Pentax 645D with 30 MP sensor, new D-FA 55/2.8 lens

Tomorrow Pentax will officially announce 645D with 30 MP sensor and new D FA 55mm F/2.8 lens.

stratokaster wrote:

Tomorrow Pentax will officially announce 645D with 30 MP sensor and
new D FA 55mm F/2.8 lens.

Thank you for the info.
Rui

jonny1976 wrote:

in addition what about the lens? how many lens is pentax producing
for medium format now?

How about these? http://www.pentax.jp/english/imaging/filmcamera/lens/index645n2_list.html

steephill wrote:

jonny1976 wrote:

in addition what about the lens? how many lens is pentax producing
for medium format now?

How about these?
http://www.pentax.jp/english/imaging/filmcamera/lens/index645n2_list.html

Hi Steve!
I think Jonny was asking about actual production lenses?

I think few people outside Pentax (if any) really know which 645 lenses are actually produced and which are "remaining stock".
The website you referenced seems suspicious, as some lenses on this
http://www.pentax.jp/english/imaging/filmcamera/lens/index35_list.html
list are certainly no longer available.

To be fair, "remaining stock" might be just as good or even better for 645 owners as/than "in production", unless demand is higher than the "remaining stock".

Cheers
Jens

stratokaster wrote:

Tomorrow Pentax will officially announce 645D with 30 MP sensor and
new D FA 55mm F/2.8 lens.

Where is this new D FA 55mm suddenly coming from? I've not even heard the hint of a rumor regarding such a lens. Given it's an FA, it would have to be covering a 35mm frame, right?

I recently got myself a a couple of old Pentax film cameras (ME Super and SuperProgram) which I very much intend to use. This shifted my focus a little away from the DA lenses towards those covering a full frame.

Cheers,
Tassilo

Hahah, wow that was funny.

Those are more tempting than some of the lenses in the current line-up! (even if they aren't for APS-C)

steephill wrote:

jonny1976 wrote:

in addition what about the lens? how many lens is pentax producing
for medium format now?

How about these?
http://www.pentax.jp/english/imaging/filmcamera/lens/index645n2_list.html

JensR wrote:

steephill wrote:

jonny1976 wrote:

in addition what about the lens? how many lens is pentax producing
for medium format now?

How about these?
http://www.pentax.jp/english/imaging/filmcamera/lens/index645n2_list.html

Hi Steve!
I think Jonny was asking about actual production lenses?
I think few people outside Pentax (if any) really know which 645
lenses are actually produced and which are "remaining stock".

"In production" is a slippery concept when it comes to lenses - for Pentax as for any other maker (including Canon and other mass market companies). With the exception of kit lenses and perhaps a couple of other highly popular sellers, lenses are typically not in continuous production.

What manufacturers typically do is they schedule a production run of lens elements for a specific lens, enough for the projected demand until the next scheduled run. Barrels, fittings and electronics are ordered or produced separately, and as the elements are finished they get assembled into finished lenses. Once the run is done, they start on the next lens.

As I understand it, all the accessory parts, like barrels and so on are cheap to produce, but only when you make or order a lot at a time. Lens elements and assembly - grinding, polishing, gluing, fitting, measuring and so on - is where most of the cost lies, and you don't get a lot of scale benefit from running large batches.

So, as long as you have the accessory parts, even a very rare lens can still easily be "in production". You can run a few sets of elements now and again and always have a few units in stock. In fact, the long "special order only" tele lenses that Pentax (and other manufacturers) have, are probably just rare enough that they don't make units beforehand: instead, when somebody orders one, they schedule a set of elements to be produced and assembled into a lens.

A lens typically is "out of production" only when you have no more of the accessory fittings and it's too expensive to make another batch - when the molds used are worn out, for instance, and would need to be replaced. Or, as we have seen lately, when the lens materials can no longer be used and the lens would need to be reformulated.

So even a rare thing like the 600/4 (or the 67 800/5.6) are available for as long as they have the parts and can get the glass blanks needed to make another unit.

I heard about that in some of the chinese web site.

It looks interesting. We will know 2 days after.

http://vkr4eg.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pgjA8APrb2g3h9e-Jg7X2lTcmRz5IUSqXUnU3HMQSMiI0P9w1b0lUh1ro4r2IWhIs8EGZdVyhqNFE0_GLzUchDg/Lens-Roadmap_C- (090319).jpg
--
Pentax K20D
DA21 Limited, DA40 Limited
DA*16-50, DA*50-135, DA50-200, FA28-70
http://matchkk.blogspot.com/

Hi Jan!

Good points.
So...

Do they still have the lens blanks and parts for the 645 lenses as they have them for the FA 20-35?

Or, as we have seen lately, when the lens materials can no
longer be used and the lens would need to be reformulated.

Interesting point, especially considering the age of the 645 designs.

Cheers
Jens

Top > PENTAX to Exhibit Reference Products at Photo Imaging Expo 2009 in Japan
News Release

March 24, 2009
PENTAX to Exhibit Reference Products at Photo Imaging Expo 2009 in Japan

HOYA CORPORATION PENTAX Imaging Systems Division is pleased to announce the exhibition of the following reference products, all currently under development, at Photo Imaging Expo 2009. This is one of the largest annual photographic merchandize trade shows in Asia, and will be held this year from March 26 to 29 at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake, Tokyo.

Reference Products

Product type: Lens-interchangeable medium-format digital SLR camera
Model name (tentative): PENTAX 645 Digital

Product information:

Extra-large, super-high-megapixel CCD image sensor with more than 30.0 total megapixels (tentative)
Compatibility with existing smc PENTAX 645 interchangeable lenses
Market launch scheduled for 2010

Product type: Interchangeable standard lens for exclusive use with PENTAX medium-format digital SLR camera
Model name (tentative): smc PENTAX-D FA645 55mm F2.8

Product information:

A standard lens designed for exclusive use with the PENTAX 645 Digital (tentative name)

Advanced optical design with all properties of lens element groups, including curvature and lens coating, optimized for digital photography

Market launch scheduled for 2010 (Will be marketed simultaneously with the PENTAX 645 Digital camera body)

Notes: Model names, designs, specifications and market launch schedules of these products are all tentative and subject to change without notices. Prices of these products will be announced at a later date.
Back to Top
Site PolicyPENTAX Press ReleasesHOYA CORPORATION
(C)2009 HOYA CORPORATION. All Rights Reserved .

http://www.pentax.jp/english/news/2009/200905.html
--
Jim Harrison

'You can see a lot, just by looking.'

vparseval wrote:

Where is this new D FA 55mm suddenly coming from?

This lens makes a lot of sense for the 645D because with the "cropped" MF sensor (likely 36 x 48mm rather than the "full frame" of 45 x 60mm of film) the lens will have a "normal" field of view. The 75mm that's considered "normal" with the film camera would be a slight telephoto with the digital version, just as a 50mm lens is with an APS-C sensor.

http://www.pentax.jp/english/news/2009/200905.html

Scheduled for 2010, tentaively more than 30 MP, "extra large sensor".
Are we sure they currently have more than a wooden prototype with a Leaf back?

The bottomline of this announcement is apparently given in its bottomline:

"Notes: Model names, designs, specifications and market launch schedules of
these products are all tentative and subject to change without notices."

This sort of launch announcement puts Pentax really to shame!

Regards,
Hannes