RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: Updated: New Pentax Lens Patent Published: 70-200mm F2.8 Full Frame Lens!

Friday, October 05, 2012

Updated: New Pentax Lens Patent Published: 70-200mm F2.8 Full Frame Lens!

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2012-10-05
(in Japanese, Excite English Translation Here .)

Via Photo Rumors.

This new patent has just been published yesterday. Do note that it is specified that the "Image Height Y = 21.64mm", which simply tells that it is not a 135 Full Frame lens for the image circle, despite that the focal range is really common for many of those Full Frame F2.8 tele-zoom lenses made by others. The slightly larger image circle than APS-C will allow the in-body SR to work and also that the sweet spot of the optic could be utilised.

Btw, it is yet another piece of evidence to hint that a Pentax Full Frame body and system is not going to happen in the foreseeable near future, as Pentax Ricoh is still putting much effort and resource in the development of those hopeless APS-C stuff! >:-(

Updated: Thanks to the reminder by someone and I have checked again the performance chart diagrams as published (example here), I think it is actually a Full Frame lens! The Y is simply the distance that is measured from the optical centre! So, it is just a Full Frame lens! Well, the dark cloud has suddenly disappeared and been turned to bright light then! ;-D Sorry for the confusion anyway and I am really glad that I have been wrong! Still, the new lens and design is yet 10cm longer than the old FA*80-200/2.8, which *also* has an internal zooming mechanism and is much shorter and "compact" enough.

Besides, this new lens should include an in-lens IS (or SR in Pentax' terminology), as the image circle just fits and there is no spare space for the body SR anymore.

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0 Vote up Vote down

maksa · 650 weeks ago

> Lens length: 296.16mm
WTF???

1 reply · active 650 weeks ago

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RiceHigh 110p · 650 weeks ago

This is plain stupid, the old FA*80-200/2.8 is at a constant length of 195mm with its internal zooming mechanism. The new lens design is 10cm longer (when fully extended?) and it is just an APS-C lens against the old Full Frame design of the same focal range and constant aperture!

http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/zooms/long/FA80-20...

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Wider · 650 weeks ago

21.64 = FF

Both of these Canon lenses filed at the same time have "image height" of 21.64mm. There is also a 35mm F/1.4 and a 180mm F/3.5 Macro from Canon that have the 21.64mm image height. http://photorumors.com/2012/05/23/canon-patents-f...

4 replies · active 650 weeks ago

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RiceHigh 110p · 650 weeks ago

Those lenses could be for the EOS-M then.

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Alex · 650 weeks ago

The EF 600mm and 400mm have the same 21.64mm "image height" - are they for EOS-M, too? ;)

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Alex · 650 weeks ago

Oops, sorry - Wider was talking about those lenses.

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Wider · 650 weeks ago

400 and 600 mm lenses for EOS-M????????? Good joke.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Wider · 650 weeks ago

I think "Image Height" is actually the radius of the image circle.
21.64mm x 2 = 43.28mm which would be 0.15mm larger than a full frame image circle needed to cover a 24x36mm sensor.

1 reply · active 650 weeks ago

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RiceHigh 110p · 650 weeks ago

Hope it to be! Maybe I need to dig into the patent document to see if this is the case then.

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aurele · 650 weeks ago

don't be so happy, Pentax is doomed, DOOOOOOOOOMED ! it won't survive longer enought to produce a FF body :-P

1 reply · active 650 weeks ago

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RiceHigh 110p · 650 weeks ago

It have been said that Pentax is being doomed for the last two decades but the brand still exists up till now! ;-D (Despite that it actually once died and was sold twice!)

-2 Vote up Vote down

Tomasz Worek · 650 weeks ago

Boring... there are many 70-200 lenses already.

It would be more interesting if Pentax tries to work on lenses that would make this system more unique:
- more limiteds (for example: 10mm, 100mm...)
- zooms for travel photography: something with unique range, good optical quality, wr, small weight and small size... it seems that I want too much :-)

3 replies · active 635 weeks ago

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maksa · 650 weeks ago

Agree, I really need a compact travel zoom for APS-C with a range 35-350 or maybe even 40-400 with decent image quality throughout the range and fast AF as well. For example, 35-350mm F4-5.6 having Tamron's 18-270 size and weight will be great. Wide angle is quite specific, and if I really need it, I will take a 10-20 lens. Current 70-200s are too large and heavy (and have short tele as well); the 60-250 is a good alternative, but too pricey and needs a standard lens; various soft and slow telezooms and ultrazooms are not for me.

And I don't need full frame camera, I think this is a choice for professionals who work with very fast primes and heavy zooms. Compact and light zooms are a great achievement of APS-C, so I do not plan not jumping to FF. But I know, many people think different, and they want to see a FF camera in the line even they would like to continue shooting with APS-C.

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Michael A. · 635 weeks ago

You need to talk to Harry Potter about these 2 zooms, you know, the guy with magic wand....

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arn · 650 weeks ago

Sure, Pentax have to work on unique prime lenses, but they need updated standard zooms too.
It's a very good new, for sure.

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Mike · 650 weeks ago

An other Tamron redesign ... ?

1 reply · active 650 weeks ago

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Ying · 650 weeks ago

No, the Tamron design has 23 elements if I remember correctly.

Pentax fire a lot of patents but it doesn't necessarily mean they will make it. Patent hording

+1 Vote up Vote down

guest · 650 weeks ago

there is no spare space for the body SR anymore???

photorumors: "21.64mm * 2 = 43.28mm so 0.15mm larger than the image circle required for cover full frame"

0.15 mm spare space is about 25px = 6000px * 0.15mm/36mm horizontal pixels on a 24MB (6000x4000) sensor

1 reply · active 650 weeks ago

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arn · 650 weeks ago

Quote :Besides, this new lens should include an in-lens IS (or SR in Pentax' terminology), as the image circle just fits and there is no spare space for the body SR anymore.

It could explain why there is a SR in the lens.

+1 Vote up Vote down

maksa · 650 weeks ago

The first element is concave. Very intriguingly.

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Mistral75 · 650 weeks ago

This patent is first and foremost the one of Q's 06 Telephoto Zoom 15-45mm f/2.8.

See the American version of the patent:
http://aiw2.uspto.gov/.aiw?PageNum=34&docid=2...

Out of 6 illustrations of the patent, 5 are for a 15.45-43.65mm f/2.9 with a 4.65mm image circle's radius (see Tables 2, 5, 8, 11 and 17) and one is for a 70.21-198.32mm f/2.9 with a 21.64mm image circle's radius (see table 14).

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Odyn · 650 weeks ago

70-200 on aps-c wouldn't make sense (apart from 'having it' in the lens range). 50-135 is a much better range for most purposes.

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rjsd · 650 weeks ago

Pentax knows how to rehash their product line so they should just produce the FA*II 70-200. There may be some issue with producing glass of the same quality . They produced those lenses with lead and ground up Chinese prisoners. I believe they can no longer use the lead.

1 reply · active 650 weeks ago

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jaad75 · 650 weeks ago

There was no such a lens as the FA*70-200 and this is definitely completely different optical formula than the FA*80-200. Trolling as always.

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RiceHigh's Pentax Blog

Friday, October 05, 2012

Updated: New Pentax Lens Patent Published: 70-200mm F2.8 Full Frame Lens!

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