The results are in! I would like to thank Adam for helping me with processing all the data (and bringing the survey to everyone's attention in the first place) and Dan (audiobomber) for cleaning up my English. In a little over a week we received no less than 1661 responses. All of the respondents combined own 5281 currently sold Pentax lenses (an average of 3.2 lenses per person), of which 2375 are primes (45%), and 2906 are zooms (55%).
As with every first generation photography product, this survey is far from perfect. However, we still have a good foundation upon which to make some reasonable conclusions, so let’s have a look…
Bodies
| Body | Total Owners | %K10D | 559 | 34%K20D | 528 | 32%K-7 | 389 | 23%K-x | 218 | 13%K200D | 175 | 11%K100D | 134 | 8%* ist DS | 116 | 7%K100D Super | 91 | 5%* ist D | 80 | 5%K-m | 50 | 3%* ist DL | 47 | 3%No Digital Body | 24 | 1%* ist DS2 | 14 | 1%K110D | 12 | 1%* ist DL2 | 7 | 0% |
Over a third of you still own a K10D (or two, or three), which puts it right at the top of this list. However, of the 559 K10D owners, 224 also own a newer body (K20D, K-7 or K-x), so it isn't likely to be the most utilized camera. If we look at the K20D, number two on the list at 528, we see that only 71 people also own a more advanced body (this time only counting the K-7).
On the topic of K10D vs. K20D, there is one more curious fact to report. In the beginning of the survey, the K20D was ahead of the K10D, until we reached about a thousand respondents, and the K10D overtook its younger brother. This tells us one or two things. Possibly K10D owners frequent the internet less often, and/or, since this survey went online on a Friday, they were actually doing something other than sitting behind a computer all weekend.
We can conclude from these results that we did not get a "true" slice of all Pentax owners. Surely with the high sales it has been showing ever since its release, the K-x should be better represented. But, as one may expect, soccer moms and colorful Japanese schoolgirls aren’t very keen on filling out online surveys about camera lenses. Most entry-level bodies are probably underrepresented in this survey, as are probably the budget lenses such as the DA18-55 and DA50-200.
One last item: When we look at the camera listings, one thing seems odd. The enthusiast bodies (K10D, K20D and the K-7) are ranked from oldest to newest. However, the four most commonly owned entry-level bodies (K-x, K200D, K100D and * ist DS) are ranked from newest to oldest. Do owners of entry-level bodies lose interest in their hobby faster?
Lenses
Now, over to the bulk of the survey: Lenses. We’ll start with current lenses, and we’ll start with lens ownership.
Which lenses are owned the by the most people?
| Lens | Total Ownership | %DA 18-55mm | 678 | 41%FA 50mm | 509 | 31%DA* 50-135mm | 294 | 18%DA 55-300mm | 266 | 16%DA 50-200mm | 263 | 16%DA* 16-50mm | 257 | 15%DA 16-45mm | 245 | 15%DA 40mm Limited | 240 | 14%DA 18-55mm WR | 232 | 14%FA 77mm Limited | 231 | 14%DA 21mm Limited | 197 | 12%FA 31mm Limited | 190 | 11%DA 10-17mm Fisheye | 185 | 11%DA 12-24mm | 181 | 11%DA 35mm Macro Limited | 171 | 10%FA 43mm Limited | 166 | 10%DA 70mm Limited | 164 | 10%DA 18-250mm | 124 | 7%DA* 300mm | 98 | 6%DA 15mm Limited | 96 | 6%DFA 100mm Macro WR | 82 | 5%DA 14mm | 70 | 4%DA* 60-250mm | 64 | 4%DA 50-200mm WR | 59 | 4%DA 17-70mm | 58 | 3%DA* 200mm | 57 | 3%DFA 50mm Macro | 52 | 3%DA* 55mm | 52 | 3% |
Unsurprisingly, the DA18-55 tops this list. The FA50 is no surprise either. The DA*50-135, however, might not be so easily predicted. It’s not a cheap lens and suffers from SDM’s spotty reputation, but its high quality convinces people to buy it anyway. Then come a whole bunch of zooms, followed by the inexpensive, small, cheerful and optically impressive DA40.
