[Elliot]

I had read about four shortcomings of the K-01, but could not resist the $416 price for the 40mm XS lens kit. The problems included slow autofocus, the rubber flap door, no viewfinder, and the bulk of the camera. I received it yesterday. My thoughts:

1. Firmware 1.01 helped the autofocus, and it seems fine in low light.
2. The rubber door is not a curreent problem. Any worry about its fragility will be solved by ordering an Eye-Fi card.
3. I am a viewfinder person from way way back. No viewfinder will either make or break the camera for me. I am going to give it a good try.
4. The camera fits well in my hand, doesn't seem too bulky, though someone with small hands might be uncomfortable.

I lifted the K-01 with the XS lens and compared it with my Olympus OM-D EM-5 with the 10-50mm lens, and the Olympus was heavier. I then put the Panasonic 20mm on the EM-5 and it probably weighs two ounces less than the K-01 and XS combination. Finally, I took a picture or two.

Okay, so it isn't really heavier for the tiny XS lens. But people to agree that APS lens are much bigger and heaver than m4/3 lenses. I looked up the statistics and tried to find equivalent lenses, at least in quality or price as well as focal length. I'm sure one could make many criticisms of my choices, but it was interesting as well.

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[Docrwm]

Congratulations on your new K-01. I hope you enjoy it and find it very useful.

[jimr-pdx]

Good to know, thanks! I now have OVF K-5, EVF on a Lumix G1 and the K-01. I can shoot with any though I prefer the K-5 - and oh that sweet-16 APS-c is fine. Even in a paper bag it's worth $300 but very good results from the K-01 so far. No doubt the EM5 sensor is the best of the m43 crop though, the G1 is decent but not in its league.

[LeRolls]

I like the Olympus a lot but you know what I like even more than the OMD EM5? Going with the K-01 instead and having almost an extra $1000 still in my pocket.

Plus I've always been more of prime shooter (indoor and low light shooting) so the DA Limiteds really appeal to me on personal level and add very little bulk to the front of the camera. It would have been awesome if they had released some additional super thin pancake lenses as well but oh well. I also happen to like supporting the underdog especially if I think that they've done enough to earn it.

I've had my white K-01 for a few days now but for what it's worth I absolutely love it, especially considering what I paid for it. I share a Canon T3i with my brother and even though it has a viewfinder, better video, and a really nifty swivel screen I would still much rather reach for my Panda Trooper and the Limiteds pretty much every day that happens to end in Y.

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Last edited by LeRolls; 12-02-2012 at 01:58 PM.

[Na Horuk]

Congrats on getting a K-01!
Yes, it doesn't have an OVF. It helps if you don't think about it as "dslr replacement" but as a "completely different system that works with my K lenses"

[GeneV]

From a size standpoint, I was surprised that mine does not seem to fit my Pacsafe waistpack significantly more easily than the K-x. Both fit, but it is tight with anything but a pancake prime. I really would like to see a small XS zoom.

[THoog]

From a size standpoint, I was surprised that mine does not seem to fit my Pacsafe waistpack significantly more easily than the K-x. Both fit, but it is tight with anything but a pancake prime. I really would like to see a small XS zoom.

That is surprising, since the K-01 can be stuffed in a pocket so much easier than the K-x without the flash overhang or grip sticking out.

An XS zoom would have been nice... if the K-01 had sold at launch like it has in the past month, it might have happened. As it is, I seriously doubt that it will happen.

[GeneV]

To me the grip is not significant, and the dimensions aren't that different overall. I hope they are making money at this price and can offer more lenses.

[buttons]

I like the Olympus a lot but you know what I like even more than the OMD EM5? Going with the K-01 instead and having almost an extra $1000 still in my pocket.

Plus I've always been more of prime shooter (indoor and low light shooting) so the DA Limiteds really appeal to me on personal level and add very little bulk to the front of the camera. It would have been awesome if they had released some additional super thin pancake lenses as well but oh well. I also happen to like supporting the underdog especially if I think that they've done enough to earn it.

I've had my white K-01 for a few days now but for what it's worth I absolutely love it, especially considering what I paid for it. I share a Canon T3i with my brother and even though it has a viewfinder, better video, and a really nifty swivel screen I would still much rather reach for my Panda Trooper and the Limiteds pretty much every day that happens to end in Y.

my thoughts exactly. I do wish the K01 was a tad more thin. its a very tight fit in my pockets...

[THoog]

my thoughts exactly. I do wish the K01 was a tad more thin. its a very tight fit in my pockets...

The more I've looked at the cross-sections of the K-5 / K-30, the more impressed I've been by how thin they did manage to get with the K-01. They squeezed the stuff that goes behind the focal plane by 25-30%, and that's the only place they can squeeze. The distance from the front of the lens mount to the film/sensor plane (flange focal distance) is a fundamental constraint. Other mirrorless cameras have so much more room to play with because their flange focal distance is less than half that of the K-mount.

[GeneV]

The K-x was a major step toward a semi-pocketable K mount digital (like the MX was for film). The K01 is more incremental.

The 7mm difference in depth between the K-x and K01 doesn't change much for me. The 12+mm less height makes more difference in waist pack or pocket storage, especially with a pancake DA lens. However, pop a kit lens (about the smallest AF zoom made for Pentax) on either the K-x or K01 and you have a rather bulky thing--light, well balanced, but bulky. Put any other zoom on it, and you have the tail seriously wagging the dog. It is why my travel kit with the K-x ended up mostly pancakes. It will be even more so for the K01.

[THoog]

The K-x reused the K2000/K-m body ('m' for 'mini', or so I've been told). They left off the AF points in the viewfinder to save space (to the eternal frustration of some).

The only zoom that looks/feels "right" to me on the K-01 is the old F35-70, which is just a little chunkier than a FA50/1.4.

[JinDesu]

I'm with THoog here, the k-01 with DA 40mm fits in most of my jackets. The k-x can't.

[THoog]

Well, some people just have bigger pockets. Some people have deeper pockets, and they buy more expensive cameras!

[GeneV]

Well, some people just have bigger pockets. Some people have deeper pockets, and they buy more expensive cameras!

I'm a tall guy. Maybe that is why I don't see much difference.