[Kevin B123]

Originally posted by robbiec*
Time to kick off and have a rant. Coming up to 1yrs lockdown will do that to you.
Sandy will give out so I'm not going to embellish by swearing but what on earth is that prism overhang design for? The red might work in some sort of fetish club run by dark trooper star wars fans, it looks to be automotive concurs type paint. Dunno about the shiny bit for your bottom fingers, thought the grip was for gripping not slipping.
I'm reading all this ranting and raving about how cameras with color and a little style and flash are so uncouth and it's hard to not imagine a bunch of mutton-chopped, portly aristocrats sitting around the drawing room with tea, hrrumphing about the poor chap who came to dinner in a black tie without tails. Oh the scandal! Did his under-butler not tell him what appropriate dinnerwear is in polite society? Goodness. Who doesn't have a white tie and tails, must be the son of a laborer? And did you see? He had a (*blushes*) red camera with an unsightly overhang on the top! Might as well have had a prostitute on his arm and some of that scandalous jazz on the Victrola! Piffle, my dear boy, piffle!! Perhaps in a provincial backwater of the Empire, but not here, not on my watch!

I thought robbiec was on the money. These are collectors item IMO, I could never imaging being out somewhere and finding someone using one of those.
Let's be positive, it's for Japan only and small numbers. My puzzle is why are Pentax the only company doing this if it's such a good idea?

[Mistral75]

There is a big drop in RRPs between smc FA Limiteds and HD FA Limiteds in the Euro zone:

• 31mm f/1.8: €1,499 --> €1,049
• 43mm f/1.9: €799 --> €649
• 77mm f/1.8: €1,049 --> €799

[wkraus]

An interesting remark on the PENTAX Limited Lens Special Site re. the HD FA77: “PENTAX expects this lens to be a favorite of PENTAX camera users for many years to come, in both digital and film photography.”

[Reed]

I thought robbiec was on the money. These are collectors item IMO, I could never imaging being out somewhere and finding someone using one of those.
Let's be positive, it's for Japan only and small numbers. My puzzle is why are Pentax the only company doing this if it's such a good idea?

Ricoh is not sole manufacturer who does such "customs" or limited editions. Nikon is doing that from time to time- lately D5 and D500 100th anniversary editions if I remember correctly.
If they are into that stuff, there must be market for them.

[ThorSanchez]

I hope you understand that turning up for dinner in white tie and tails would be a major faux pas. Black tie and a "tux" is perfectly appropriate dinner attire; white tie and tails is "evening wear" - i.e. late night cocktails and dancing.

Oh dear. I'll submit myself to being drawn and quartered.

[Pål Jensen]

An interesting remark on the PENTAX Limited Lens Special Site re. the HD FA77: “PENTAX expects this lens to be a favorite of PENTAX camera users for many years to come, in both digital and film photography.”

Not surprising. It is a terrific lens (at least the SMC version)
Wasn't it rated as the best liked Pentax lens on this very site?

[house]

The FA43 bokeh experts amongst us may want to have a look at these samples to see if they can detect any difference. They look pretty darn fa43 signature to me but perhaps it was more intense with SMCFA43. Of course wide open won't benefit from rounded aperture blades but the second is f2,5.

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/limited_lens/evidence/hanawa...a-fa-43-04.jpg
http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/limited_lens/evidence/hanawa...a-fa-43-05.jpg

I'm always surprised that Pentax has a tendency to select samples that don't particularly hide potentially troublesome character of their lenses. Look at the birds nest bokeh on the poles in the background. Pentax also often use low key photographs, just an observation.

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Last edited by house; 02-25-2021 at 06:28 AM.

[aslyfox]

. . . bunch of mutton-chopped, portly aristocrats sitting around the drawing room with tea . . .

Tea ????

Try whiskey

[angerdan]

Converted with Google, this results in following EUR price (in italics with 20% VAT added):

• HD FA 31mm: 1076€ (1291€)
• HD FA 43mm: 600€ (720€)
• HD FA 77mm: 828€ (994€)
• K-1 II J Limited 01: 2732€ (3278€)

Seems like 15% VAT could be added:

There is a big drop in RRPs between smc FA Limiteds and HD FA Limiteds in the Euro zone:

• 31mm f/1.8: €1,499 --> €1,049
• 43mm f/1.9: €799 --> €649
• 77mm f/1.8: €1,049 --> €799

[house]

The swedish prices are like this from one online retailer

31mm f/1.8: 15 990 :- --> 12 990 :-
43mm f/1.9: 8 590 :- --> 7 690 :-
77mm f/1.8: 11 190 :- --> 9 490 :-


So HD is a bit less expensive

[biz-engineer]

An interesting remark on the PENTAX Limited Lens Special Site re. the HD FA77: “PENTAX expects this lens to be a favorite of PENTAX camera users for many years to come, in both digital and film photography.”

These lenses are time-less. The smc version lived two decades. Now the new coating give them a life extension into the next decade.

[stevebrot]

Where is the price differential coming from?

Release price vs. eventual price. Similar was done with the HD FA 35/2.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Tea ????

Try whiskey

If they were portly, the drink would be, ummmmm, port perhaps?


Steve

[monochrome]

Release price vs. eventual price. Similar was done with the HD FA 35/2.


Steve

Any FA Limited is Priceless.

[AgentL]

Keep the old version for starbursts. This K-1 II version is just ridiculous. Just for Japan maybe.

I kinda like it. Gundam plus high-end JDM car.