[VictorDA]

FWIW in my opinion a 600mm f5 lens would be really nice.

Not directed only at you, but I really don't understand the fairly large number of posters stating they would like a 500 to 600mm lens to be released. There WAS a 560mm for sale for a few years, and it was apparently not very successful commercially.
What was wrong with it? The price? Then any other release (especially faster) will not be more favourable... The quality? Well I can't judge directly but from the posted photos and the few reviews it seems to have been quite nice, no?
This is not an agression Just a real question. I'm clearly not in the market for something like that and probably I missed something!?

[Rondec]

Not directed only at you, but I really don't understand the fairly large number of posters stating they would like a 500 to 600mm lens to be released. There WAS a 560mm for sale for a few years, and it was apparently not very successful commercially.
What was wrong with it? The price? Then any other release (especially faster) will not be more favourable... The quality? Well I can't judge directly but from the posted photos and the few reviews it seems to have been quite nice, no?
This is not an agression Just a real question. I'm clearly not in the market for something like that and probably I missed something!?

I think people want a twelve hundred dollar 600mm lens that has good quality and fast aperture. It seems like that isn't likely to happen with Pentax, even if Tamron and Sigma have relatively reasonably priced telephoto options in other mounts. If Pentax releases anything in that sort of range I can't imagine it being under 2800 dollars considering the 150-450 runs close to 2000 dollars right now.

[Pål Jensen]

FWIW in my opinion a 600mm f5 lens would be really nice. I tried my DFA 150-450 on the weekend with the HDDA 1.4x TC and the result looked slightly fogged. The lenses of the TC look perfectly clean to me, so the "fog" is hard to explain.

Increasing the maximum focal length from 450 to 600 while being slightly faster would be really good!

F:5 is at 150mm. It is F:6.3 at 600mm...

[Andrea K]

No. They are just covering all bases....

Or they have designed the LEICA APO - VARIO - ELMARIT - SL 90–280 mm f/2,8–4 and this is a rejected example

The in lens SR is the ticket to enter the club of state-of-the-art autofocus.

[Mistral75]

Or they have designed the LEICA APO - VARIO - ELMARIT - SL 90–280 mm f/2,8–4 and this is a rejected example

(...).

They did not. Panasonic did. Japanese patent No. 6586636, registered on 20 September 2019 and published on 9 October 2019, corresponding to the Japanese patent application No. 2015-250129 filed on 22 December 2015 and published on 4 August 2016 under the reference P2016-139125A. Inventor is Takuya Imaoka.

Takuya Imaoka's research works | Panasonic Corporation, Osaka and other places

Takuya Imaoka Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search

Tomoya Koga has read Takuya Imaoka's publications, that's for sure.

[reh321]

Not directed only at you, but I really don't understand the fairly large number of posters stating they would like a 500 to 600mm lens to be released. There WAS a 560mm for sale for a few years, and it was apparently not very successful commercially.
What was wrong with it? The price? Then any other release (especially faster) will not be more favourable... The quality? Well I can't judge directly but from the posted photos and the few reviews it seems to have been quite nice, no?
This is not an agression Just a real question. I'm clearly not in the market for something like that and probably I missed something!?

I’m not personally in the market for anything that big and heavy. I really don’t understand those requesting anything like that - I couldn’t lug anything like that on the trails my wife and I still walk. It is very simple - Pentax/Ricoh must have dealt with a very small market.

[RobG]

Not directed only at you, but I really don't understand the fairly large number of posters stating they would like a 500 to 600mm lens to be released. There WAS a 560mm for sale for a few years, and it was apparently not very successful commercially.
What was wrong with it? The price? Then any other release (especially faster) will not be more favourable... The quality? Well I can't judge directly but from the posted photos and the few reviews it seems to have been quite nice, no?
This is not an agression Just a real question. I'm clearly not in the market for something like that and probably I missed something!?

It was (my impression) more like a fixed focal length telescope. It was very long. Also 560mm wasn't quite enough to make it worthwhile at over $6K when the 150-450 was $3K. But a zoom lens which can be packed into a more compact state like the 150-450 with a maximum focal length of 600mm and f5 would be more useful even though the thickness of the barrel would be more than the DA560 and certainly the weight would be more. I did see the DA560 first hand in Japan. Am I jealous of Gary Chalker's FA*600 lens? Yes. But a 7 kg lens is also a heck of a beast to lug around. The DA560 was half the weight at just over 3 kg. Meanwhile the more versatile DFA 150-450 is about 2.2 kg.

---------- Post added 20-10-21 at 12:17 AM ----------

F:5 is at 150mm. It is F:6.3 at 600mm...

Did I misread this line in the original post?

"④125-600mm F5-5.6 SR"

OK, f5.6 but it's still better than f6.3.

[Mistral75]

(...)

Did I misread this line in the original post?

"④125-600mm F5-5.6 SR"

OK, f5.6 but it's still better than f6.3.

You did not misread it, however the OP miswrote it. The 120-600mm numerical example in the patent application is actually f/4.9-6.5. Commercially that would be a f/5-6.3 lens, not f/5-5.6.

[normhead]

Better to get excited about these things when they are announced. Patents tell you what they are thinking about, there are few hurdles yet to get over before the lens is produced.

