Web Analytics RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: New Lens Roadmap Revamped? (5 New Lenses? Leak?)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

New Lens Roadmap Revamped? (5 New Lenses? Leak?)

SPY photos come again! It seems that brilliant Pentax/Hoya marketing is in action!

DFA* 20mm F2.8 SDM? DFA 645 25mm F2.8?

DFA* 50mm F1.0 SDM?

DA 135mm F2.8 Limited?

DA* 400mm F4 ED[IF] SDM?

DFA lenses come back again!? Preparing for a Full Frame Body and System???

Why that guy covered the lens images with his finger(s)? .. IF he is just a "spy"? ;-D

Update (5-27):

Hot discussions have been instigated in a thread started by me at the PentaxForums which points to my this blog post. People have been wondering if these pictures are fake or not and some do insist those are.

Whilst I am neutral to the realness of these "leaks", I do have some internal filters set up within myself for what I post at my blog. If you have been a reader of mine for long enough, you could actually find that I have actually been 99% accurate and correct for what I reported! ;-D And I usually do not post those rumours that I could not believe or just found them fake myself.

To be even more objective, I have compared the above four "leaked" pictures against the last officially published roadmap dated March 3, 2009, which is most updated one by now.

For your easy reference, I copy again the link to the above mentioned roadmap as below:-


(Click to download the roadmap pdf file from Pentax's website)

After careful inspection on the positions of the new lenses, bullet colours of those (orange for DA lenses, blue for DFAs, purple for DAs), fonts and distortion, neighbourhood lenses/gridlines (both vertical dotted ones for focal lengths and the thick horizontal separators) and etc., I actually find almost no "discrepancy" of the "leaked" roadmap!

The only suspicious thing is only about the DA*400 F4 lens, beside which in the left neighhourhood I should see portion of the DA*300 F4 block, or it should be positioned higher or lower owing to the typesetting conflict with the neightbouring lens, but I cannot see any of such. However, this doesn't necessary mean that it is fake, maybe it is just that Pentax have changed the typesetting.

In contrast, the insertion of the the DFA*50 F1.0 lens looks almost real to me! :-) The DFA 645 55mm standard lens has now been shifted to a lower position underneath the new DFA*50.

So, if I had to bet for the realness of this "leak", I would say it is true - by my best judgement.

Any more sensible counter arguments this time? :-))

28 comments:

  1. Interesting to see some DFA lenses here ... Pentax hasn't abandoned 35mm format DSLR yet!

    ReplyDelete
  2. DFA 50/1.0??? What is the use of that? DOF will be so shallow at f1.0 I doubt many cameras, even anything other than Pentax won't have any FF/BF probs. 400/4? sweet but not onmy wish list...
    DFA 20/2.8? Don't we have that covered with the DA*16-50/2.8?? DA135/2.8 limted. Nice addition to the line up but not my kind of thing...
    Now, where are the two lenses that I would like to see?? The fairly wide fast sealed prime (30/1.4) and the medium ranged sealed walkaround zoom??

    Those are the lenses on the top of my list, and many other listst as well.
    This is by far the most useless roadmap update I have ever seen by Pentax

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous26/5/09 16:54

    Yeah, because it's a fake.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If 50/1 for 35mm was doable in K mount, then why didn't Pentax make one before? AFAIK digital is even more demanding when it comes to lens design and edge image quality.
    There are two DFA lenses available for some time and I doubt they were made with FF in mind so I'm still very skeptical about Pentax FF (and I have no desire for it)
    I for one was hoping for DA* 20/2 ED IF SDM. Oh well...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Util now we had two roadmaps a year, one around march and one around september octobre.
    The appearance of a K-7 would not warrant a ew roadmap only two months after the previous one, at least not one that is so different.
    Still anything that resembles this one in future without a fairly wide sealed fast prime and medium ranged sealed zoom would be useless.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous26/5/09 19:15

    DFA* 20mm f2.8 would be a full-frame lens so not covered by the DA* 16-50mm.

