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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-14-2016, 11:03 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
Primes on the official FF lens line-up (February 2016):

31, 35, 43, 50 & 50-Macro, 77, 100-Macro, 200, 300, 560

(55 isn't on the official line-up).
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-13-2016, 09:24 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
Just a quick observation. There are 15 lenses in Ricoh's official FF lens line-up. 10 primes, 5 zooms. The latter are the ones released in the last 16 months.

I'm not saying that these 10 primes are satisfactory. (They mostly need to be upgraded or replaced, and to be added to). But surely there is no doubt that if Ricoh could only have added 5 lenses to the line-up by the release of the K-1, they had to be these 5 zooms.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-11-2016, 11:26 PM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
People differ massively.

I favour zooms, and top-up with primes for specific purposes. For example, I have all 5 of the recent D FA zooms, 3 of them before I got the K-1. But while I will probably get one or more of the to-be-announced prime D FA lenses, I have no urgent need for them. But instead I would like Ricoh to add a couple of light-weight D FA zooms either-side of the D FA 28-105mm zoom.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-05-2016, 12:07 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
I'll change this question then try to answer it: "Having a K-1, with a K-3II as backup, what features would make me buy a new APSC flagship?

It would obviously be a massive challenge for Ricoh to tempt me! It couldn't regress on the K-3II. It would have to provide features that would sometimes provide a compelling reason to leave the K-1 in the car and use the new APS-C flagship instead. Then it would also have to have features that I've found very useful on the K-1.

I can think of only one set of features that would be compelling. Far better support for some types of action photography than either the K-3II or the K-1. (And I have been pretty successful shooting certain types of action with the K-1).

I don't think simply incorporating SAFOX 12 and increasing the burst rate a little beyond the K-3-series would be sufficient. I've found I'm not as limited by the K-1 burst rate as I thought I would be. (Although the option for more fps would always be useful). . And the number of megapixels in the K-1 enables me to use a "center-focus, pan, shoot, recompose in post-processing" style that avoids much need for sophisticated AF tracking. But I have often been limited by the buffer capacity on the K-1.

In effect, it would have to enable me to explore the sorts of sports/action photography that I haven't tried much yet. It might have to get closer to the D500 than is likely from a Pentax camera. It would probably not have enough megapixels for my "center-focus, pan, shoot, recompose in post-processing" style. This would need more than a natural evolution of the existing Pentax AF capability.

And it would have to have an articulated LCD, (although not necessarily with the 4-legged feature of the K-1), for using the camera low down or high up. The "Lock" feature from the K-1 would be very desirable. (It wouldn't need the extra dials on top - they haven't been as useful to me as I thought they would be).

I don't think we are going to see such a Pentax in the near future.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-04-2016, 02:42 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
Why wait, if it was ready?

Perhaps a better question would be: "why wasn't it announced last year?" (Or at some other suitable show).

7 months ago, asahi man said "Looks like 2 new APS-C Bodys this year". I wonder if that is still the case (counting the K-70 as one of them)?
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-03-2016, 06:09 PM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
I called the 2nd option "extreme" because I don't think there is anything plausible beyond it. Not because I thought it was very unlikely; I think it will turn out to be the case.

I don't think we should worry about the 1st "extreme". I just wanted it on the table, mainly because I've seen concerns that it may happen. Sometimes in debates it is useful to identify people's concerns so that they won't feel ignored. It has the characteristic that if we simply knew that there would be a new flagship, we could dismiss that extreme without knowing any details.

(To some extent, I was actually talking to myself, but in public!)
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-02-2016, 10:31 PM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
Assuming for the moment that Ricoh has a coherent strategy for the K-mount range, we will learn a lot about it from the next APS-C flagship camera, if there is one. This strategy matters to most of us here, so it isn't surprising that there is a lot of speculation (and fantasy!) about it.

We have tantalising glimpses of the consequences of the strategy:
5 recent modern FF zooms.
The K-1.
The FF lenses roadmap (4 primes, 1 zoom).
The K-70.
The new DA 55-300 lens with the new KAF4 mount.

