Ricoh announces new $550 100mm F2.8 weather-sealed macro lens

Where does Ricoh's announcement make reference to "APS-C" or "153mm"?

Of course Ricoh’s announcement makes no reference to the K-1 II, but unlike the DPReview article it does not suggest, by implication, that the camera does not exist

The grey area is the press release. Note the chart, which on two occasions, refers to “when attached to Pentax APS-C cameras”. The DPR article likewise, by implication, is to a FF lens which can be also used on APS-C cameras.

Ah, I missed the parts in the chart because I did a text search for "APS-C" and "153" and the chart is an image.

However, the chart explicitly refers to both formats whereas the DPReview article only refers to "APS-C" and "153mm". The DPReview article does not mention "FF lens" so I don't see the implication you are seeing.

“ Ricoh has announced the HD PENTAX-D FA MACRO 100mm F2.8ED AW lens” The lead into first sentence of the DPR statement clearly uses Ricoh/Pentax nomenclature for a digital FF or film camera lens. If you must see some conspiracy or bias so be it. I see no real need to say this Pentax 100mm Full frame lens works on the cameras for which it is designed (in addition to their APS-C cameras with a 153 equivalent FOV). Done.

The "Ricoh/Pentax nomenclature for a digital FF or film camera lens" is familiar to you and me, but readers not familiar with Pentax won't receive that information.

You call it "seeing a conspiracy", I call it being careful with other brands but not caring so much when it comes to Pentax. It's often little things like calling the Nikon D850 "little unwieldy" while calling the Pentax K-1 "large and obtrusive" even though their weights and dimensions are almost identical.

DPReview would never have published the mess that was the pixel shift waterfall article if it had been a Sony camera. DPReview will often later admit that they've made an error when reporting about Pentax but then it is often too late or they don't make a correction. For instance it's been over a year that the K-3 III received the ability to use an electronic shutter but DPReview's studio scene comparator still implies that it lacks that ability. I'm not saying there is any conspiracy, but there is very obviously a lack of care.

I've been a reader of dpr for years, and I agree with Class A. For some reason dpr always gave Pentax an unfair treatment, not similar to any medium/big brand. What in others was good or bold, in Pentax case was not. For me, it discredited dpr. The irony of it all is that Pentax is there, with two workhorses (K1, K3) and still coming with incredibly good affordable lenses. I hope they endure.

10 elements instead of 9...

Doh! Yes, you are right. I knew it was one more than the old version... Running out of fingers to count on, I'll have to resort to toes soon. Tnx.

New lens. My bad.

(looks similar on the outside...)

This is an article about a Pentax macro lens.

I'm sorry, but this comment is not going to count towards your quota.

The 48MP files I've seen from the 14 Pro look awful. The 12MP photos look great, though.

Otherwise, no idea how this is related to a 150mm equivalent macro lens.

I just got a Nano-Air Hoody from Patagonia. It is much warmer than my Brooks Brothers cashmere sweater. I still have an iPhone8 and image quality is no longer competitive. Oh, Pentax macro, sorry!

Agree their only chance for survival is to stick with DSLR. They would not be competitive in mirrorless.

@TheRealYeats
Leica have their own game. Very far from a practical dimension. If you are familiar with the phrase "value for money" - I'm pretty sure you're not their client. For all the Pentax's eccentricity - they still make practical tools at a reasonable price: K-1 was the best camera for slow-paced types of shooting when it came out... For $2000.

I used to pooh-pooh this, and I'm still not convinced it would work. However, with the uncertain status of the S1 line, there's potentially space for PENTAX to take the "tough MILC" slot in the L-mount lineup.

It's not a very good idea. There's nothing in milc for Pentax at the moment. Dudes in knitted hats will soon be shooting Pentax (besides the analog 67 they already use) as "back to dslr" is beginning to trend.

Maybe in 10 years when most of the current brands are gone.

@D135ima - When you put it that way, it sounds like a wonderful idea. I've seen other folks suggest L-mount, but without the rationale you and @Adam007 have provided.

