[Reed]

What's wrong with a screw drive lens !!, the autofocus mechanism consist of a small rod with a drive cog on the end, could not be simpler, why involve a complex servo motor in a small and compact lens (it looks identical to the last model in size) getting a motor in a lens with only a front filter mount of 49mm would be a tight fit, the change of lens hood designation may point to the hood now being used on another lens or lens' , may be a updated fa 50/1.4 with a bayonet lens hood is on the way, or the reintroduction of the fa 28 2.8, all three lens showed excellent performance.

More likely the new hood have a filter window. You can see a part of it on that picture above.

[biz-engineer]

Sad to see such picture.Revamp lens is welcome, considering the limited resources Ricoh have, but what I plan to see is those with super-fast PLM motors or at least. SDM or DC ones.

I don't know if the lens shown is the FA 35 with a bit of cosmetic is going to be the lens announced. But people complained that zooms are too big. One of the motives of Pentax customer to stay with Pentax is not to spend the money required to switch, and the same customers are asking Ricoh to do the same as other brands, but smaller and cheaper, with Pentax having a very small market share. it is simply impossible.

[repaap]

I have the existing FA35/2 and I really like it. The only real complaints I could have about the image quality are hexagonal bokeh and CA. If this has new coatings and rounded blades, it should improve on both of those points. If users want something more upscale, Sigma makes the 35/1.4 in K-mount, so there are other options. This is genuinely tiny by modern standards.

Those things you mentioned about FA35/2 I also agree. Also little a bit improved sharpness would be nice too. No problemo with screw motor. Perhaps this is first of HD remake of old lenses. If they made this with one more blade, and rounded ones, it would be even more good. Does that hood look little bigger than original?

[normhead]

It is not negativity - it's concern. I will just point out that we already have revamped 35 mm glass and it is HD Pentax-D FA 645 35/3.5 AL [IF] for medium format. And yes - it is screw driven.

If its a re=released older lens it's going to be screw drive, like the DFA 100 macro WR is 2009, the Pentax DA 55-300 ED WR was 2013, I'm just trying to think of the most recently released screw drive lenses. The DA 18-50 came out in 2015. I can find no screw drive releases after 2015.

Meanwhile the DA*200, an upgrade from the FA 200 ƒ4.5 was SDM in 2008.

The DA 55-300 has been upgraded to KAF4 and PLM,

There's not much evidence suggesting it will be screw drive... but hey, I guess it could happen. But it is a very pessimistic point of view. The last I can find was 2015, that's going on 4 years ago now.

[x4rd]

What's wrong with a screw drive lens !!

It's '80 tech....

[biz-engineer]

I have the existing FA35/2 and I really like it. The only real complaints I could have about the image quality are hexagonal bokeh and CA. If this has new coatings and rounded blades, it should improve on both of those points. If users want something more upscale, Sigma makes the 35/1.4 in K-mount, so there are other options. This is genuinely tiny by modern standards.

Absolutely.

[twilhelm]

I don't know if the lens shown is the FA 35 with a bit of cosmetic is going to be the lens announced. But people complained that zooms are too big. I guess it is super complicated for Ricoh to satisfy customers with high expectations, no money and the low market share of Pentax: IMO it's just crazy.

It is a catch 22. There’s plenty of people shooting Pentax for the lightweight, high quality lenses. But we see the push for ultra corrected fast glass, which comes with a size cost. I’d love to see the line up revamped to include both, which is going to take some time to accomplish. The reality is, we have a nice line up for Aps-c, with DA, DA Limiteds and DA* lenses. I’d view a revamp of the FA 35/2 as the full frame brother to the DA 35/2.4.

[mee]

I would be very interested to see the 35mm F2. Looks like simply HD coating will be applied and hopefully a new body design so it doesn't look like the nineties anymore. Nu motor I think since there is nothing in the lens name about it.

Won't look like the nineties anymore, but will still sound like it sadly.

Hopefully they added a motor.

[Dericali]

It is a catch 22. There’s plenty of people shooting Pentax for the lightweight, high quality lenses. But we see the push for ultra corrected fast glass, which comes with a size cost. I’d love to see the line up revamped to include both, which is going to take some time to accomplish. The reality is, we have a nice line up for Aps-c, with DA, DA Limiteds and DA* lenses. I’d view a revamp of the FA 35/2 as the full frame brother to the DA 35/2.4.

I guess the devil will be in the details - will this revamped lens offer a genuine and noticeable improvement over the existing model? Is there a set of users that wants this lens new, and will buy it, rather than say the older model second hand?

One reason for Pentax to focus on premium, heavy weight glass is because people who want top quality will pay for it. People that don't need top quality are already spoiled for options in the second hand market, or with the older DFA and FA lenses that still sell new, so I'm not sure I see the rationale for concentrating developmental firepower on this segment, unless Pentax plans to refresh the entire line and has determined there is an almost trivial cost for them to do so.

[normhead]

Look at the number of lenses Pentax releases a year compared to almost anyone else. If you are adverse to screw drive you're probably with the wrong company. IN any case, this topic of screw drive is banished from my mind until the lens is released. No sense worrying about things you can't change. Personally my complaint would be is it's not a 24. I already have two 35s, and I don't like them. Especially since the 31 is the lens to buy in the range, Oops, it's screw drive. The anti-screw drive crowd can say what they want, it's only them who mis out with such attitudes, it affects most of us not one little bit.

My screw drive lenses don't care that it's not 1980. They still act like they know what they're doing.

[thibs]

Won't look like the nineties anymore, but will still sound like it sadly.

Hopefully they added a motor.

No way, they'd need to change the barel.

[biz-engineer]

I’d view a revamp of the FA 35/2 as the full frame brother to the DA 35/2.4.

Sure. I would prefer if the lens did not look like a FA 35 from external design standpoint and screw drive AF. That said, the FA35 2 is great optically. Not sure if the new 28-105 was reusing an old recipe but all I can say is the 28-105 is great. This morning I stopped by a shop and tried a Z6 for a moment. My conclusion: yes it's nice, it's modern, and last but not least it brings no advantage to my K1. Modern new tech is exciting because it's new, after which point the benefit over DSLR tech fades away. One thing I notice with the Z6 is some discomfort due jello / rolling shutter effect in EVF when panning for framing, which I don't experience with my K1: the K1 doesn't look as modern as the Z6, but the K1 gives me astrotracer, better tilt screen and better detail. So, the fight is "excitement of modern" against "functionality of the old".

[superdave]

Good news if 11-18mm comes in February, but $1500 is a lot of money for an APS-C lens. It's almost as expensive as the FF 15-30 and three time more expensive than Tokina equavalent zoom. It's more than what I was expecting, but I may still get one (during sales) if it's sharp corner to corner and if it produce beautiful sunstars.

The 35mm/F2 is a surprise, but not necessarily a good one: they just changed the rubber, the hood and the coating. Probably still only 6 aperture blades. Not sure the performances will improve.

[konraDarnok]

They must have an entire warehouse filled with old FA parts.

[Macario]

It's '80 tech....

mirror tech is even older...........................