Sigma to stop making lenses for the K-mount(Pentax)

[arthurking83]

Sad but true.
Just read the article on DPR, spotted on the Sigma Czech Rebublic Facebook page .. and then confirmed by Sigma UK.

Dwindling numbers of new Pentax K mount cameras sold .. mirrorless cameras becoming more and more prolific, etc.

Not good IMO.

[ricktas]

It is sad, and I think in 5-10 years we will see more of this, as DSLR become like film cameras before them.

[Tannin]

I think in 5-10 years we will see more of this, as DSLR become like film cameras before them.

Not a chance. SLRs will go on for a very long time indeed because nothing can properly replace them. They will end up like medium format and view cameras - as a very high quality product for people who are prepared to pay more to get it. The days of the cheap DSLR may be numbered. But mirrorless is nowhere near matching SLR responsiveness or usability at this stage, and there is no actual guarantee that it ever will be.

[ameerat42]

^^Wrong! Glbal Warming will see unprecedented sea-level rises and there will be a
staggering demand for fish-eye lenses. -- Just wait and sea!

[ricktas]

Not a chance. SLRs will go on for a very long time indeed because nothing can properly replace them. They will end up like medium format and view cameras - as a very high quality product for people who are prepared to pay more to get it. The days of the cheap DSLR may be numbered. But mirrorless is nowhere near matching SLR responsiveness or usability at this stage, and there is no actual guarantee that it ever will be.

I was talking about the third party lens developers (eg Sigma which this thread is about). As you say, they will be around for a long time, but as the market share declines, the first to abandon will be the Sigma's and Tamron's of the world.

The other alternative is we will see a merging of platforms. Just like we have seen car manufacturers create alliances and build multiple models across brands, based on the same chassis, or how (finally) USB-C is becoming the standard connection type for mobile phones. We could well see a shift to brands creating one lens mount system, that is used across several brands. Simply to keep costs down and allow ongoing manufacture of DSLR. Bringing with it a method of interconnecting existing lenses to different brands using a 'smart' teleconvertor type connection.