[AlexanderS]

Hey guys,
I need your help in identifying a secondary camera, mostly for longer hiking trips (so, like twice a year, small, light,etc).

At the moment, I have a K 1, which I use extensively, and am actually very happy with for well planned out photography but, it takes too much joy away after a week of hiking, also, space.

So far, I looked at Olympus, to change the whole system to the plenty able mft, but I feel that I do not save too much on bulk, after all.

My second idea is to repurchase a sony rx 100, they are lovely for what they are, but, maybe one of you has a better suggestion?

I shoot mainly landscape, night cityscapes, a little creative shapes and architecture. Used to do animals, but Pentax really has different strengths imo, so it kinda died down (also a reason, why I started looking at Olympus, they do this great).

Any ideas welcome, and no, Leica Q is too expensive

[Wheatfield]

Look at Fuji. They can be quite compact, and the lenses are superb, every bit as good as the best that Pentax is making. And that is ****** fine.
A buddy of mine finally settled on Olympus. He was trapped on a chair so the small size was a bonus. I didn't like the EVF, but the OM-D looked nice otherwise.
Check out Brian's birds. The small ones for sure were done mostly with Olympus.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/klatuu13/albums/with/72157642969810854

[moggi1964]

I have an Olympus EM1 MkII and find it very manageable and very powerful in its features. The MkIII even more so I expect.

The MKII weighs almost half of what the K1 does.

With a fast prime or two and the 12-40mm F/2.8 Pro you would have a lot covered. If you thought you needed more you could exchange the 12-40 for the 12-100mm F/4 which whilst slower does offer up to 6.5 stops stabilization but of course it is larger and bulkier.

Here's a comparison I put together on Camerasize.com grabbing a couple of lenses that offered similar 35mm eqiv. to the Oly.

Compact Camera Meter

[tibbitts]

Hey guys,
I need your help in identifying a secondary camera, mostly for longer hiking trips (so, like twice a year, small, light,etc).

At the moment, I have a K 1, which I use extensively, and am actually very happy with for well planned out photography but, it takes too much joy away after a week of hiking, also, space.

So far, I looked at Olympus, to change the whole system to the plenty able mft, but I feel that I do not save too much on bulk, after all.

My second idea is to repurchase a sony rx 100, they are lovely for what they are, but, maybe one of you has a better suggestion?

I shoot mainly landscape, night cityscapes, a little creative shapes and architecture. Used to do animals, but Pentax really has different strengths imo, so it kinda died down (also a reason, why I started looking at Olympus, they do this great).

Any ideas welcome, and no, Leica Q is too expensive

Considering that you have a K-70 and both the 18-50 and 20-40, I'm not seeing a big win with anything bigger than an RX100.

Your list: Pentax K-70; Pentax Smc 15mm limited; Pentax HD 20-40 limited; Pentax HD 70mm limited, Pentax HD 18-50mm; Soligor 60-300; Vivitar 55mm macro

[dms]

One of the light weight Pentax 35mm film cameras.

[c.a.m]

mostly for longer hiking trips (so, like twice a year, small, light,etc).

Have you considered the Ricoh GR III?

It's a fixed-lens APS-C camera, highly rated for excellent image quality. It's compact, lightweight, and easy to use. I do not own one, but have seen many superb images, including landscape, cityscape, architecture, street, and small subjects. On the negative side, I don't believe that it is weather-sealed and the battery life may be limited compared to your K-1.

If you are working out of a backpack for a week, a highly-portable and stowable camera such as the GR III would seem to have advantages compared to a multi-lens kit.

- Craig

[aslyfox]

One of the light weight Pentax 35mm film cameras.

that option might be worth looking at

and you can use a lot of the pentax lenses on them

check the chart:

Pentax K-mount Lens Compatibility Chart

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[AlexanderS]

Considering that you have a K-70 and both the 18-50 and 20-40, I'm not seeing a big win with anything bigger than an RX100.

