Originally posted by mecrox 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.