We then stumble upon the DA18-55 WR. As it is the K-7 kitlens, it’s hardly surprising to see it relatively high on our list. However, this lens is interesting in another way. Together with the DA50-200 WR they are the only two affordable weather resistant lenses in the Pentax line-up. The question arises, how many people who do not own a K-7 bought these lenses? Well, quite a few. Out of the 232 people who own DA18-55 WR, 93 do not have a K-7 (40%). For the DA50-200 WR, the numbers are 40 out of 59 (68%). These numbers are quite substantial, especially when we consider their pedestrian optical quality in comparison to other Pentax lenses. Apparently there are quite a few people interested in cheaper-than-DA* weather resistant lenses. What's more, when we checked the numbers for people who own a WR resistant body but who do not own a WR or DA* lens, we discovered that full on 50% of all the respondents fall into this category (829 out of 1661). Certainly not everyone in this group will be interested in paying a premium for a WR lens, but I'm sure you will all understand what an untapped potential this is. We’ll come back to the topic of WR when we get to the future lenses.
At the bottom end of the chart, the DA*55 is showing a dismal performance. It is a fine piece of glass, and as we’ll see next this lens is wishlisted quite a lot. Must be the price, then.
Even though the DA17-70 gets good reviews, it scores significantly lower than all the other normal zooms when it comes to ownership. Apparently its characteristics do not make it more desirable than its competitors, although again, we will see it is wishlisted relatively often.
Which lens is wishlisted most often?
| Lens | Wishlisted | %FA 31mm Limited | 691 | 42%DFA 100mm Macro WR | 661 | 40%FA 77mm Limited | 605 | 36%DA* 300mm | 544 | 33%DA* 60-250mm | 520 | 31%DA 35mm Macro Limited | 504 | 30%FA 43mm Limited | 491 | 30%DA* 200mm | 490 | 30%DA* 50-135mm | 484 | 29%DA 12-24mm | 444 | 27%DA 15mm Limited | 439 | 26%DA* 16-50mm | 411 | 25%DA 70mm Limited | 395 | 24%DA* 55mm | 388 | 23%DA 21mm Limited | 356 | 21%DA 10-17mm Fisheye | 342 | 21%DA 40mm Limited | 306 | 18%DA 14mm | 299 | 18%FA 50mm | 290 | 17%DA 17-70mm | 278 | 17%DA 55-300mm | 223 | 13%DFA 50mm Macro | 214 | 13%DA 18-250mm | 177 | 11%DA 18-55mm WR | 142 | 9%DA 16-45mm | 132 | 8%DA 50-200mm WR | 127 | 8%DA 50-200mm | 37 | 2%DA 18-55mm | 15 | 1% |
One thing that is immediately apparent is that primes score way, way higher on this list than zooms. The FA31mm is widely regarded as a stellar lens, and it shows. Perhaps surprising is the popularity of the DFA100mm Macro WR. I’m not sure what to attribute this to. It could be WR, it could be the great build and optical quality. Actually, what’s not to like?
Long glass seems to be longed for (I actually wrote it like that by accident, honest!) quite a lot as well. All of the long DA* glass is high on this list, as well as Pentax’s longest zoom, the DA 55-300 (high in comparison to other zooms of similar quality).
The DFA 50mm Macro looks like a real dud here. Not only do very few people own it, relatively few people even want to. My guess is the competition from the DA35mm Macro Limited is doing this lens no favors.
Which lens is named as favorite most often?
| Lens | FavoriteFA 31mm Limited | 55%FA 77mm Limited | 48%DA* 50-135mm | 43%FA 43mm Limited | 43%DA 35mm Macro Limited | 41%DA* 55mm | 40%*DA* 300mm | 37%*DA* 60-250mm | 34%*DFA 100mm Macro WR | 32%*DA 40mm Limited | 32%DA 70mm Limited | 30%DA* 16-50mm | 30%DA* 200mm | 25%FA 50mm | 25%DA 17-70mm | 22%*DA 18-250mm | 21%DA 21mm Limited | 20%DA 15mm Limited | 20%*DA 16-45mm | 19%DA 12-24mm | 16%DA 55-300mm | 15%DA 14mm | 11%*DA 10-17mm Fisheye | 10%DFA 50mm Macro | 10%*DA 50-200mm WR | 5%*DA 50-200mm | 5%DA 18-55mm WR | 3%DA 18-55mm | 3% |
The numbers in the table represent the percentage of owners who named a particular lens as their favorite. The * next to the numbers mean the sample for this lens was less than 100 (IE: less than 100 people own this lens). Some people named no lens as their favorite (they either forgot or have another lens that is their favorite), and some people named multiple lenses (which is a flaw in the survey, but shouldn’t hurt the final outcome much).
What becomes apparent at once is that buying a Limited or a DA* means you’ll most likely enjoy it. The string of these lenses at the top of this survey is only broken by the DFA 100mm Macro WR, which Pentax might as well have called Limited, because it surely looks like one.
