[roscot]

Weight, size and ergonmics are a indeed a personal thing. That being said, I just spent 3.5 days with a K10D, grip, and either a Sigma 70-200 EX or Tamron 28-75 XR Di attached. By the middle of the 3rd day, I broke out the monopod. LOL, I'm getting too old for this.

Despite the weight, I do like the way the camera and grip fit my hands, and how all the controls just fall to hand, where you mostly would expect them. I'm not giving up just yet.

[RiceHigh]

Yes, the weight bother me as well as the bulky size too. For that weight, I would like to have a vertical grip and for that size, a 3 inch mon as the trade-off would be justified, but now it isn't.

I have been looking at the K10D camera to buy. I like a lot of the features and the positioning on the camera but when I hold in the store and compare sides by side the weight always bothers me. I'll probably get a good telephoto lens down the line since I take a lot of outdoor shots and will be traveling with the camera and several lens.

On the other hand the bulk is a component of keeping stable esp when using with a good tripod. I still have an old Minolta SLR film camera.

any comments on the weight either as a pro or con?

[UltraWide]

My K10D weighs in at 1.599kg. That includes the battery grip, two batteries, SD card, remote control, DA 16-45 and a Z1p strap.

It IS heavy when you pick it up. But when you start shooting it is so comfortable and fits the hand so well that the weight is forgotten. Size is not an issue, it is about the same as a Z1. For me that is real Good)

All in all it fits me like glove and I like to wear it a lot!!

Cheers from Oz

[WMBP]

Weight, size and ergonmics are a indeed a personal thing. That being said, I just spent 3.5 days with a K10D, grip, and either a Sigma 70-200 EX or Tamron 28-75 XR Di attached. By the middle of the 3rd day, I broke out the monopod. LOL, I'm getting too old for this.

Despite the weight, I do like the way the camera and grip fit my hands, and how all the controls just fall to hand, where you mostly would expect them. I'm not giving up just yet.

This seems to me an entirely personal matter - not something you can very usefully get advice from others on.

I agree with you about the fit and feel of the K10D and also about the brilliance of the way the controls are placed. But I personally LIKE the weight of the camera, more than the weight of the K100D (which I had before the K10D). I'm 55 years old and definitely not a body builder, but I am a biggish guy. The weight of the K10D feels great in my hands - very solid.

I just don't understand it when I hear someone speak about that the weight of any camera as if it were an objective problem like poor design. I completely understand someone saying that he or she doesn't want to carry something that heavy around all the time. But that's the user's problem, not the camera's. Bigger cameras are generally bigger for a reason and the reason is almost never "the manufacturer was too incompetent to make the camera smaller." In the K10D's case, the bigger body makes it possible for more controls to be on the outside of the camera rather than buried in menus - and quick access to all those controls is one of the great things about the camera. I can assure you that the placement of every single button on the outside of one of these cameras is the result of thought, study and experience. No way to make the LCD bigger, for example, without cramming the buttons so close together that users will start pushing the wrong buttons or without surrendering some of the space left open for the user's right hand to grip the camera - or without making the camera even bigger and heavier.

Will

[weatherwise2]

I know this is an old topic but wanted everyone to know I did end up with the Pentax k10d and love it. Now that I'm using it I do forget about the weight and it does feel sturdy. I think my original comment was based on side by side comparison of similar quality cameras and my concern about keeping it steady rather then the quality of the camera as some people interpreted.

[davef]

I have been looking at the K10D camera to buy. I like a lot of the features and the positioning on the camera but when I hold in the store and compare sides by side the weight always bothers me. I'll probably get a good telephoto lens down the line since I take a lot of outdoor shots and will be traveling with the camera and several lens.

On the other hand the bulk is a component of keeping stable esp when using with a good tripod. I still have an old Minolta SLR film camera.

any comments on the weight either as a pro or con?

I don't find the weight a problem and actually find it more comfortable to use than the the *istDL2 it replaced. Perhaps it has something to do with being weaned on Nikon F's and old Nikkors -- not much seems too heavy or too big! As someone else pointed out, it tends to be a very personal preference and one that is influenced by requirements and experience.

[jms698]

I'd definitely pay more for a lighter camera. So, I really like the idea of aluminum instead of steel for the internal frame of the camera. Let's hope Pentax is listening.

If anyone wants more "heft" to their camera, they can just stick some lead weights onto the side of frame. Instant nice, heavy camera

[Lowell Goudge]

I agree with those who maintain this is a personal choice.

the weight size and feel of a camera are different for everyone, and people with small hands will find a camera like the *istD much easier to hold than the K10D.

Owning both, my own preference is for the K10D. BUT this also is determined by what you plan to mount in front of the camera.

While the *istD is nice and compact, when you mount a 300 mmF4 (or equivelent weight and size) it is almost impossible to hold on to the camera with one hand. The grip is too small. While it might be OK for a small segment of the market, it is not a good average.

This is the same complaint I had witht he pentax M series cameras in the film days. They got into a competition with Olympus in the 1980's trying to make the smallest camera possible. In the end they probably lost market share as a result.

Weight is much more subjective, but if you are tired of carrying any DSLR around your neck after a few minutes, even with a tame 28-70mm lens then perhaps a DSLR is not the camera for you.

I have many long lenses that far outweigh the camera body, and at that point discussion about camera body weight becomes moot. The size and hand holds are MUCH more important than a few grams.