[runswithsizzers]

I feel similarly about the K-5iis I bought last year. I find myself really bothered by the weight when I'm walking around of the whole day with it on my shoulder. It's certainly quite subjective, but for me the limit of what I can carry around without it bothering me is about 1kg. So If I have my K-01, the DA21, the DA40 and the FA77, I'm OK.

As for the K-S1, I have not seen any reports of the aperture failing. The PF survey, admittedly only had a small sample of respondents with the K-S1, but none reported the issue.
Pentax Aperture Block Failure Survey Results - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com
It seems like a fairly trouble-free model. As for the battery life, you'd probably want a spare, but it's a big part of the reason why the camera is lighter than the K-3 in the first place. A mirrorless model would likely have weak battery life as well.

If I were you, I would wait until at least March to see if something new comes along, and just get a K-S1 as cheaply as possible if it doesn't.

Yes, the survey is somewhat encouraging for the K-S1, but my concern is this: the models before the K-S1 were affected, and (to a lesser degree) so is the K-S2 - so it seems likely the model-in-the-middle may also be affected - but did not show up in the survey results due to small sample size.

In all my reading about the aperture block failure I never was able to determine exactly WHAT is the root cause of the failures, nor exactly what (if anything) Ricoh has done about it. They really need to release an official announcement about this problem; otherwise there is going to be a blanket of suspicion and mistrust thrown over ALL of Pentax mid-models, whether that suspicion is warranted, or not.

Good point about the battery: guess I can't really expect to get both light weight and long battery life. Unless Pentax goes back to offering the brilliant option to use AA lithium batteries, like my K-x has. The AA option also eliminates the need to carry a charger. My K-3 charger weighs 132g - about the same as one of my prime lenses. I'd much rather carry another lens than a charger.

For now, my plan is to wait until March or April to see if this rumor pans out. If not, then here is the math for Plan B:
Pentax K-S1+DA 21+DA 35mm+DA 70mm = 946g (2.1 pounds)
Fuji X-E2S+XF18mm+XF35f2+XF60mm(macro) = 851g (1.9 pounds)

Would it be worth the trouble and expense to switch to Fuji just to save 95g? I think not, so your suggestion to go for the K-S1 looks like a good one.

[monochrome]

DA40 Limited is 89g, saving 36g vs. the 35/2.4 or 126g vs. the 35/2.8 Limited. I don't have the 21, but a K-S1/21/40/70 travel kit sure does look attractive.

Close enough to the classic 28/55/105 from film days.

[johnmflores]

Yes, the survey is somewhat encouraging for the K-S1, but my concern is this: the models before the K-S1 were affected, and (to a lesser degree) so is the K-S2 - so it seems likely the model-in-the-middle may also be affected - but did not show up in the survey results due to small sample size.

In all my reading about the aperture block failure I never was able to determine exactly WHAT is the root cause of the failures, nor exactly what (if anything) Ricoh has done about it. They really need to release an official announcement about this problem; otherwise there is going to be a blanket of suspicion and mistrust thrown over ALL of Pentax mid-models, whether that suspicion is warranted, or not.

Good point about the battery: guess I can't really expect to get both light weight and long battery life. Unless Pentax goes back to offering the brilliant option to use AA lithium batteries, like my K-x has. The AA option also eliminates the need to carry a charger. My K-3 charger weighs 132g - about the same as one of my prime lenses. I'd much rather carry another lens than a charger.

For now, my plan is to wait until March or April to see if this rumor pans out. If not, then here is the math for Plan B:
Pentax K-S1+DA 21+DA 35mm+DA 70mm = 946g (2.1 pounds)
Fuji X-E2S+XF18mm+XF35f2+XF60mm(macro) = 851g (1.9 pounds)

Would it be worth the trouble and expense to switch to Fuji just to save 95g? I think not, so your suggestion to go for the K-S1 looks like a good one.

If you Google "{Camera Make} {Camera Model} defect" you will get pages and pages of results for every single camera ever made. Every. Single. Camera.

[runswithsizzers]

A good M43 camera, one very good zoom and one fast prime - probably the most effective kit if you are travelling light and value ease of use. Equivalents on Fuji or Sony, though swings and roundabouts (no IBIS on Fuji, not such a great choice of lenses on Sony).

Otherwise, if you want a quality body on Pentax, I suspect you would have to start with at least a K70 for your primes. I used to travel with a Kx, K5, K3 etc and three or four DA primes - great fun but not the most convenient and the field curavature on the wider primes could be a pita. An advantage of M43 is that the good zooms, while bigger than a prime of course, aren't vast and their quality is deffo prime-like. Things like the 12-40mm f2.8 or the 12-35mm f2.8. Probably the nearest on Pentax would be the well-received 16-85mm.

As previously mentioned, it may be too soon to say for sure that the K-70 can be admitted to the Pentax Club of Quality Bodies. How long were the K-30/K-50 models on the market before the aperture block failure problem became apparent?