Pentax’s latest Limited, the DA15mm, ranks surprisingly low, as does the DA21mm, which did quite well in our ownership statistics. Perhaps wide-angle lenses in general are loved by few people. All lenses that fall in this category score relatively poorly.
Perhaps surprisingly, the DA*55 and DA17-70 both score quite high in this category (although the sample for both lenses is on the small side). Apparently most of us don’t know what we’re missing out on. I’m also a bit surprised the 18-250mm sits high on this list. Perhaps people who own this lens own relatively few other lenses, or maybe it’s just very good at what it does.
On the bottom of this chart we find all four of the kitlenses, as well as the DFA50mm Macro, which isn’t doing well in any category.
Which lenses are sold on most?
| Lens | Sold on DA 50-200mm | 44%DA 50-200mm WR | 40%*DFA 50mm Macro | 38%*DA 14mm | 36%*DA 16-45mm | 34%DA 17-70mm | 34%*DA 18-250mm | 29%DA 18-55mm | 26%DA* 60-250mm | 26%*DA 15mm Limited | 25%DA* 55mm | 24%*DA* 200mm | 23%*DA 18-55mm WR | 22%DA 40mm Limited | 22%DA 70mm Limited | 22%FA 43mm Limited | 21%DA 12-24mm | 21%DA 35mm Macro Limited | 20%DA 21mm Limited | 20%DFA 100mm Macro WR | 19%FA 50mm | 18%DA 10-17mm Fisheye | 16%DA* 300mm | 16%DA* 16-50mm | 15%DA* 50-135mm | 14%FA 31mm Limited | 12%DA 55-300mm | 12%FA 77mm Limited | 10% |
The above percentages are obtained by looking at how many of all current and former owners of a particular lens have sold or plan to sell this lens. One cannot draw hard conclusions from these numbers as to why they were sold, so make of them what you will. An * once again denotes that the sample for this lens was less than 100.
Some lenses, such as the DFA50mm Macro and the DA14mm, don't do too well in any category. And once more, they fair poorly. On the other end of the list, the 'usual suspects' FA31mm and FA77mm Limiteds are held on to dearly. The DA55-300mm does not end up on the marketplace often either.
This category used to be titled 'which lenses do not satisfy', and the calculations were slighty different. However, this drew some valid criticism and I decided to re-do this category so its conclusions were founded on solid numbers. If a survey such as this one will ever be held again, I hope the options given will more clearly represent satisfaction, because this is certainly a hot topic!
Which lenses need an upgrade?
| Lens | Needs an Upgrade | %DA* 16-50mm | 269 | 16%DA 17-70mm | 164 | 10%DA 12-24mm | 162 | 10%DA* 50-135mm | 145 | 9%DA 18-250mm | 136 | 9%DA 14mm | 120 | 7%DA 55-300mm | 117 | 7%DA 16-45mm | 97 | 6%FA 50mm | 91 | 5%DA* 60-250mm | 90 | 5%DA 21mm Limited | 86 | 5%DA 10-17mm Fisheye | 81 | 5%DA* 55mm | 77 | 5%DA* 300mm | 74 | 4%FA 31mm Limited | 73 | 4%DA 15mm Limited | 71 | 4%FA 43mm Limited | 70 | 4%DA 40mm Limited | 69 | 4%DA 50-200mm WR | 69 | 4%DA* 200mm | 64 | 4%DFA 50mm Macro | 64 | 4%DA 35mm Macro Limited | 62 | 4%DA 18-55mm WR | 61 | 4%FA 77mm Limited | 61 | 4%DA 70mm Limited | 50 | 3%DFA 100mm Macro WR | 50 | 3%DA 50-200mm | 37 | 2%DA 18-55mm | 27 | 2% |
Of all the people who took part in the survey, 16% said they would buy an upgraded DA* 16-50. The survey should have been clearer, but for this lens it’s safe to assume we’re talking about the SDM issues here. For most other lenses, sadly, the question arises: What should be updated? The DA17-70 has SDM, so that may be the problem. The DA12-24, however, poses a question. Perhaps people would like to see it with WR, or maybe something else. I’m sorry the survey wasn’t more specific in this regard. (However, looking at the future lenses part of the survey gives us a good clue for the DA12-24.)
The good news is most lenses apparently don’t need an update. The list quickly dips below 10%, at which level it is questionable whether an update would be profitable for Pentax. At the bottom end of the list are lenses people think are perfect in every way and lenses people apparently just don’t care about. I think by know you will know which lens falls into which category.
