New 600/4 (or similar)

<p>I recently saw on PentaxForums a 2011 lens road-map that showed a highly unspecific listing in the bottom right (upcoming lenses, greater than 300mm): "Pentax SuperTelephoto."<br>

Does anyone know more about this?</p>

<p>http://www.pentax.jp/english/products/lens/roadmap.pdf</p>

<p>Pete,</p>

<p>All companies have roadmaps, Pentax was just stupid and released them over and over publicly. Releasing a roadmap is a major source of discontent. You'll never please everyone, and you will always stir up negative feelings.</p>

<p>A few years ago the roadmap post were rampant on this forum, and many others, it did absolutely nothing for anyone. Some lenses came to market, others did not. Personally, I'm most upset the 30mm f/1.4 DA* never came to market, but a lot of really good lenses have.</p>

<p>There are a lot of people that want a long lens or two from Pentax. 300mm F/4 is the best we have so far, and while it's a good lens, it's just not quite long enough. It also doesn't have a matching TC. With a cropped sensor, I'd love to see a 400mm f/4, released simultaneously with the 1.5X TC we never saw come to market either.A compact but long 600mm equivalent, with the capability to be a 900mm equivalent f/5.6 using the TC. That should be long and fast enough for most peoples needs. Hopefully the cost can be something reasonable as well.</p>

<p>The roadmaps may have been a "feeler", to see what the response on the net was to a proposed new lens. If they didn't see enough enthusiasm, it didn't happen.<br /> I'd think a 600mm lens would be a very slow seller, not a lot of units to recover design and tooling costs. There aren't that many deep-pocketed birders.<br>

Consider that Nikon's contender in this market segment costs about $10,000. Pentax doesn't make any K-mount lenses anywhere near that expensive at the moment, most expensive is $1500. (Now, the 645D FA 25mm is $5000.)</p>

<p>John,</p>

<p>Does Pentax really read these forums? I doubt it. I'm sure they do occasionally, but not regularly.</p>

<p>The roadmap for these companies is like a rough outline, nothing is set in stone till it's announced.</p>

<p>If they were listening to the forums, a 30mm f'/1.4 would have come out, while the 55mm f/1.4 wouldn't have. We already had several options in the 50mm range, but only a single option in the 28-35mm range. The 35mm f/2.4, a nice lens, isn't quite what most of us wanted.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>All companies have roadmaps</p>

</blockquote>

<p>All but Sony...</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Justin wrote:<br>

Does Pentax really read these forums? I doubt it. [...] If they were listening to the forums, a 30mm f'/1.4 would have come out, while the 55mm f/1.4 wouldn't have.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yup, certainly would. If Sigma can make a decent 30mm f/1.4 (which many Pentaxians have bought, by the way), I'm sure Pentax could have made an even better one, and weather-sealed to boot. Would be a perfect normal prime for the K-5.</p>

<p>I'm bored and tired of complaining about this particular issue.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I'm bored and tired of complaining about this particular issue.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Me too, but I felt it was the perfect example to show Pentax (and most other companies) really don't read the forums. The certainly do some market research, but even then I'm not sure how much. Because again, I highly doubt that more people said they were going to buy the 55mm f/1.4 than a 30mm f/1.4. But really, I have no idea how many 55mm 1.4 lenses were sold, perhaps Pentax is reading this going, "what a fool he is for doubting us, that 55mm lens funded the award winning 645D...moron."</p>

<p>Anyway, Mis, you and I are proof that they potentially lost 2 sales!</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Justin wrote:<br /> Anyway, Mis, you and I are proof that they potentially lost 2 sales!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Well...I <em>did</em> buy the 31 Ltd. And you probably used the money to purchase some DA Ltd, so it's possible they made more money off of us this way than if they'd developed the DA* 30mm and we'd bought it.</p>

<p>As I like to remind people, camera companies are not in this business to provide us with the camera equipment we want, but rather to give their shareholders the maximum possible profit. If all the people that bought a DA* 55mm didn't buy an FA 50mm, and all the people that wanted a DA* 30mm bought the 31 Ltd instead, then Pentax achieved their objective.</p>

<p>Yes, I know, I'm turning into an old, cynical bastard.</p>