pentax FF... why?

dlacouture · 10-05-2010, 11:38 AM

Originally posted by northcoastgreg

That may be true with these focal lengths, but if you go much longer it becomes irrelevant: FF becomes prohibitively expensive for many users. The APS-C equivalent of a 300/4 lens is roughly a 460/6.1. Since no one makes such a lens, the closest replacement would be a 500/4.5, which costs three times as much.

Well, you take a lens one stop brighter, no wonder it cost much more!
Sigma makes a 150-500/5-6.3 DG FF lens... Which, at 900€, is 250€ less than the DA* 300/4!
(Funny thing is that I can't find a 300/4 APS-C lens, apart from Pentax, to build my case upon it...)

There is no squirming about it : truly equivalent lenses have equivalent prices, simply because they ask for equivalent amounts of glass (quite a shortcut, but not far from the truth)...

And you can still crop the FF image for extra reach, by the way, as it usually has more MP...

The only extra cost of a FF camera is the camera...

Last edited by dlacouture; 10-05-2010 at 11:47 AM.

10-05-2010, 11:38 AM	#16
dlacouture Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Var, South of France Photos: Albums Posts: 1,074	Originally posted by northcoastgreg That may be true with these focal lengths, but if you go much longer it becomes irrelevant: FF becomes prohibitively expensive for many users. The APS-C equivalent of a 300/4 lens is roughly a 460/6.1. Since no one makes such a lens, the closest replacement would be a 500/4.5, which costs three times as much. Well, you take a lens one stop brighter, no wonder it cost much more! Sigma makes a 150-500/5-6.3 DG FF lens... Which, at 900€, is 250€ less than the DA* 300/4! (Funny thing is that I can't find a 300/4 APS-C lens, apart from Pentax, to build my case upon it...) There is no squirming about it : truly equivalent lenses have equivalent prices, simply because they ask for equivalent amounts of glass (quite a shortcut, but not far from the truth)... And you can still crop the FF image for extra reach, by the way, as it usually has more MP... The only extra cost of a FF camera is the camera... Last edited by dlacouture; 10-05-2010 at 11:47 AM.