Peter Alling <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Both these lenses were children of their times. Any new lens in that range >would be a complete re-design to take advantage of new techniques in optical >design, manufacturing and new materials. The optical formula might be similar >but not identical.
More importantly, any new lens in this category will face competition from third party manufacturers. Pentax is clearly concentrating on the very wide end for their DSLR lenses because currently their only competition is Sigma. The 14mm and 16-45 DA lenses have no direct competition (Sigma's 14mm is full-frame, and much larger and heavier). Sigma's 12-24 is the real competition for both DA lenses, in a way. Still, that's a better situation to be in that facing competition from multiple lenses by multiple manufacturers. Since they're making virtually no profit on the ist-D camera body, the possibility of making lenses for which the competition is so thin is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they shouldn't miss. The situation won't last for long. I expect they'll concentrate on this area (rather than focal length ranges they already have covered) for a while. It's just a smart business decision. -- Mark Roberts Photography and writing www.robertstech.com
