Originally posted by Penta Older Sony Nex series mainly although I know the cheaper glass (eg.16mm pancake) is probably not the greatest (a bit soft) but at least looks quite acceptable from what I've seen.
What's holding me back is the Sony software/menus/general handling look quite cumbersome/irritating compared with Pentax + IQ and moire filters vs K-01 turn me off...
It depends greatly on which NEX bodies you're considering, and the lenses (obviously
). Earlier NEX bodies don't, IMHO, have image quality comparable to your K-01. Later ones might.
Looking at the Kurt Munger review for the 16mm pancake, it really needs to be stopped down for decent frame-wide performance (unsurprisingly). Whether you can work with the poor edge performance at wider apertures will depend on your use cases and preferences. Quoted from the conclusions of his review:
"This lens was designed for the purpose of being pocketable, inexpensive, and a platform for a couple of add-on converters, like a fish-eye and ultra wide. Sony did a good overall job with this lens, and I would consider the optical results good, but not great. Let's ponder the good things; sharp in the centers, even wide open; very compact, and able to fit in the front pockets of relaxed fit jeans, or in a womens purse; and very low noise when focusing, which is great when shooting video. A few things that could be changed for the better, say in version II, is color fringing control, mid-section sharpness, and ghosting control."
Or, in other words, you get what you pay for
As for Sony menus, they're awful, but not insurmountable. I have the A7 MkII, released November 2014, and I just don't like the menus. But I've used them for a while now, and I have no problem working with them. I still prefer Pentax menus by a country mile, though...