie exclusively in one fact: they are obtainable at a plan, paid monthly. But are obsolete much faster than proper cameras. Smartphone market will too stagnate.

Number of sales of digital cameras are currently dropping because for a while they were abnormally high for this industry, but are still much higher than even at best moments during the film era.

Back then, sales compared to current sales were abysmal! Canon was producing mere 1/6 of current EOS cameras! Tell me, how bad was back then?! Yet no one ever cried end of the world, end of camera business, etc. People were normal. Doom&gloom is purposefully broadcasted nonsense in the digital era, by the ill-educated bloggers who have full access to world communication highways, and by the investors, who live by such rapid expansions / contractions of the markets. That is called the shock economy, and it is bad! Everyone wants quick money based on lies and false expectations. Digital photo industry need to get out of that mode, and stabilise itself, become normal — same as bred and butter production is stabile and normal for decades.

Another way to stabilise this market is that number of bloggers and forums drops down, and people rely exclusively on professional insights by industry experts. In film era, we read magazines that were edited by professionals and normal people. Not so today. Today 90% of online information about digital photography is garbage, that would never have been published in magazines.

In essence, only those companies that were fooled by a sudden abnormal growth in digital camera market will suffer, because they had big expectations which never had support in reality. Nikon is one of them. Sony too.

Ricoh Imaging is not one of them, though. They were conservative and they must persist being normal, and have modest expectations, and think outside the box, deliver good value products. And people will come and buy, share valuable information.

That is all.

Not all.
Whether we like it, or not, we are in a hyper-connected world, and in the race to the bottom (as I am also a cynic about this) means that retailers, and those advertising to (us) expect reliable progress and valid information. Probably not for the better, the world has changed, and speed/specialisation of business, and required capacity to survive and complete stated business has become very important. There are now billions(!) more people in the world, with an elevated capacity to buy (if interested).

I would also agree with you (somewhat) about the mode of transmission, but in the end, it is up to the company to fulfil customer expectations in order to get wallets open. Communication is a good strategy, and positively impacts suppliers picking up and moving product inventory.

Relationships are important (lifetime customer value, and all). A good way to go that is to make sure products identified on Roadmaps are delivered in a timely manner. Not to harp on about Fuji, but they *have* delivered what they set out to do. Ongoing, they have meets where you get to touch and try equipment, that are hosted by knowledgeable people (and those people take product feedback in a formal way). They then implement firmware updates with useful new features, meaning the consumers feel engaged. Awesome, even though their products may not always be the best (although they are certainly good).

I agree the interview questions may have been pointed to current products (moans/needs/wants), but one of the things we are on this forum (whether we realise it, or not) is brand ambassadors. Engaging those who use your products is important, and therefore specific questions are also important.

I agree Nikon (doesn't seem to care), and Sony (through innovation, will immediately move onto the next thing, and strand customers) are similarly affected.

So, while I am (genuinely) pleased to see that new lenses are being announced , the pace and timing of introduction are not solid (Canon and Panasonic do this really well).

**Rondec** · 03-25-2017, 10:39 AM

Originally posted by Clarkey

Not all.
Whether we like it, or not, we are in a hyper-connected world, and in the race to the bottom (as I am also a cynic about this) means that retailers, and those advertising to (us) expect reliable progress and valid information. Probably not for the better, the world has changed, and speed/specialisation of business, and required capacity to survive and complete stated business has become very important. There are now billions(!) more people in the world, with an elevated capacity to buy (if interested).

I would also agree with you (somewhat) about the mode of transmission, but in the end, it is up to the company to fulfil customer expectations in order to get wallets open. Communication is a good strategy, and positively impacts suppliers picking up and moving product inventory.

Relationships are important (lifetime customer value, and all). A good way to go that is to make sure products identified on Roadmaps are delivered in a timely manner. Not to harp on about Fuji, but they *have* delivered what they set out to do. Ongoing, they have meets where you get to touch and try equipment, that are hosted by knowledgeable people (and those people take product feedback in a formal way). They then implement firmware updates with useful new features, meaning the consumers feel engaged. Awesome, even though their products may not always be the best (although they are certainly good).

I agree the interview questions may have been pointed to current products (moans/needs/wants), but one of the things we are on this forum (whether we realise it, or not) is brand ambassadors. Engaging those who use your products is important, and therefore specific questions are also important.

