[Rondec]

Well, given that in his original post he said he wanted "a second, super compact camera with interchangeable lenses", it seems like size was the major criteria. He said that K-mount would be preferable if such a small camera exists, and he mentioned that he considered the Q system, but was put off by the sensor. To me, all the signs point to m43 for his "super compact camera with interchangeable lenses" since there is no such camera in K-mount.

I guess another option would be the Sony mirrorless cameras, but the lens lineup is not nearly as compelling as m43. With a small m43 camera, he could keep the 9-18mm on most of the time, and have other small lenses in his pockets without even feeling them. Lenses like the 20mm f/1.7 or 45mm f/1.8.

Consider this in regards to what the OP wants: The K-01 with the Sigma 10-20mm would weight 1031 grams (in addition to being bulky). The Panasonic GF7 with the Olympus 9-18mm weighs 421 grams! Add in the Panasonic 20mm 1.7, and Olympus 45mm 1.8 and the entire kit is still only a combined 637 grams! Pretty big difference there.

Well, I certainly am not the opening poster and he'll have to let us know what he chose. I read between the lines and thought he wanted affirmation that it was OK to get a K-01. I don't think he got that from many of the posters, but I have a feeling he'll get one anyway...

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Well, I certainly am not the opening poster and he'll have to let us know what he chose. I read between the lines and thought he wanted affirmation that it was OK to get a K-01. I don't think he got that from many of the posters, but I have a feeling he'll get one anyway...

There's so many good cameras out there, it's hard to go wrong. I couldn't see myself lugging around a DSLR and a K-01, but there are certainly people out there who go around with two bodies larger than those.

[IchabodCrane]

If you want to go as small as possible with an ILC camera and shoot at wide angle... get the most compact m4/3 camera there is (Lumix something or other) and an Oly 9 mm / F8 (fixed aperture). The lens is under a $100.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

If you want to go as small as possible with an ILC camera and shoot at wide angle... get the most compact m4/3 camera there is (Lumix something or other) and an Oly 9 mm / F8 (fixed aperture). The lens is under a $100.

I was not aware of that lens, but it looks like it could be fun. Just $88 on Amazon now, and it's not much thicker than a body cap. This guy used it to great effect:

Robin Wong: Olympus 9mm Fisheye Body Cap Lens Review

The 9mm fisheye produces a 140 degree angle-of-view on m43, which is even wider than the Sigma 8-16mm on APS-C (approximately 120 degree angle-of-view at 8mm).

---

Last edited by Edgar_in_Indy; 08-30-2015 at 03:48 AM.

[gerax]

Thanx everybody.
After reading your posts I admit you are not making my life easyer :-)
I was about to pull the trigger on a dirt cheap k-01 but after some reevaluations I'm not sure. I mean: most important factors are K mount compatibility and compact size.
Most of you seem to dislike the K-01 because it's not so compact (which I acknowledge), and because it's "slow to operate" (somebody could elaborate on this please).
I think going for a completely different system doesn't make it for me as I'm starting to get lenses for the K30 and having to purchase an additional set of lenses for a second camera seems unpractical and costly (I'm not a professional, or I wouldn't be asking this). Then, I asked for a "compact size body" because I found that having to unscrew and change lenses every 15 minutes is a waste of time and overall a bit of a pain in the neck, so I found myself in the need of a second body that doesn't break the bank and the back. This doesn't mean that I won't use it for tasks other than wide shots or backup, hence the K monut.
I checked the Q system with the K to Q adapter but looks like (according to this forum's own review) that it's just not the case if wide shots are the main purpose of the setup.
If other, non Pentax, cameras that fit my criteria exists (K monut or adaptable) with a smaller form factor than the K30 I'd be more than happy to check them out.
As of now, the KS-1 though cool, didn't impress me as far as review go (again, accoriding to the ones on this forum), so the K-01 "by exclusion" looks like the best candidate, though I understand it's not "the most compact" body around.
Best
L.

[esrandall]

Honestly, I don't think you can lose with any of those choices. I went for the KS-1 because it's small, and because I wanted to give the 20MP sensor a go, and it has focus peaking. I would imagine that my HD DA 21 Limited will live on it, and that will work fine for me, as I shoot more macro/closeup than I do landscape, etc. I read the reviews as well, and it seemed like all of the issues centered around ergonomics. I have large hands, but I envision this for secondary use, or duty on a tripod, so not worrying too much. Plus it was only $329 brand new with a DA L 18-55 (good for crappy weather), and Flu card, and the white/blue/grey color should be fun for a backup camera.

