Nicholas Wright wrote:
>
> > Pentax Inconsistent? Gee, lots of laughs in the PUG today... Are they
not
> > the only one of the big four that has managed to maintain complete and
> total
> > backwards compatibility between lenses and bodies?
Mark D wrote:
> This is a bit of hyperbole. While Pentax has done a fantastic job in this
> regard, M and K series lenses make most of the bodies lose multi-segment
> metering. My understanding is that the ZX-50 and ZX-30 will not meter all
> together.
[snip]
> Pentax has been a little inconsistent in other areas too. For example....
[snip]
> There are more surprises on the way I'm sure... : )
I believe Pentax has been inconsistent all along. In particular, they seem
to always have had a problem with forward planning. They brought out a
professional camera (the LX) in 1980 designed for M-lenses then only 3 years
later introduced a line of 'A' lenses that could not be used to their full
potential on the LX. It seems strange that the new range of lenses
including such lenses as the A35-105 f3.5, A70-210 f4, A28-135 f4, etc (not
to mention the A*300 f2.8 ED IF and A* 600 f 5.6 ED IF) were catered for the
amateur Super-A/Super Program while the needs of the LX dropped into the
background.
Someone once suggested that they were planning to produce a new LXn sometime
around 1985 with 'A' capability but were caught flat-footed by the AF
revolution and then didn't bother. Hence the sudden abandonment of 'A'
lenses and the rushed introduction of cheap and nasty plastic 'F' lenses.
In all fairness to Pentax, Nikon were caught out in the same way with their
NAIS lenses and the FA.
Then there is the ME-F. A dead end camera and lens line that only served to
awaken the other manufacturers to develop similar but improved and more
practicable AF systems (Minolta).
Less important but certainly somewhat bewildering is Pentax nomenclature.
For example: FA lenses were once power zoom lenses - now anything can be an
FA lens (even a Tamron 28-200). As the Americans say: Go figure.
Nenad
Western Australia
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