[DeadJohn]

...With Pentax's roadmap seeming very limited for 2017, I fear maybe forced back into Cannon land in search of a compromised K-1 Substitute.

What lenses do you need that aren't available for the K-1? Pentax has good coverage from ultra wide angle through telephoto. K-mount has a more limited lens selection than CaNikon for specialty lenses. If you need to go beyond 300mm or do tilt-shift it can be done, but you won't have as many options.

Tiny niches like the Canon 200/2.0 can't be done with Pentax. If you jump back to Canon would you ever spend $6000 USD on that lens, though? The Canon 800/5.6 looks like a nice lens, too, but costs $13000. If your photo needs require such rare lenses you might be able to justify shooting multiple systems. Camera bodies are inexpensive compared to lenses.

[biz-engineer]

a little concerned about the future lens offering on the K mount for the otherwise amazing K-1?

It depends. It is not only regarding lenses, generally it concern the choice of system relative to alternative offerings.
If Ricoh offer lenses as good alternatives of third party lenses, K mount used can remain loyal to the brand without feeling much pressure to get something else in another mount.
If, on the other hand, Ricoh lacks some popular lenses that are available in other mounts, especially wide and ultra wide primes or f4-f5.6 affordable tele, they'll lose more market share.

[ronniemac]

It depends on what you're looking for.
From Pentax's current offerings there's five lenses in the zoom range coverage from 15mm to 450mm,
Ten primes from 31 to 560 that are officially FF
plus another six DA primes that are FF but do vignette slightly if fully open (correct in PP).
Plus the 60-250 which has been proven to work at FF.
All the above are currently being manufactured
There are the two recently announced primes (50 and 85)
there's a wide angle and an ultra wide angle primes on the road map
and likewise a fish eye zoom.

I have been able to select from the above, and now all I am waiting for is one of the proposed wide angle primes, then I'll have all I want, no personal need to look at third party or any legacy lenses.

In short, no, I'm not concerned about future lens offerings on K mount. I live in the present, and from my perspective it's looking good.

Your mileage may vary, but it would be good to know what you and people on this forum would like that is not now available or soon to be.

[Fenwoodian]

Being a former Nikon and Canon guy, I too switched to Pentax because of the K1.

I believe that from an IQ standpoint, the K1 is better overall than anything currently offered by Nikon or Canon. If you're all about IQ, then the K1 is what you want. However, if you're all about super-fast and accurate auto-focus, go back to Nikon (or Canon).

If you are primarily concerned about IQ, you will demand super-premium lenses. I agree with you that Pentax's super-premium lens offerings are not comparable to the huge lens inventories available from Nikon and Canon (and third parties).

However, if you are proficient at manual focus, please realize that converting Nikon mount Zeiss ZF and Zeiss Milvus lenses to Pentax K mount is cheap and easy with a Leitax adapter. I believe that the Leitax mount is a tighter, and higher quality mount than either Nikon or Zeiss mounts are. Consider trying Zeiss lenses adapted for the K1, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[clackers]

Very entertaining, informative and civilized discussion, ladies and gents, driven by the civilized and good-natured OP by Geoff (Sunburn). [thumbup]

[Winder]

I think like Fuji, Olympus, Panasonic and even Sony we'll never see much support from third party manufacturers, Geoff.

Both Sony and Fuji have pretty good 3rd party support. Not on the same level as Canon or Nikon, but better than Pentax. Sigma is actively developing glass for Sony FE. There are even 3rd party RAW processors designed specifically for X-Trans if you run a Mac. Both Adobe and Capture One developed x-Trans support and they wont develop support for Pentax Pixel Shift. I shoot with a Sony A7II and I know several Fuji shooters. There is considerable 3rd party support for both of those. Much more than K-mount.

---------- Post added 04-06-17 at 06:04 PM ----------

Hello All,
In the past 4 months, I have brought into the Pentax K-1, after having been firmly in the Canon camp for several years, mainly for the FF offering of the K1 and the improved low light performance / dynamic range its sensor has over any Canon solutions to date. However, with each passing week, I'm becoming more and more aware and concerned that there seems to be a dying lens ecosystem for the K mount, especially from traditional 3rd party manufacturers. ala (Tamron/Sigma) is anyone else a little concerned about the future lens offering on the K mount for the otherwise amazing K-1?

I appreciate there is a massive back catalogue of lenses that are available and this is great, but time does change and optics and manufacturing processes do improve. I'm surprised the latest offerings from Sigma / Tamron et al are not available in the K mount. With Pentax's roadmap seeming very limited for 2017, I fear maybe forced back into Cannon land in search of a compromised K-1 Substitute.

Regards
Geoff

Ricoh is a slow and I hope methodical company. They make high quality products. I would not be worried about the future, but it will take 5 years for them to get the basics of what you are probably looking for.

