is Pentax still crazy? thoughts when heard 50mm n 35mm price at MS

[night86mare]

nikon copy is below 500 or around there.
canon gets usm inside, are you going to compare with sdm version
to my experience, canon copy gives more better build feeling though.
let's put it this way, to compete with bigger names, even same or better quality, Pentax is supposed to offer low price, not the other way.

why don't you find out the problems with the canon version?

with SDM version, comes other problems.

give me non-SDM any day, i don't think our 50mm is very loud and noisy, seeing how most of my cat photos are taken rather close, and cats don't seem to mind..

http://photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00UfUI
http://www.fixya.com/support/t2790258-canon_50mm_f1_4_lens_focusing_failure

these are only 2 of the complaints.. once again, you are just picking out the faults, and drumming on them.

build is just subjective. i don't see how the canon version feels more sturdy, other than the fact that it is larger. it is after all, also plastic on the exterior.

can't comment on the nikon, like i said.

anyways, you have ignored the other points, so still drumming on the 50mm.

drumming on the 50mm is like me drumming on canon's kit lens being poor. that's like saying that the brand is poor because one particular lens is not good to me.

 

[night86mare]

hi guys, I am not going to blow off pentax. but how difficult for a fan to admit one's idol's obvious flaw?
there are types of fans for any brand.
but I would say, looking at the empty half would be helpful to get more motivated. better than being satisfied with the filled part when face to face comparing.
it's kind of sadness once a leading role now struggling for its supporting role by aiming to please the minority.
I did not have stats before this post, so I have just looked at stats online. sadly again, its market share is about 6th globlely. and more sadly, looking at most rapid growing market, China, it is...... none, out of top 10 counted, less than 1%? (correction: DSLR+DC) Pentax was of top 4 for decades there. can you figure out what's the scale of hole Pentax has dig?
just by my personal feeling on online forums. in past few years, there was a bloom for p users, at about the same time, there was a bloom for all DLSR users. I am not sure the ratio wise. but I did feel the declining trend of increase for pentax ---again, it's all about sampling. for this group of people, the purchase of more new lenses are much more common than general people. I heard it somewhere saying that more profit comes from lenses, not bodies --- of course, more profit from DC, not DSLR, which P not good at either. I can not get any stats on lens sales, but anyway since Pentax is eye on lady and oldy users as said, not expecting them buy buy more lenses la.

i don't see how anyone here has failed to acknowledge the flaws - so far you have most members happily agreeing with you that the 50mm is slightly overpriced. especially when you compare it to previous pricing.

but expecting it to stay at $320ish is unfair also what.

and saying that the brand is crazy because it has 1 or 2 lenses overpriced.. and one of the "overpriced" lenses is out of continuation and hard to find... is a bit too much for me.

i have highlighted other problems with pentax implementation also.. like the long exposure NR that cannot be turned off. as users, we always have a choice. for me, the long exposure NR is a pain in the arse, as 70%-80% of my landscape photos are long exposures. but is it sufficient for me to switch, losing the advantages that pentax offers over other brands? no. the k20d is also not a good performer in low light AF, it also doesn't have great high iso performance.

we all have to weigh the pros and cons of each brand. thinking that nikon and canon are definitely superior to pentax because they have say, cheaper 35mm and 50mm is a joke to me. if i really wanted to argue on your level, i can say that pentax is providing VR on 35mm and 50mm lenses, so the cost is bundled in with the lens. of course i won't. i just hope you see reality and be more objective.

all you can do is offer feedback. and as of right now, you are still obsessed with peeking at the flaws of pentax. if it upsets you so much, then you can vote with your wallet. and then perhaps you can find out what other brands' flaws are personally, despite the fact that a lot of people here could easily highlight them for you and have done so here. it is as simple as that.

 

[creampuff]

sigh, may I talk about minolta here? I started my SLR life with it, and still keep a set to remind me what it gave me.
it was not long ago a giant in this field went down

Well I too was a long time Minolta user from SRT/XE/XK to AF film camera days (that should tell you how old I am) and while the cameras were good, like Pentax, they lost their way with their later film cameras.
Fortunately for Pentax it had Hoya to come to its rescue and I feel they have maintained a coherent strategy.

for my colleagues knowing only C, N and now S, what should I say?
the recent two cases are: one went direct to L setup, one for the D90 kit. both much richer than me
zeiss not attractive enough yet.
for light user (kit lens forever type), I rec O.

Recommend Oly over Pentax? What a joke... :bigeyes:

 

[seefei]

notone, you seems to have a history to telling someone what to buy. few years back, you were recommending Pentax over Oly. Now, it is the other way round. No wonder you have nothing to say to your photography friends. Your opinion carry as much weight as a piece of A4 paper...