It seems to me that Ricoh's K-mount strategy could be be set at two main extremes, with variants in between. And solid information about an APS-C flagship camera would let us know where it stands.

Extreme 1: No new APS-C flagship camera. No replacement/upgrade to the K-3-series. Instead, churning the lower-tier APS-C cameras, with replacements over time for the non-flagship APS-C cameras, just like the K-70 has done so far. The K-mount FF range is the mainline future, the K-1 is the only flagship camera, and over (a long) time Pentax APS-C users are expected/encouraged to "upgrade" to FF.

Extreme 2: New high-specification APS-C flagship camera. A worthy successor to the K-3-series, combining the best of the K-3II itself, the K-70, and any transferable technology from the K-1. Updated sensor, SAFOX 12 or better AF, articulated LCD, better video, higher burst rate (perhaps up to about 10 fps), plus a few surprises. (Obviously it will drive KAF4 lenses; all new K-mount cameras will. But it will still drive earlier mounts; now is not the time to withdraw support for screw-focusing lenses!) The K-mount future will continue to include lots of development to both FF and APS-C lines. The FF line is not "an upgrade route", but a separate take-it-or-leave-it range. Most sales will continue to be for APS-C users.

These extremes have such different implications for many of us that it is not surprising that we want to know! And whatever Ricoh might say, or hint, it needs something tangible like a new camera (or no new camera for years) to confirm it.

(I have no reliable information or plausible rumours about this to offer! Sorry).
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-02-2016, 11:42 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
I agree.

I think the choice will be between KAF3 (with no screwdrive but mechanical aperture stop-down) and KAF4 (with no screwdrive and no mechanical aperture stop-down).

And since the K-S1, K-S2, K-70, K-3II, and K-1, (the 2014 and later cameras), all support KAF4, I expect a rapid switch to KAF4.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-02-2016, 10:48 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
Sigma 70-300mm f/4-f/5.6
Tamron 70-300mm f/4-f/5.6

They sound like impressive lenses. (I've never used either of them).

I'm a bit suspicious of "... their aberrations will be less obvious"!

I'm judging lenses for high quality right into the corners at and near full aperture. I'm not accepting excuses such as "the corners don't matter for portraits", or "the lens is OK when stopped down enough).

I've been printing at A3+ for years, and I'm probably about to start printing at A2. (Epson P800 printer, perhaps). I'm seeking equipment that will help me achieve that. The K-1 and the 4 near-professional-quality Pentax zooms should help me get there. I don't want to regress.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-02-2016, 08:19 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
That would have made it more expensive. Perhaps Ricoh wanted to extend their range of affordable APS-C lenses.

Also, it has a long focal-length range; 55-300mm (5.45x). My observation is that when sensors are small, it is easier/cheaper to have a long range. (It appears only to be small-sensor cameras that have super-zoom lenses).

Then as sensors get larger, zoom ranges tend to become smaller. It just appears to take a lot of largish glass, (hence heavier and more expensive glass), to have zoom ranges as large as we might want.

The DA 16-85mm and D FA 28-105mm are very roughly equivalent on their respective sensors, and similarish in weight and cost, but one has a zoom range of 5.3x while the other has a zoom range of 3.75x.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-02-2016, 07:17 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
For some time I've been saying here that what Ricoh should do as high priority is to add two "affordable" high-image-quality, smallish/lightish, FF zooms: one either side of the D FA 28-105mm zoom. I've been advocating these primarily for the sake of both existing and potential K-1 users (as companions for the 28-105mm lens)

But it occurs to me that this could result in a 3-lens set that would be attractive for many APS-C camera users too. Imagine: perhaps "D FA 18-30mm (or 18-36mm) variable-maximum-aperture", and "D FA 100-300mm variable-maximum-aperture". (Or whatever zoom-range could be made cheaply).

