[Blue]

Aye. I'm wondering why Pentax isn't cranking out dozens of kick-arse designs, loaded with aspherics and LD elements every six months. Still wondering why there are gaps in the lineup.

Hoya Executive: I've been looking at some of these experimental design Pentax was working on before the merger. This 100-400mm f2.8 constant aperture zoom - why didn't you make it?
Pentax Exec: Well, it uses three aspherical elements, and four LD lanthanum elements...it was just too expensive.
Hoya Exec: What? Shouldn't cost more than 50,000 yen to make.
Pentax Exec: Er, we worked it out to be about four times that much. The glass was just too expensive.
Hoya Exec: Lanthanum? Really? My bathroom's worth more than I thought.
Pentax Exec: Excuse- excuse me? You're bathroom's tiled in lanthanum low-dispersion glass?
Hoya Exec: Oh, no. The tile's are aspherical crown blanks. My crapper's made from low-dispersion lanthanum. I'll get you one - you'll love it. Just don't let word get around. I keep getting phone calls from some rather...specialised adult film producers who keep wanting to use it for a video shoot.

Something like that.

Ogl, Based on that price list, the A f1.2 should be about 3/4 the price of the FA 77mm ltd. That's interesting.

[GoremanX]

Ogl, Based on that price list, the A f1.2 should be about 3/4 the price of the FA 77mm ltd. That's interesting.

I'm sure the lack of an autofocus mechanism has a lot to do with that.

[KungPOW]

Aye. I'm wondering why Pentax isn't cranking out dozens of kick-arse designs, loaded with aspherics and LD elements every six months. Still wondering why there are gaps in the lineup.

Hoya Executive: I've been looking at some of these experimental design Pentax was working on before the merger. This 100-400mm f2.8 constant aperture zoom - why didn't you make it?
Pentax Exec: Well, it uses three aspherical elements, and four LD lanthanum elements...it was just too expensive.
Hoya Exec: What? Shouldn't cost more than 50,000 yen to make.
Pentax Exec: Er, we worked it out to be about four times that much. The glass was just too expensive.
Hoya Exec: Lanthanum? Really? My bathroom's worth more than I thought.
Pentax Exec: Excuse- excuse me? You're bathroom's tiled in lanthanum low-dispersion glass?
Hoya Exec: Oh, no. The tile's are aspherical crown blanks. My crapper's made from low-dispersion lanthanum. I'll get you one - you'll love it. Just don't let word get around. I keep getting phone calls from some rather...specialised adult film producers who keep wanting to use it for a video shoot.

One of your best ever!

[ogl]

But more than strange that SMC PENTAX-F 1.7X AF ADAPTER assembled in Vietnam too.
It was discontinued in 1997. But....Producing again.

[Erik]

But more than strange that SMC PENTAX-F 1.7X AF ADAPTER assembled in Vietnam too.
It was discontinued in 1997. But....Producing again.

There's a big thread about this.

What's stranger is that the smc PENTAX-A 35-80mm F4-5.6 is on the price list. Who would ever want this lens, much less in 2010, much less for ~290 dollars!?

[ogl]

Maybe Pentax still produces some of film cameras by small serie for Asian market?
I've seen all MZ series cameras in shop in Beijing in 2009. Some had 28-80 as kit.

[lithos]

:Hysterical: Something like that.

Ogl, Based on that price list, the A f1.2 should be about 3/4 the price of the FA 77mm ltd. That's interesting.

One of your best ever!

I do my research for these rants, most of the time.

REFERENCES

Hoya Corporation, Optical Glass and Lens Pressing from HOYA OPTICS, Optical Glass and Lens Pressings from HOYA OPTICS: Leading supplier of advanced optical materials & components, accessed 15/02/2010.

Hoya Corporation, Optical Glass Specifications, http://www.hoyaoptics.com/pdf/OpticalGlass.pdf, accessed 15/02/2010.

'Course, that's just my roundabout way of showing you what Hoya's got on offer. They seem to offer just as much as Schott - where Zeiss and Schneider Kreuznach get their glass from - except that Hoya doesn't do any lead-based glass.

I suppose Pentax is really trying to get the other stuff in order, first: namely, AF. Hopefully that magneto-ring focus really kicks off. Glancing over the patents is really interesting (only 1 moving part!) It would be really, really stupid if Hoya holds out on the shiny clear stuff that's goes inside 'em.

More importantly, this is what bugs me about Pentax. What the hell is going on? I can understand keeping mum about stuff they haven't released yet - smart move - but who the hell knew they were still cranking out a twenty-six year-old lens? Can't they post this on their international websites or something, at least?

[Erik]

Maybe Pentax still produces some of film cameras by small serie for Asian market?
I've seen all MZ series cameras in shop in Beijing in 2009. Some had 28-80 as kit.

An FA 28-80 I can vaguely sort of understand, but the A 35-80 is not only a two generations older than the FA series, but also manual focus (to my knowledge Pentax has not produced any manual focus cameras since 1997,) superseded by two autofocus versions of the same design (F and FA) and not only that, but that optical design is probably the worst Pentax lens ever, according to the lens review DB:

"A piece of crap. You can see how soft it is even in the viewfinder. Don't buy this lens."

"...painfully slow."

"Poor resolution, even stopped down."

"...soft across the frame. Wide open, even softer in the corners. Lacking in contrast and colour reproduction..."

"...very soft, all over... AWFUL lens!"

So I just really fail to see why this lens apparently existed in 2009. The only possibility I can think of is that Hoya is sitting on leftover stock from 1988 that they're still trying to load off on unsuspecting customers.

[Samsungian]

I remember that 2009 document.

So Hoya is remaking 1.7x and 50mm 1.2 but for local markets and not global distribution.

Its a smart move by Hoya, making lenses you already have proven designs for.


I look foward to Tokina versions of Pentax 50mm 1.2 in other mounts

interesting document from Hoya, February, 2, 2009

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/42301-pentax-fa-lens-price-rise.html

[thibs]

An FA 28-80 I can vaguely sort of understand, but the A 35-80 is not only a two generations older than the FA series, but also manual focus (to my knowledge Pentax has not produced any manual focus cameras since 1997,) superseded by two autofocus versions of the same design (F and FA) and not only that, but that optical design is probably the worst Pentax lens ever,

No, the A35-80 is just another FA35-80 without AF (removed) destined to be sold with MZ-M camera (MF camera).

I do not mean the lens is great, just that the lens is not that old. It was still sold new in 2004 accoring to KMP. There was a 80-200 as well ('A' but really an FA without AF). It is ieasy to see because those lenses DO have the digital pin which an 'A' lens should not have.

[ogl]

I think MZ serie cameras are still under production for Japanese and Asian market. By small production lot.

[deejjjaaaa]

More importantly, this is what bugs me about Pentax. What the hell is going on? I can understand keeping mum about stuff they haven't released yet - smart move - but who the hell knew they were still cranking out a twenty-six year-old lens? Can't they post this on their international websites or something, at least?

Iran-Contras... apparently unknown to the higher management somebody is running a covert production to fund something

[Erik]

No, the A35-80 is just another FA35-80 without AF (removed) destined to be sold with MZ-M camera (MF camera).

I know it is the same as the F/FA series, I think that is what I said. Didn't think of the MZ-M though, whoops. Well, that makes a little bit of sense then.

[Blue]

The F/FA 35-80mm are some of the finest paperweights Pentax ever made.

[thibs]

The F/FA 35-80mm are some of the finest paperweights Pentax ever made.

maybe a tad too lightweight however ?