[Reed]

We will never really know until we see the equipment apart, when I first saw the new lens motor from the dfa 50 I had seen the motor before and that was in a tokina 70-200 f4 that was apart right in front of me short before the first leaked images of pentaxs new lens

Even when I looked at Nikon stating that they had designed the D850 sensor I was very suspect that was a sony sensor built to Nikon specs that contained all sony IP, so most of the time I take what companies say with a grain of salt


Cut and past from here
Amateur Photographers (UK) Predicts End for Pentax - Page 38 - PentaxForums.com






What might be interesting is that they are using joint components in the lens, pentax may have the optical formula and tokina is using the it under licence while pentax is using things like AF motors. who know when I looked at the AF motor found in the DFA 50 it sure looks very similar to the one found in the tokina 70-200 F4 way too similar. And from my understanding tokina has used the very same motor on other lenses just configured differently.


here is the DFA 50


Ref Product Overview | HD PENTAX-D FA?50mm F1.4 SDM AW | PENTAX STAR LENS | RICOH IMAGING

and now the tokina 70-200 f4



and here they are overlaid with the DFA on the bottom





In a time where there is a shrinking market I would not be surprised to see to niche manufactures cut costs with joint ventures to increase profits

All ring type motors look quite similar and can be easily overlayed one on another, still it's possible they joined their forces. As far as it's reliable I don't care who is the designer. But, I had chance to use that Tokina zoom more than once, and it's nothing close in terms of operation speed to the DFA*50 as shown in recent movie demonstrations-I don't have one yet to compare. Motor used for ATX Pro Tokina 70-200/4 is slow, but very accurate.

[Kunzite]

All ring type motors look quite similar and can be easily overlayed one on another, still it's possible they joined their forces. As far as it's reliable I don't care who is the designer.

Bingo.
It wasn't Tokina who made the 70-200 motor, but a component supplier.

[Ian Stuart Forsyth]

All ring type motors look quite similar and can be easily overlayed one on another, still it's possible they joined their forces. As far as it's reliable I don't care who is the designer. But, I had chance to use that Tokina zoom more than once, and it's nothing close in terms of operation speed to the DFA*50 as shown in recent movie demonstrations-I don't have one yet to compare. Motor used for ATX Pro Tokina 70-200/4 is slow, but very accurate.

If you take a look at where the motor is beveled in and starts to angle in it happens to occur at the same point on both and the spacing is so close to in the rest of the stack that is more similar than any ring motors I have seen

Here is the tipical Nikon




canon




Tamron



I find it hard to believe that I could slip anyone of those motors in and have them lineup as nicely


As far as AF speeds go there is a lot more that plays with speed, things like how much the AF groups have to move and if the lens interface with the cameras body has to be reverse engineered just to name a few.

I would have no problem using a pentax lens with a tokina af motor and part of me feels more confident if it was a tokina AF motor as I have used several of their lenses without any problems for years. If it is something that pentax has to do to keep competitive and spend there funds in other areas that is what I would like to see rather than them trying to reinvent the wheel

[monochrome]

The only thing that matters to me is that Pentax designed and gets credit for the optical formula. I want Pentax to be known for exemplary . optics. I want DPR to say the Opera is a rebadged Pentax lens (they won’t, but . . .)

So long as the AF is competitive it makes sense to use someone else’s proven components.

[dcpropilot]

I just tried my new DAF 50 1.4 on my K-3. Holy cow. Blazing speed. Probably the fastest focusing lens I have. So far I am impressed.

---------- Post added 07-29-2018 at 09:04 PM ----------

The following are taken with my K-1

[Ian Stuart Forsyth]

The only thing that matters to me is that Pentax designed and gets credit for the optical formula. I want Pentax to be known for exemplary . optics. I want DPR to say the Opera is a rebadged Pentax lens (they won’t, but . . .)
So long as the AF is competitive it makes sense to use someone else’s proven components.

That is my feeling also we have a camera manufacture that was well known for its lens, in lens design. it was somewhat this way with other tokina lenses that are popular with Nikon dx shooters like the 50-135 100mm the 35mm and the 10-17

If it takes pentax using the aid of tokina to make there lens more competitive and push pentax ahead then I am for it as it is a win win

[Reed]

Actually I like the Tokina design school for mechanics, more recent or even late film era lenses are very well built with great ergonomics. Still most is just plain ugly. Opera is their first lens that looks like made in XXI century. As long as within the Ricoh-Tokina co-op we don't get anything with Tokina coatings tech- I'm good

[RobA_Oz]

A number of manufacturers make ultrasonic (piezoelectric) ring motors, including Toshiba (technical description here), so I imagine most, if not all, camera makers probably outsource them, rather than develop their own.

[Rondec]

A number of manufacturers make ultrasonic (piezoelectric) ring motors, including Toshiba (technical description here), so I imagine most, if not all, camera makers probably outsource them, rather than develop their own.

I think this is probably the truth. We know that many parts for camera and lens manufacture are outsourced. This includes things like shutters and glass blanks. I doubt that either Tokina or Pentax make any of their own in lens motors and probably outsource them all. The fact that they might outsource the motor for this lens from the same place is not happen stance, but it is not particularly meaningful either.

[beholder3]

A number of manufacturers make ultrasonic (piezoelectric) ring motors, including Toshiba (technical description here), so I imagine most, if not all, camera makers probably outsource them, rather than develop their own.

If you look at all the cheap chinese parts Nikon lenses use, one probably shouldnt worry too much:
Buy nikon lens motor and get free shipping on AliExpress.com
If it helps Nikon and other manufacturers build speedy drives at acceptable cost, why not buy it from Chinese engineers? Nikon probaly simply downsized / fired the departments for those areas in the last years when business collapsed and now they buy from externals. Makes a lot of business sense.

[x4rd]

I just tried my new DAF 50 1.4 on my K-3. Holy cow. Blazing speed. Probably the fastest focusing lens I have. So far I am impressed.

I envy those shots and a glass! Therefore in my opinion, having the DFA 50 makes only a matrix as a limitation...

[pres589]

I agree, the shots shared so far have been great. I like how round and even out of focus light sources are coming out; no ring or frog-eye action going on.

This lens on a K-3 or KP seems like a seriously good portraits combination.

[LennyBloke]

Poor weather and other commitments mean I haven't had much chance to use mine as yet, but from the few shots I have taken it does look as though it has some lovely characteristics:

1. @ f1.4 (minimal PP (Default LR pluse shadow/highlight adjustments)


2. @ f1.4 (minimal PP (Default LR pluse shadow/highlight adjustments)


3. Same as shot above but with some extra clarity and sharpening

[RonHendriks1966]

I agree, the shots shared so far have been great. I like how round and even out of focus light sources are coming out; no ring or frog-eye action going on.

This lens on a K-3 or KP seems like a seriously good portraits combination.

Does it offer so much advantage over the da*55 on aps-c to brake the bank for it?

[biz-engineer]

The following are taken with my K-1

the clarity of your images is simply amazing.