I would buy those two lenses even though I already have the recent FF zooms, because they would be useful on the K-1. But I would also consider them for (say) a round-the-world-trip with a K-3II or other APS-C camera. They would have high image quality right to the corners of an APS-C sensor, would be FF-ready in case the users decides to add an FF camera later, or be useful for someone with both FF and APS-C now. I think they would sell like hot cakes!
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-02-2016, 06:22 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
A few years ago I tested various DA lenses on a Pentax Z-1P film camera. More recently I've tried various lenses on a K-1.

A somewhat simplistic observation (from limited samples) is that FF lenses tend to have better corner-to-corner coverage of the APS-C image circle than APS-C lenses do. Both in terms of image quality and distortions. (I got some surprises, for example when looking at the corner-to-corner sharpness of the APS-C crop of the wonderful DA* 60-250mm at the wide end anywhere near full aperture).

I'm not saying this is universally true. Some APS-C lenses really are good to the corners of an APS-C sensor. Some problems get better when stopping down. And some distortions and aberrations can easily be fixed by lens-profiles in post-processing.

But it is worth keeping in mind when choosing a lens to be used (for example) for landscapes on an APS-C camera.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-01-2016, 11:18 PM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
Those focal lengths are very good for APS-C cameras, with the possible exception of the D FA 15-30mm (which I've never used on an APS-C camera).

24-70mm: When I bought a Pentax *istD, one of the early lenses I bought for it was a Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 for studio work. (It was FF, but not the latest such Sigma). I used that for years for that purpose. I bought the D FA version, long before I had a K-1, for similar reasons.

70-200mm: I pre-ordered the D FA version for use on the K-3-series in February 2015, long before there was a K-1 to seriously think about. It took a long time arriving, but I still used it (typically for motorsports) on a K-3II.

150-450mm: I pre-ordered the D FA version for use on the K-3-series in February 2015, long before there was a K-1 to seriously think about. It was then my most used lens (for motorsports and "things in flight"), from May 2015 for nearly a year until I got the 70-200mm to take over for motorsports.

28-105mm: This is probably not very useful as a single carry-around lens on an APS-C camera, (although it does make sense on a K-1), but it would make sense to accompany a wide angle prime or zoom as part of a two-lens set.

Note how I exploited the 70-200mm and 150-450mm for action shooting on K-3-series. They would be very useful for many of the people who want to shoot action on any future APS-C camera with better AF and burst rate. I think the next APS-C flagship camera will have the same or better AF as the K-1, (SAFOX 12 at least), and a burst rate higher than the K-3-series, so it will be a useful improvement (although not at D500 level) over the K-3II for action photography. And these two lenses will work well with it.

It is seen that, for me, these lenses enhanced the K-3-series cameras. They will enhance the next APS-C flagship camera for many people too, as will the new D FA primes to be launched next year or so.

Observation: you complained earlier about "screwdrive lenses, older film-era lenses and SDM lenses" and said "if people want markedly improved AF performance, then one needs modern lenses that are up to this more demanding task". I've showed that Ricoh have recently delivered lenses that match your criteria. But .... your second sentence in your quote above is a criticism about price. Is it price, rather than the technical factors you mentioned, that is really behind your criticisms?

---------- Post added 2nd Sep 2016 at 07:41 AM ----------



Chuckle!

But it is worth noting that no lenses were withdrawn as a result of launching those 6 new lenses.

What I'm seeing is that Ricoh are increasing the breadth and depth of the total K-mount range. (Lenses especially. But also cameras, although with some rationalisation).

I'm not seeing signs that Ricoh simply want to churn their current customer base.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-01-2016, 12:23 PM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
Here is a list of the 6 modern Pentax K-mount lenses, none of the them just screw-drive, none of them old-SDM, all WR or better, all very good for Pentax APS-C cameras, released in the last 16 months or so:

Pentax DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE
Pentax D FA 15-30mm F2.8 ED SDM WR
Pentax D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR
Pentax D FA 24-70mm F2.8 ED SDM WR
Pentax D FA* 70-200mm F2.8ED DC AW
Pentax D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW

I have all 5 of the D FA lenses in this list, and I use both the 70-200mm and 150-450mm a lot for action photography such as motorsports and "things in flight". (I used both of these on K-3-series APS-C cameras for those subjects before I had a K-1).