I am very much looking to travel light, but I'm less certain how I much I "value ease of use" - which is the only defensible argument for carrying a zoom, right? But for this trip, I'm not ruling out that option altogether.

You mention the Pentax 16-85mm F3.5-5.6. Presumably, by "well received" you mean it has above average image quality(?) That lens weighs 488g (16.07 oz.), and, compared to my primes, has very average maximum apertures.

Pentax K-S1 + Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 = 1,076g (2.4 lbs)
vs,
Pentax K-S1 + DA 21 F3.2 + DA 35mm F2.4 + DA 70mm F2.4 = 946g (2.1 pounds)

In this case, I would choose the lighter and faster primes over the convenience and greater range of this Pentax zoom.

It so happens that Fuji makes a pretty good zoom for their X series bodies. I'm told their XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 has above average image quality. It's a bit faster than most, without being very heavy (310 g, 0.68 lb) or very expensive. (I believe it adds about $300 over the body-only price if purchased as a kit??)

Fujifilm X-E2S + XF18-55mm F2.8-4 = 660g (1.45 lbs), which is a very good number! I could probably live with this combination.

There is no Pentax zoom which would really be a fair comparison to this Fuji zoom. All of the Pentax 18-55mm zooms are low cost kit zooms. If the criteria is defined as "above average IQ + faster than average maximum aperture" then the comparable Pentax zoom would be the DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited. At 283g, I would say it is fast and light, tho limited in range.

Pentax K-S1 + DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 = 841g (1.85 lbs) - a good carry weight, but a little short on reach for me. I believe the Fuji/zoom wins this one.

Actually, adding the DA 70 might make a pretty good Pentax 2 lens travel kit:
Pentax K-S1 + DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 + DA 70mm F2.4 = 1,001g (2.2 lbs)
... but no significant advantage over the 3-prime kit which I already have.

[mecrox]

As previously mentioned, it may be too soon to say for sure that the K-70 can be admitted to the Pentax Club of Quality Bodies. How long were the K-30/K-50 models on the market before the aperture block failure problem became apparent?

I am very much looking to travel light, but I'm less certain how I much I "value ease of use" - which is the only defensible argument for carrying a zoom, right? But for this trip, I'm not ruling out that option altogether.

You mention the Pentax 16-85mm F3.5-5.6. Presumably, by "well received" you mean it has above average image quality(?) That lens weighs 488g (16.07 oz.), and, compared to my primes, has very average maximum apertures.

Pentax K-S1 + Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 = 1,076g (2.4 lbs)
vs,
Pentax K-S1 + DA 21 F3.2 + DA 35mm F2.4 + DA 70mm F2.4 = 946g (2.1 pounds)

In this case, I would choose the lighter and faster primes over the convenience and greater range of this Pentax zoom.

It so happens that Fuji makes a pretty good zoom for their X series bodies. I'm told their XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 has above average image quality. It's a bit faster than most, without being very heavy (310 g, 0.68 lb) or very expensive. (I believe it adds about $300 over the body-only price if purchased as a kit??)

Fujifilm X-E2S + XF18-55mm F2.8-4 = 660g (1.45 lbs), which is a very good number! I could probably live with this combination.

There is no Pentax zoom which would really be a fair comparison to this Fuji zoom. All of the Pentax 18-55mm zooms are low cost kit zooms. If the criteria is defined as "above average IQ + faster than average maximum aperture" then the comparable Pentax zoom would be the DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited. At 283g, I would say it is fast and light, tho limited in range.

Pentax K-S1 + DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 = 841g (1.85 lbs) - a good carry weight, but a little short on reach for me. I believe the Fuji/zoom wins this one.

Actually, adding the DA 70 might make a pretty good Pentax 2 lens travel kit:
Pentax K-S1 + DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 + DA 70mm F2.4 = 1,001g (2.2 lbs)
... but no significant advantage over the 3-prime kit which I already have.

If you are really worried about the aperture block problem then maybe travelling with something you have doubts about may not be the best option? I certainly had a spell of that with mirror flap on my K3 when I was abroad and didn't much enjoy it. I like to have confidence in my equipment. So the question then becomes whether to use Pentax for your trip at all.

There are or can be advantages to zooms, in my view, if they are good ones. They are often robust and weather-sealed which is often not the case with primes. They mean I don't have to resort to cropping so often or fail to crop with my feet because there is no room to. And sometimes, a zoom is frankly as a good as a bag of primes as makes no difference especially if I am after landscapes or more general shots where I would select f4 to f8 or even f11 rather than wider open anyway. Optical design has got very good these days if one sticks to quality items. A huge part of it comes down to what someone likes and enjoys, but having avoided zooms for years and stuck to primes (the whole DA set at one stage, 15mm to 70mm with the D-FA 100mm macro on top) I am now quite a fan of a combo of primes and zooms, with zooms for better light and most situations and primes for lower light and some situations.