 

[creampuff]

If you feel the FA 50mm and FA 35mm are too pricey, then switch to a lens that offers superior build quality, compact size and great image quality... the FA 43mm f/1.8 Limited. And it comes in silver or black with a nice lens pouch thrown in.
And we all know how good the FA 43mm Limited is...
Alternatively you can don't buy Pentax and try your luck with the Sigma 50mm... hopefully you get a good copy. And if AF is not your thing, there is always the Voigtlander 40mm or 58mm...

Sorry if I can't empathize with silly ranting...

 

[ranchy]

for my colleagues knowing only C, N and now S, what should I say?
the recent two cases are: one went direct to L setup, one for the D90 kit. both much richer than me
zeiss not attractive enough yet.
for light user (kit lens forever type), I rec O.

Well, most people sure know C,N Or S, its on advertisment and branding. And when when you walk around, you will see lots of people carrying it. That's majority influence. Before i even know about pentax, i also only know about N & C. Before i got my K7, i only look at canon 500d and d90. Canon 500d was within budget but i like the D90 but its over my budget and get stuff i want. Then pentax kx brought me to look into pentax with its unique selling point, its colours and its low iso performance. It fits my budget even well. However, when the price drop for k7 and holding it, looking through the VF, my mind has change. Knewing the FA50mm has increased and no stock most of the time, it did not hold me back. There will be people asking why pentax? If you are happy with it, just share your experience of it.
Too recommend is your choice, maybe, your colleagues have knowledge of what he/she wants, whether you recommend, its just a minor advice. But for those who know nuts or just starting off with their first dslr, your recommendation would be soughtly heard.

I have no idea how good is olympus cameras but a pentax kx with kit lens its also a good set up.
And also pentax kx is creating a buzz to people unknown terriority of dslr. In japan, they are featured in fashion magz, those who have craze over japs stuff, seen the magz, would notice it.

 

[detritus]

Pentax never reached the level leica or zeiss did, and will never be. people will pay $$$ just for that name.

the Leica and Zeiss name was built up over time with a strong product line, effective marketing and a loyal brand following. that is my original question to you: does selling lenses cheap make the brand? who's going to pay the bills when such a suicidal strategy starts to spill red-ink? hoping for another white knight like Hoya the last time?

BTW, canon fits wider range of old lenses, which made a couple of Nikon uses around me get a canon body, but not pentax. maybe later a 4/3 body instead. anyway, not a good thing for a living company, neither significant enough to care about.

i know pentax can use old K, M and A lenses directly, and M42 lenses with adaptor with in body stabilisation but current Canon models can use old FD lenses?

and you said that you are interested in trying out old M lenses, but will not buy new lenses anymore. isn't that a plus point to Pentax? for making good camera bodies based on up to date technology that can leverage on the strong eco-system of older lenses?

isn't that the definition of a "living" company? one that takes care of its old user base and constantly comes up with new products to generate new market share?

your beef is not with the company, its body or even its line-up of lenses. u are just grousing that the 2 lenses u want are "too expensive". there's a simple solution to make u a happier person: don't buy those 2 lenses :bsmilie:

 

[felixcat8888]

All brands have their pros and cons. FA50/1.4 may have increased in price but i too feel that it is overpriced but I STILL RECOMMEND other to go for the K-x as the high ISO is great. Do you really need the FA50/1.4? Have you considered the FA43/1.8? That lens's build is solid as it is made of metal/glass all for the price of about $790.00.

What is so wrong for a company to increase prices for the FA35/2 when there is limited stock worldwide? This is supply vs demand. Same for the other lenses too.

I used to own the FA50/1.4 when the price was $320ish, BUT I sold to off to get the FA43mm/1.8 Limited as I liked the FOV more. I have both primes and zooms but my fav lens is still my old K 85mm/1.8, although I recently bought the FA77/1.8 Limited too, which I wanted to buy 2 yrs ago but did not have the $$. Although the price has increased by about $300, I still got the lens and have not regretted it.

As I still dabble with film, I can use the FA43/77 and other lenses on my film cameras too.

If you really want primes, then Pentax is the way to go. There is that feeling when you place a manual lens on the K7/K-x which is hard to describe here but that feeling is great.

 

[scorpioh]

All brands have their pros and cons. FA50/1.4 may have increased in price but i too feel that it is overpriced but I STILL RECOMMEND other to go for the K-x as the high ISO is great. Do you really need the FA50/1.4? Have you considered the FA43/1.8? That lens's build is solid as it is made of metal/glass all for the price of about $790.00.