I don't think Ricoh will be forthcoming with the necessary cash, though, to develop MILC products... at least near-term.

I just don't see any way they could be competitive in the MILC space at this point. There are three (four if you count Panasonic) fairly complete systems out there already. It would just take too long to get a decent lens lineup out.

Increasingly people seem run multiple systems for different use cases and moods. Not all fleshed out but kitted for a scenario. Pentax could certainly find a place in such a situation.

starebase218 "... mirrorless mount..." The K mount is not the issue for a mirrorless Pentax. Remember, it works just fine on the Pentax mirrorless K01 from 2012
To build a compact mirrorless body without the large flange back space their SLR lenses dictated on the K01 Pentax would need an optically redesign lens line but the K mount could work fine. However, there would be no reason to keep it on a new line of mirrorless lenses as they wouldn't be usable on their DSLRSs anyway.
It would be way more than just a "...jump to new mirrorless mount..." for Pentax. Even the financial resources of the 500lb gorillas Nikon-Canon are stressed bring complete new lens line ups to market.
I think a new K compatible body with a good EVF, but without the weird K01 styling, would sell like hotcakes to people with an inventory of K mount glass. Designed with the required deep flange back distance to use their current SLR lenses, I could see it looking like a small Pentax 67

Sensors haven’t gotten that much better though, right? Except resolution-wise, maybe. 24MP in APS-C is fine, but 36 in FF isn’t anything to write home about.

But in terms of noise and DR, I doubt there has been much progress.

It's an update to a much loved and used lens in the Pentax ecosystem.

Adding SD coatings to this beloved lens means it will be ready for the next gen of cameras. And it is the same price as its replacement. I will be buying when released because I need it.

Greg Lovern If you mean by " APS-C entry level" something like a Canon Rebel with a tiny, dark 'penta-mirror' finder, Pentax doesn't make one. The bottom of the line K70 has a feature set and bright prism finder that would place it middle range, at least, were it a Canikon product. Pentax hasn't made what could be called an 'entry level' APS-C body for a long time.
Their last, the K500 from 2013, has a bright prism viewfinder, some weather sealing and dual, front back control wheels... 'elevated' entry level!

"Greg Lovern If you mean by " APS-C entry level" something like"

RolliPoli I've been following Pentax with much interest for decades and I'm well aware of all that. But as the least expensive current Pentax APS-C body, and a fraction of the cost of the other one, it's fair to call it "entry level" in that context.

Greg Lovern "...been folloeing..." I've owned most Pentax DSLRs since the *istD was issued in 2003
My current kit includes a K70 and it is not 'entry level' compared to bottom of the line offerings from Canon and Nikon.

"I've owned most Pentax DSLRs since the *istD
My current kit includes a K70 and it is not 'entry level' compared to bottom of the line offerings from Canon and Nikon."

I've owned P3, Super Program, ZX-L, film *ist, *ist D, K-7, K-5 ii, and now K-3 ii. Before that I shot Olympus. When I was choosing my first SLR in 1981, I didn't know the MX could be tricked into mirror lockup--no internet back then to tell us such things-- so after narrowing my choices down to that and the OM-1, I chose the latter for its mirror lockup.

"Entry Level" is a common marketing term for a brand's least expensive offering. For example, the least expensive Mercedes is "entry level" in that context even though it is a much more expensive and much nicer car than the least expensive Toyota. The K-70 is Pentax's current entry-level APS-C body even though it's a substantially higher-level camera than the entry level offerings from some other brands.

Never had a screw drive failed me. Same thing cannot be said about in-motor.

@TheRealYeats LOL, only with Pentax do you have to derive that from the mount name. It’s almost like a secret language. ;)

If there is a in-lens motor you will see SDM, DC or PLM in the nomenclature.

Correct.

Have you heard about the PRO 90mm macro lens coming out for OM Systems (Olympus)??

Yes, I'm sure it will be very nice for M43 macro shooters.