[Serkevan]

I really don’t understand those requesting anything like that - I couldn’t lug anything like that on the trails my wife and I still walk.

It's actually very simple to understand. If you like wildlife photography, the glass that enables excellent pictures is heavy. And you don't necessarily bring it during a random hike, but you're going specifically to a spot known for its fauna (reservation, natural park, safari, whatever) so transport isn't nearly as much of an issue.

I mean, my backpack's usually ~8 to 10 kg whenever I go hiking for the whole day. If I go to a spot where I know there will be a good view with low, oblique light (near or during sunset, for example) I do carry a tripod and square filters - that's about 1.5 kg by its lonesome. I also add a bunch of lenses if I'm not going to hike long enough to need the space and weight to carry extra water.


I'm sure some people don't understand that I'd want to be carrying that extra weight for a tripod. And truly, I don't care if they don't. My friends have joked about gifting me a wheelbarrow once in a while


Heck, the only reason I favor lightweight gear is because I usually just walk around with a couple extra small lenses in a purse, and my finances don't permit covering the Big Glass and portable options at the same time... Otherwise I'd definitely want the 70-200/2.8 (or the older FA*) just for those situations where I do go specifically to take portraits of friends. And probably a 150-450 for those two times a year where I do wish I had a great tele .

[normhead]

Heck, the only reason I favor lightweight gear is because I usually just walk around with a couple extra small lenses in a purse, and my finances don't permit covering the Big Glass and portable options at the same time.

DA 18-135 and DA 55-300 PLM with 1.4 TC. Keep it simple, oh and Sirui lightweight tripod. If you don't use a 5 pound lens, you don't need a 5 pound tripod. That's my solution. I have walked around with 500mm ƒ4.5 on my tripod. It's not cool.

[Andrea K]

They did not. Panasonic did. Japanese patent No. 6586636, registered on 20 September 2019 and published on 9 October 2019, corresponding to the Japanese patent application No. 2015-250129 filed on 22 December 2015 and published on 4 August 2016 under the reference P2016-139125A. Inventor is Takuya Imaoka.

Takuya Imaoka's research works | Panasonic Corporation, Osaka and other places

Takuya Imaoka Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search

Tomoya Koga has read Takuya Imaoka's publications, that's for sure.

I can't find anything...

[Mistral75]

I can't find anything...

With all the patent references I gave you? You didn't try very hard...

Here a link to the patent application: 特開2016-139125 | 知財ポータル「IP Force」

[reh321]

It's actually very simple to understand. If you like wildlife photography, the glass that enables excellent pictures is heavy. And you don't necessarily bring it during a random hike, but you're going specifically to a spot known for its fauna (reservation, natural park, safari, whatever) so transport isn't nearly as much of an issue.

I mean, my backpack's usually ~8 to 10 kg whenever I go hiking for the whole day. If I go to a spot where I know there will be a good view with low, oblique light (near or during sunset, for example) I do carry a tripod and square filters - that's about 1.5 kg by its lonesome. I also add a bunch of lenses if I'm not going to hike long enough to need the space and weight to carry extra water.


I'm sure some people don't understand that I'd want to be carrying that extra weight for a tripod. And truly, I don't care if they don't. My friends have joked about gifting me a wheelbarrow once in a while


Heck, the only reason I favor lightweight gear is because I usually just walk around with a couple extra small lenses in a purse, and my finances don't permit covering the Big Glass and portable options at the same time... Otherwise I'd definitely want the 70-200/2.8 (or the older FA*) just for those situations where I do go specifically to take portraits of friends. And probably a 150-450 for those two times a year where I do wish I had a great tele .

At age 73, I’ve reached the point where sometimes I have a hard time getting myself over the trails. The KP and “DA 77-420 PLM” are more weight. I’m not after “excellence” - “existence” suffices these days. Sometimes I simply carry my {lighter} “Q” kit. In any case, hand held suffices. I suspect I am more like the typical Pentaxian.

[Serkevan]

DA 18-135 and DA 55-300 PLM with 1.4 TC. Keep it simple, oh and Sirui lightweight tripod. If you don't use a 5 pound lens, you don't need a 5 pound tripod. That's my solution. I have walked around with 500mm ƒ4.5 on my tripod. It's not cool.

Yeah, for longer hikes where I don't want to carry too much it's usually (wide to long) M20/4 (150g), 28-105 with polarizer mounted on the K-1 on the belt, and one tele: nowadays I bring the 55-300 PLM, but depending on what I expect to find I might bring the similarly lightweight Tokina 70-210/4.5 (which is ~650 g). A properly full-frame 70-300 would be the ticket for me.

The tripod's a Manfrotto Compact Advanced, which is 3.1 lb according to the specs, does the job pretty decently - and if I don't anticipate a nice sunset or somesuch I don't even bother with it. Up to 300mm I manage well enough handheld .

---------- Post added 10-19-21 at 07:40 AM ----------

At age 73, I’ve reached the point where sometimes I have a hard time getting myself over the trails. The KP and “DA 77-420 PLM” are more weight. I’m not after “excellence” - “existence” suffices these days. Sometimes I simply carry my {lighter} “Q” kit. In any case, hand held suffices.

Yes, and I understand that. I also understand that some people want to pursue "excellence" to a higher degree than I do... and some, don't much care for it.