I agree Nikon (doesn't seem to care), and Sony (through innovation, will immediately move onto the next thing, and strand customers) are similarly affected.

So, while I am (genuinely) pleased to see that new lenses are being announced , the pace and timing of introduction are not solid (Canon and Panasonic do this really well).

Based on recent news, seems as though Panasonic isn't such a paragon. At least, it hasn't translated into high volume of sales.

03-20-2017, 07:03 AM	#155
bons New Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 3	Originally posted by CarlJF AFAIK, no matter the brand ... Absolutely agree with you. But I really hoped for this lens from Pentax. (Wide Zoom). For so many years of development - it should be a masterpiece. I do not consider FF DSLR - the weight and dimensions are not for travel. I like the Pentax 12-24mm. But it is from 12mm, and this is not enough for European cities. I have a Samyang 8mm CSII and are very pleased with it. And really I choose between - Fuji X-T20 + 10-24 / 4 and Sony A7II + 16-35 / 4. But I do not see the benefits of FF. (I do not sell photos). Until May 2017 I will wait for Pentax Wide Zoom... I hope that this will not rebrand the new Tamron 10-24. Last edited by bons; 03-20-2017 at 07:26 AM.

03-20-2017, 08:24 AM	#158
CarlJF Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,185	Originally posted by bons But I do not see the benefits of FF. (I do not sell photos). The benefit here isn't related directly to the format itself but to the fact that, for whatever reason, it's easier to get a high quality UWA lens for a FF camera than an APS-C one. In other words, it's a case of first selecting the lens you want and than take the body that fits with it. But you will have to spend good money to get significantly better than what you already have in APS-C. The Fuji could be fine, but it's still APS-C and I would be very surprised if a XT-20 with the Fuji 10-24 gave much better results than the best lenses mentioned above. Looking at Photozone charts, it's not significantly better than the Sigma 8-16 (both excellent in the center but softer on the edges) at 10mm and, from 12mm, the Pentax is just as good... If you weren't happy with the results of the 8-16 or 12-24, it's not clear you would with the Fuji... Just thinking of it. For achitecture, have you considered upgrading your K-5 to a body with pixel-shift ? I guess that with the exact same lenses you have, a 24MP, no AA, pixel shift architectural shots will look significantly better with more details than what you can get from a K-5... Last edited by CarlJF; 03-20-2017 at 08:32 AM.

03-20-2017, 08:51 AM - 2 Likes	#159
Doundounba Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Montréal QC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,351	For myself, I think Ricoh is just shooting itself in the foot by leaving a lens for such a long time on the roadmap and not delivering it. I know that several years ago now, I bought a used Sigma 10-20mm F/4-5.6 rather than the Pentax 12-24mm, because I found an inexpensive used copy locally and the roadmap said there was a new DA Wide Zoom coming. It was supposed to be a temporary purchase, and with use I find that the long end of the Sigma (20mm @ F/5.6) is a bit limiting, but Ricoh are still dangling this potential new lens in front of my nose. I've been hoping for 12-28mm, which would really hit the spot for me, especially with something like F/3.5-4.5. The current 12-24mm is just expensive enough that I wouldn't want to spend the money for it only to find a new lens becoming available three months later, so for now I'm just sitting tight. But I have to say I find it annoying that they would keep promising this lens for five years and not deliver it... Last edited by Doundounba; 03-20-2017 at 09:05 AM.

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03-20-2017, 05:25 AM	#151
D1N0 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Location: --- Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,802	I am not the one to seek confirmation for your purchase with. Not unless you pay me.

03-20-2017, 05:30 AM	#152
surfar Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: mid nth coast,nsw Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,142	XT20 +10-24 is a good combo,just don't go out in bad weather.

03-20-2017, 05:55 AM - 1 Like	#153
D1N0 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Location: --- Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,802	Super wides and rain don't mix anyway. You can't very well shield the front element form rain drops and they will be visible on a super wide.

