I just posted the following to dpreview. Though I'd share it with PDMLers. Two outlets for venting are better than one.
Hope this makes it to the list. Joe -------------------- I am only guessing that Pentax suspended producing the DA 14. I have been trying to get one for nearly 3 months. It has been available in Europe since June, so we expected North American availability soon after that. Since that has not happened, I suspect that production was stopped, at least temporarily. It is also possible that it is being produced very slowly. On PDML we joke that there is one Vietnamese lens assembler named Nguyen. But that is just partly a joke, partly serious. In North America, the DA 16-45 has been in short supply all along. It still is. None of us can figure out why Pentax won't produce these lenses in sufficient quantity to meet demand. It is quite frustrating. It also curbs my enthusiasm when Pentax announces new lenses, like the D-FA macros. Pentax are reputed to have some financial problems. But I cannot see how they can work their way out if they don't manufacture products to sell. I would be happy to do my part to help them with their financial problem in exchange for a DA 14. So far they are uninterested. What does seem clear is that Pentax have cut way back on their lens manufacturing capacity. Many of the higher-quality lenses are suddenly hard or impossible to get. Pentax's behavior never seems to make sense. When the *ist D junior comes out, Pentax really needs to have a consumer level zoom to go with it, perhaps a DAJ 18-55. Maybe this lens does exist, and manufacturing capacity is directed toward it rather than the DA lenses. This would point to diminished manufacturing capacity at the plant in Vietnam. We can only guess. Joe
