[EricT]

Sony just announced a 35mm f/1.8 at €200 and an 85mm f/2.8 at €250:
Sony unveils 24mm F2, 35mm F1.8 and 85mm F2.8 Alpha lenses: Digital Photography Review

This seems like a great move, and I really hope Pentax follows suit and offers some cheaper prime lenses. The limiteds are great, but we need a "gateway drug" to hook the masses

[thibs]

Note that those lenses are cheap SAM lenses and not SSM lenses (IMO very logical but just for the sake of making it clear to everyone).

[EricT]

Note that those lenses are cheap SAM lenses and not SSM lenses (IMO very logical but just for the sake of making it clear to everyone).

Of course. They already have the 35mm f/1.4 G-series lens and the Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 at a mere $1369.99!
Seems like Sony's new strategy is to offer consumers cheap lenses, then have a ridiculously expensive upgrade path

Also worth noting is that the 85mm covers full frame, while the 35mm is APS-C only.

[ll_coffee_lP]

Visually they some nice looking gear.

c[_]

[wonderer]

Of course. They already have the 35mm f/1.4 G-series lens and the Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 at a mere $1369.99!
Seems like Sony's new strategy is to offer consumers cheap lenses, then have a ridiculously expensive upgrade path

Also worth noting is that the 85mm covers full frame, while the 35mm is APS-C only.

The prices for Sony 35mm 1.4 and Zeiss 85mm 1.4 are completely in line with other manufacturers. Nikon 85mm 1.4 is around $1250 and Canon 85mm 1.2 is over $1900!! Even the used copies of Pentax 85mm 1.4 go for over $1K.

It is actually great that Sony has the released the 35mm 1.8 lens. I really liked the 35mm 1.8 on Nikon for a general purpose carry around lens and wish that there was something similar for Pentax for use with my recently acquired k-x.

[Aristophanes]

Sony just announced a 35mm f/1.8 at €200 and an 85mm f/2.8 at €250:
Sony unveils 24mm F2, 35mm F1.8 and 85mm F2.8 Alpha lenses: Digital Photography Review

This seems like a great move, and I really hope Pentax follows suit and offers some cheaper prime lenses. The limiteds are great, but we need a "gateway drug" to hook the masses

Pentax has put themselves in a tough spot with regards to primes. The competition has them, but Pentax has tied up enormous resources on the premise that primes = a distinct badge of quality. Hence the rising prices, the Ltd's still in production, etc.

If Pentax release cheap primes, they'll take an earnings bath, killing sales of their higher margin line, while probably not moving any new users to the brand as a result. It will be a pure loss for Pentax.

Note that Sony is really pushing the concept of "Easy Choice" inexpensive lenses. Folks, we're all going plastic mount now.

[nickthetasmaniac]

I'm not sure about the wisdom of this (ignoring the Z 24/f2, which is an entirely different beast).

I've been browsing Sony forums for a while not and there's a lot of unease about the plastic mount super-cheaps. It seems most would prefer a more conventional mid-point on price, rather than one line ridiculously cheap, and one ridiculously expensive...

[sjwaldron]

Given Pentax's focus on quality prime lenses, I think it's best they don't overtly cheap primes.

Take D-FA 100 for example. I think they should release more moderatly priced primes from their design archives that have updated features of quality like the metal housing and weather seals. Pricing will be important, but I would think they could strike a good balance.

Releasing super cheap "yet good" primes is a bad idea for them overall.

Zoom lenses might be a different story as they probably have K-x users interested in some that have an edge over the Kit lenses, but not in the price and feature range of DA*

[wshi]

Pentax has put themselves in a tough spot with regards to primes. The competition has them, but Pentax has tied up enormous resources on the premise that primes = a distinct badge of quality. Hence the rising prices, the Ltd's still in production, etc.

If Pentax release cheap primes, they'll take an earnings bath, killing sales of their higher margin line, while probably not moving any new users to the brand as a result. It will be a pure loss for Pentax.