03-20-2017, 06:27 AM	#154
CarlJF Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,185	Originally posted by bons I'm a photographer with 40 years experience. I have experience in film rangefinder and SLR cameras. Self-manual processing and printing of color negative and positive films. And so on. The first Pentax I have is K5. Purchased in 2012. Even then I planned for it a NEW DA wide-zoom. And DA 10-24 mm is not the same as DA 12-24 mm. Or do not you agree? I tested Sigma 8-16, Sigma 10-20/3.5 - it's bearable, but not very good. I tested Tamron 10-24 - is awful. I have DA 15 - it's convenient, but I do not like the image quality... And K-1 + 15-30mm is too heavy for traveling (by weight), in addition to my K3-II + great DA* 60-250. So - I do not see any options... With Pentax. AFAIK, no matter the brand, you will not find significantly better on APS-C than the lenses you already tested, particulalrly if you want shorter than 10mm. There's some Tokina lenses available in Canon and Nikon mount, but the 12-24 is basically the same as the Pentax 12-24. There's the Tokina 11-20 and 11-16, but if the two Sigma or the Pentax 12-24 and 15Ltd weren't good enough for you, I doubt these Tokina will satisfy you. If you don't mind manual focus only, the Samyang and Rokinon 10mm are well regarded. Otherwise, FF is the way to go.

03-20-2017, 07:31 AM	#156
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Over time, markets change, technology changes, priorities change, opportunities change, users change. My supposition is adding FF to the brand lineup materially changed lens release priorities. Bummer if your first priority was demoted by a change in Pentax priorities, but so it is. May will likely come and go.

03-20-2017, 07:49 AM	#157
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,533	If 12mm of width on crop isn't wide enough, the only game in town worth mentioning is the Sigma 8-16, right? Or else go to a prime lens. You have to "live in the now" with this kind of thing. Wishing and hoping that X lens is going to show up at some point in the future is a good way to be disappointed. I guess I make jokes about it but if this is keeping someone from getting the shots they want, they have to be rational about it. Good luck with the Fuji.

03-20-2017, 08:54 AM	#160
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,533	You know, now that I think about it, if I wasn't happy about having a wide range of lenses to chose from with a Pentax, I don't know that my next step would be to go to Fuji's X-mount... But if the lenses you really want are there, by all means!

03-20-2017, 09:56 AM	#161
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by bons I'm a photographer with 40 years experience. I have experience in film rangefinder and SLR cameras. Self-manual processing and printing of color negative and positive films. And so on. The first Pentax I have is K5. Purchased in 2012. Even then I planned for it a NEW DA wide-zoom. And DA 10-24 mm is not the same as DA 12-24 mm. Or do not you agree? I tested Sigma 8-16, Sigma 10-20/3.5 - it's bearable, but not very good. I tested Tamron 10-24 - is awful. I have DA 15 - it's convenient, but I do not like the image quality... And K-1 + 15-30mm is too heavy for traveling (by weight), in addition to my K3-II + great DA* 60-250. So - I do not see any options... With Pentax. Laowa 12mm or Irix 15mm on a K-1. Then for travel, use the DA*60-250 in crop mode.

03-20-2017, 06:04 PM	#162
surfar Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: mid nth coast,nsw Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,142	Originally posted by bons And really I choose between - Fuji X-T20 + 10-24 / 4 and Sony A7II + 16-35 / 4. But I do not see the benefits of FF Well, one benefit of the Sony is the Techart Pro adapter that changes many lenses from manual to AF...Sony body is around 50% more + the adapter.Theres also the adapters that you can use Canon glass with too.( maybe theres a Nikon one now too???) Fuji glass is excellent ...lots to choose from.

03-22-2017, 01:31 PM	#163
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,834	Originally posted by bons ...I tested Tamron 10-24 - is awful. I have DA 15 - it's convenient, but I do not like the image quality.... Maybe you had bad copies of those lenses. The Tamron 10-24 gives me acceptable results; corners at 10mm through 12mm are soft but still usable. The DA 15 is a special lens, with legendary flare resistance and great colors.

