Where is the weathersealing, guys?

miles green wrote:

A Schamber wrote:

I've been out of the forums for about 6 years, I believe. Probably most of you are not the same people there used to be around here.

Nevertheless, I have just started again to take photography seriously, after being a Pentax PRO for 5 years, and got my equipment robbed, which included a K-5, a K-r, 16-50, 50-135, three AF-540, and a couple primes and other stuff. I bought a K-3 II (because I am NOT planning to upgrade the camera anytime soon, so I prefered to buy something good and just put the money in lenses).

Enough background... lenses. I'm really struggling to understand Pentax line up right now. There are some basics that every brand should have, and I believe Pentax is disappointing, not because they cannot perform, but because they are not willing.

Let me explain: Limited lenses, are great. We all love them. But they were updated recently with round blades, better coatings... but where the hell is the weathersealing? I mean. I don't want to spend 500 - 800 dollars on a lens that is NOT weathersealed. Was it that hard for them to add that?

Something else, then: 50 mm Macro lens. One of the sharpest lenses of all time, great 50 for FF or for APS-C. But it's 12 years old! There hasn't been un update on the body, on the construction quality, blades, coatings, weather sealing... not a single thing. It is really painful, because if that same design was used with today's technology, it would be a lens that everyone would buy for that price.

The 50 1.8 was a great add for the lineup... but still again no weather sealing. The 35 2.4, the same. I'd rather have a 30 dollars more expensive lens with weather sealing, just to make the statement: "our cameras can do this. The competition, can't for the price."

So I am really struggling to make a lens buying roadmap, because some of the lenses are just not there. Sure, I'll pick a DFA 100 Macro 2.8 lens, and probably a DA* 55. But I feel that most of the lineup is just not there yet for everyday photography, so I'll stick with the 16-85 for most things.

What are your thoughts?

Though i like the idea of all lens being weather sealed, when i shoot with primes (which is all the time) i tend to change a lot. That's not very practical in lousy weather. My No.1 motivation to get a zoom lens is for the weather sealing.

(the 24-70/2.8 is heavier than the M-20/4, FA43/1.9 and FA77/1.8 together... That's my light travel kit.)

I do get your point... but that's not the case for many other people. For example, when I was working, I used to make photos for brides, couples or 15s year old (in Argentina 15 is the big party, not 16), outdoors, with flash, shallow depth of field. I had several shootouts canceled in the middle just because of the weather, as there was not version II of the AF-540, and the original doesn't have weather sealing. But, I could have been shooting that kind of scene with a light rain, with the DA*50-135 or even the DA*55 (that I didn't own back then).

Also, I could picture myself shooting in the streets with a 15,  21, 35 or a 40 mm even in the rain if they were weathersealed. Most zooms are way too big for street shooting.