I took the advice of the group and called the Pentax Çolorado office.
The conversation was a bit surreal. They tell me that B&H and amazon.com
have the lens -- neither do or have for months -- and this guy couldn't
tell me when the lens will ever be made again, although it's not
discontinued. I asked him when they last made the lens, and he says,
immediately, four months ago. So I ask him how he knows when they made
it last and not when they'll make it again, and he got obtuse again. He
also said he's gotten at least eight calls in the last few weeks about
the 200mmf/2.8's availability. So again, I ask whether demand or queries
will stimulate interest in manufacturing the lens, and he said no;
plants cycle through the manufacturing process: sometimes they make
cameras, sometimes lenses (aren't there separate machines for each?).
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Almost sorry I recommended that you call, but this is far more
interesting than you would have gotten from an e-mail.
DA and D FA lenses are assembled in Vietnam. I think (but am not
certain) that FA lenses are still assembled in Japan. Other gear is
assembled in the Philippines. So the bit about the factory cycling
through different production sounds like nonsense.
In a frank talk I once had with a Pentax rep, I found out that Pentax
tells Pentax USA little more than Pentax tells us. He described the
company officials as arrogant.
Joe
- Re: lens around to buy? Joseph Tainter
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