Note that Sony is really pushing the concept of "Easy Choice" inexpensive lenses. Folks, we're all going plastic mount now.

Would it really kill the higher end glass though? Consider the Nikon 35mm f/1.8, priced at $200. Pentax has absolutely nothing that can compare to that lens in that price point. I realize that this is due to economy of scale, but for the consumer such as myself, where am I to turn? It's either purchase nothing or the dated but still around $500 FA35? I'm not even considering the FA31 at this point.

Simply put, what are Pentax users supposed to do? I have come to realize that there really is no free lunch. With the "best bang for the buck" K-x, the prices for upgrading lenses is quite steep in comparison.

So, for the moment, I'm not really considering any lens purchases. Aristophanes, I'm sure you've explained this at some point before, but could you explain again, just how does this benefit Pentax? They could either nab $300 off me for a new DA 35mm f/1.8, or nothing at all. Would someone considering the quality and legacy of the FA31 really be put off by such a product? I simply don't know enough about economics to say.

[axl]

Sony just announced a 35mm f/1.8 at €200 and an 85mm f/2.8 at €250:
Sony unveils 24mm F2, 35mm F1.8 and 85mm F2.8 Alpha lenses: Digital Photography Review

This seems like a great move, and I really hope Pentax follows suit and offers some cheaper prime lenses. The limiteds are great, but we need a "gateway drug" to hook the masses

if only their lenses were not so damn ugly!
I have thought of Sony a few times, but luck of good glass has always stopped me...

[EricT]

I agree with wshi. This would not hurt Pentax sales. Most people don't start their photography career with buying a $1000 fixed focal length lens. A cheaper, yet still decent prime would encourage them to invest more in the system. I bet that Nikon has seen a lot more interest in their more expensive lenses after the introduction of the 35mm. I've also seen a lot of first DSLR buyers choosing Nikon because they want a cheap system for available light photography.

With the success of the K-x, just image how many users that would be interested in a cheaper prime to go with their cheap camera. And many of these users would eventually buy limited lenses.

Even Leica has cheaper consumer models now (rebranded Panasonic cameras).

[EricT]

(...)

Note that Sony is really pushing the concept of "Easy Choice" inexpensive lenses. Folks, we're all going plastic mount now.

As a mechanical engineer, I've never understood the fascination among the general public of metal only. In fact, metal-on-metal friction (as in the case of a metal lens mount on a metal camera mount) is generally considered a bad thing.

[philippe]

As a mechanical engineer, I've never understood the fascination among the general public of metal only. In fact, metal-on-metal friction (as in the case of a metal lens mount on a metal camera mount) is generally considered a bad thing.

I am not an engineer, and I do not pretend to know annything about it, but I allways was told (Leitz) that Duralumin and brass, well lubricated, could do wonders, right or wrong?

[RMabo]

I am personally not thrilled by the idea of DA L prime lenses - plastic lens mount, no quick shift and no lens hood, just to get the price as low as possible. I wouldn't buy a DA L 35 f/2. It would be very un-Pentax to release "el cheapo plastic le chique" prime lenses, but I can understand that some in the market believes they need one. So perhaps it wouldn't hurt Pentax brand image too much by having one such lens - as long as Pentax really makes the difference between the lens lines very clear so DA L prime lenses are not hurting the image of the more expensive Pentax lenses with higher build quality and more exclusive materials.

[ghelary]

Well, while I already own the high quality versions, I find myself often uneasy about advising pentax for a beginer.

To me the perfect kit to learn about photography would be K-x + 35mm/f2 + 50mm/f1.8 (or f2). Cheap and plenty of room for creativity with good results.

Bad Pentax have not released such lenses. But this needs to be considered in light of teh existing lineup. How can pentax release a faster lens than the DA35/2.8 Macro for cheaper ? A 50/1.8 or 2 would be easy, I think.