the holy grail..

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52975663

Does it weigh more than a Tonne?
(Well every other daft question has been asked )

I was hoping that they'd bring out a 1.5x Back to Front Converter
that left the lens as it was, but magnified the sensor so that it
was FF

Jules. I may be thick but what are we looking for in this report?????
CHEERS Vic.

The converter is also on the latest version of the roadmap. I fear it won't be cheap, but I expect it will be good.

I'm guessing £300ish

£300 sounds about the ballpark price, considering the CaNikon's are around that price.
Still, it will be worth it.

http://photorumors.com/2014/01/25/leaked-new-hd-pentax-da-1-4x-aw-af-teleconvert...#more-53620
quote:3496ace15f="vic cross"]Jules. I may be thick but what are we looking for in this report?????
CHEERS Vic.[/quote]The above Vic, it's been rumoured for more than five years now!

It'll be nearer four hundred quid as are the newer canon ones.
The nikon updates have been out a bit letting them settle in the market place down to the three hundred mark.Four hundred quid it is I'm afraid.
will have to wait for me as I'm building my second system at the moment.
Sure want it though, when it's readily available and the price settles...

I was basing my pricing on the cost of the Q to K adaptor...

Thanks Jules. GOTCHA!
CHEERS Vic.

@Cabstar, Wasn't meant as a dig! Sorry if it souned that way!
Looking at the Pic that has surfaced it looks very like the Tamron 1.4X PZ?
If it's meant to be weather sealed there would be a gasket around the top, at least? Not so sure now...

The gasket is on the back of the lens jules, so it would be on the back of the converter.

I know people have been clamouring for this for ages now, I wonder what makes it the holy grail? The f1.7 converter seems to do a very good job with the right lenses. Will this be a significant improvement on that? WR is obviously welcome.

The 1.7 AF Adapter dates back to the late 80's and was officially discontinued many years ago. It did seem that 'old new stock' entered the market via Japanese sellers a couple of years ago, but it has not been generally new available for many years. So this represents the first real opportunity for many to buy a new Pentax branded teleconverter
The 1.7 AF adapter was an hybrid, in that it was designed to provide AF functionality to non AF lenses as well as being a teleconverter. There may have been compromises made in the design because of that. So together with general advances in design the 1.4 may be better optically.

For many the ability to pass through lens information will justify the purchase. No more manual input of focal length for SR and no more compromise setting when it is being used with a zoom, although I agree with earlier comments that it will be at its best with prime lenses.

As an aside and slightly off topic I wonder if the optics were 'borrowed' from the back end off the DA 560mm. I always thought that 560mm was an odd focal length, but it has some logic if you take a 400mm design and add a 1.4 convertor to the back end. Maybe wishful thinking, but does it mean that Pentax have a 400mm F4 design somewhere under wraps?

Regards - Steve

The 560mm came from using a lens element of 100mm diam. /aperture from a telescope design. 100 X f/5.6 = 560mm
This kept the cost down. 600mm would have needed an odd sized 108mm diam element.

By keeping the old Pz/SDM contacts on the new TC they are restricted
in the diam. of the elements that they can use.

The new TC looks like a Teleplus rebrand and hasn't got anything
new unless they have managed to fit a chip inside.

It's unlikely the new TC will work without a firmware upgrade which
at the very least will allow FL input with any TC.


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