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Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Pentax Completely Abandons Screw-drive Body-AF for All Upcoming New Lenses (If Any!) >:-[

This is disclosed from an interview with the senior officials of the Pentax Imaging, at the recently held New York PhotoPlus Expo:-

http://enticingthelight.com/2010/11/01/speaking-to-pentax-at-photoplus-expo-in-new-york/

Quoted:-
  • DC is a new type of in-lens focusing motor that’s intended for consumer lenses. DA* lenses will incorporate the higher grade SDM focusing.
  • Going forward, all DA lenses will have DC focusing only, losing the screwdrive option. The exception will be the DA Limited lenses, which will stick with screwdrive focusing.
  • The new DC 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 is DA focus only and will be available within a few weeks (the display unit I tried out is a preproduction model). It is “weather resistant” and has a metal mount. Price will be $530 in the US.
  • Still no official statement from Pentax about the SDM failures. I was told Pentax USA was aware of the issues people were reporting, but that it was Pentax Japan who had to acknowledge a problem (if there is one). Pentax USA doesn’t know if the alleged issue is being addressed, but I was told the engineers are continually working on improving their designs so it could be new SDM lenses would be more resilient. As of now, Pentax Japan have not informed them of an SDM II being developed.
  • No word on any possible new lenses.
Well.. Oh, NO! >:-{

When some people are always blaming me for being "negative" from time to time. But in reality, aren't all these news are just too discouraging enough? Mind that almost every person writes his/her own words in the Internet now, and I am surely not the only Pentaxian who are being "negative". Do note that the above are all told by the senior officials of the Pentax Imaging of USA. I believe that the author does not mis-quote what the officials said.

At the end of this post, I just can't help myself and just wish to ask: With the drop of backward system compatibility with all the new lenses (which are yet unknown for their actual existence!), why people should go Pentax now? Just because their SDM is known to be particularly superior in performance and more reliable?? Besides, it should be noted that the performance and reliability of the DC motor is yet not proven, but time will tell.

Finally, do note that if they now could abandon the support of those a bit older DSLR bodies that were made only back to 2006 (K100D and before), a few years later they can yet once again abandon the support of the *current* screw-driven DA/FA Limited lenses on their new bodies, which possibly by that time will only support lenses that have an in-lens AF motor in them. So, this would be something that we should really think about..

Indeed, Pentax *was* the company whom once had insisted the most on system forward and backward compatibilities. But now, everything shows that Hoya just breaks this good tradition too easily, but without good enough reasons, which is rather disgusting after all!


Read Also:-

1,000 Signatures of the Pentax SDM Petition Online!

Really NO MORE HOPE WITH PENTAX (Dozen Reasons for WHY NOT PENTAX NOW)

Pentax Starts to Drop Support for Body Driven AF

Comments (24)

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If I understand this correctly, this means all new lenses will be incompatible with >4 year old DSLRs made by Pentax. Although this is not something to be happy about, in the electronic world we are used to the fact that everything >4 years old is "obsolete". And, frankly, it IS. Who would want to use a DSLR with a sensor >4 years old?

For me, I am buying a new body every 3-4 years (at least) just like I do with computers, mobile phones, etc. Although some may not admit it, this behaviour has become NORMAL.

And since >80% of my Pentax investment is in lenses, the news do not shock me at all. These are non-news.

The other way around would be shocking: if all newer bodies would not support screw-driven AF. That would render ALL my lenses immediately obsolete (and isn't that more or less what Canon did a couple of years ago to their customers).

So, sorry Rice, but again I cannot share your feelings. You are making a fuzz about nothing.

C
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
Yes, old body doesn't support new lenses is not new. Important is the new body still support all previous lenses.
bandymelis's avatar

bandymelis · 749 weeks ago

If they changed the focusing system in their lenses, probably they have a good reason for it. Saying that the DC focusing still has to be proven clearly betrays prejudice. Before blaming something, please, try it ant test. I am sure the DC will be a faster system. It only shows Hoya is trying to invent a more efficient system, not sticking to the old, which is commendable.
The cameras, I am sure, will always remain backwards compatible, as Limited lenses are two small to install a motor (this has already been stated by Pentax/Hoya).
I am loosing the last bits of confidence in this site, as it ransacks after a smallest bit of info and hastily exaggerates it into a mountain of "problems".
It seems to me that Hoya is basically looking to the bottom line; MONEY and PROFITS. I went to Pentax years ago after CANON switched their old FD lens mounts. I had $4,000 (1980's money) in Canon lenses which were basically useless on newer Canons. Never forgot that and never forgave them.
I liked Pentax because it looked like I could use my old screwmount lenses as well as my newer SDM lenses on any new camera coming out as well as my old film cameras. Looks like that is about to change with the new DC lenses.
It seems to me that Hoya is only interested in milking the Pentax cow for whatever they can get out of them. That's why they come out with new cameras which are basically a year or more behind the others and still are missing features of less expensive camera (eg Nikon D7000).
The SDM problem, (which thankfully 2 years in for me has not occurred) could be solved by offering a longer warranty on the lenses. Sigma and Tamron can do it -why not Pentax; afterall the SDM line of lenses is supposedly their higher-end, "professional " line. "PENTOYA" will not do it because they are too cheap.
I too am getting tired of this and am thinking of switching to Nikon.
2 replies · active 749 weeks ago
I though that corporations produce stuff out of good will, and didn't operate to maximize profits...
GTJ -

"I liked Pentax because it looked like I could use my old screwmount lenses as well as my newer SDM lenses on any new camera coming out as well as my old film cameras. Looks like that is about to change with the new DC lenses."