I use the 60mm and its excellent - but also found a way to use their MC-20 teleconverter with the macro lens which gets me about 2.3X magnification on the micro 4/3 sensor...works like a charm...

if you want to see some examples you can look here

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4652292

@oneofone25
How did you attach the teleconverter to the lens? Did you use a macro ring in between to get the clearance?

The second sentence says "... This lens uses an all new optical construction..."

New lens seems to have one more element than the older versions. I guess one could say it is an evolution of the previous design.

@3Percent - the current DA 10-17 is simply a refresh of an older lens, the DA* 11-18/2.8 is an original, new design.

Pentax has had a LOT of opportunities that they just simply continue throwing away, not only in the lens department. Is depressing. I started a Pentax thread recently and when I went back to it it disappeared. A lot of existing Pentax shooters simply don’t care about what Pentax does or does not. That’s one of the reasons why Pentax does what it does 😭

@Batdude - Pentax is doing mostly what they need to do to keep the brand viable. Keep in mind their primary focus is on their domestic market.

Okay yeah when I did a lens feature search here (using the lens feature search tool and clicking on pentax K for the lens mount) the 11-28 doesnt even show up in the results. You can add that one to the list of "new". However I think most of you get what I'm saying here. Pentax has rebranded many older lenses with new coatings, a red ring, and labeled them "new releases". Very limited RD or money needed to do that.

Pentax has a strategy of refreshing (small updates) well-loved lenses - such as the 100/2.8 Macro - while also releasing premium in-house glass such as the D FA 21/2.4 WR Ltd and D FA* 85/1.4 AW, as well as lenses based on Tamron designs, e.g. D FA 70-210/4.

I don't know what their executives in Japan are thinking. Ricoh hired Malcolm a few years ago to bring them into modern times. The guy left the company totally frustrated because these guys are living in the past.

Even Samyang, the butt of the jokes is producing some lenses that in optical quality rival competitors costing 2-3 times more.

So, where are the modern bodies and the rest of the system Pentax? Making bodies in blue, red and other colors does not make them take any better pictures! Stop the gimmicks and get on with the program before you lose your entire user base to the competition.

The second sentence says "... This lens uses an all new optical construction..."

@btnapa - "before you lose your entire user base to the competition" - The "competition" is other DSLR makers. Where are they?

Pentax's primary concern is their home market, and they are trying some new things there, and so far business has been pretty good.

Over the last few years there has been one new Pentax DSLR and two Ricoh GR models - the Pentax team and GR team share resources - and 5 new in-house designed lens (not counting this 100/2.8 Macro). There will likely be a new FF body next year and two or more lenses. The flow of products might be slow compared to other camera brands, but it is there.

They replaced WR with AW: HD PENTAX-D FA MACRO 100mm F2.8ED AW lens—the first PENTAX macro lens to feature All Weather (AW) dustproof, weather-resistant construction.

@TheRealYeats, I hear you. The competition these days is more advanced cameras and technologies in the form of mirrorless cameras. I loved my K1 until I got tired of missing focus, not having 4K, not even decent 1080P video for clients who wanted the service, not having alternatives for lenses... and the list goes on.

Believe me, the grass is not greener on the other side. Sony, the system I am using now has its quarks. I am not a fan of EVF and the list of do not likes is long too. However, I have a system that does not miss focus, I have stellar Tamron lenses as Sony GM is too pricy for my budget, I can do 4K video. In short, the list of positives is longer than the negatives.

If I could go back to the old simple days which was a K1000 and a 50mm f2 lens and film, I would. But as we know, progress is something we generally cannot go back on.

@btnapa - Yep. There are enough shortcomings with Pentax that I've never been able to recommend the system. I'm shooting MILC now after 15 years of Pentax because there were things I wanted to accomplish that I simply couldn't with my Pentax gear. But the pleasure of use, the engagement not only with the subject but also with the moment isn't there for me with mirrorless... and so at some point I will return.