Originally posted by mecrox I disagree.
Of course you do
No, cooperating is not the same as sending suitcases full of money to the 3rd-party lens makers. Not even close.
When a company subcontracts another to do a certain product for them, that's a mutually beneficial relation. Ricoh Imaging did the same by asking Tamron to make K-mount versions of some lenses, which would then be sold by Ricoh Imaging. So Ricoh Imaging gets the money on selling the lenses, and Tamron gets money for making them (from Ricoh).
When a company bribes another so that other company would make and sell certain products... the flow of money goes into one direction: that of the 3rd-party maker.
I doubt it could possibly work: how large of a bribe to convince a company which doesn't want to make those products, to make them, mass produce, distribute, offer support?
And I highly doubt such bribes are even legal.
You're also wrong about the significance of making the first truly high-end prime in a while - the D FA* 50mm f/1.4. Excellent optics - don't take my word, read the just published review, solid mechanics, advancements like the KAF4 and ring-type SDM: this lens is a big step forward for the K-mount, and we should all celebrate. Except maybe ex-Pentaxians, especially now-Olympus users
That a version of it is also offered by Tokina is just a small detail.