Note: 6 lenses for APS-C cameras; only 5 lenses for the K-1.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-01-2016, 05:27 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
I've been using SDM lenses (such as the DA* 60-250mm f/4) for many years without problems and with considerable success.

(I've never owned the DA* 15-60mm or DA* 60-135mm, which I believe were the ones with most SDM problems).


Quite!


Yes, indeed! Perhaps one of the sharpest Pentax lenses on an APS-C camera.


I bought the D FA 70-200mm, D FA 150-450mm, and D FA 24-70mm, for use on K-3-series before I had a K-1.

The latest Pentax camera is an APS-C camera. The latest Pentax K-mount lens is an APS-C lens, with a more advanced mount than any Pentax FF lens. The Pentax APS-C line-up appears to be evolving well.


Yes! Right from the start of Pentax APS-C dSLRs, the lenses have always been a mixture of FF and APS-C lenses. Then the line-up evolves over time.

For example, the 2005 "DA and D FA" roadmap's line-up had 6 lenses, of which 2 were "D FA". Now the current Pentax lenses which work on Pentax APS-C cameras total about 40.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-31-2016, 09:24 PM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
I think they might do this for the FA Limited lenses that are still in the current lens line-up. (As they did for the DA Limited lenses without pre-announcements in August 2013).

But once Ricoh have launched the 4 new FF primes on the Pentax FF roadmap, I think the main problem with the current Pentax FF lens line-up will continue to be the zooms. Of the 15 lenses on the current Pentax FF line-up, 10 are primes, 5 are zooms. That ratio is probably the wrong way round for typical customers rather than forum-enthusiasts.

I think Pentax FF zooms are needed in 3 (loose) categories:

1. Professional-standard or near-professional-standard FF zooms across the range. This has already been done well enough for the time being with the 4 such lenses released over the last 15 months or so.

2. "Affordable" smallish/lightish FF zooms with high image quality across a more limited range. Perhaps 3 are needed, and we already have the middle one of them, the 28-105mm.

3. "Miscellaneous". There is a Fisheye zoom on the FF roadmap. Other people have made good cases for some f/4 zooms somewhere in between categories "1" and "2". (A D FA 60-250mm f/4 based on the current DA* 60-250mm would be "interesting"!)

Are there any old FA lenses that could be brought up to date as these extra zooms? I suspect not, or one or two at the most.

---------- Post added 1st Sep 2016 at 05:35 AM ----------



The APS-C line already has good reasons (in addition to higher burst rates) to exist:

1. Cheaper, lighter, smaller. For many people, one or more of these is a good reason not to choose the FF line. (And the APS-C line has been capable of doing good landscapes and portraits for many years!)

2. Lots more Pentax lenses available. (There are about 40 current Pentax lenses that work fully on APS-C cameras, compared with the 15 of them that are officially FF lenses.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-31-2016, 10:51 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
Ricoh needs a new flagship APS-C camera. The K-3-series is about 3 years old. The K-3II looks out-of-date compared to the K-70, and also compared to features in the K-1 that are not to do with FF but would work on APS-C too. (Some sort of moving LCD; SAFOX 12, etc).

Ricoh doesn't need a cheaper FF camera. The K-1 is already incredible value for money. People who are not willing to pay for the K-1 are not very likely to spend much money on new Pentax lenses either, so are probably not good customers for Ricoh.

Apart from that, Ricoh needs new lenses. Lots of them! Mainly FF lenses, (which will obviously also work on APS-C cameras), but perhaps a few APS-C-only lenses too.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-28-2016, 06:16 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
True! It is hard to imagine that a D FA 100-300mm f/4 wouldn't be significantly heavier than the DA* 60-250mm f/4. For example, the filter size would probably be significantly more than 75mm, compared with the 60-250mm's 67mm; bigger elements at the front.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-27-2016, 11:02 PM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
I would pre-order a D FA 60-250mm f/4, with at least the same image quality as the current version, right now!
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-25-2016, 11:58 PM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
I too would like a focus-limiter on the D FA 100mm WR f/2.8 Macro.

