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05-20-2015, 06:40 AM   #1
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Making a lighter and smaller Dslr

I wonder if Pentax could start making lighter versions of their flag ship models like the K-3ii and eventually their FF camera? I lot a people might be more inclined to buy a camera if it were lighter and easier to carry with advanced features. Pentax already makes compact lenses so why not more compact upscale bodies? If the dslr body were made out of aluminum, (like the K-01) and the chassis chrome alloy, couldn't the camera body still feel solid, and be lighter in weight? The K-s1 and K-01 are Pentax's two lightest APS-C cameras weighting 558 grams and 560 grams respectively with battery. Aluminum also dissipates heat better than steel so less chance of the camera overheating. Those models could be part of Pentax "S" line. What do you think?

05-20-2015, 06:58 AM   #2
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Aren't most of the structural components made from magnesium alloys which are 34% lighter than aluminum by volume and 50% light than aluminum by weight?
05-20-2015, 07:02 AM   #3
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I went M4/3 specifically because it is lighter and less bulky.
05-20-2015, 07:21 AM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by Not a Number Quote
Aren't most of the structural components made from magnesium alloys which are 34% lighter than aluminum by volume and 50% light than aluminum by weight?
You are right the body of the K-3 is magnesium alloy. What I am saying is can't Pentax make a metal body DSLR that weighs under a pound (453 grams) have most of its advanced features and and be compact enough to carry most places? I talked about an aluminum body camera because it dissipates heat better. For example, it has been reported that sometimes the Sony A6000 will over heat and shut itself off after extended use.

---------- Post added 05-20-15 at 10:28 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by derelict Quote
I went M4/3 specifically because it is lighter and less bulky.
That is why I think Pentax should consider making smaller and lighter DSLR's. I would suggest mirrorless, but for the moment, Pentax does not seem interested in the mirrorless option for anything other than the Q series of cameras.

05-20-2015, 07:58 AM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Vantage-Point Quote
I talked about an aluminum body camera because it dissipates heat better.
Magnesium, with high velocity airflow, dissipates heat about 15-25% slower than aluminum. With low velocity airflow, the difference is only 5-10%. Given that the difference becomes less as airflow decreases, in a camera body with zero airflow and encased in an extremely poor heat dissipation material (plastic), I have to think any difference in heat dissipation between aluminum and magnesium would be too slight to be of any consequence.

Magnesium Heat Sink Evaluations "The estimated heat dissipated from magnesium heat sinks for all of the velocities were approximately within 5 percent of the estimated heat dissipated from the aluminum heat sink. This indicates that the heat dissipated from a magnesium heat sink is comparable to the aluminum heat sink."
05-20-2015, 08:17 AM - 1 Like   #6
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Moving to 4/3 or mirrowless cameras means moving to a different breed. The K3 et al need to be compared to competitors DSLR's not different breeds ...that's like comparing a pickup truck to an econobox in a vehicle.
05-20-2015, 08:26 AM   #7
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The K-3 feels good to me as it is. My first DSLR shooting experience was with a K10D, and the heft felt really good in my hands. My K-50 felt light without a grip, and when I bought my K-3, was sure to add a grip to it. Think I'm in the minority on this stuff, but I like the weight. In PC cooling, aluminum is at the very low-end for heat dissipation, with copper being used in any halfway decent heatsink, and silver being used in the nicer stuff (especially water blocks). Agreeing with Parallax, none of that really matters without airflow. Any chance at the slightest bit of free movement airflow is negated with all of the WR gaskets. I've never felt any significant heat coming off either my K-50, or K-3, so I think they're good in that area, as well.

05-20-2015, 08:36 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Vantage-Point Quote
I wonder if Pentax could start making lighter versions of their flag ship models like the K-3ii and eventually their FF camera? I lot a people might be more inclined to buy a camera if it were lighter and easier to carry with advanced features. Pentax already makes compact lenses so why not more compact upscale bodies? If the dslr body were made out of aluminum, (like the K-01) and the chassis chrome alloy, couldn't the camera body still feel solid, and be lighter in weight? The K-s1 and K-01 are Pentax's two lightest APS-C cameras weighting 558 grams and 560 grams respectively with battery. Aluminum also dissipates heat better than steel so less chance of the camera overheating. Those models could be part of Pentax "S" line. What do you think?
so let me get this straight, you want it to do more, but weigh less?

