Originally posted by Rondec The glass is definitely coming -- there is a road map with lenses on it. The question is how quickly other primes follow the DFA 50's release. Hopefully faster now that they've figured out the drive mechanism, which apparently was the hold up. At the same time, there are nice lenses available now -- FA limiteds, DFA zooms, 100 macro, 200/300 primes. I, personally don't quite feel high and dry or in the dark.
The lenses that I do have I am happy with. I have all three amigos, a nice vintage fast 50, and the 24-70. I am not 'out of the game' but it seems like they are dragging along at a snail's pace on their lenses.
Also Pentax didn't design the 24-70. They took someone else's design and revamped it and slapped a new label on there. Don't get me wrong, I am very pleased with the performance of the lens it seems to me that it was put together and released as an afterthought almost. I don't know if that's a peek inside the world of Pentax or not. But they did the same thing with the 15-30, and maybe other lenses.
In the end camera bodies sell camera bodies. Lenses on the other hand attract and keep photographers. Pentax really needs to up it's game in the lens department.
If we had this as a line up 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and maybe even a 105mm, all being fast (f1.8 or faster) and all weather sealed with at least FA Limited sharpness and clarity, that would be an attraction to behold.
Combine that with even the 24-70 out there now and the 70-200 already out there...they would cover the wants and needs of 90% of the photography world right there. I believe the reason why they are not poaching more people is because of the dragging around in releasing Pentax quality of standard lenses.
I am not knocking good camera bodies (and they do need to keep them up to par or better), but I would like to hear for once, 'man! Pentax has some of the best lenses out there! and what a selection!' and have that be referring to the current set of available lenses.
Lenses are the stuff legends are made of. Just look at how many camera bodies have come and gone since the inception of the FA77mm. Yet to this day what is the crown jewel of almost any Pentax line up?