[kuau]

Rlj
I am sure there are "good" copies of 67 45mm lenses just like I am sure there are good copies of 645 fa 35mm lenses
My BIG problem is since Pentax no longer makes any of these lenses, buying a used one and getting a good copy is all luck.
this is where i feel Pentax is making a big mistake, release what I consider a killer mfd camera and at the same time only release 1 lens and that lens for landscape work is not good at all at long distances at any f stop.
Oh well will have to play the waiting game to see if Pentax re releases either the fa 35 or 45mm lenses.
I know they have planned the 25mm lens but for that's pretty wide.

Steven

[rlj]

Hi Steve,

I'm not so certain that just because Pentax does or doesn't make lenses matters. Used lenses are used lenses and Pentax nor anyone else knows exactly what an owner has done with their lens. Maybe they dropped it. Buying used lenses has always been a crap shoot. Furthermore, we are all more picky due to viewing at 100%; we never did this with film.

The only reason Leica lenses are more uniform in terms of quality is that the tolerances are kept low, but low tolerances cost money. This is why their lenses are 3-4K each (and 10K for the latest Noctilux). This cost:quality control ratio is a fact of manufacturing anything.

If Pentax begins selling new lenses, we'll have to spend more if we want perfection. It is not just a matter of design, but keeping the tolerances during assembly and being able to adjust the tolerances to closer spec by hand after assembly.

I think it is important to have an open mind, however, that not everything Pentax made is bad. The time they spent getting the 645D to market led to a great camera. Overall, I think they've been a pioneer in making high quality lenses, and most of these lenses will work well on the 645D.

Regards, Robert

[kuau]

Robert,
I agree with what you have to say i just wish Pentax would start making 645 lenses again, and I can order a new one with warranty and be able to return to b&h if it's a bad copy.
I just spent 10k on a camera, and have to gamble on used lenses? This makes little sense to me
Btw also owning a leica m9 kit with there entry level 28,35,50, and 75mm lenses which all sell for under 1500 they all perform perfect on my m9 corner to corner no ca and no need for aggressive capture sharpening.
Do you see my point.

Steven

[rlj]

Yes, I agree with making new lenses: it is surprising lens production was not maintained with the introduction of a new body. I can only imagine that their budget didn't allow it and they assumed existing stock and the used market would support the 645D.

Since most companies make more money off lens sales than bodies, Pentax must be eager to resume production.

Regards, Robert

[bensonga]

As we all know.....being an early adopter of any product has it's advantages and disadvantages. If a person already had a collection of Pentax 645 or 67 lenses that he/she knew to be "good copies", there would be less risk to purchasing a 645D before Pentax offered more than a single new lens for sale. I always figured it would be the existing Pentax 645/67 owners who would be most inclined to buy a 645D, until such time as Pentax comes out with a wider selection of new lenses to go with the 645D. Any way you look at it, whether for film or digital use, buying used lenses is a gamble......even more so with a high megapixel MFD camera.

Gary

[Pål Jensen]

Rlj
I am sure there are "good" copies of 67 45mm lenses just like I am sure there are good copies of 645 fa 35mm lenses
My BIG problem is since Pentax no longer makes any of these lenses, buying a used one and getting a good copy is all luck.

Pentax still make the FA645 35mm along with about 15(?) other 645 lenses....

[kuau]

Nothing available in the USA only used or old new stock.
Steven
Ps Pal where did you get this information? Here in the Usa Pentax told me all of these lenses have been out of manufacture for years

[VoltMan]

From my observation here in Japan everything with exception to the new 55mm seems to be "new old stock" e.g. been on the shelves in inventory for a couple of years, and the pricing reflects that. My "new" FA 45-85 appears to have date codes on the literature of 2008 (Hoya rebranding notice/stickers) and 2006 (packing materials). Apparently they'd moved production of all SLR and CCTV lenses to Vietnam in the mid to late 90s so its hard to tell anything by the manufacturer country btw.

Pentax still make the FA645 35mm along with about 15(?) other 645 lenses....

[kuau]

Voltman
This is what I was told exactly from Pentax USA.
Any 645 lens you see that is marked new is old stock and no longer in production.

[VoltMan]

I very well believe it. To be honest I think Pentax is very much in a stranglehold from their Japan distributors, whom have no interest in resumed production until the backlog of FA lenses they have in stock here is depleted. Dilemma for Pentax is that globally there is a shortage, while in Japan there is a glut of inventory they don't own. Its pretty much payback time for BIC, Yodobashi, and the others here in Japan who floated them during the dry years. The shocking thing is there are lenses listed with an intro date of 1997 for sale (latest I could find was like 2003). So there's a lot of "new old stock" out there left in the pipeline prior to new production.

Voltman
This is what I was told exactly from Pentax USA.
Any 645 lens you see that is marked new is old stock and no longer in production.

[kuau]

Voltman,
Who is the biggest Pentax 645 Dealer in Japan that has these old stock lenses that would ship to the USA?
Steven

[Banjo]

Yes Folks, this is a total c***up.

But, all is not lost: I'm willing to take these perfectly useless 6x7 lenses off your hands for a very modest fee!

(Just send me a PM re arrangements.)

[Pål Jensen]

I very well believe it. To be honest I think Pentax is very much in a stranglehold from their Japan distributors, whom have no interest in resumed production until the backlog of FA lenses they have in stock here is depleted. Dilemma for Pentax is that globally there is a shortage, while in Japan there is a glut of inventory they don't own. Its pretty much payback time for BIC, Yodobashi, and the others here in Japan who floated them during the dry years. The shocking thing is there are lenses listed with an intro date of 1997 for sale (latest I could find was like 2003). So there's a lot of "new old stock" out there left in the pipeline prior to new production.

Pentax are assembling several of the FA645 lenses in Vietnam; probably those that are not stocked.

[leping]

Leping,
The 45mm 6X7 is not happening on the 645D period.
I know the latest 55 6x7 is good, but I am not sure how much better it would be side by side comparison with my 45-85mm FA. My 55mm testing on the 645 45-85mm zoom was not bad at all, well at least at f11-f13 which is where I live at on my 645D.

Lloyd just posted 3 more lens test results including the 45mm/f4 67. The findings agree with yours 100%.

However he found the 400mm/f5.6 outstanding.

[VoltMan]

Steven,

BIC Camera and Yodobashi Camera both have large stocks of Pentax FA645 lenses, though only Yodobashi offers all of them online. Amazon lists several in stock but they only replenish their own stock 1 at a time as they get sold. Unfortunately none of them will ship outside Japan nor even have English sites. To get a sense how many are in Japan I can judge that at my local BIC Camera (one of about 10 in Tokyo) they have all of the FA lenses - at a store not really known for medium format photo. At the small shop I go to (also a Pentax dealer) they have a large inventory of both "new" and used stock at v. reasonable prices. Again sorry but they don't cater outside of Japan either. I almost get the sense that its all "normal" here supply wise (however I think the prices are high in comparison to let's say a new design Mamiya Sekor D series). This is why I surmise either the distributors (BIC and Yodobashi in particular) have the majority of inventory under their control, or otherwise have allotments from existing Pentax stock built on liberal agreements to prop up Pentax prior to the 645D introduction.

--Brett

Who is the biggest Pentax 645 Dealer in Japan that has these old stock lenses that would ship to the USA?