Second mirrorless APS-C lens patent from Pentax: 18-70mm f/3.5-7.1

By PR admin | Published: June 13, 2012

In addition to the 18-55mm f/3.5-6.7 lens from last week, Pentax filed another patent in Japan for a 18-70mm f/3.5-7.1 mirrorless APS-C lens:

  • Patent 2012-108333
  • Patent release date: June 7, 2012
  • Patent filing date: October 18, 2010
  • Zoom ratio: 3.92x
  • Aperture: 3.60 - 6.95
  • Focal length: 18.071 - 70.840mm
  • Half angle of view: 11.7 - 45.7deg
  • Image height: 14.24mm
  • Back focus: 2.17mm
  • Lens length: 70.23 - 100.0mm
  • Lens design: 6 groups, 3 aspherical elements

Related posts:

  1. Third mirrorless APS-C lens patent from Pentax: 16-55mm f/3.5-5.6
  2. Pentax 18-55mm f/3.5-6.7 mirrorless APS-C lens patent
  3. Olympus 8-20mm f/2.8-4 lens patent
  4. Pentax patent for a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
  5. Pentax files a patent for a DA 12-35mm f/3.5-4.5 AL WR SDM lens

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  • aurèle

    Seems that Pentax is going to release a bunch of XS zoom for the K-01

    Can’t wait to see a final product.

    • http://photorumors.com PR admin

      or for a new mirrorless camera…

      • Siegfried

        PRA,
        I’m sorry but I don’t follow. Patent filing date is October 18, 2010 and now we’ve got June ’12. I think they put it on the shelves (which is good since 70/7.1 is a bit too much even for a newbie photographer) since otherwise we’d see that lens released or at least announced 1/2-1 year ago.

        Zig

    • Harold Ellis

      those fdark to fcameracover ranges are tempting!

      • sloma_p

        LOL

        You’re right though, combine it with a 24MP APC-C sensor and you’re nearly diffraction limited at the long end – great, innit??

  • mythbuster

    f 3.5-7.1 is a bad joke. My last hope of Pentax doing any good in the mirrorless field vanished…

  • Remedy

    Really, Pentax? f/7.1? SERIOUSLY?! triple facepalm

  • Bertin

    When you see this type of lenses they patented on 2010, you understand why Ricoh decided to hire again all most optic engineers that Hoya fired years ago.

  • http://twitter.com/#!/57thStIncident 57thStIncident

    You have to assume the reason for doing this (or the other 18-55 3.5-6.7) is so they can be made quite light and compact, maybe they’ll even fit inside the vacant mirror box of a K-mount MILC like K-01 or successors. Obviously f/6.7 or f/7.1 isn’t super-attractive but given how good APS-C sensors have become at higher sensitivities it still may be pretty useful. It’s a big-sounding number but it’s only 2/3 stop slower than f/5.6. It would provide greater subject isolation than an olympus 12-50/3.5-6.3, and it’s only 1/3 stop slower.

    These may never materialize as products but I’d like to see at least concepts in the flesh before passing judgement.

    • BornOptimist

      But it isn’t compact at all, “Lens length: 70.23 – 100.0mm”.
      It also looks like a simple optical design with few lens elements, so perhaps the reason is price. For me this sounds more like a kit-lens, rather than a retail-lens for their (possibly) new mirrorless camera.

      • http://twitter.com/#!/57thStIncident 57thStIncident

        Guessing that 70mm is the retracted length and 100mm at full telephoto…what if half that 70mm is inside the camera body?

        The speed and focal length does suggest more of a kit lens rather than enthusiast upgrade…but every system needs lenses like these, right?

        • Mistral75

          70mm is the length at f=18mm and 100mm at f=70mm.

          Of which 43mm are inside the camera body (the vacant space in K-01 corresponding to the mirror box in the DSLRs).

  • http://breningstall.com JB

    F/7.1 lens on APS-C… almost as good as using f/2 on an LX5 sensor

    • http://twitter.com/#!/57thStIncident 57thStIncident

      Depends what characteristic you’re considering…bear in mind that LX5 is not f/2 but f/3.3 at 90mm-eq though, while this lens would be 105mm-eq, maybe f/6.3 or f/6.7 at 90mm-eq?

      Calculated DOF, focused 10ft
      LX5, 19.2mm (90mm-eq), f/3.2, = 3.21′ (calc doesn’t offer f/3.3)
      LX5, 19.2mm (90mm-eq), f/3.4, = 3.41′

      APS-C, 70mm (105mm-eq), f/7.1 = 1.75′
      APS-C, 60mm (90mm-eq), f/6.7 = 2.26′
      APS-C, 60mm (90mm-eq), f/6.4 = 2.13′

    • mythbuster

      Not at all. Slow lenses forces you to use high ISO settings and is more easy to get blurry photos. Besides, high ISO in modern cameras may not introduce a lot of noise but greatly diminishes dynamic range.

  • http://photoartbymark.zenfolio.com photoartbymark

    7.1 you have got to be kidding useless in this format or any format

    • Warpig

      So you don’t use F8-11 for landscapes, I guess…

      • mythbuster

        With good lighting no problem with f 8, 11 or even 16 , but if you want high quality better don´t use high ISO.

        • Warpig

          Good job, Sherlock!
          If I want the best quality, I use a tripod and mirror lockup.

          • mythbuster

            Wrong answer, Watson:
            If you want the highest quality you should use a tripod, mirror lockup (in case you use a traditional SLR) AND low ISO.
            Saying a f 7.1 in APSC format is equivalent to f 2.0 in a LX5 is nonsense.

  • Gex

    Pentax keeps hammering nails in their own coffin…

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