What is so wrong for a company to increase prices for the FA35/2 when there is limited stock worldwide? This is supply vs demand. Same for the other lenses too.

I used to own the FA50/1.4 when the price was $320ish, BUT I sold to off to get the FA43mm/1.8 Limited as I liked the FOV more. I have both primes and zooms but my fav lens is still my old K 85mm/1.8, although I recently bought the FA77/1.8 Limited too, which I wanted to buy 2 yrs ago but did not have the $$. Although the price has increased by about $300, I still got the lens and have not regretted it.

As I still dabble with film, I can use the FA43/77 and other lenses on my film cameras too.

If you really want primes, then Pentax is the way to go. There is that feeling when you place a manual lens on the K7/K-x which is hard to describe here but that feeling is great.

Yes. All my Pentax lenses are primes too (except a 10-17fe). With Nikon and Canon, probably you get the trinity and some L zooms and you finish your collections. In Pentax, it's much more fun exposed to the numerous primes lenses.

 

[notone]

for a simple user stick to kit setup only, any difference?
at least over pentax, Oly has display sets almost every where to try out, and bargain deals once or twice a year.
why not?
and maybe to your surprise, I found people recognize Oly brand more than pentax. I can save xxx words to introduce

it depends on how old you started? my dad had a seagull dual lens reflex when I can remember things, but gone no where when I can do things so I might have longer history.
you are def not of that old days when srt was on market, right? their last a5,a7 and a9 are still better than any film p body of the same line. P was out in most of af film era.
I am not sure how many pentax lens out there, guess sumsung may buy over if the day comes to pentax. I wish it would never come.

Well too I was a long time Minolta user from SRT/XE/XK to AF film camera days (that should tell you how old I am) and while the cameras were good, like Pentax, they lost their way with their later film cameras.
Fortunately for Pentax it had Hoya to come to its rescue and I feel they have maintained a coherent strategy.



Recommend Oly over Pentax? What a joke... :bigeyes:

 

[daredevil123]

canon 50mm f/1.4 is also around $580 last i checked.

i haven't seen the nikon 50mm f/1.4, but i can tell you, based on the canon 50mm f/1.4 that i frequently see, the build quality is equal, and the canon version is larger and less compact.

that said, i also kind of agree that it shouldn't be $590. but neither should it have been priced at $320ish region.

Nikon's AF 50/1.4D is also low 500+. The AF-S 50/1.4G is 700+.

I would say it is about par. So I don't understand what the fuss is all about?

And I really wish Nikon actually has some pancake prime lenses that you pentaxians have access to...

 

[notone]

I am the one playing around these stuff among the circle, so they just came to ask my opinion, any problem?
and as the days goes, the products changes. maybe you insist your ideal model for years, I do not. in deed, my opinion changes person by person, and model by model. and you?
do not put your words into my mouth, thanks.

notone, you seems to have a history to telling someone what to buy. few years back, you were recommending Pentax over Oly. Now, it is the other way round. No wonder you have nothing to say to your photography friends. Your opinion carry as much weight as a piece of A4 paper...

 

[night86mare]

Nikon's AF 50/1.4D is also low 500+. The AF-S 50/1.4G is 700+.

I would say it is about par. So I don't understand what the fuss is all about?

And I really wish Nikon actually has some pancake prime lenses that you pentaxians have access to...

i don't know...

no one said photography was going to be cheap, i guess.

i think the issue here is really that fa 50mm f/1.4 used to be priced at 300-400, so when it went up, got big noise.

come to think of it, i haven't bought any lenses in a long time that cost more than $70.

anyhow, my points about SR, and other things... that others have pointed out, like the availability of excellent pancake lenses.. are just being ignored.

seems like TS just wants to go on and on and let off steam about the price. i guess let's just leave him to it, and do better things, like take photos. with the introduction of the k-x, there are more and more people joining, so you get more and more of all sorts of people coming in, i guess. 2-3 years ago, pentax section here seemed much more well-read in the basics of photography when they come in.. so this is a good thing because people are joining pentax... but bad because it is starting to look like C/N section - no offense meant, but i'm sure you know how it is in those sections. :bsmilie:

 

[notone]

so selling expensive make the brand? leica died before, how many time? where is zeiss now?
could you tell me how canon and nikon made their step up? isn't it the same strategy for the Jap cars?
think about your original question.
over the years, pentax saved on ads, but increased price. they are all J companies. can you work out a sound reason?

as to old lenses, directly or not is not a big issue, since you have gone this far to get old lenses. how about leica mount? CZ mount? the attractive benefit for pentax was AF conformation, but now AF adaptors flood.

