1.4 x why are we waiting?

In case the sarcasm wasn't obvious - there is huge demand for the 1.7x with this one going the same day as offered. The problem isn't the demand it is the scarcity, whether they are worth the going high asking price, and whether people can afford them.

I am not sure there will be a huge demand for a modern 1.4x converter as realistically, unlike Canikon, there are a lack of really suitable lenses for it in our lineup. There is the 300/f4 making a sensible and obvious choice but what else? Maybe the 55-300 and the 60-250 but that is pushing it a bit, the 200 yes but you might as well just get the 300 lens and use that, the 560 probably too long and too slow but I haven't tried it. *If* Pentax ever get round to selling some high quality fast long glass again there will I'm sure be a good demand for a high quality modern converter again, until then I don't thnk so.

Basically, if you have spent £3000 on a bit of high quality glass on which a £400 converter works well you are probably going to buy it in preference to purchasing another £4000 lens - but we don't have those sort of lenses available to us at the moment.

the new canon x2 mkiii Tele retails at over £300 the pentax will most possibly be the same...

It usually goes for that second hand. I have the 1.4x and 2x MKII converters and they are superb but the MKIII are supposedly a little better on the outer edges.

I only know because a friend paid £300 new from one of the Asian ebayers. He used it on a Robbie shoot last night at the etihad and the images looked really good straight out of cam.