I have seen all the other answers, but unless there is a complete elimination of all metal, replacing it with plastic, (not something for a flagship body) where is the savings going to be. also, pentax made some very small compact SLRS in the film era, which were the smallest and lightest cameras on the market at the time, but were too small for many people to use.

Pentax has always made things very compact, and I see no benefit in trying to make them smaller or lighter, it just becomes unuseable, and at the end, to make things lighter the only way is smaller.

You want a DSLR, for some key performance points which require certain things.

You want a shutter and optical viewfinder, for minimum shutter delay, you want big sensors for low noise, you want a penta prism over penta mirror for brightness, you want a prism over EVF for image quality in the viewfinder, you want a rugged metal frame for durability in a flagship product, You want image stabilization in body so every lens has it. etc.......

what we have, barring discovery of some new magic material as strong as steel per unit volume with 1/1000 the density and within the cost of somebody other than the armed forces or NASA, what we have is about as good as it gets.

the pressure is more on the electroncis and battery systems, to reduce size power and heat than anything else. but even then, unless the basic geometry of a camera changes (i.e. registration distance, mirror etc, the volume really cant change much, and volume = weight at the end of it
05-20-2015, 09:33 AM - 1 Like   #9
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I'd like to agree with OP. I love my K-3, but it's too big to carry around all the time, and it's a bit intimidating to some people at family events. I'm thinking of picking up a K-01 to throw in my backpack with a general zoom lens, but since the K-01 is basically a K-5 in compact mirror-less form it would be a downgrade.

I think it's about time Pentax came out with a K-01 successor. K-3 guts in K-01 form would be awesome. Even a mirror-less version of of the K-S2 would grab my attention.
Either way, resolution and low light sensitivity of the newer sensors would be great. (IMHO on camera flash is a last resort, and if I'm bringing off camera flash I might as well use my K-3. Even if the newer sensors have slightly more noise, they have more pixels to compensate in post processing.)
05-20-2015, 09:58 AM   #10
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Pentax ist-ds had a penta-prism and was 505 gram without batteries. The frame looks to be of stainless steel sheet, punched, folded and welded.
Heatsinking was not a concern with that camera's leisurely charge-coupled sensor, and the battery life in my one here is limited by self discharge.

The smallest slr I have is the Riicoh KR-5 Super, at 426 gram.
On the other hand....
The Mamiya RB67 slr's prism ( by itself!) weighs 900 gram.
05-20-2015, 10:57 AM   #11
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One of the cameras I gave up in order to return to Pentax was the Panasonic GH4. It was a bit lighter to carry, but I found that, as far volume goes, my equivalent Pentax gear is not more bulky than the M4/3 gear. I know it is largely a matter of personal taste, but, I feel the image quality of the K3 or K5IIs is such that it justifies a bit more weight over the M43 gear.

Personally, if it is a choice between reducing size and weight with associated increased complexity and reduced reliabiilty, or maintaining present size and weight and increased reliability- through gradual maturity of the camera line- I would prefer the latter.

I do wish Pentax would re visit the K-01.

Last edited by tennjed; 05-20-2015 at 11:08 AM.
05-20-2015, 02:03 PM   #12
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TELEPATHICALLY HEAR WHAT WE ARE SAYING, RICOH... or just read this post

we're ready for a k-03!
05-20-2015, 02:22 PM   #13
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A parallel product line employing mirrorless bodies would be nice, assuming they could share enough components with the DSLR range, and assuming the design wouldn't relegate it to curiosity status, as with the K-01.

One thing that could optionally reduce the size and weight of the DSLR is to make the prism housing removable, like that of the LX. Glass is heavy, but, of course, there's more than just the prism in a DSLR prism housing, and the size of the prism in a 35FF body is greater than in an APS-C body…
05-20-2015, 02:34 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Vantage-Point Quote
Making a lighter and smaller Dslr
No please don't... I've hands the size of shovels, fingers like bananas and big with grip and heavy, helps me to keep my fast glass steady.

But hey, that's just me.
05-20-2015, 02:40 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Kerrowdown Quote
No please don't... I've hands the size of shovels, fingers like bananas and big with grip and heavy, helps me to keep my fast glass steady.

But hey, that's just me.
You have DSLR-ARM

https://iso.500px.com/funny-dsl-arm-documentary-makes-fun-of-heavy-dslrs
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