If you know a bit about marketing you should know that price points create discrete markets that do not compete much. A couple of simple examples is with cars or homes. With cars, just a $1,000 difference will keep a particular market buyer from going up to the next model. People establish budgets and value notions and they usually stay in their range. With cameras, a $300 increase may be enough for a buyer to stay out of the next price segment. Yes, an $8,000 FF camera could compete with a $10,000 MF, but that is not what Pentax is looking at doing.
The biggest hesitation Pentax has had for not offering FF is the huge expense of doing it right (including new lenses), and the uncertainty if there will be enough units sold to cover the investment. Pentax currently has VERY few pro photogs in the customer base that would be willing to spend in the $2,500 and up range that Canikon does have. So, Pentax had to wait until they could do FF for under $2,000. Sony jumped in early but they stand to gain by developing and selling the sensor for other makers and they are a huge company that can afford a loss leader. MF digital is a higher margin item and it could be that you can make a profit over time with a lot fewer units because of this. Also, the tech upgrade cycle is slower. AND, there is (was?) an established base of Pentax 645 lens owners, many of who are pros willing to spend more.
Originally posted by lesmore49 Why would Pentax make a FF in a DSLR format, when supposedly they are bringing out a digital 645 medium format in April ?
Canon, Sony, Nikon DSLR FF's have been dubbed the new medium format...usually by those that have a FF...why would Pentax bring out a cheaper FF that would undercut sales of the new D-SLR 645 ?
Hoya has already demonstrated that it does not want companies (Pentax/Tokina) in it's group of companies undercutting each other by selling virtually the same products.
Tokina has a 12-24 and the 10-17 FE...but only with Nikon and Canon mounts.
Tokina doesn't make the 11-16 in a Pentax mount, as it would probably cut into the Pentax 12-24 sales.
So...I don't see Pentax bringing out a FF anytime soon, if at all.
Anyways what am I going to do with my 16-45, 55-300, 10-17 FE with a FF ?
Now I do have my 50 F1.4, 35-105 A Macro, Macro 50mm F2.8....wonder if I can use those on a FF Pentax ?