[reh321]

Yes, me too. Unfortunately aftermarket industry also doesn't seem to be quick here.
And even more unfortunate maybe, that there are no contacts below the grip, for example just to add one with a small battery...

Apart from electrical contacts, how large is the KP's 'large grip' - what kind of battery could they get in there?

[monochrome]

Apart from electrical contacts, how large is the KP's 'large grip' - what kind of battery could they get in there?

Not big enough for the D-LI90 it doesn’t appear to me. The camera body itself is skinny.

[mikesbike]

If this were "customized" to be progressively even more bulky, it would be back to a K-5/K-3 bulk- so then what would be the point of the KP design in the first place?

I've used the K5, then the K-5 IIs for years. Wonderful ergonomics, for me at least. I still do, but not as much. Since acquiring the KP, it has become my most-used model. I don't find the position or style of the e-dials, or the grip(s) to be an issue. Yes, different than other models, but still well-designed. When I am holding in a shooting position, with my rear thumb in the thumb groove, my front trigger-finger falls upon the front e-dial naturally, or if it is up around on top, it rests upon the shutter button. No issue at all. No problem going back and forth. It is simply a matter of acclimation from what one is used to. If am using the small grip, and with my trigger-finger on the e-dial, the compactness does put my fingers closer to each other than with the usual DSLR bulky grip, but the vertical e-dial has a bit more of the dial exposed making it a bigger dial than most, and I don't find it hard to use at all. It has enough resistance to make it unlikely to be accidentally nudged. Some prefer to always use the KP's largest-size grip, which is still not all that large, because it does separate the trigger-finger more, and it provides a deeper purchase compared to the small-size grip.

The optional battery grip, which I also have, provides plenty of grip area, as well as plenty of battery capability. With it installed, the weight of the camera is still only about 3 oz. over the K-3 II body alone, plus the extra battery. If another of the small batteries is chosen, which weighs next to nothing, this would still double the shooting capacity over the KP itself. The only thing then still missing is the middle finger notch of the usual-style grip, which allows a more bowling-ball grip security. This omission is to prevent reaching your finger to the e-dial and shutter button from becoming awkward. Since the battery grip is optional, this allows the user to configure the design according to current needs.

Coming from ye olde classic film cameras, which invariably had the shutter button up on top, this transition was easy for me. Of course, they had no front e-dial. But ye olde shutter speed dial was also up on top, next to the shutter button. To use this dial one had to reach over from the shutter button, and to do it properly also had to employ the thumb from the rear, while still holding the camera. After some 6 years with the normal manual-only SLR, there was a technical advancement which we now call the Av mode. I then got my first Pentax- the ME Super. I could select an aperture by using the lens aperture ring, as normal, and by selecting"auto" on a dial atop the camera, it would automatically set the shutter speed! Wow!! was my amazement. But I could also take it off "auto" and select my own as before, but now there was no room for another dial on this amazingly compact metal-body camera, so it was done via two buttons instead- one for up,the other for down, with the shutter speed displayed in the VF. So you had reach your finger over the shutter button to find the up & down buttons, while looking through the VF. To me it was easy, and didn't require my thumb like ye olde dial did. But years later, in two AF SLR models, Pentax returned to ye olde shutter speed dial- the ZX/MZ-5(n) and a more modern such dial on the MZ-S, containing an LCD screen.

So if anyone who requires a bulky style body grip, containing both a front e-dial and shutter button, in a 35mm film body, I highly recommend the very large-bodied Pentax PZ-1p (or Z-1p). The main difference is the shutter button is below the e-dial. This, I think, is also the most advanced Pentax 35mm AF body in many ways, except the AF, which was fast, but had just one sensor that was not sensitive to horizontal lines. It came out in the mid-1990's and was the predecessor of today's Pentax DSLR designs. it was mystifying to me that Pentax then went backwards in those two subsequent ZX/MZ models.

[reh321]

If this were "customized" to be progressively even more bulky, it would be back to a K-5/K-3 bulk- so then what would be the point of the KP design in the first place?

This is probably way too speculative, but ...

Several times during my career I wrote firmware, which required that I work closely with hardware design engineers. When I saw this thing, I didn't think "someone playing with KP"; no, I thought "design engineer exploring ways to extend KP to create KR, the successor to the K-3ii". I don't want to start any fanciful rumors here, but to get people to put aside their K-3, K-3ii, etc cameras, most of the changes to the KP would be hidden inside {mostly queue-related}, but if I were design engineer eavesdropping here, battery would be near the top of my list, and that would require a nontrivial expansion of the body; eliminating the removable aspect of the grip would be one way to accomplish that goal.

[caliscouser]

There's already a K-r.

[mikesbike]

The replacement for the K-3 II should definitely be a full-fledged K-3 size body and grip using the larger battery. It should also feature at least a pull-out LCD screen, and all the updates of the KP and more.

The KP is a wonderful camera, and its compact concept is a good one. For those of us who like to carry small but with high quality, the KP makes that point clear, especially in matching the Limited lens concept. As usual, marketing is somewhat lacking. It is fine to show the KP with the newer Limited zoom lens, but also showing it with a DA 21mm or a DA 40mm, or a DA 70mm, or the FA 77mm, would be a good idea. At the same time, its adaptability for heavier-duty uses can demonstrate its versatility, by showing some images with the battery grip and larger lenses, perhaps side-by-side with those having Limited primes mounted.

This is not trying to make it a K-3 II replacement, which it is not, but does show it can step out of the niche role of a uniquely compact high-quality body for uniquely compact high-quality lenses, when the need arrises. The K-7/K-5/K-3 series of bodies are already comparatively compact for what they are. Their design is markedly more compact than the K-10D/K-20D. The KP represents an old Pentax tradition of high-quality extra-compact design.

However, I do know of at least 2 cases where owners of the K-10D and K-20D left Pentax and went to Nikon when the K-7 emerged. Too small for their liking.

[reh321]

However, I do know of at least 2 cases where owners of the K-10D and K-20D left Pentax and went to Nikon when the K-7 emerged. Too small for their liking.

Those guys are swimming against the tide. Small is making a comeback.