Which lens suffers most from older equivalent Pentax lenses?
| Lens | Older Equivalent | %FA 50mm | 261 | 16%DA* 55mm | 187 | 11%DA 18-55mm WR | 148 | 9%DFA 100mm Macro WR | 132 | 8%DFA 50mm Macro | 108 | 7%DA 18-55mm | 91 | 5%DA* 200mm | 90 | 5%DA 50-200mm WR | 85 | 5%DA* 300mm | 75 | 5%DA 35mm Macro Limited | 70 | 4%DA 70mm Limited | 64 | 4%DA 50-200mm | 63 | 4%DA 40mm Limited | 59 | 4%DA 21mm Limited | 43 | 3%FA 31mm Limited | 40 | 2%DA 16-45mm | 36 | 2%DA 55-300mm | 36 | 2%FA 43mm Limited | 35 | 2%DA 17-70mm | 32 | 2%DA* 50-135mm | 32 | 2%DA* 16-50mm | 29 | 2%FA 77mm Limited | 29 | 2%DA 15mm Limited | 27 | 2%DA* 60-250mm | 23 | 1%DA 14mm | 17 | 1%DA 12-24mm | 12 | 1%DA 10-17mm Fisheye | 10 | 1%DA 18-250mm | 9 | 1% |
I’m sure most (if not all) Pentaxians love that they can mount pretty much any Pentax lens on their modern body. But how much is this hurting sales of modern lenses?
The list has few (if any) surprises. Seeing as eBay is awash with old 50mm lenses, both the FA50 and DA*55 top the list. Cheap normal zooms, macro and telelenses also score relatively high. Wide-angle and mega-zooms score low, because they simply didn't exist until some years ago (old wide-angle lenses aren't very wide on APS-C).
For which lenses do people prefer a third-party equivalent?
| Lens | Third-party Eqv. | %DFA 100mm Macro WR | 195 | 12%DA 12-24mm | 162 | 10%DA 55-300mm | 131 | 8%DA 17-70mm | 116 | 7%DA 18-250mm | 107 | 6%DA* 16-50mm | 92 | 6%DA 50-200mm | 76 | 5%DA* 60-250mm | 69 | 4%DA 16-45mm | 61 | 4%DFA 50mm Macro | 59 | 4%DA 10-17mm Fisheye | 57 | 3%DA 50-200mm WR | 51 | 3%DA* 200mm | 49 | 3%DA* 300mm | 44 | 3%DA* 50-135mm | 43 | 3%FA 50mm | 40 | 2%DA* 55mm | 39 | 2%DA 21mm Limited | 27 | 2%FA 31mm Limited | 25 | 2%DA 18-55mm | 24 | 1%DA 15mm Limited | 23 | 1%DA 18-55mm WR | 23 | 1%DA 70mm Limited | 23 | 1%DA 35mm Macro Limited | 22 | 1%FA 77mm Limited | 22 | 1%DA 14mm | 21 | 1%DA 40mm Limited | 15 | 1%FA 43mm Limited | 12 | 1% |
Some Pentax lenses are relatively often foregone in favor of a Sigma or Tamron alternative. In the case of the DFA 100mm Macro, I think the highly regarded Tamron 90mm Macro is to blame. For the DA12-24 we should point our fingers at Sigma’s offerings and the cheap 70-300 zooms probably spoil it for the DA55-300.
All the Limiteds are at the bottom. Obviously, as we all know, because there simply ARE no equivalents.
Future Lenses
| Lens | Very | Some | Not | Very+Some | %DA 85mmf1.4 | 717 | 440 | 504 | 1157 | 70%DA 11-16mmf2.8 | 590 | 497 | 574 | 1087 | 65%DA 135mmf1.8/2.8 | 612 | 456 | 593 | 1068 | 64%DA 400mmf4/5.6 | 619 | 398 | 643 | 1017 | 61%DA 24mmf2 | 523 | 462 | 676 | 985 | 59%DA 12-24mmf4 WR | 423 | 495 | 743 | 918 | 55%DA 28mmf2 | 427 | 402 | 832 | 829 | 50%DA 35mmf2 | 402 | 420 | 839 | 822 | 49%DA 17-70mmf4 WR | 374 | 430 | 857 | 804 | 48%DA 55-300mmf4-5.8 WR | 427 | 373 | 861 | 800 | 48%DA 50mmf1.7 | 376 | 400 | 885 | 776 | 47%DAL 35mmf2 | 430 | 295 | 936 | 725 | 44%DAL 50mmf1.7 | 410 | 257 | 994 | 667 | 40%DA 10-17mmf3.5-4.5 WR | 218 | 392 | 1051 | 610 | 37%DA 100-300mmf4-5.6 | 263 | 333 | 1065 | 596 | 36%DA 18-105mmf4-5.6 | 266 | 319 | 1076 | 585 | 35% |
If we were to conclude one thing from this part of the survey, it is that photography enthusiasts like to muse over new lenses. Even the DA 100-300mmf4-5.6, which was a mistake, gets the support of 36% of you. This should have actually been a 100-400mm lens. I would suggest those 263 people who are eagerly awaiting this lens order a DA55-300mmf4-5.8 ;).
