I'd ask for a 'neo-M series' of prime lenses. The Limiteds are nice but
expensive; the likes of the FA*24/2 are bulky and expensive, and not
everyone needs such wide apertures. Some of these already exist, but
how about a series that went something like:
20mm f/4
24mm f/2.8
28mm f/2.8
35mm f/2.8
50mm f/1.7
85mm f/2.8
200mm f/4?
It might enable Pentax to reinvent itself as the true home of the
knowledgeable amateur, whose pockets do not bulge with cash but who
wants good, simple lenses that don't need a trolley to carry them
about. The FA 35/2 could be the model for these, as an AF lens that
focuses nicely on a MF camera.
I'm no marketing professional, which is perhaps why my employer is still
in business, but I see no future for Pentax in the
I-Want-What-the-Pros-Use market. (I know that issue's been well covered
already.) No problem - a Canon or a Nikon has more buttons on it and is
bigger and more imposing, so that's what they buy. Others choose a
Canon or a Nikon because they like what those cameras and/or lenses can
do, so fair enough. You don't have to watch this list for long to
realize that Pentax owners keep the faith because of the lenses, but how
many of us scour magazine ads and Ebay listings for M- and A-series
lenses because we can't get new equivalents? I know I do: I bought an
FA 35/2 and an FA 100/3.5 new because they were both available and
affordable. My other lenses are secondhand buys, and while it's to
Pentax's credit that it made so many fine lenses that have lasted so
well, I think there's pent-up (sorry!) demand here for new equivalents
to those compact, affordable classics. I'd pay $250 for a new FA 24/2.8
tomorrow, given the chance.
Of course, if there was a neo-LX (presumably LXXXI now) to go with the
lenses, so much the better.
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