03-25-2017, 09:36 AM	#164
Clarkey Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Brampton, ON, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,456	Originally posted by Uluru In digital age there will be more photo enthusiasts than during the film age. I would say twice as many at least. Each household will have twice as many proper digital cameras than film cameras — despite mobile phones. The success of mobile phones lie exclusively in one fact: they are obtainable at a plan, paid monthly. But are obsolete much faster than proper cameras. Smartphone market will too stagnate. Number of sales of digital cameras are currently dropping because for a while they were abnormally high for this industry, but are still much higher than even at best moments during the film era. Back then, sales compared to current sales were abysmal! Canon was producing mere 1/6 of current EOS cameras! Tell me, how bad was back then?! Yet no one ever cried end of the world, end of camera business, etc. People were normal. Doom&gloom is purposefully broadcasted nonsense in the digital era, by the ill-educated bloggers who have full access to world communication highways, and by the investors, who live by such rapid expansions / contractions of the markets. That is called the shock economy, and it is bad! Everyone wants quick money based on lies and false expectations. Digital photo industry need to get out of that mode, and stabilise itself, become normal — same as bred and butter production is stabile and normal for decades. Another way to stabilise this market is that number of bloggers and forums drops down, and people rely exclusively on professional insights by industry experts. In film era, we read magazines that were edited by professionals and normal people. Not so today. Today 90% of online information about digital photography is garbage, that would never have been published in magazines. In essence, only those companies that were fooled by a sudden abnormal growth in digital camera market will suffer, because they had big expectations which never had support in reality. Nikon is one of them. Sony too. Ricoh Imaging is not one of them, though. They were conservative and they must persist being normal, and have modest expectations, and think outside the box, deliver good value products. And people will come and buy, share valuable information. That is all. Not all. Whether we like it, or not, we are in a hyper-connected world, and in the race to the bottom (as I am also a cynic about this) means that retailers, and those advertising to (us) expect reliable progress and valid information. Probably not for the better, the world has changed, and speed/specialisation of business, and required capacity to survive and complete stated business has become very important. There are now billions(!) more people in the world, with an elevated capacity to buy (if interested). I would also agree with you (somewhat) about the mode of transmission, but in the end, it is up to the company to fulfil customer expectations in order to get wallets open. Communication is a good strategy, and positively impacts suppliers picking up and moving product inventory. Relationships are important (lifetime customer value, and all). A good way to go that is to make sure products identified on Roadmaps are delivered in a timely manner. Not to harp on about Fuji, but they have delivered what they set out to do. Ongoing, they have meets where you get to touch and try equipment, that are hosted by knowledgeable people (and those people take product feedback in a formal way). They then implement firmware updates with useful new features, meaning the consumers feel engaged. Awesome, even though their products may not always be the best (although they are certainly good). I agree the interview questions may have been pointed to current products (moans/needs/wants), but one of the things we are on this forum (whether we realise it, or not) is brand ambassadors. Engaging those who use your products is important, and therefore specific questions are also important. I agree Nikon (doesn't seem to care), and Sony (through innovation, will immediately move onto the next thing, and strand customers) are similarly affected. So, while I am (genuinely) pleased to see that new lenses are being announced , the pace and timing of introduction are not solid (Canon and Panasonic do this really well).

03-25-2017, 10:39 AM	#165
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,663	Originally posted by Clarkey Not all. Whether we like it, or not, we are in a hyper-connected world, and in the race to the bottom (as I am also a cynic about this) means that retailers, and those advertising to (us) expect reliable progress and valid information. Probably not for the better, the world has changed, and speed/specialisation of business, and required capacity to survive and complete stated business has become very important. There are now billions(!) more people in the world, with an elevated capacity to buy (if interested). I would also agree with you (somewhat) about the mode of transmission, but in the end, it is up to the company to fulfil customer expectations in order to get wallets open. Communication is a good strategy, and positively impacts suppliers picking up and moving product inventory. Relationships are important (lifetime customer value, and all). A good way to go that is to make sure products identified on Roadmaps are delivered in a timely manner. Not to harp on about Fuji, but they have delivered what they set out to do. Ongoing, they have meets where you get to touch and try equipment, that are hosted by knowledgeable people (and those people take product feedback in a formal way). They then implement firmware updates with useful new features, meaning the consumers feel engaged. Awesome, even though their products may not always be the best (although they are certainly good). I agree the interview questions may have been pointed to current products (moans/needs/wants), but one of the things we are on this forum (whether we realise it, or not) is brand ambassadors. Engaging those who use your products is important, and therefore specific questions are also important. I agree Nikon (doesn't seem to care), and Sony (through innovation, will immediately move onto the next thing, and strand customers) are similarly affected. So, while I am (genuinely) pleased to see that new lenses are being announced , the pace and timing of introduction are not solid (Canon and Panasonic do this really well). Based on recent news, seems as though Panasonic isn't such a paragon. At least, it hasn't translated into high volume of sales.