[clackers]

Both Sony and Fuji have pretty good 3rd party support. .

Your definition must be different to ours, Winder.

[monochrome]

I might quibble with 5 years, but you're right about quality, and slow and methodical. Pentax is not for the impatient.

Both Sony and Fuji have pretty good 3rd party support. Not on the same level as Canon or Nikon, but better than Pentax. Sigma is actively developing glass for Sony FE. There are even 3rd party RAW processors designed specifically for X-Trans if you run a Mac. Both Adobe and Capture One developed x-Trans support and they wont develop support for Pentax Pixel Shift. I shoot with a Sony A7II and I know several Fuji shooters. There is considerable 3rd party support for both of those. Much more than K-mount.

---------- Post added 04-06-17 at 06:04 PM ----------



Ricoh is a slow and I hope methodical company. They make high quality products. I would not be worried about the future, but it will take 5 years for them to get the basics of what you are probably looking for.

[Digitalis]

Just from the thread title it is apparent you spend too much time on DPR.

You're being a tad hyperbolic - the lenses that have been designed and produced for the K1 are rather good, some of which do not have any direct equivalent from anyone else. Pentax cameras are fun to work with, you can buy a 1970s K 50mm f/1.4 and have a blast with it - or you can buy a DFA15-30mm f/2.8 zoom have have fun with a modern ultrawide lens. I can't help but get a bit annoyed when people complain about pentax lacking lenses - there are millions of them out there: some are old and very cheap,some are modern and expensive - there is something out there for everyone. But if you can't help but look wistfully at the new shiny Sigma ART lenses or new Canon L lenses and cameras with sensors that are two generations behind sonys then go back to that crowd.

[felixkh]

OP, please see my signature for the lenses I use. All are nice on the K1.

[Winder]

Your definition must be different to ours, Winder.

What kind of 3rd party support is Sony and Fuji lacking?

[pakinjapan]

Hello All,
In the past 4 months, I have brought into the Pentax K-1, after ...
with each passing week, I'm becoming more and more aware and concerned that there seems to be a dying lens ecosystem...

Too late now! Welcome to the (Dead) Ecosystem.
Tell us what you are up to and may be our walking dead forum members can help you find a fit or at less, close to what your are looking for.

[rawr]

What kind of 3rd party support is Sony and Fuji lacking?

No Sigma, Tamron, Zeiss lenses for Fuji ... no YongNuo TTL flashes or radio triggers for Fuji, limited Metz support for Fuji ... the list goes on. .

Third party support for stuff like Sony flash and full-frame lenses is evolving and improving, but FE mount support by Sigma and Tamron is still lacking.

[mee]

No Sigma, Tamron, Zeiss lenses for Fuji ... no YongNuo TTL flashes or radio triggers for Fuji, limited Metz support for Fuji ... the list goes on. .

Third party support for stuff like Sony flash and full-frame lenses is evolving and improving, but FE mount support by Sigma and Tamron is still lacking.

The caveat to this comment is Sigma does support Sony... albeit through an adapter (MC-11) that mounts Canon EF lenses. That's far better than what Sigma offer us (fully well knowing an MC11 wouldn't work with our DSLRs)

Lens support does stink for K mount full frame right now. Well, if one is looking at what is in stores for sale brand new.... especially if they are looking for autofocus lenses.

B&H, as example, has 56 Full frame K mount lenses for sale -- 11 zooms, 45 primes. Of the meager 11 zooms, only 1 (ONE!) is wide angle (Pentax 15-30 f2.8). Only 3 standard zooms (Pentax 28-105, 24-70, and an aging Tamron 28-75).

Of the 45 primes available, only 11 support autofocus. Just a quarter of the total prime lens offering in K mount. And most of those are aging Pentax designs (screwdrive, SMC, etc).

So, yes, I'd say there is a significant lack of modern designs that also support autofocus in K mount.

The real question, out of this, is and always has been: Of what is offered, does it meet your needs?

That is a personal question that you cannot answer for me and I cannot answer for you. (not directed at you, specifically, rawr but the community as a whole)

[rawr]

a significant lack of modern designs that also support autofocus in K mount

True enough. It would be nice indeed if the number of modern Pentax lenses (non-screw drive, non-SDM) lenses increased. But everything there for Pentax atm is more than I could use or afford. Newer lenses would compound the problem.

But if someone gifted me three of the nice new Pentax full-frame lenses (the 15-30, the 24-70 and the 70-200), that would cover just about everything I need, so you would never hear me complain about Pentax lens options again. Works the same with Nikon or Canon, by the way. If one were to stick with the 'holy-trinities' in any mount, most brand and lens anxieties disappear.