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05-24-2014, 05:17 PM   #1
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Sold my K-7 & looking for something small

so I had both a K-5 and K-7 and since the K-5 does everything better than the K-7, it was time to let the K-7 go.
What I am looking for now is a more portable, compact street camera that can go with me anywhere. The two that are on top of my list are the Fujifilm X100S 21mm f2 and the Pentax K-01. The obvious advantage of the K-01 is that I can use any K mount lens with it and is considerably cheaper than the X100S..... but I'm not sure how portable it would be.
The advantage of the X100S 21mm f2 is that it's small, wide and has a fast f2 lens but is considerably more money.
I am leaning towards the X100S but would like some input of others who also considered a small street camera or those who own a K-01. Thoughts?

05-24-2014, 05:28 PM   #2
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I bought the K-01 as a smaller 2nd camera to add to my K-7, and I love it. Why?

-The lens compatibility is great.

-The IQ is superb.

-The camera boxy shape is a major improvement from the K-7/K-5/K3 body IMHO. Not need of a tripod in many situation: you can sit the K-01 on a bench, wall, table very easily.

-The camera matches very well the small Pentax lenses, especially the DA Ltd series. With a pancake lens, the K-01 fits nicely in a small bag like this one: Lowepro Apex 100 AW reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database.

-You can share many components between the K-7/K-5 and K-01: battery, battery charger, cards, lenses, flash...

I now moved from the K-7 to K-3 and I still consider the K-01 as a great, second, compact camera.

Hope that the comments may help.
05-24-2014, 05:38 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by hcc Quote
I bought the K-01 as a smaller 2nd camera to add to my K-7, and I love it. Why?
Thanks for the input. A couple of concerns that I have are shutter lag and lack of a viewfinder. What are your thoughts on this?
I have a DA15, DA 35 Macro, DA70 and a DA31 that I think might work very well except the 31 might be a little big....
05-24-2014, 06:22 PM   #4
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You can't go past the MX-1 for a small side-kick to your DSLR.
Amazing IQ and lovely quality camera.

I still have my K-7 but the K-01 and K-50 beat it for IQ.
Not sure it's worth selling though, not much resale value now.


Last edited by Steve.Ledger; 05-24-2014 at 08:00 PM.
05-24-2014, 07:04 PM   #5
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I am also looking at the GR....it looks like a great little camera for the $$.....I just don't know if I can get past not having a viewfinder?
05-24-2014, 07:15 PM   #6
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You mentioned a "street camera". Not sure if you meant street shooting, or just a handy compact camera to carry around, or maybe both. Anyhow, some folks have said that for street shooting, one of the K-01 bodies in yellow or white can be disarming to your subjects, helping them feel not threatened in the presence of a "cheerful" camera. I'm not a street shooter but I have had some pleasant and lighthearted comments from folks who have seen my yellow K-01, especially with the small DA21 Ltd or 40XS. Whereas my black K-01 seems to be more serious/intimidating, probably because of the LCD loupe hanging off the back.

If you just meant a small camera to carry around for casual shooting, the K-01 has all the benefits of the Pentax ecosystem. But it is chunky, and certainly won't fit into any of my pockets.

The only overall complaint I might have about the K-01 is the autofocus is rather slow and noisy by modern standards. And being a contrast-based system, it has to rack focus every time you ask it to AF, which makes the overall acquisition time slow. So I wouldn't use it as an AF camera when fast action is required. But in all other respects, the performance of the K-01 is still very good.
05-24-2014, 07:27 PM   #7
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I would second the Ricoh GR.

It's flexible in a variety of situations and much more pocketable than the x100s. I wouldn't choose another camera that has interchangeable lenses if you already have the k-5 (I.e k-01)

Here are some photos I took at.a concert with the GR. I set it to program and a lot of times I wasn't even looking at the screen.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/161-ricoh-gr/260655-armin-van-buuren-inte...vancouver.html

05-24-2014, 08:02 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by peterjcb Quote
Thanks for the input. A couple of concerns that I have are shutter lag and lack of a viewfinder. What are your thoughts on this?
I have a DA15, DA 35 Macro, DA70 and a DA31 that I think might work very well except the 31 might be a little big....
I have the DA15mm and the K-01 is great with it. I also have the FA31mm and is great with the K-01, but not as compact as a pancake lens.

Generally the K-01 is an ideal camera for the pancake lenses. Very fast and accurate. No issue with shutter lag.

Viewfinder. I was very worried initially. Nowadays, I am not worry: the LCD is large and Liveview works very nicely.

I add that focus peaking is a very nice tool for MF. The K-7/K-5/K-5ii lacks focus peaking.

My 5 cents.....
05-24-2014, 09:13 PM   #9
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GR got the external optical viewfinder atleast. Though you can probably match third party ones for the K-01.
05-24-2014, 09:27 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by peterjcb Quote
so I had both a K-5 and K-7 and since the K-5 does everything better than the K-7, it was time to let the K-7 go.
What I am looking for now is a more portable, compact street camera that can go with me anywhere. The two that are on top of my list are the Fujifilm X100S 21mm f2 and the Pentax K-01. The obvious advantage of the K-01 is that I can use any K mount lens with it and is considerably cheaper than the X100S..... but I'm not sure how portable it would be.
The advantage of the X100S 21mm f2 is that it's small, wide and has a fast f2 lens but is considerably more money.
I am leaning towards the X100S but would like some input of others who also considered a small street camera or those who own a K-01. Thoughts?
The Ricoh GR is great if you're looking for portability combined with DSLR-grade image quality. If you want convenience, you might also want to check out the Sony RX 100 (the mark III has an EVF).

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05-24-2014, 09:53 PM   #11
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+1 for the K-01. It will rock with your 15, 35, 70 combination.
Shutter lag is negligible, and the lack of a viewfinder is rarely a problem; hold it fairly close to your face and wear a wide-brimmed hat
05-24-2014, 10:18 PM   #12
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If you are looking for small, but I know you give up on IQ, get a Q, but if you want APS-C, get the K01 and a few M lenses. I assume you are looking for wide to normal, so a 28,35,50 and then something if you can get a good and compact 14-15mm you are set.

I like the samyang 14 but it is simply not compact. Same as the 8mm fisheye. Nice to use but not compact
05-25-2014, 01:38 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lowell Goudge Quote
if you want APS-C, get the K01 and a few M lenses.
Lowell got a good point. With focus-peaking, the K-01 is great to use MF lenses IMHO.
05-25-2014, 11:11 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by hcc Quote
Lowell got a good point. With focus-peaking, the K-01 is great to use MF lenses IMHO.
My BIL has a Leica digital range finder and a couple of lenses notable a 35mm and a 50 mm

Once I countered his argument with my *istD an M35/2 and M50/1.7

The m series are nice and compact. Still have a solid feel, and what every you say about range finders, I like a DSLR better, but the K01!with focus peaking is not too bad, but get a hood for the LCD(I know it's bulky)
05-25-2014, 01:18 PM   #15
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gosh, thanks for all the input!

I have a K-5, K200D and a K20D...would the K-01 produce better IQ higher than any of my existing cameras?
For those that actuall have a K-01, how portable do you really find it? It doesn't look very small.
While I like that fact that I can use my existing lenses, it seems almost the same size as my K-5.
If IQ were much better than the K-5 I might consider it otherwise what would be it's advantages over my existing K-5?

In looking again at the comparison between the X100s and the GR, from what I am reading the GR has a sharper lens and better IQ.
While the GR does not have a viewfinder, better image quality and a considerably less price tag has me leaning towards the GR at this point. It is also a very portable size.
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