    The DA* 400mm f4 would be a APS-C version of the FA* 600mm f4.

    These all sound like really expensive lenses. Indeed I would have wanted to see the DA* 30mm back on the roadmap and a teleconverter for the DA* lenses.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous26/5/09 19:58

    It's a fake. Official

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous states:
    "DFA* 20mm f2.8 would be a full-frame lens so not covered by the DA* 16-50mm."
    But only if you have FF camera (where you cannot/should not use DA lens). On APS-C camera DFA 20mm would be 30mm, thus covered by DA 16-50mm (24-75mm when used with APS-C camera).

    "The DA* 400mm f4 would be a APS-C version of the FA* 600mm f4".
    Again, the same. It's iffy to use DA lens on FF camera (when this comparison would work), but if you use FA lens on APS-C camera, then FA 600mm "becomes" 900mm. So the DA 400mm mounted on APS-C camera is a "version" of FA 400mm on the same camera (and not of FA 600mm).

    ReplyDelete
  9. Zazz Womack27/5/09 10:45

    All nice and fine, but what they really need -- what I really want -- is a 17-85mm f/2, fully-sealed zoom, under $500, and with quality on par with the best primes. Some may scoff, but with computers and modern materials, this sort of thing could be done EASILY.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So, we could just either believe it or not. Or, it will be "seeing is believing".

    ReplyDelete
  11. And, shall we need to see a real lens in reallife before we can "believe" in any of those rumoured upcoming products?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous27/5/09 15:50

    It seems to me that parts of new roadmap is not fake. I hope that DA135/2.8 will be announced this year. With new camera - September-October.

    The rest - during 2010-2011.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Highly disturbing title on crunchgear±
    ´... new lenses leaked`
    The last thing we need for sealed camera and lenses... Author probably biased against Pentax..
    :-D

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yes, he loves Pentax! ;=D

    ReplyDelete
  15. I just hope they're not coming up with that DA* 400/4... 100mm is not much of an upgrade for wildlife photographers like me who use the DA* 300/4... I was really hoping for a DA* 500/4 or even a 600/4 to meet my long lens needs... don't really like the idea of having a Sigma 500/4.5 as my only prime long lens option beyond 300mm. Hope Pentax is listening, wildlife photographers have always felt the need of longer Pentax lenses, modern teleconverters (when's that 1.4 WR TC coming?!) and fast bodies.

    Cheers,
    Aditya C. Panda,
    India

    www.pentaxphotogallery.com/adityapanda
    www.junglediaries.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous28/5/09 14:09

    I believe these images are real as are the lenses. The discussion board at PentaxForums has become too silly regarding this topic.

    I believe this is a slight wink from Pentax/Hoya that a FF DSLR is on its way. Especially for those users who might have wanted more than an APS-C sensor that the K-7 delivers and haven't bought heavily into DA lenses.

    I was very tempted by the Canon 5D MkII but now that I see Pentax/Hoya is getting ready to roll out the D FA lenses I'll just be patient and wait for the FF camera. I bet we'll know more in the coming months.

    The DA lens distractors fail to see is that many companies have different lineups. Nikon has their lineup split in half with FF and APC-C if you count the D3 and D3X as separate models. Canon and Sony sell both FF and APS-C cameras and lenses. That just leaves Pentax out of the loop.

    Does Toyota just sell one model or have just one brand? Do all Toyota cars come with the same four cylinder engine? Should I heap scorn on Lexus (Owned by Toyota) drivers because I only drive a Corolla or Camry? If Pentax wants to expand its market share it's going to have to expand its lineup; not just sell APS-C cameras and lenses.

    Seriously, I'm glad Pentax is expanding its market into medium format and FF digital cameras. The more competition in the market the better, Canon and Nikon are both overrated.

    Pentax makes some excellent cameras and lenses and has a strong history of innovation. I believe Hoya has awoken a sleeping giant.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It's easy to see this is a fake. In DFA* 50mm F1.0 picture, the text "DFA* 50mm F1.0" is clearly not paralel to the text "DFA 645 55mm".

