[Edvinas]

A couple of days ago Pentax lens prices jumped more than 50% in Lithuania, dealer says that it's price increase from Pentax.

FA 43mm f/1.9: €725
FA 50mm f/1.4: €434
FA 35mm f/2: €695
FA 12-24mm f/4: €955

And the list goes on...

Does really some idiot think that they can sell lenses for these prices?!

I don't think that price increase is for Lithuania only, Europeans, this is clear message for you: if you plan to buy Pentax lenses, better do ir right now, morons at Hoya decided to become Leica number two...

I still can't believe it. I bought Pentax because their lenses offered best value for the money, now it is completely the opposite. Time to switch to Nikon, now their overpriced lenses look like a bargain compared to Pentax.

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Last edited by Edvinas; 05-17-2009 at 05:46 PM.

[xhanatos]

What about for the rest of the world? here in melbourne.. or US?

[Naturephoto1P]

What has the exchage rate done EU to Yen? Here in the US prices should have less pricing pressures.

[JHfwp]

A couple of days ago Pentax lens prices jumped more than 50% in Lithuania, dealer says that it's price increase from Pentax.

FA 43mm f/1.9: €725
FA 50mm f/1.4: €434
FA 35mm f/2: €695
FA 12-24mm f/4: €955

And the list goes on...

Does really some idiot think that they can sell lenses for these prices?!

I don't think that price increase is for Lithuania only, Europeans, this is clear message for you: if you plan to buy Pentax lenses, better do ir right now, morons at Hoya decided to become Leica number two...

I still can't believe it. I bought Pentax because their lenses offered best value for the money, now it is completely the opposite. Time to switch to Nikon, now their overpriced lenses look like a bargain compared to Pentax.

I started a thread the other day about talking someone into Pentax and I thought it would be an easy thing to do, especially if I could put together similiar lens and body packages with each system's price totaled. But when I started comparing prices I found what you're saying to be true in many cases.

[Edvinas]

What has the exchage rate done EU to Yen? Here in the US prices should have less pricing pressures.

Well, Euro dropped ~20%, USD dropped ~25% compared to Yen.

Lens prices were increased far more than 20%...

[Bophoto]

We in Scandinavia got or price chock in January, so then we had some lenses that cost more than double compare to USA. But now Canada and Lithuania also had their pricechock, so perhaps next year all of us pay the new prices.
It takes some time to calculate new prices

I have seen that UK have much lower prices than the rest of Europe, perhaps their own deal with Pentax Japan and their not buying from Pentax Europe?

[Logics]

Most of my lenses are Pentax compatibles by third parties. Most of them are easier to use and most of them have comparable quality. Sigma has some KAF2 zoom lenses that are faster than and have greater range than the closest Pentax comparable lens and yet for less money.

Buying a more expensive camera for less expensive lenses does not make that much sense when you can go third party. For the money it will cost to replace my three Pentax bodies for 3 comparable Nikon bodies, I can buy six or more Pentax bodies. Alternately, I can spend the money on Pentax lenses or third party lenses and stil have change.

[frank]

Seems this isn't just for EU, prices have gone up or will go up here in South East Asia too

[cpopham]

Prices went up here (New Zealand) a while ago.

They were never great to begin with, but the most expensive lens is now the DA* 300 for $4999 NZD

Removing our 12.5% sales tax, this is roughly $2600 USD, or €1930.

I could get the same lens shipped from B&H to my door, for $1960 NZD (including tax). It would probably be at my door faster than the national distributor would deliver to my local camera store.

I would dearly love the 60-250... but I haven't even bothered calling my camera store to get a price, because I know I won't want to pay that much.

The rest of the pricing is all over the place - some is quite a bit cheaper than importing yourself, due to the recent massive fall of our dollar. (used to be around 87 US cents, is now less than 60). None of it was terribly good when our dollar was high.

Oh, yeah, a K20 18-55 kit goes for roughly $4200 NZD ($2100 USD, or €1600). This is in a market where the D300 (body) is a mere $3650 NZD. The local Pentax distributor needs to be fired.

[KungPOW]

Wow.

I thought the latest Canadian prices were bad.

But 434 euro for the FA 50 f/1.4? %@%$!

[JHfwp]

Oh, yeah, a K20 18-55 kit goes for roughly $4200 NZD ($2100 USD, or €1600). This is in a market where the D300 (body) is a mere $3650 NZD. The local Pentax distributor needs to be fired.

He needs to be more than fired. I could probably buy one for a third of that price here! You should write Pentax.

[spe]

They're gone insane. Now Pentax seems to be only slight cheaper than Sony here in Lithuania that's from the cheapest to most expensive for less than a year , I'm glad that I already have almost all lenses I needed, but it's a pity that such drastical increase was initiated. Even more, now when the people not buying and salaries going down, they increasing the prices. Curiously only somewhat "economy class" or "underpriced" lenses were subject of an increase (50/1.4, 43/1.9). For example FA 35mm f/2: €695, I've bought same lens from same seller (we got only oane dealer for Pentax, that's also may influence prices) for €347 back in 2006. And about a year ago price for FA 50mm f/1.4: which now is €434 was €202
Pricier lenses like da*300, FA77lim etc. still on same level as they was, it is clear now that no more "economic" lenses from pentax, the only ones which will stay in that price range will be kit both lens , all others will be way more expensive.
In a view of all above I'm seriously starting to think about switch to Nikon, only thing stopping me is the number of Pentax lenses I've got already, and definetely money, cause system change is almost impossible without some of a loss.

[spe]

Some interesting things, seems increase affected mostly "cheap" full frame lenses, only exeption is 12-24, all others which price was increased are classic FF lenses.

[Zav]

FA5O 1.4 is still 286€ is France...
FA43=>572€
DA12-24=>752€
FA35=>405€
And France is supposed to be an expensive county.
That's more expensive than it used to be, but I can't help thinking that this Lithuanian dealer is doing a lot of money.

[ajuett]

Price increases like this is a bunch of crap. Raw material prices can go up, that is fine. However, we are still only talking about glass, plastics and some metal. All the manufacturing processes are still in place making the products the same way as they have always done. There is no way on Earth prices like this should be happening. Have workers wages gone up? I doubt it. Sounds like a money grab bouncing across the globe.