Your list: Pentax K-70; Pentax Smc 15mm limited; Pentax HD 20-40 limited; Pentax HD 70mm limited, Pentax HD 18-50mm; Soligor 60-300; Vivitar 55mm macro

Ah, I didn't update my gear list, that camera, and most lenses are sold. Now is the K1, FA24,31, 70 limited, 55 300, 100 wr. BTW, if anyone is interested in an Fa *24, let me know I rally liked the K70, it was great, but the features on the K 1 are all, that I wanted, were slightly missing before

---------- Post added 02-14-21 at 11:19 PM ----------

Have you considered the Ricoh GR III?

It's a fixed-lens APS-C camera, highly rated for excellent image quality. It's compact, lightweight, and easy to use. I do not own one, but have seen many superb images, including landscape, cityscape, architecture, street, and small subjects. On the negative side, I don't believe that it is weather-sealed and the battery life may be limited compared to your K-1.

If you are working out of a backpack for a week, a highly-portable and stowable camera such as the GR III would seem to have advantages compared to a multi-lens kit.

- Craig

Hey Craig, I thought about it, too, but a little too expensive to have additionally, unfortunately.

[AlexanderS]

Look at Fuji. They can be quite compact, and the lenses are superb, every bit as good as the best that Pentax is making. And that is ****** fine.
A buddy of mine finally settled on Olympus. He was trapped on a chair so the small size was a bonus. I didn't like the EVF, but the OM-D looked nice otherwise.
Check out Brian's birds. The small ones for sure were done mostly with Olympus.

Brian Schneider?s albums | Flickr

Hey, I actually also looked at them, as I like the image quality, and the small wr primes. In the end, I couldnt get to love the ergonomics, especially compared to any Pentax. On the K1, it is a joy to shoot, and it lets me do my thing. On the Fuji, my hands cramped up, because it is so weird to hold (hence, why I started looking at the Olympus series, they seem similar to Pentax in that regard, also clear menu, just smaller).

---------- Post added 02-15-21 at 03:50 AM ----------

One of the light weight Pentax 35mm film cameras.

Hey,
not sure I will go that route, seems too much fiddling and learning curve, but anything you would advise to take a look at?

---------- Post added 02-15-21 at 03:55 AM ----------

I have an Olympus EM1 MkII and find it very manageable and very powerful in its features. The MkIII even more so I expect.

The MKII weighs almost half of what the K1 does.

With a fast prime or two and the 12-40mm F/2.8 Pro you would have a lot covered. If you thought you needed more you could exchange the 12-40 for the 12-100mm F/4 which whilst slower does offer up to 6.5 stops stabilization but of course it is larger and bulkier.

Here's a comparison I put together on Camerasize.com grabbing a couple of lenses that offered similar 35mm eqiv. to the Oly.

Compact Camera Meter

How does it compare in ergonomics (cannot test en E-m1 at the moment, thanks, Corona), and build quality to Pentax? I Iooked at an Olympus em10 mk3 recently, when shops were open, it seemed fine and well-built, and then.....the friggin battery door fell literally just off, in the shop. I know one cannot have everything in one camera, but yeah, this is where Pentax shines, when on hiking trips with the K1 so far, I guess I could use it to fight off a bear, if needed....

[moggi1964]

Hey, I actually also looked at them, as I like the image quality, and the small wr primes. In the end, I couldnt get to love the ergonomics, especially compared to any Pentax. On the K1, it is a joy to shoot, and it lets me do my thing. On the Fuji, my hands cramped up, because it is so weird to hold (hence, why I started looking at the Olympus series, they seem similar to Pentax in that regard, also clear menu, just smaller).

---------- Post added 02-15-21 at 03:50 AM ----------


Hey,
not sure I will go that route, seems too much fiddling and learning curve, but anything you would advise to take a look at?

---------- Post added 02-15-21 at 03:55 AM ----------


How does it compare in ergonomics (cannot test en E-m1 at the moment, thanks, Corona), and build quality to Pentax? I Iooked at an Olympus em10 mk3 recently, when shops were open, it seemed fine and well-built, and then.....the friggin battery door fell literally just off, in the shop. I know one cannot have everything in one camera, but yeah, this is where Pentax shines, when on hiking trips with the K1 so far, I guess I could use it to fight off a bear, if needed....

