Pentax 645 lens roadmap

[eronald]

Here is the Pentax 645 lens roadmap - straight from the horse's mouth. A couple of new zooms seem to be in the works.

I don't think anyone can accuse me of being off-topic this time

Edmund

[Lacunapratum]

Thanks Edmund.  I must confess I have been dreading this part of the road map.  I guess glad they are doing something, but two more slow zooms in a range which is already filled with fairly good primes is probably the last thing I have been waiting for.  This map must have been drawn up by vice-presidents and other administrators.  They should take lessons from Leica about how to create an exciting road map. 

[pier64]

Nothing new apart some deletions. Hard to understand why the relatively new 25mm has disappeared together with the 300mm F/5.6, a light rather useful lens.

Pier

[Lacunapratum]

I certainly agree on the 25mm.  That was one of highlights of the system.  I bought two of them since it became obvious that they'd disappear.  

Some complained about sharpness and/or chromatic aberrations in the edges, and I did not find that to be the case in my versions.  There were also problems with the focusing ring.  Why didn't Pentax improve on the design of the lens?  It seems that one of their glass manufacturers went out of business, but I thought the lens made such a difference in the line-up that it would have been worthwhile to come up with a replacement.  

Those slow zooms take away half of the advantages of the nice 645Z sensor. 

[Joe Towner]

This blows 'discontinued' ...  http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/852725-REG/Pentax_26370_smc_DA_645_25mm.html

No mention of a LS lens either....

[ndevlin]

This roadmap is unchanged from what's been out since the release of the "z", but-for the official discontinuance of the 25mm. 

- N.

[Gel]

When I look at the roadmap I do feel a couple of new zooms are needed. Ones that aren't screw based af because they can be a bit loud relative to their SDM counterparts.

F4 through the range would be fine. But the cost is probably going to be really quite high if you look at the 90mm Macro and the 28-45 zoom as being anything to go by. Think 8 times the cost of a used Zoom.

Despite having so much legacy glass Phase one could be very attractive as an alternative. The new glass prices are very similar to the Phase and if they made a mid-range CMOS unibody like the 645z they could do quite well.

[Joe Towner]

I agree f4 would be fine for a zoom, I would actually like to see an updated 80-160 at either f3.5 or f4.  I think most folks would be fine with the legacy lens designs if it has better electronics and silent motors. 

I find it stunning that they haven't figured out how to do an updated LS prime and get it to market.  Same could be said for Canon/Nikon, but that's just me reading what holds back folks from the P645.

[eronald]

At this point one really wonders why the MF guys - and the 35mm guys don't standardize on one lens mount, or at least why some manufacturers don't just declare their lens mount open. There is such a small potential sales volume here that one manufacturer making 20 lenses doesn't really make sense.

Edmund

[Doug Peterson]

I guess that's true. Phase One only has 18 lenses in current production:
28D
28LS
35D
45D
40-80LS
55LS
80D
80LS
110LS
120D MF
120D AF
120TS
150D
150LS
75-150D
75-150LS
240LS
2X TC

Though given the option of using any any Hassy 500 lens, any Hassy 200 lens, and Mamiya 645 TL lens, as well as the dozen or so modern, leaf shutter, digital designed technical camera lenses from Rodenstock/Schneider when used on a tech camera, I think that covers most needs.

[Lacunapratum]

It would be great to have all of those in a Pentax 645Z mount .

[mikeSF_]

man, i wouldn't mind seeing something wider than 25mm, like an 18mm ultra wide. Granted I don't need it all that often, but when shooting tight spaces and seascapes, I sometimes bring my APSC along with the 10-20mm, 10-17 fisheye, or 15 prime.

[eronald]

what happened to those wonderful mamiya apo teles?

I guess that's true. Phase One only has 18 lenses in current production:
28D
28LS
35D
45D
40-80LS
55LS
80D
80LS
110LS
120D MF
120D AF
120TS
150D
150LS
75-150D
75-150LS
240LS
2X TC

Though given the option of using any any Hassy 500 lens, any Hassy 200 lens, and Mamiya 645 TL lens, as well as the dozen or so modern, leaf shutter, digital designed technical camera lenses from Rodenstock/Schneider when used on a tech camera, I think that covers most needs.

[telyt]

At this point one really wonders why the MF guys - and the 35mm guys don't standardize on one lens mount, or at least why some manufacturers don't just declare their lens mount open.

Sony's E-mount may be licensed for the cost of $0.00

[Joe Towner]

Sony's E-mount may be licensed for the cost of $0.00

Doesn't matter the cost, or if it's open, or free.  The image circle & flange distance doesn't have a common denominator, and everyone has their own glass at this point - try telling Canon that the millions they invested in their new big whites is all for not.  So moving to a 'new, open' system involves abandoning their existing glass and pissing off their users, or adapting their current mount to a 3rd party that everyone will talk to.

The only thing I can think of is some sort of adapt-all type mount that passes just power, and the lens talks to the body via a NFC link.  But the question becomes, which direction do you turn a zoom lens to go wider? 

[lelouarn]

It really is a blow to the whole system that the 25mm got canceled.
Any idea if it will be replaced soon ? It seems such a shame to cancel a new lens in that lineup.

[Gel]

I thought the 25mm was replaced for one with a different all in one hood?

It's still listed http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.uk/en/645-mount/DA645-25mm-F4.html

[tsjanik]

Pentax Japan listing of current and discontinued lenses:

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/lens/index645_list.html

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/lens/index645_list_others.html

No mention of the DA 25mm on either list, but this is the Japan site.  Shame about the loss of the 600mm A*

Tom

[Lacunapratum]

They underestimate the importance of somewhat "exotic" lenses for the overall system.  Most of their customers may not have the means to buy everything at once, but most people who invest in a medium format system do not want to see their options limited.  In addition, those lenses at either end of the spectrum will generate the images that will persuade customers to chose one system over another.  Fortunately, you can get many of those lenses as used versions, but not everyone wants to sit in front of the ebay screen for months until a fairly decent version of what you are looking for pops up.  

[JV]

They underestimate the importance of somewhat "exotic" lenses for the overall system.  

+1.  Every system covers the most common focal lengths in a more or less decent way.  It is the ultra-wide, very long, very fast and more characterful lenses that make a system stand out.