[RobA_Oz]

hmmmm... 10% of my images are between 45mm and 55mm. That's pretty high percentage. The highest for any one FL range is 12% I can actually make a pretty good argument I would make good use of this lens. But I can I get an allocation from the House Appropriations Committee?

I’d be more concerned about the Lens Appropriation Committee.

[RedBoomer]

Do we have any idea how many of these were sold yet? The last 4 digits of my serial place my lens it in the 2000 range, and I"m wondering where the latest is at. Imagine if Ricoh sells 4000-5000 copies at 1200 = $4.8m to $6m in revenue. Not bad for them.

Got mine in Australia last week and it is 2639. Local distributer website says "in Stock"

[Sandy Hancock]

got mine in australia last week and it is 2639. Local distributer website says "in stock"

2602

[monochrome]

Got mine in Australia last week and it is 2639. Local distributer website says "in Stock"

2602

That rumored 3000 Unit initial production number looks like a pretty good guess given that they sold out the initial run.

[clackers]

So far there seem to be fewer than ten owners on the Forum.

Photos from owners appearing now in the Pentaxians Facebook group.

Traditionally that is more photo and less discussion oriented in this site, and pros tend to post there (including the Ambassadors) and have no involvement here.

[RonHendriks1966]

That rumored 3000 Unit initial production number looks like a pretty good guess given that they sold out the initial run.

All lenses in stores laying in stock.....are ofcourse also sold for Pentax.

Funny is that you are the only one now that registered the lens in the serial number database.....

[biz-engineer]

10% of my images are between 45mm and 55mm. That's pretty high percentage. The highest for any one FL range is 12% I can actually make a pretty good argument I would make good use of this lens.

Maybe not. As you mentioned elsewhere, zooms and primes have different use cases, your 10% can become more once you mount the 50mm lens on the camera, or less if you need a zoom anyway because of what you plan to shoot when leaving home with a camera bag. IMO, the new DFA*50 is a stunning lens but not the best choice for landscape and nature (macros) type of shooting.

---------- Post added 05-08-18 at 11:17 ----------

Funny is that you are the only one now that registered the lens in the serial number database.....

I would say , July / August time frame isn't very dynamic as far as camera gear sales is concerned. I would wait end of 2018 to draw any conclusion about the sales of the DFA*50 lens.
Now, I'm guessing some true choices made by Ricoh to make that 50mm lens instead of making a wide angle or portrait lens that are more in demand. I don't think Ricoh Imaging expects a lot of sales of the DFA*50., the DFA*50 is more of a step within their full frame lens strategy. They could have first made a 20mm prime, because Tokina has the Firin 20mm prime, but Ricoh didn't go that route...(yet)

Think about it in terms of generic marketing strategy: there are two possibilities to make money, either sell the same products to more customers (= market penetration strategy) or sell more products to the same customers (get more money by offering more value to each customer you already have). Ricoh Imaging use the second approach (sell more to the same customers). In order to achieve more sales overall, it is clear that introducing the DFA20 and DFA85 first would kill the sales of a 50mm prime because people would have no need for the 50mm prime after they have the 20mm and 85mm. When Ricoh introduced the 50mm first, people will buy it for fun and lack of having alternative focal lengthes available. Then, when the 20mm or 85mm will be made available, people will sell their DFA*50mm second hand and buy the 20mm or 85mm, and if not they'll end up not using the 50mm and sell it anyway. That is why introducing the 50mm first is a superior approach on terms of total revenue and k mount presence. You may be thinking that low sales of the DFA50 is not good, while Ricoh Imaging are aware of that and have chosen to introduce the DFA50 first and on purpose.

As a customer, buying the DFA*50 or not or waiting for other primes is a personal choice. One thing for sure is the HD DFA*50 is an outstanding lens. Some people may decide to use only this DFA*50 for doing as much as everything, while other users may be more comfortable to use two different primes for their preferred shooting cases. One lens is not enough to achieve the sales potential among all users, it is the offering of 3 primes that will offer the most possibilities for the users and the most total value for Ricoh Imaging.

[Rondec]

It is much better than the Sigma according to their Rep - a Category Killer - and it will be at or above $1,200 USD for years. It will stay in tight supply for a long time.