    Also in the DA* 400mm F4.0, the green line and the dotted line are not at all perpendicular...

    Seems copy-paste not very well done...

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous29/5/09 02:41

    JCPentax's answer to a question re: the "roadmap"
    (manager of product marketing and support, Pentax USA)
    'While the timeline in the post looks "official"
    I suspect it is a fake. we have not seen any updated lens roadmaps....I know everyone in the marketing department in Japan that puts these together and none of them would leak this'

    So, for whatever it's worth.......

    ReplyDelete
  19. First, there is NO "timeline" shown in the "leak".

    Second, he only "*suspects* it is a fake" and he "knows that no one in the marketing department would leak", which is a super general statement which is always true! WHO, as a Hoya/Pentax staff, would and should leak anything of the company, especially when it is meant to be confidential? :)

    So, how "worth" it is? And, what does it tell?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous29/5/09 09:57

    It tells people that may be tempted to move to another camera manufacturer to be patient. The new Pentax K-7 is an excellent camera and better things are just around the corner... (FF DSLR, MF, New Lenses and ?) and continued support for APS-C which has its place in the market.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous30/5/09 01:57

    If it is true (not sure if it is), but a 135mm F2.8 Limited?
    I love 135mm prime lenses (I have 3 of them, 2 M42 mount at F3.5 and F2.8 and a Takumar K mount F2.5)
    Personally, I would have preferred Pentax to have introduced something at least F2.5 rather than F2.8 (I have my 50-135 for that, and maybe an SDM lens too (that could be a first - 135mm Limited SDM).
    All the rivals top 135mm's are either F2 (Canon and Nikon) or even F1.8 (Sony), so personally "At least F2.5" would have been great for me.
    On the other hand, if it is true, an F2.8 Limited will still be special, but still have that nagging feeling that is not as fast as my old Takumar.

    ReplyDelete
  22. My bet is the DFA*20mm F/2.8 SDM is mean to be used on the upcoming 645D. It will probably cover a good part of the sensor's surface area (33mm x 44mm), probably as much as the surface of a 24mm x 36mm sensor.

    If not, maybe a Pentax FF is in the works. I doubt it, but maybe...

    All the other DFA lenses are identified as 645 lenses. The DFA 50 F/1.0 means it will offer one of the most shallow DOF available on any FF or MF DSLR camera actually on the market.

    Seems Pentax is ready to support the 645D sales with new, digital-designed lenses to offer real wide-angle possibilities (the acutal 645 lens line-up hasn't much WA lenses right now, at least not for a 33mm x 44mm sensor, since the 645 lenses were designed for the 645 film, which is approx. 44mm x 56mm).

    ReplyDelete
  23. I think if the lenses are meant to be for the 645 digital system, Pentax would have named them to be "DFA 645" something.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous2/7/10 20:33

    we are the 2nd of July 2010... Sorry but it was fake :)))

    ReplyDelete
  25. The 645D had not been able to see the light for more than five years, so? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous9/9/10 17:57

    the 60-250mm f4 is real, the 645D also, the DFA645 55mm f2.8 also.
    The planned UW for the 645 is probably the 25mm
    The planned super telephoto is probably the 400mm f4

    All lenses mentionned here are in the future lenses block. Surely not a fake to me...

    ReplyDelete
  27. As previously said, the DFA 645 55 f/2.8 is available, the DFA 645 25 f/4 too.
    Maybe this spy photos aren't that fake !
    But then if full frame lens are produced again what is the matter of doing a DA 400 f/4 instead of a DFA 400 f/4 ?
    And that's the same problem about the DA limited 135 f/2.8. That would be more interesting if it were a DFA.
    The DFA 50 f/1.0 seems really odd to me.
    I hope we'll know more very soon about the future of K-mount lens and full-frame as well.

    ReplyDelete