Though Bird_Bill has mentioned this already in the previous thread, it might not be out of place to make a dedicated thread for this new Pentax lens, seeing that this is a long lens from Pentax after rather a while. Only a picture has been released and the brief blurbs from Pentax are hardly informative, but the new lens bears comment, even if it is speculative:
i) It would be a DA lens made for the APS-C sensor. It might not be readily usable with a 35mm film camera. Pentax DA lenses do not have aperture rings. Therefore it would be dependent on the DSLR to set the aperture.
ii) Pentax coatings are of high quality. This lens could scarcely fail to have those coatings.
iii) It ought to have autofocus but this is not spelt out. Pentax autofocus, though accurate, remains slower than Canon and Nikon autofocus. Birds in flight will be the main challenge.
iii) The lens is reportedly optimised for rendering distant subjects particularly sharp and is based on the optics used in astronomical telescopes. This claim is not very enlightening but raises questions about the minimum focus distance. It also implies use of ED elements, or does it?
iv) The f5.6 base aperture means that the lens might just about be portable, though the 560mm focal length means a risky outlook for handheld use.
v) Pentax metering even with its DA lenses was a little iffy till the K20D but appears to have improved with the K-7 and K-5. AE metering will certainly be a great boon to the user, especially the TAV mode where the user sets the aperture and shutter speed and the camera sets the ISO.
vi) Pentax's in-camera stabilisation will help in getting getting a few stops of exposure from the camera.
vii) Pricing will be an important consideration. If the lens is priced between USD 1500-2500, it ought to sell well to Pentax and Samsung DSLR users.
The lens is due some time in 2012. Let us hope the long wait for Pentax users has been worthwhile.
Chhayanat
i) It would be a DA lens made for the APS-C sensor. It might not be readily usable with a 35mm film camera. Pentax DA lenses do not have aperture rings. Therefore it would be dependent on the DSLR to set the aperture.
ii) Pentax coatings are of high quality. This lens could scarcely fail to have those coatings.
iii) It ought to have autofocus but this is not spelt out. Pentax autofocus, though accurate, remains slower than Canon and Nikon autofocus. Birds in flight will be the main challenge.
iii) The lens is reportedly optimised for rendering distant subjects particularly sharp and is based on the optics used in astronomical telescopes. This claim is not very enlightening but raises questions about the minimum focus distance. It also implies use of ED elements, or does it?
iv) The f5.6 base aperture means that the lens might just about be portable, though the 560mm focal length means a risky outlook for handheld use.
v) Pentax metering even with its DA lenses was a little iffy till the K20D but appears to have improved with the K-7 and K-5. AE metering will certainly be a great boon to the user, especially the TAV mode where the user sets the aperture and shutter speed and the camera sets the ISO.
vi) Pentax's in-camera stabilisation will help in getting getting a few stops of exposure from the camera.
vii) Pricing will be an important consideration. If the lens is priced between USD 1500-2500, it ought to sell well to Pentax and Samsung DSLR users.
The lens is due some time in 2012. Let us hope the long wait for Pentax users has been worthwhile.
Chhayanat