the Leica and Zeiss name was built up over time with a strong product line, effective marketing and a loyal brand following. that is my original question to you: does selling lenses cheap make the brand? who's going to pay the bills when such a suicidal strategy starts to spill red-ink? hoping for another white knight like Hoya the last time?

i know pentax can use old K, M and A lenses directly, and M42 lenses with adaptor with in body stabilisation but current Canon models can use old FD lenses?

and you said that you are interested in trying out old M lenses, but will not buy new lenses anymore. isn't that a plus point to Pentax? for making good camera bodies based on up to date technology that can leverage on the strong eco-system of older lenses?

isn't that the definition of a "living" company? one that takes care of its old user base and constantly comes up with new products to generate new market share?

your beef is not with the company, its body or even its line-up of lenses. u are just grousing that the 2 lenses u want are "too expensive". there's a simple solution to make u a happier person: don't buy those 2 lenses :bsmilie:

 

[felixcat8888]

for a simple user stick to kit setup only, any difference?
at least over pentax, Oly has display sets almost every where to try out, and bargain deals once or twice a year.
why not?
and maybe to your surprise, I found people recognize Oly brand more than pentax. I can save xxx words to introduce

it depends on how old you started? my dad had a seagull dual lens reflex when I can remember things, but gone no where when I can do things so I might have longer history.
you are def not of that old days when srt was on market, right? their last a5,a7 and a9 are still better than any film p body of the same line. P was out in most of af film era.
I am not sure how many pentax lens out there, guess sumsung may buy over if the day comes to pentax. I wish it would never come.

Pentax AF cameras:
Z-1
Z-10
Z-20 - I still have this
Z-50
Z-70
Z-1 SE - I used to own this

MZ-3
MZ-3 LE
MZ-3 SE
MZ-5
MZ-6/ZX-L
MZ-7
MZ-50
MZ-60
MZ-S - I have this

Lenses
FA*
FA
F*
F
A*
A
K
M
M42

Why are you saying Samsung will buy over? isn't Hoya the parent company of Pentax now?

 

[notone]

we live on the same world, how come only pentax price rised so much more comparing to others?
do you guys really think only 35mm and 50mm overpriced? to my opinion, other than the kit lens, all (ok, most if not all) are overpriced, more or less, cost or market point. lmts have their own merits, but still, any good reason for the rise special to pentax?

 

[daredevil123]

so selling expensive make the brand? leica died before, how many time? where is zeiss now?
could you tell me how canon and nikon made their step up? isn't it the same strategy for the Jap cars?
think about your original question.
over the years, pentax saved on ads, but increased price. they are all J companies. can you work out a sound reason?

as to old lenses, directly or not is not a big issue, since you have gone this far to get old lenses. how about leica mount? CZ mount? the attractive benefit for pentax was AF conformation, but now AF adaptors flood.

Well, costs are on the rise. Global inflation is happening. And pentax is starting to market their products more aggressively. All these things cost money. If you are watching the news, even Foxconn is raising their salaries to operators in China. And many companies are forced to do the same.

So if it comes down to raising prices or go bankrupt, I think you know the answer...

 

[night86mare]

we live on the same world, how come only pentax price rised so much more comparing to others?
do you guys really think only 35mm and 50mm overpriced? to my opinion, other than the kit lens, all (ok, most if not all) are overpriced, more or less, cost or market point. lmts have their own merits, but still, any good reason for the rise special to pentax?

yawn

we live on the same world, how come only you cannot see that this is a price correction? i.e. pentax 50mm was underpriced earlier on, rather than it being correctly priced, and pentax raising the price.

 

[daredevil123]

we live on the same world, how come only pentax price rised so much more comparing to others?
do you guys really think only 35mm and 50mm overpriced? to my opinion, other than the kit lens, all (ok, most if not all) are overpriced, more or less, cost or market point. lmts have their own merits, but still, any good reason for the rise special to pentax?

Nikon and Canon products got a 20% price hike in early 2009. FYI.

Pentax gave you low prices for 1 year more, and you are still not happy?

 

[night86mare]

Well, costs are on the rise. Global inflation is happening. And pentax is starting to market their products more aggressively. All these things cost money. If you are watching the news, even Foxconn is raising their salaries to operators in China. And many companies are forced to do the same.

So if it comes down to raising prices or go bankrupt, I think you know the answer...

he is ridiculously only focusing on the pentax lenses that have raised in price.

why doesn't he mention the nikon lens prices being raised, or canon for that matter, i have no idea.

selective vision is a common disease today, when people just want to argue their way via 强词夺理. as if repeating the same thing over and over again is going to make something true.