[Aristophanes]

There's definitely room for a weather sealed normal.



Then why DA 15mm Limited? Or the DA 35mm Macro Limited, for that matter.



Now this one, I agree with.

For cannibalization I'd add the DA*16-50. There's your weather-sealing, and your profit margin.

Generally, if you're able to spring for primes, you've got a top zoom in your sights as well. Generally the same market—people who take their optics seriously.

The DA line replaces the FA line, and 35mm is to APS-C what 50mm is to the old standard. That one makes sense. Or the 30mm. Not both. Add the hand-crafted legacy legend 31mm and the field is crowded. Too crowded for Pentax's market share. They need a very long zoom, and a longer prime, amongst other priorities. A 30mm (sealed or not) is a lesser priority. They'd also have to compete with Sigma. Very crowded.

They've gone with the DA 35 and dropped the 30mm from the roadmap. It's development is suspended until further notice. The DA 35 represents the sunk cost and the investment case. It also boats legitimate macro capabilities. Pentax is marketing flexibility, not specialities. It lost market share being the uber-prime dealer. Now it has to use more market savvy and a great deal more care.

[elkarrde]

well, nikon announced 35/1.8 prime very recently.
even sony got in the game with primes - 30/2.8 macro and 50/1.8 were announced today.

(i don't really understand the sense of crop-sized 50mm lens, though...)

[ewalk]

They've gone with the DA 35 and dropped the 30mm from the roadmap. It's development is suspended until further notice. The DA 35 represents the sunk cost and the investment case.

Are you just assuming things or do you actually have knowledge to back those claims?

[soccerjoe5]

(i don't really understand the sense of crop-sized 50mm lens, though...)

Makes a good traditional portrait lens in the 75mm range, close to the classic 85mm

[thibs]

Are you just assuming things or do you actually have knowledge to back those claims?

A pentax rep said in an interview (no link sorry) that lens pulled out of the roadmap would reappear, they had to change something to stick better to the coming camera.

[robjmitchell]

I'm pretty sure there will be a fast 30 with weather seals and SDM. They need a silent normal to go with the video function on the K-7. They may have decided to make it a plain DA instead of a DA*, thus leaving room for the 31ltd as a premium lens and explaining why the fa35/2 has been discontinued. They could be redoing the 35 as a cheap Da with weather seals though. There always used to be a fast 50 and 50 macro in the same line up.
cheers

[falconeye]

How about a 240mm F1.2 ?

How about a good old telecentric lens

[elkarrde]

Makes a good traditional portrait lens in the 75mm range, close to the classic 85mm

close, but no cigar.

i found my helios much better as portrait lens - 58mm translates into 82.5mm, much closer to 85mm.

[soccerjoe5]

close, but no cigar.

i found my helios much better as portrait lens - 58mm translates into 82.5mm, much closer to 85mm.

How about the FA77 on film then? To each his own, buddy

[elkarrde]

How about the FA77 on film then? To each his own, buddy

it seems i gotta try FA77 on film. have one handy?

sure, sure, i agree with you.

[soccerjoe5]

it seems i gotta try FA77 on film. have one handy?

sure, sure, i agree with you.

Tried it, but don't have one The 50 on digital gives something close to it though.

Anyway, back to topic

[Aristophanes]

Are you just assuming things or do you actually have knowledge to back those claims?

They released a new lens roadmap along with Hoya financials. That tells investors where they are putting the investors' money, and where they are not. They are not putting it on a 30mm DA*. Resources, staff, engineering, marketing, research—not there. Pulled. That's why public companies put out public disclosures like that.

Back-burnered or wherever it is, it is not in the realm of the current fiscal plan, meaning that unless economic conditions improve substantially (healthy profits) they have listed the development path with no 30mm. That means a wait of perhaps a year or more before another announcement. So, if you are in the market soonish, you have to buy a non-Pentax lens, or compromise with available offerings.

All the chatter about the technical needs or wants mean little. Follow the money.

[jogiba]

How about a good old telecentric lens

How about the Zeiss 1700mm F4 .

[nixcamic]

Just to help people grasp how big that thing is, thats a hassy on the back.

[falconeye]

How about the Zeiss 1700mm F4

f/4
I thought this was about low f-stop lenses ...
There is a very entertaining thread about "big lenses" in general somewhere else in this forum, including the Zeiss lens. Which is impressive indeed