But I use the D FA* 70-200mm and D FA 150-450mm lenses a lot on the K-1. They have limiters, and I use them. But - I suspect I wouldn't have many problems even without limiters. They simply never appear to do the sort of end-to-end hunting that limiters are intended to stop. (Perhaps that is because I'm shooting towards the infinity end, not towards the close end).
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-24-2016, 02:57 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
It depends on how much work they put into upgrading them.

When they upgraded the DA Limiteds in August 2013, they (apparently) chose not to do anything that would significantly change the optical design or the body construction. So they added HD coating, and changed the aperture blade shape. But didn't add WR or motors.

I'm pretty sure that there would be the same difference in development cost with the FA Limiteds. In fact, I suspect that the nature of the mechanical quality of the FA Limiteds would be changed beyond recognition with WR, and certainly with motors.

If they did this, I think they would get plenty of buyers who are currently interested in them but wary of buying them at the moment. (Such as me!)
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-23-2016, 11:22 PM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
You are correct. In August 2013 the DA Limited lenses were upgraded without this being announced in advance or appearing on the roadmap. They also upgraded the DA 55-300mm at the same time. Then they recently released a new DA 55-300mm without announcing it well ahead.

It is as though they pre-announce lenses with new focal length ranges, but not lenses that from their focal lengths appear simply to be a variant of an existing lens. I suspect they will upgrade the FA Limiteds in the same way. I wish I knew whether they were going to!

---------- Post added 24th Aug 2016 at 07:42 AM ----------



My personal experience is that each time I experiment with a different smaller system, I eventually abandon it. I dipped my toe in the water with the m4/3 range (GF1), and later bought a lot of Q cameras and lenses. Each time I eventually became dissatisfied with having two competing systems.

Now instead I use a non-system camera as my carry-anywhere camera: the Lumix LX100. I'm not juggling with whether to extend a system other than the K-mount system.

I'm even extending this to the K-mount itself. Now that I have a K-1, I'm concentrating on the K-mount FF range, and abandoning K-mount APSC equipment. My K-3II is a back-up just in case my K-1 breaks. Unless Ricoh does something spectacular with the next APS-C flagship camera, (eg. for sports/action), sooner or later I won't have any APS-C equipment.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-23-2016, 11:12 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
I'm amused about lots of the speculation. It looks like wishful thinking, and is doomed to fail.

But I appreciate more solid hints and rumours. When the D FA 150-450mm and D FA* 70-200mm lenses appeared to be pretty solid predictions, I started to put money more or less monthly into a savings account ready for them. Not only could I eventually buy them, but things got delayed so much that I was eventually able to buy all the zooms!

Now I can't spot any convincing predictions. So although I have continued to save, I have been raiding that savings account for other things. If some of the unlikely predictions proved to be true tomorrow, I would have to wait. But that probably won't happen!

I'm learning a lot, not from the wild rumours, but from the analysis of why they won't happen. I want (ha!) to have just the right money at the right time! Which means 2017 and 2018, not 2016.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-22-2016, 11:44 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
Let's remember: they have released 5 FF zooms over the last 15 months or so. 2 were based on Tamron designs, so 3 were not.

The Tamron-based lenses are very good, and fill slots that needed to be filled. But the lenses that I use most are the other 3, and I think they are very good lenses which I use for most of what I do with the K-1. (And in fact I used 2 of them on the K-3-series before I got the K-1).
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-22-2016, 12:07 AM  
Latest Pentax Rumors
Posted By Barry Pearson
Replies: 598
Views: 61,168
I don't understand that statement about the "same AF sensor".

I thought the AF sensor chip was redesigned in the K-1, as part of the SAFOX 12 system?
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