It looks like they make a point of only showing the FA-series lenses in that graphic. I used to own the 600mm 645A* ED-IF alphabet soup lens. It had some really great mechanical touches. It wasn't Mamiya APO sharp, but it was still a very good lens with great color.
I hope the current owner in the Bay area is putting to good use. Such a lens begs to be used for landscapes and its very unique point of view.
p.3 #2 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
Tariq Gibran wrote:
Yeah, it just depends on who is buying. I would certainly go for the Pentax myself but I'm perfectly fine with buying older, used 645 lenses. A serious MF professional user who needs the versatility/ flexibility (even occasionally) of a current, existing system (either to own or rent as needed) will find the Pentax lacking. For instance, there are currently only three available new lenses in the U.S. - a 25, 55 and 90 Macro. Compare that to the new lens line-up of Phase or Hasselblad and you can see the problem. So, the complete lack of any current longer lenses (say the typical FL's used by fashion and catalog) would be a huge issue for a number of professionals. For others who don't require this flexibility, it's a relatively great bargain....Show more →
Is Pentax/Ricoh even committed to the 645 system? I wonder how they're going to stimulate demand and grow the market without having a bigger lens lineup?
p.3 #4 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
lsquare wrote:
Is Pentax/Ricoh even committed to the 645 system? I wonder how they're going to stimulate demand and grow the market without having a bigger lens lineup?
The fact that they are releasing this significant'y updated 645D with a new lens is probably a good sign they are committed. Why would they waste the resources if they were not? They have been slowly introducing new lenses for the system since the 645D was released - 25mm, 55mm, 90mm Macro and now what looks to be a wide angle zoom. I do think they desperately need a few longer lenses though. Probably just a new120 and 180 like the Leica S system offers would do it.
p.3 #5 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
lsquare wrote:
How about a UWA, standard zoom, and telephoto zoom lens?
The Pentax 25mm is comparable to what is offered by others for this format (Hasselblad and Leica offer a 24 as their widest and Phase a 28). Telephoto is where the big hole is imo for new lenses.
p.3 #6 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
Tariq Gibran wrote:
The Pentax 25mm is comparable to what is offered by others for this format (Hasselblad and Leica offer a 24 as their widest and Phase a 28). Telephoto is where the big hole is imo for new lenses.
I meant a UWA zoom. I'm not very familiar with MF systems, but I don't see a lot of zooms available. I get that it's easier to optimize and obtain the best image quality by going with primes, but having zooms could be a big selling point for Ricoh.
p.3 #7 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
Tariq Gibran wrote:
The fact that they are releasing this significant'y updated 645D with a new lens is probably a good sign they are committed. Why would they waste the resources if they were not? They have been slowly introducing new lenses for the system since the 645D was released - 25mm, 55mm, 90mm Macro and now what looks to be a wide angle zoom. I do think they desperately need a few longer lenses though. Probably just a new120 and 180 like the Leica S system offers would do it.
They're moving quite slowly, which is why I question their commitment to the format. It's like as if they're taking a page from Apple and treating this as a hobby.
p.3 #8 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
AFAIK the FA lenses are still in production and are available most places throughout the world, except the US. Perhaps Pentax USA will change now that there's a new president of Pentax USA who came from Ricoh. By way of example, here's a listing from Henry's in Toronto:
p.3 #9 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
tsjanik wrote:
AFAIK the FA lenses are still in production and are available most places throughout the world, except the US. Perhaps Pentax USA will change now that there's a new president of Pentax USA who came from Ricoh. By way of example, here's a listing from Henry's in Toronto:
BTW Sirimiri I once contacted you about the 600mm and Tariq I once sold you a Pentax 645 body which you returned ):
Production of these lenses ended years ago, but Pentax probably still has a warehouse full of old stock.
Pentax Canada dumped all of their remaining 645 lenses and accessories a few years ago, and a few big stores like Henry's bought all the inventory for pennies on the dollar - only to watch it collect dust.
p.3 #10 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
molson wrote:
Production of these lenses ended years ago, but Pentax probably still has a warehouse full of old stock.
Pentax Canada dumped all of their remaining 645 lenses and accessories a few years ago, and a few big stores like Henry's bought all the inventory for pennies on the dollar - only to watch it collect dust.
Are you saying that Henry's purchased the 25mm lens for pennies on the dollar and leaves the price at $5,000 while nobody buys it - does that really make business sense?
p.3 #11 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
tsjanik wrote:
AFAIK the FA lenses are still in production and are available most places throughout the world, except the US. Perhaps Pentax USA will change now that there's a new president of Pentax USA who came from Ricoh. By way of example, here's a listing from Henry's in Toronto:
BTW Sirimiri I once contacted you about the 600mm and Tariq I once sold you a Pentax 645 body which you returned ):
Wow, I remember that 645 body. That was quite a while back!
Yeah, I think all of those older FA lenses have been out of production for quite some time (if they are "Made in Japan", that's a certainty). The ones from Henry's are all special order and I bet they come from remaining stock which has been stockpiled in Japan for the home market.
p.3 #12 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
uintaangler wrote:
Are you saying that Henry's purchased the 25mm lens for pennies on the dollar and leaves the price at $5,000 while nobody buys it - does that really make business sense?
He's referring to the older, FA lenses (Pentax-A versions, not Pentax-D or Pentax-DA which are newer). The 25mm is new and currently in production - made in Vietnam. The current production lenses are the 25, 55 and 90mm Macro as far as I'm aware (all the lenses introduced since the 645D started shipping).
p.3 #13 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
uintaangler wrote:
Are you saying that Henry's purchased the 25mm lens for pennies on the dollar and leaves the price at $5,000 while nobody buys it - does that really make business sense?
No, I was referring to all of the old, out-of-production FA-645 lenses...
The 25mm, 55mm, and 90mm are new D-FA lenses that are (as far as we know) currently in production.
p.3 #15 · Official: Pentax 645Z Medium Format priced at $8,499
FWIW, I have seen a 645 35mm FA labeled Assembled in Viet Nam and I do remember a Hoya statement when they announced that the 645NII and 67II were to be discontinued that the production of 645 lenses was to continue. (FWIW)
