18-135mm WR

Interesting, or worrying, that the Tokina and Pentax (both Hoya brands, I understand) are the most expensive. I sometime have the feeling that Hoya is doing market testing in the wild - just how high can we go before people run away?

Must say that the whole WR thing belies the fact that we have (all) been shooting in naff conditions for years (me chasing sailboats on the Solent), without any concern about the potential damage to lenses.

Are we all getting too soft?

WR though is better than no WR

I always wonder how the 17-70 would fare. Apparently it has a gasket which would at least prevent water ingress through the lens mount.

UK price £599.99 US price $539.99
How does that work then.

the old way involved plastic bags, and uv filters and rubber bands to weather protect your camera... some well heeled photogs bought expensive raincoats (the sensible ones cut the sleeve off an old raincoat..
then there were underwater bags and housings...

one thing all the old methods had over the new WR camera and bodies...

you seldom if ever were tempted to stick a wet or damp camera into your camera bag/case.

I suspect we'll hear from photographers disappointed by fungus and humidity damage to items left in their camera bags, eventually.....

Lenses prior to the WR ones are definitely not waterproof and need protecting aginst the elements.

The WR ones seem to be protected. Yes, if rain gets on the front element it will need removing. The trick is keeping the lens pointed downwards as much as possible and using a good lens hood.

Likewise, cameras have not been waterproof and there have been many points where water can get in. The weatherproof natiure of the K10D and beyond is very real and for the first time we can be rather more adventurous taking electronic cameras out into the rain.

It works like every damn thing else which puts the UK price around the same as the dollar price.

I also say

Need a change in signature.....


........all the gear, but not from here!.....(UK)

You're not kidding. You could get a return flight to New York and pay the dollar price and still come out just under the UK price.

VAT. Import Duty. These things add significantly to the imported price. You've also not factored in your other expenses - travel to and from airports, car parking costs in the UK, possibly hotel in the USA, definitely meals....it's not so clear cut and definitely harder work.

A closer comparison can be made using the BHphotovideo site - as it is possible to get quotes from to include all duties and postage. Even after all of that, some stuff is a lot cheaper imported from them that it is purchased over here.

I expect it is already priced to take into accoun the VAT rise so it won't increase in January 2011?

We don't have an actual selling price yet, and Pentax do have a recent history of comedy street prices that the lens doesn't actually get close to in real life. The DA35 Macro, for example, has an RRP of £639.99 but sells for £459.

So why does a lens made in Vietnam cost so much more in the UK than the USA? I assume the USA has import taxes too, and since protectionism is still politically fashionable in the US I wouldn't be surprised if they're higher than the EU's.

No but they do have a SP coating so if the front element is clean the water drops would pearl off.

Indeed.

Best thing to do is get friendly with an American Military Serviceman stationed over here. No US tax, No UK import tax, No UK value added tax. And if you get free p&P to New York no postage either. Job Done!