[MMVIII]

...
There is no Pentax zoom which would really be a fair comparison to this Fuji zoom. All of the Pentax 18-55mm zooms are low cost kit zooms. If the criteria is defined as "above average IQ + faster than average maximum aperture" then the comparable Pentax zoom would be the DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited. At 283g, I would say it is fast and light, tho limited in range.

Pentax K-S1 + DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 = 841g (1.85 lbs) - a good carry weight, but a little short on reach for me. I believe the Fuji/zoom wins this one.

Actually, adding the DA 70 might make a pretty good Pentax 2 lens travel kit:
Pentax K-S1 + DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 + DA 70mm F2.4 = 1,001g (2.2 lbs)
... but no significant advantage over the 3-prime kit which I already have.

I do agree on this kit. 20-40 and 70 ltd seems to be a perfect combination. I would wish for a DSLR which would be designed as the natural match for this. Sure, retro style might have grown old, but some trickling down of the design language from the K-1 to a new APS-C model optimized for compactness and durability could still stand up to the Fuji and Olympus mirrorless combinations. I know, k-3 is almost there, but with the k-1 there might be room for another, even smaller metal body. No compromise in ergonomy, and much better battery life than all mirrorless cousins, I would be in. I am sure the Oly and Fuji could be matched, in most dimensions. And I would not care for thickness, especially if looking at the combinations with lenses mounted.

Then my only concern would be in WA. The DA 15 has it's qualities, but for my purpose I would need minimal vignetting and maximally even sharpness across the field (stitching and 3d-modelling). Here a GR might still be a better addition, or in best case a successor with environmental protection.

[stevebrot]

If you Google "{Camera Make} {Camera Model} defect" you will get pages and pages of results for every single camera ever made. Every. Single. Camera.

Oh, man! Don't ruin the fun with the facts!

Pentax fandom is based at least partially on the notion that the products are inferior and the manufacturer is both stupid and unresponsive. Challenging that "truth" will prove fatal to the movement.


Steve

[stevebrot]

How long were the K-30/K-50 models on the market before the aperture block failure problem became apparent?

We started getting troubleshooting requests on this site about 1.5 years after the K-30 launched.


Steve

[photoptimist]

Oh, man! Don't ruin the fun with the facts!

Pentax fandom is based at least partially on the notion that the products are inferior and the manufacturer is both stupid and unresponsive. Challenging that "truth" will prove fatal to the movement.


Steve

So Pentax is Doomed is doomed?

(Is it time to find a new underdog or undersquirrel?)

[JPT]

Are you using a neoprene strap? Or in any case, one better than what's included in the camera?
I found it made my camera much more comfortable to carry.

Thanks for the advice. I might try that for the camera itself. Right now I use a replacement Pentax-made strap, but it's no wider or softer that the one that comes with the camera. I'm not so bothered when I'm actually shooting, because I've got the bag over one shoulder and the camera over the other. I'm more concerned about the overall weight of the kit in a shoulder bag, because I often have to have it on me the whole day, with little chance to put it down. Anyway, I feel the weight difference is real, so I completely understand someone feeling reluctant to take a K-3 on a walking trip.

[Na Horuk]

DA40 Limited is 89g, saving 36g vs. the 35/2.4 or 126g vs. the 35/2.8 Limited. I don't have the 21, but a K-S1/21/40/70 travel kit sure does look attractive.

Just recently got the DA 21mm and it is replacing the DA 35mm f2.4 and the M 28mm, possibly even reducing the use of the Samyang 14mm. Super light on the K-01 mirrorless, great FoV, and amazing colours, contrasts. Some CA, but gets fixed easily in post. It is so good it stays on the camera even if the FoV of another lens might be more fitting for that shot.

Back when the 40mm XS came out, I was hoping for a XS version of 21mm. I would love it if Pentax brings back the XS lineup along with a mirrorless camera. Would be a super lightweight, compact kit with great features and sensor; even if its not as fast as a DSLR.

[panonski]

Would be a super lightweight, compact kit with great features and sensor; even if its not as fast as a DSLR.

dslr are slower in my opinion - look at new OMD -EM1 II - it's a monster

[Zygonyx]

That's right, any "pro" is now dropping it's 1Dx or D5 to jump on EM1

[RGlasel]

Is it bad if I secretly want a Pentax Espio Mini/ UC-1 with a compact sensor?

In itself, it isn't good or bad; if you simply post your secret desire, it will probably be ignored. Unless you you also express a deeply felt desire to take pictures of birds in flight at f1.2 with a lens that doesn't weigh more than 100 grams, to get just one wingtip in focus and bokeh so buttery you could spread it on your toast, at which point the usual half dozen suspects will tell you to buy a Sony camera and adapt a radioactive Russian lens with an F mount.

[Na Horuk]

dslr are slower in my opinion - look at new OMD -EM1 II - it's a monster

Some mirrorless are super fast. But Pentax is not known for speed even in DSLRs. And the K-01 is very slow. I don't expect a speed monster from Pentax, but if they make one - wonderful!