Here are a couple of the Marketplace listings I was strongly considering. I've never dealt with either member, but they've both been around for a while, and are respectful posters. One is a K-01 combo, and the other is a K-30 combo. You could sell either lens with the respective combos, and make over a $100 on each. That would make each camera only $200 or so, so pretty good, if you're comfortable buying used. Personally, I would keep the lens from either combo, as they make both setups small and fast.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/292265-sal...ens-white.html

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/301951-sal...ns-extras.html

Good luck on your choice, and post back after you get a chance to use it. Your thread was really helpful for me, and I'm sure there are other people out there facing the same dilemma.

[THoog]

Most of you seem to dislike the K-01 because

I don't dislike the K-01; I own several of them, and bought my first one BEFORE the closeout prices. Having shot the K-01 for three years, I don't think it's a good match for what you are looking for, and buying the wrong camera because of a sale is usually a bad decision. I pretty much gave up participating in the K-01 forum because of people who bought the K-01 cheap and then wouldn't stop complaining because it wasn't the Sony or Fuji they wanted.

You say you want a compact body to shoot wide-angle with K-mount lenses. That's one of those "pick two" situations. No digital K-mount camera is compact compared to short-register MILCs and fixed-lens compacts. If you put a K-mount adapter on a compact APS-C MILC (Sony, Fuji, Samsung), you lose much of the compactness along with autofocus and auto aperture control (and possibly some IQ if it's a poorly made adapter). If you do the same with smaller sensor MILCs (Q, M43), your have the same problems, plus your wide-angle lens won't be as wide - you really need a native-mount WA lens.

For that matter, the only "compact" K-mount ultra-wide-angle lens is the DA 15 Ltd. None of the UWA zooms I've seen were small. Most of them are f/3.5 or slower, and the K-01's autofocus hunts a lot with slow lenses. Regarding slow operating, I can't find the exact quote I'm looking for, but it pretty much was: slow focusing, slow buffering, slow frames per second. It's not an action camera, which might not be a problem for you; it's also tricky to use outdoors in bright light because the screen can be hard to see. It works well with manual-focus primes, but that's generally for people who have plenty of time to set up a shot.

I would recommend shooting your K-30 exclusively in LiveView for a couple days, and see how well you can stand it before jumping on a K-01.

Oh, and regarding reviews of the K-S1: now that the prices are coming down, there will be more and better reviews. That's exactly what happened with the K-01.

[UncleVanya]

My 2 cents. The K01 and the KS1 are very similar in size. Neither is small by my standards. As mentioned the DA 15 Limited is the small version of UltraWideAngle for K mount. It's not a pancake lens - it's not big but it's not tiny. The Q7 with the wide angle zoom is tiny.

As the previous person suggests... use the K30 on LiveView all the time and think about it going slower and make sure that's OK - it may well be. Enjoy whatever you pick, hopefully well informed and happy with the compromises you have to make.

[Rondec]

Thanx everybody.
After reading your posts I admit you are not making my life easyer :-)
I was about to pull the trigger on a dirt cheap k-01 but after some reevaluations I'm not sure. I mean: most important factors are K mount compatibility and compact size.
Most of you seem to dislike the K-01 because it's not so compact (which I acknowledge), and because it's "slow to operate" (somebody could elaborate on this please).
I think going for a completely different system doesn't make it for me as I'm starting to get lenses for the K30 and having to purchase an additional set of lenses for a second camera seems unpractical and costly (I'm not a professional, or I wouldn't be asking this). Then, I asked for a "compact size body" because I found that having to unscrew and change lenses every 15 minutes is a waste of time and overall a bit of a pain in the neck, so I found myself in the need of a second body that doesn't break the bank and the back. This doesn't mean that I won't use it for tasks other than wide shots or backup, hence the K monut.
I checked the Q system with the K to Q adapter but looks like (according to this forum's own review) that it's just not the case if wide shots are the main purpose of the setup.
If other, non Pentax, cameras that fit my criteria exists (K monut or adaptable) with a smaller form factor than the K30 I'd be more than happy to check them out.
As of now, the KS-1 though cool, didn't impress me as far as review go (again, accoriding to the ones on this forum), so the K-01 "by exclusion" looks like the best candidate, though I understand it's not "the most compact" body around.
Best
L.