In any case these numbers will surely not represent the sales figures would these lenses actually become a reality. They do however give a good look at which gaps in the lens line-up Pentaxians think should most urgently be filled.
The gap that apparently has to be filled quickest is at 85mm. Over two-thirds of you want this lens, nearly half of you (43%) very much so.
The second lens is the long-expected-but-never-materialized Pentax variant of the Tokina 11-16f2.8. After that comes another missing link, the 135mm - which is equivalent to 200mm on a fullframe, a common lens in many bags. The next one, at 400mm, can, I think, best be understood as ‘any lens longer than 300mm’, for which there is considerable demand.
The gap I would personally like to see filled most of all is between the DA21mm and the FA31mm. The DA24 and DA28 options both scored above average. However, when we look at them both, 641 people were very interested in either a DA24, a DA28, or both. So that puts interest in ‘a lens between 21mm and 31mm’ quite high on the list.
Interest in the WR lenses is, considering that they are special versions, quite high. Over half of the people would like a WR version of the DA12-24 (although I wonder whether all these people would still be as interested once they see the price tag). The 55-300 WR and 17-70 WR also recieve the support of as-near-as-makes-no-difference half of you. Even the 10-17mm Fisheye is met with enthusiasm, considering that such a lens has a rather limited public.
Another gap is a faster normal for APS-C, at about 35mm. Nikon has a very successful plastic-fantastic lens at this focal length, whereas Pentax makes do with a relatively slow macro. Interest in either the DA 35mmf2 or the DAL35mmf2 combined is, again, quite high: 599 people said they are very interested in either or both of these lenses.
The 50mm segment is a tough one. For Pentax it is a crowded place. There are vast amounts of older 50s, the FA50mm (owned by 31% of respondents) and the DA*55mm. One would think Pentax has this focal range covered pretty well. However, Canon, Nikon and Sony all offer cheap, no frills AF 50mm lenses for about €/$100. I would argue Pentax needs a cheap lens in this category. The lack of such a lens is an reason not to buy a Pentax camera. With the big three, you can get a fast and cheap auto-focus lens, whereas for Pentax, you can’t. If Pentax had such a lens, it could potentially introduce many photographers on a budget (all those people who bought K-x’s, for example) to prime lenses, which is a Pentax cash crop. Demand for such a lens might not seem very high compared to some of the other options, but considering this is a focal length many people already own, demand is huge. Moreover, such a lens would be aimed at people who are underrepresented in this survey: people on a tight budget.
At the very bottom we find the DA100-300mm, the error we already discussed, and the 18-105mm. The latter gets little love, but it would be a lens aimed at people on a shoestring budget, who again, are underrepresented in this survey.
Recommendations for future surveys
For future reference, the following list of answers will probably produce better results:
• Yes, I own this lens; I'm satisfied with this lens/I would recommend it.
• Yes, I own this lens, but I'm not satisfied with this lens/I wouldn't recommend it.
• Yes, I own this lens; this is my favorite lens.
• No, I don't own this lens; I sold it because I didn't like it.
• No, I don't own this lens; I sold it for another reason.
• No, I don't own this lens; I do not plan to buy it because I own or would rather buy a third-party equivalent of this lens.
• No, I don't own this lens; I do not plan to buy it because I own or would rather buy an older Pentax equivalent of this lens.
• No, I don't own this lens; I do not plan to buy it because I don't like its focal length.
• No, I don't own this lens; I do not plan to buy it for another reason.
• No, I don't own this lens, but I will probably own this lens within a year.
• No, I don't own this lens, but it's on my wishlist.
• I don't know/care.
Whether a lens needs an update or not is probably best asked in a separate question, since people who select one of the above answers could also be of the opinion that a lens needs an update.
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