The only Pentax I have handled are the ME Super and the Spotmatic SPII I still have them.

I find the EM1 MkII fits my hand perfectly, there is sufficient depth in the grip that it feels secure and I don't personally see a need for an additional grip for it. When I stick the 17mm on the front it fits in the pocket of my Barbour jacket.

The build quality on the EM1 range is very good, it is their 'flagship' range. The EM10 is the entry level range but that is disappointing to hear that the battery door fell off.

The EM1 range is weather sealed and the 12-40 is too which might play a factor in your decisions. I've shot in quite heavy rain without a thought for the equipment other than wiping it down when I was finished. There is also the EM5 MkIII which is also weather sealed and smaller/lighter than the EM1 MkII.

Personally, I would be tempted to wait till you get get your hands on a camera because there are so many good choices these days that often it will come down to how it feels in your hand.

[AlexanderS]

The only Pentax I have handled are the ME Super and the Spotmatic SPII I still have them.

I find the EM1 MkII fits my hand perfectly, there is sufficient depth in the grip that it feels secure and I don't personally see a need for an additional grip for it. When I stick the 17mm on the front it fits in the pocket of my Barbour jacket.

The build quality on the EM1 range is very good, it is their 'flagship' range. The EM10 is the entry level range but that is disappointing to hear that the battery door fell off.

The EM1 range is weather sealed and the 12-40 is too which might play a factor in your decisions. I've shot in quite heavy rain without a thought for the equipment other than wiping it down when I was finished. There is also the EM5 MkIII which is also weather sealed and smaller/lighter than the EM1 MkII.

Personally, I would be tempted to wait till you get get your hands on a camera because there are so many good choices these days that often it will come down to how it feels in your hand.

BTW, how come you chose Olympus, not Panasonic, given the current hubbub about Olympus having been sold off?

[bdery]

Hey guys,
I need your help in identifying a secondary camera, mostly for longer hiking trips (so, like twice a year, small, light,etc).

At the moment, I have a K 1, which I use extensively, and am actually very happy with for well planned out photography but, it takes too much joy away after a week of hiking, also, space.

So far, I looked at Olympus, to change the whole system to the plenty able mft, but I feel that I do not save too much on bulk, after all.

My second idea is to repurchase a sony rx 100, they are lovely for what they are, but, maybe one of you has a better suggestion?

I shoot mainly landscape, night cityscapes, a little creative shapes and architecture. Used to do animals, but Pentax really has different strengths imo, so it kinda died down (also a reason, why I started looking at Olympus, they do this great).

Any ideas welcome, and no, Leica Q is too expensive

If you can afford it, the Sony A7C is probably one of the best options available for hiking. I understand where you come from, I also have a K-1 II and also find is large for hiking (although I've used it numerous times). The A7C is perfect for that.

[termy]

Sony RX10 mk iv.

Everything you'll need from 24mm to 600mm field of view.
(Unless wanting wider than 24mm or bigger than 1inch sensor)

And if dont mind even smaller sensor, anything from the Pentax Q line up should be as tiny as it could get.
(Or a K-01?)

[tibbitts]

I thought about it, too, but a little too expensive to have additionally, unfortunately.

If the budget for an additional camera/system is well under $1000 US, that precludes many of the options being suggested.

[PocketPixels]

If you'd consider used, get an Olympus XZ-1 on eBay for ~$125, or an XZ-2 on eBay for ~$200. Both are small, capable point-and-shoot cameras with bright ƒ/1.8 lenses and full manual controls. If you like the ergonomics of the XZ-2, you will be able transfer nearly all of that muscle memory to an Olympus PEN camera. However, the zoom range is the 35mm equivalent of 28mm–115mm, so photographing animals/wildlife is out of the question.

I own both the XZ-1 (completely pocketable) and the XZ-2 (coat pocket no problem). They are delightful. Add an optional EVF for a fully-capable camera, but the EVF might actually cost as much as the camera itself.