When I said that the K-01 was slow, I meant that it was slow to focus (depends some on the lens and the light, but takes longer to get there than any other Pentax camera I've used with the same lens), the frame rate is slow (I think it ends up being 1 fps in RAW, although 6 fps with jpeg), buffer is small, and dealing with an LCD for composition in strong light is not easy. The K-S1 really is about the same size and has much better specs -- and a real viewfinder.

I say all of that and I still shoot a lot with my K-01 -- no reason not to as far as I can see. The image quality is really good and it is a lot more portable than a K3 with a grip for sure.

(Pentax K-01 and DA 40 -- a very small combo indeed)

[Edgar_in_Indy]

I can't find the exact quote I'm looking for, but it pretty much was: slow focusing, slow buffering, slow frames per second.

Let's not forget that it's also the least aerodynamic of the modern K-mount cameras, so it is slow in a literal sense as well. Adding a spoiler can help, but you can only do so much.

[superpowerpinger]

Let's not forget that it's also the least aerodynamic of the modern K-mount cameras, so it is slow in a literal sense as well. Adding a spoiler can help, but you can only do so much.

Glorious explanation you magnificent son of a bitch!

[JPT]

I have a few other things to say in favour of the K-01.
- The design of the mode dial and direction buttons makes them easier to use.
- The build feels better because it's made of metal. I personally love the feel of the camera, but many don't.
- It is rated to take more shots on a charge (540 vs. 410) because it has a bigger battery, but that means the battery is not interchangeable with your K-30.
- The K-01 is more quieter and more discreet when shooting because of the lack of a mirror.
- It is more compact, and you notice this when you pack it in a small bag. It has less protrusions than a DSLR. With the DA 40 or DA 21, it will fit in the same space as one average sized zoom lens. A brick is the most space efficient shape!

In favour of the K-S1:
- The electronics are newer, so it is faster in operation, including CDAF focusing.
- It has a newer sensor, which appears to be very good.
- It has a nice viewfinder, while the K-01 of course has none.
- It has some new image quality tools that the K-01 doesn't, like the AA simulator and diffraction correction.

I can fully understand the attraction of trying to get the most compact body without starting to collect lenses for a new system. For me my choice was the K-01 and the K-5 IIs. I use mostly the limited primes with the K-01 and mostly the zooms with the K-5 IIs. I'm not trying to stuff the camera in my pocket though. If I were, the GR would be my choice.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Since this thread has been resurrected, here's a picture of my K-30's compact companion that I just acquired:

As you can see, I took my own advise and added an m43 camera to my kit. The GX7 I chose is far from the smallest m43 camera, but it's full of great photography and video features, and is still tiny compared to my K-30. The lens attached to the GX7 is the Olympus 9mm fisheye, and it produces a maximum angle of view equivalent to the Sigma 8-16mm shown on my K-30. And it's only $88 shipped on Amazon!

So there's your ILC body with a wide-angle lens that will fit into a jacket pocket. A smaller m43 without a protruding EVF would be significantly slimmer, and could probably go in a pants pocket.

[gerax]

OK, so in the end I went ahead and got a k-01 (from a fellow Pentax forum user).

I'll let you know how I like it soon.

Thanx for the support.

L.

[surfar]

So now you got Papa(k30)Mumma(k-01) but Baby bear(q series) should be next on yr list!....I shoot with K50, and back that up with a Smurf K-01, however for street and travel a Q does a great job.As well as the long telephoto stuff.3 words sum up the Q series....FUN FUN FUN!.....I use mine more than the other 2 combined.If you are sceptical of the IQ, please have a look at the Q thread of forum members images....there are some STUNNING shots taken with good lenses.Also,I'd suggest reading the thread about the best lenses for the K-01, I can vouch for the Da40 ltd and F35-70, both these do a great job as a walk round.My first BRICK had the 70-300 sigma on it most of the time and no complaints, it does OK.Enjoy your K-01.