Why dont they make a zoom faster than 2.8

I mean, even if its heavy, it would still sell. Like a 20-60 f/1.4 would be awesome.

It would be huge and very expensive. Not as many would sell as you think.

Exactly. Most people would rather carry around a f2.8 zoom and an f1.4 prime than a huge and expensive lens like that.

Actually, Tamron makes a video camera that is 6-60mm with a 1.4 aperture. It weighs 13.4 oz. Now, figure in the difference needed for photographic glass, and I'd think that they could most likely get a constant aperture lens in the 17-50ish range with f/1.4 that would be a little bigger than the brick (24-70L) and maybe weigh slightly more. Reason why they won't is because it would take away business from primes.

I don't think they care whether you buy zooms or primes, just as long as you buy.

Even if it was heavy and huge large aperture zoom, it would sell in great numbers if there were simply a R stripe around it and IS, as there is so many lenses sold to amateurs with money who know L as the status object, so they could increase the number of red L lenses appearing in their equipment list...it matters not that they don't truly need the fast aperture

i'm thinking even with those buyers, the cost of R&D and production just wouldn't be worth the effort.. they'd make more money with another L prime

Olympus makes a 14-35/2 (28-70, 35mm equiv) and a 35-100/2 (70-200, 35mm equiv) for the 4/3rds system. The problem is their bodies are not too spectacular. The E-3 they recently released is the first professional DSLR body they really have made that can compete with anything from Canon/Nikon.

Those olympus lenses are around 2 grand each. Pretty cool.

you really pay thru your nose for an extra ONE stop of light from F/4 to F/2.8 on a zoom. that $500-600 difference in price could buy you a much faster prime lens! but its always about compromises, a prime gives you much more light at F/1.4 or F/2.0 but its not as versatile as a zoom.

TaDa wrote in post #5805787
Actually, Tamron makes a video camera that is 6-60mm with a 1.4 aperture. It weighs 13.4 oz. Now, figure in the difference needed for photographic glass, and I'd think that they could most likely get a constant aperture lens in the 17-50ish range with f/1.4 that would be a little bigger than the brick (24-70L) and maybe weigh slightly more. Reason why they won't is because it would take away business from primes.

The difference however is that a video camera uses a much smaller sensor than a 35mm sensor and so the absolute dimensions of the aperture would be much larger and therefore impractical.

TaDa wrote in post #5805787
I'd think that they could most likely get a constant aperture lens in the 17-50ish range with f/1.4 that would be a little bigger than the brick (24-70L) and maybe weigh slightly more.

A LITTLE BIGGER ? have you seen the size,weight and price difference between 70-200 f/4 and f/2.8 ? I don't think anyone would be willing to hull around a monster the size (and the PRICE)of the 200 f/2 IS L on a daily basis and call it their standard zoom.

Also, there's a very good reason why slower L lenses tend to have overall better optical characteristics then the faster Ls. Making a zoom is hard enough, but making an f/1.4 zoom with decent sharpness would be hellishly hard and incredibly expensive.

This lens should give you a pretty good idea http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …14_35mm_f_2_0_E​D_SWD.html i's "only" f/2 and even though designed for a much smaller sensor area it still weights 2lb and costs 2100$. an equivalent lens for 35mm sensors would be almost 4 times as big and heavy. and we've still got one more stop to f/1.4

Double post...

"Why dont they make a zoom faster than 2.8"

Because I'm gonna invent it 1st, and make a tons of money.

Its a weight issue, for the lens to be able to open to f1.4 they would need to fit 2.8 times as many homunculi inside the lens which would make it heavier, the binding spells would be more complex and it would just end up being to expensive. Also if you dropped it, they'd be picking you up with a shovel.

Best Regards

BearSummer