Confirmed: Pentax announces portrait lens and tethering software for 645D

[Radu Arama]

The tethering software launch in Japan was postponed from 20th of February to 26th of March so I suppose this means an April launch date in North America and Europe. The reason quoted is that further testing is needed.

http://www.pentax.jp/japan/news/announce/20120218.html

Regards,
Radu

[canlogic]

It would be great if Pentax got new 645 lenses on the shelves, it's one thing to announce but another to supply.

The 25mm f/4 was announced at CP+ a year ago but is still not available.

It's surely a little embarassing for them to announce another lense at this CP+ with the previous announcement still in fairy land.

I have had my 25mm since lsat fall. It is available just in high demand.

[Radu Arama]

Thanks for the links 

You are welcome! 

[Radu Arama]

It would be great if Pentax got new 645 lenses on the shelves, it's one thing to announce but another to supply.

The 25mm f/4 was announced at CP+ a year ago but is still not available.

It's surely a little embarassing for them to announce another lense at this CP+ with the previous announcement still in fairy land.

The "problem" with Pentax is that they are very Japan centric (see the initial Japan only launch of the 645D itself). The 25mm is widely available in Japan (e.g. Amazon Japan: http://www.amazon.co.jp/PENTAX-ケース・フィルター付-DFA645-25MM-F4/dp/B004MUIHS6/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1315063137&sr=1-6 and countless other shops) and can be imported via specialized sites such as: www.whiterabbitexpress.com for about 4500-4700 USD. Again, like they did with the camera they will probably start to send lenses out of Asia as soon as they meet the local demand.

Regards,
Radu

[FredBGG]

So it's 90/2.8...what a missed opportunity to make a really fast short tele.   

Leica (75/2.5) and Hasselblad (100/2.2) must be smiling at this news...and Phase/Mamiya and Contax users still have their old 80/1.9 and 80/2 lenses...

How could the company which gave us the 105/2.4 for the big 6x7 format, baulk at making a 90mm faster than f2.8 for the sub-645 format?

Ray

You forgot to mention the best of them all.... Carl Zeiss 110mm F2

[ondebanks]

You forgot to mention the best of them all.... Carl Zeiss 110mm F2

Welcome to LuLa, Fred.

Yes, I did indeed miss the legendary 110/2 - a lens which is definitely on my "get it someday" list. You can adapt it onto the Pentax, Mamiya and Contax 645s - but I was thinking of lenses made for the "native" MFD mounts. IIRC, there are insurmountable issues in trying to get a DB to work on a 2000/200 series Hasselblad? - no way for the camera or lens to trigger the back to take a shot. Shame really, as a fully loaded 203 or 205 looks like a really nice machine.

Actually I just remembered, there's also the Rollei version of the 110/2, which works on the Hy6/AFi - a la Graham Mitchell.

Ray