[Kerrowdown]

You have DSLR-ARM

Aye both of them.

[zitounae]

K-O2! With retro style this time.. tho i could go with k-01bis i wont lie.

[Lowell Goudge]

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.

+1

You are not alone

[boriscleto]

The weight of the K-3 nicely balances the 150-500. It's not any worse than carrying a 20ga shotgun all day.

[zitounae]

at least you have the choice to use quality and bulky pentax gears All small hands have are old gears or Q.
I would use a a small and light dslr as second set, for daytime normal/street shooting. Of course it would make less impact with a 300/500 zoom.. Anyway i wouldn't expect it to be as effective than a k3 for low light or sport shots. I would just want it to be small and effective enough, and able to carry my pk gears!

[hjoseph7]

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?

You mean like the Fuji XT1 ? That is one great camera, great for travel, but for me nothing beats a DSLR when it comes to hand holding stability.

[Bagga_Txips]

And yet, lots of people derided the K-S1... Not a flagship I admit, but currently the best of my 3 Pentax DSLRs. (K30, K5, K-S1)

It feels more solid than it looks, is dirt cheap at the moment, and gives splendid results. Perfect for street, too, coupled with my 21 f3.2!

[mattb123]

I'm tempted by the K-S2 for this reason. I like the K-3 a lot but I wouldn't mind something smaller and lighter for just walking around or self-powered adventures that could still use my nice glass.

[Kerrowdown]

You are not alone

I'm reassured to hear that, so I can't join "Freaks R Us" just yet then.

[Lowell Goudge]

I'm reassured to hear that, so I can't join "Freaks R Us" just yet then.

Not just yet

Years ago, when i bought my first SLR, i picked a Ricoh XR2s over the pentax M series offerings available at the time because the pentax bodies were so small they were hard to hold onto and difficult to use. Although some of the lightest cameras available at the time, they felt heavy because i couldn;t grip them properly.

I used to refer to it as the "M Disease".

every time i hear about downsizing the current bodies, i get concerned they will make them too small.

i am not a "Freak" by any means, I do not have large hands (I can only span about 9 inches, if i really stretch), but across my palm from the base of my thumb to the base of my little pinkie is about 51/2 inches, (big wide palms short stubby fingers)

[disconnekt]

You'd either have to get a K-01, a Fuji XT-1, a Sony A77II, or a Olympus E-M5II.

[pinholecam]

Having seen the KS-2 in the flesh last week, I gotta say that thats exactly the camera (smaller than K30, yet full featured to the point that its basically a K5iis + Wifi +tilt screen + new sensor + K3 AF motor)

[Na Horuk]

I think Pentax is already making very compact cameras, from K-m, K-x, to K-01, K-S1. The main "problem" is the K-mount's large register distance (45mm), so the camera needs that much empty space in there. This is not a big problem, but you can only make a camera that small within those parameters. This is why 4/3 and Sony E have a big advantage (though, to be fair, they lose that advantage with the lenses - they generally have relatively big lenses, compared to camera size. Pentax has much smaller DA limited lenses than the competition. I think the large lenses are unavoidable with such small register distance)

And I think Pentax will continue making small cameras. They will be distinct from the bigger flagships, though. Those need to be bigger for larger batteries, more card slots, bigger buffer and CPU, faster AF motor, mirror motors, and so on.

[Tony Belding]

I may be nuts, but I've yearned for a "Super Q" with an EVF and a build quality and style more along the lines of the OM-D. It may not be justified today, as everyone would complain about the limitations of the 1/1.7" sensor, but give sensor technology another generation (or two?) advance and it could become compelling.

[Rondec]

There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to cameras. Flagship cameras (K3, K3 II, etc) will always be bigger and heavier, because they will be the choice of professionals who use larger lenses (in general). When you are shooting a wedding, you want a camera that will balance your 50-135 f2.8/16-50 f2.8 (or 70-200 f2.8) lenses and be decent ergonomically. Truthfully, that usually involves the addition of a grip.

The smallest cameras Pentax has released in recent years have both been pretty derided -- the K-S1 and the K-01. I guess it was mostly for styling issues, but still, if small size with good image quality is where it is at, then both of those cameras should have sold better (I'm still carrying a torch for the K-01). Anyway, I hope Pentax keeps their flagship cameras around the K3 size. It really is pretty comfortable with bigger lenses and isn't that big to carry along on a trip with a DA limited prime or, FA limited prime on board.