I agree. 1200 dollars seems to be the reasonable asking price for a top end lens like this. The only time the price will drop is if Pentax updates the lens in some way and is clearing out old stock.

[Kunzite]

@biz-engineer:
There is no need to guess, and one shouldn't assume intricated strategies instead of a simpler answer.
"At first, we wanted to provide full-frame single-focus lenses with angles of view that were different from those provided by existing models, and even initiated a project in this direction. These included an 85mm F1.4 lens, which was listed on our lens roadmap. After conducting research on the types of lenses our users desired, however, the most sought-after model was a 50mm lens — a standard single-focus lens familiar to all users since the days of film photography. There were several other options, but since this was what users most wanted, there was no reason to ignore the demand. So priority was placed on the development of the HD PENTAX-D FA★50mmF1.4 SDM AW."
Development Story | HD PENTAX-D FA?50mm F1.4 SDM AW | PENTAX STAR LENS | RICOH IMAGING

Good point about usage.

[beholder3]

I agree. 1200 dollars seems to be the reasonable asking price for a top end lens like this. The only time the price will drop is if Pentax updates the lens in some way and is clearing out old stock.

The typical discount 3rd party lens makers such as Tamron, Sigma have to make just because they are not full value originals is -30 to -40%% on a lens with equal specs and quality.
The Sigma 50 Art started at 1000 EUR and so a fair comparable price for the Pentax would have been 1500 EUR.
That the Pentax is such a good value at a relatively low price now is certainly good for all users. Enjoy and smile.

Not even talking about the quality superiority of the Pentax DFA 50.

[acoufap]

The typical discount 3rd party lens makers such as Tamron, Sigma have to make just because they are not full value originals is -30 to -40%% on a lens with equal specs and quality.
The Sigma 50 Art started at 1000 EUR and so a fair comparable price for the Pentax would have been 1500 EUR.
That the Pentax is such a good value at a relatively low price now is certainly good for all users. Enjoy and smile.

Not even talking about the quality superiority of the Pentax DFA 50.

Compared to the old FA 31Ltd. that‘s priced at 1.499,- € regularly in Europe I think we could say DFA* 1.4/50 wins in value for money. But of course this kind of comparison is a bit weird.

[Belnan]

@biz-engineer:
There is no need to guess, and one shouldn't assume intricated strategies instead of a simpler answer.
"At first, we wanted to provide full-frame single-focus lenses with angles of view that were different from those provided by existing models, and even initiated a project in this direction. These included an 85mm F1.4 lens, which was listed on our lens roadmap. After conducting research on the types of lenses our users desired, however, the most sought-after model was a 50mm lens — a standard single-focus lens familiar to all users since the days of film photography. There were several other options, but since this was what users most wanted, there was no reason to ignore the demand. So priority was placed on the development of the HD PENTAX-D FA★50mmF1.4 SDM AW."
Development Story | HD PENTAX-D FA?50mm F1.4 SDM AW | PENTAX STAR LENS | RICOH IMAGING

Good point about usage.

I think making the 50mm was the right move however they are wrong about the next lens. It should be the 25mm 1.4 not the 85mm 1.4. However I think the 85mm will be draw more attention externally but a 25mm is needed more. So it should go like this ricoh 50mm --> 25mm --> 85mm -->35 mm.

[monochrome]

Photos from owners appearing now in the Pentaxians Facebook group.

Traditionally that is more photo and less discussion oriented in this site, and pros tend to post there (including the Ambassadors) and have no involvement here.

I see. I don’t have a Facebook account, so I wouldn’t know that.

[BigMackCam]

Funny is that you are the only one now that registered the lens in the serial number database.....

That has little or no correlation with sales, though. For example, there are only 18 copies of the HD D FA15-30 registered in the database. We all know how popular and widely-owned that lens is, and it's been around for a couple of years now. Many people don't even know about the serial number database, or simply don't care to register their lenses...

[Kunzite]

Is there a serial number database?
(I didn't register any of my lenses, and I didn't plan to register the still-not-in-my-hands D FA* 50mm. But I guess in Ron's mind that's definite proof that only 1 lens was sold globally; or rather, the unlucky owner was coerced - paid, threatened, tortured - into accepting it)