Nothing like this is implied by the above article. The article is about a change in NEWER LENSES, not bodies. It says you won't get the screwdrive AF in all NEWER LENSES (with some exceptions). It does NOT say newer bodies won't support screwdrive AF.

In fact, if Pentax were indeed to abandon the screwdrive in the BODIES - which, again, is NOT announced in the above article - THAT would render my Pentax investment non-upgradable, since I own and use mainly the DA limited lenses, the 100 macro WR and the 10-17 Fisheye, and (rarely) the 55-300. So ALL my lenses have screw-driven AF.

Again, not only is your fear without reason, it is also highly unlikely that this will happen at all, given that Pentax has launched NEW screw-driven lenses in the last couple of years (e.g. the 15 limited). In fact, only a handful of Pentax lenses are NOT screw-driven. Plus, Pentax has always made it a point that newer bodies support ALL existing lenses (M42 with adapter). In fact, I expect that Pentax will continue to expand their successful "limited" program, which is all screw-driven.

So relax.

C

PS. Isn't it funny how many people have hard feelings towards Pentax for "the SDM issue" while admitting that they personally have never experienced it? What is wrong with you guys?
I am the author of the article being linked to by RiceHigh, and I would like to clarify the text quoted in red: It says "all DA lenses will have DC focusing only". This does not include DA* lenses, and may not include DA L lenses.

DA* lenses are likely to be dual focusing (screwdrive and SDM), while we don't know what system DA L lenses will use. The DA 17-70mm f/4 was SDM only and nobody died because of it.

The Limited lenses will continue to be screwdrive, which means at least some Pentax camera bodies will have to continue offering screwdrive focusing.

RiceHigh, I think you are blowing all this out of proportion. It's simple technology evolution, and Pentax cannot stick to old-fashioned slow, noisy screwdrive focusing forever when the industry has moved on to silent, faster in-lens motors. That could mean the death of Pentax, which is not something I want.
15 replies · active 749 weeks ago
Actually, there are only two dual focusing lenses in the system: DA*16-50 and DA*50-135. All the other DA* are SDM only. There was no problem with that in the past and I don't see any problems in a future. BTW, that's exactly what Nikon did - they still have some screwdrive bodies even if they haven't produced one screwdrive lens for last couple of years. Of course, there is a chance that in a future Pentax will abandon screwdrive AF support in their entry level bodies (like Nikon did), so Rice will have to buy something better (and more expansive) than that, and maybe that's why he's so hysterical...:P
Michael A.'s avatar

Michael A. · 749 weeks ago

Make it 3. The nice Pentax DA* 60-250mm f/4 ED has a dual drive as well.
Yeah, you're right - I forgot about it...
DA*300/4 and DA*200/2.8 too...:)))
So What? The lenses will still have no AF once their SDM dies. To quote what you folks have been arguing, how many screw-driven non-SDM Pentax DSLRs outthere are we Pentaxians still owning and using? :-)
Not so many. Most of Pentax users I know bought at least one SDM body since K10D introduction. BTW, if screwdriver dies you won't have AF with all your screw-driven lenses - what's worse then?...:P
Yes, but that small tiny screwdriver is indeed very durable, unlike the SDM. The one in my SFX died only after 10 years of use. After that, I have none of the screwdrive died in any of my Pentax AFSLRs (8 models, over ten units, over two decades) up till now!
Rice - are you seriously asking Pentax to offer all SDM lenses with a fallback screwdrive simply because SDM may fail? Although I do not own a single SDM lens - I prefer the small and lightweight limiteds - I assume "the SDM issue" has long been resolved and is simply not present in lenses that are currently in production.

And BTW, with all your Hoya bashing don't forget Hoya has RESCUED Pentax in 2007 (or was it 2006?). So if you like Pentax, as you say in your profile, you should also like Hoya.

C
I think he is asking of camera's option to fallback to screw-drive (if SDM lens has one) when SDM fails.
Definitely not. I've tried them on my K10D before firmware update - they were MF only.
I've tried them on my K100D and they had screw-drive AF.

I've tried both preproduction samples and production ones.

(Btw, I can recall too that guys with K10D claimed on local Pentax meeting that k10d + preproduction 16-50 and 50-135 were not AF-ing. But I'm not sure if I remember correctly - it was 3,5 years ago)
I've tried both and finally bought DA*200/2.8 a year and a half ago, so they've been both production versions for sure. I didn't want to update a firmware from ver.1.10 to ver.1.3, because of a service menu, so I remember that really good.
Michael A.'s avatar

Michael A. · 749 weeks ago

DA*50-135mm works just fine on screw only ist*D what knows nothing about SDM. Sounds the MF only is K10D specific before an update to FW 1.30 than...
Because, as I said before, DA*50-135 is a dual focusing lens. And so are DA*16-50 and DA*60-250.
Your reasoning is what i fear, Like Nikon I will be forced to by only the most expensive cameras if I want to use my old auto focus lenses as they where designed. I have a lot of screw drive lens's but have no need for a pro level/large/heavy camera. Pentax should state if they will go like Nikon or continue to support screw drive no matter the level of the k-mount body's they sell in the future.
This information and the potential future impact has stopped me from a large lens order this week(strong dollar).
Ricehigh did not need to convince me as I came to this possible conclusion from the news on the linked site be myself.
I can see Pentax saying that limited lenses are only meant for high end/pro uses and removing screw drive support in the future with a non screw drive kit lens for all small/low end cameras. (And that does make me think about investing more in Pentax)
That's a pity... But hopefully, Pentax left a MF option on those new non-screwdriven lenses :p

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