[manufocus]

Hi folks,

so, my K30 is starting to manifest the stuck-shutter-bug after about 12k shots. Now, in my last big vacation I only carried the Pentax 35mm DA f2.4 with me and was really happy with it.

So I'm thinking of skipping on buying a new body for my lenses and rather get a compact camera to shed volume and weight from my backpack.

What I'd wish for:
- Same Image Quality at 35mm or 50mm (APSC equivalent, ~50-80FF)
- Same Ruggedness
- Preferably somewhere around ~500€


I looked up some prime compacts, but they were ridiculously expensive like leica...
Anyone with some good suggestions?

[Adam]

Not sure about a fixed lens camera that's cheap, but there's the Sony A6000 which you could pair with the Samyang 35mm F2.8 for a rather compact package that should be close to your price range.

[UncleVanya]

Panasonic LX100 and Sony RX100 (several models), Ricoh GR

[surfar]

What I'd wish for:
- Same Image Quality at 35mm or 50mm (APSC equivalent, ~50-80FF)
- Same Ruggedness
- Preferably somewhere around ~500€

Keep wishing and if it comes true tell us!

[LightBug]

Hi folks,

so, my K30 is starting to manifest the stuck-shutter-bug after about 12k shots. Now, in my last big vacation I only carried the Pentax 35mm DA f2.4 with me and was really happy with it.

So I'm thinking of skipping on buying a new body for my lenses and rather get a compact camera to shed volume and weight from my backpack.

What I'd wish for:
- Same Image Quality at 35mm or 50mm (APSC equivalent, ~50-80FF)
- Same Ruggedness
- Preferably somewhere around ~500€


I looked up some prime compacts, but they were ridiculously expensive like leica...
Anyone with some good suggestions?

You may want to try following to see if your k30 can be salvaged:

my fix of the K-30 aperture problem without disassembly: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

[reh321]

Hi folks,

so, my K30 is starting to manifest the stuck-shutter-bug after about 12k shots. Now, in my last big vacation I only carried the Pentax 35mm DA f2.4 with me and was really happy with it.

So I'm thinking of skipping on buying a new body for my lenses and rather get a compact camera to shed volume and weight from my backpack.

What I'd wish for:
- Same Image Quality at 35mm or 50mm (APSC equivalent, ~50-80FF)
- Same Ruggedness
- Preferably somewhere around ~500€


I looked up some prime compacts, but they were ridiculously expensive like leica...
Anyone with some good suggestions?

The cheapest thing to do would be to purchase several manual lenses - that is my fall-back plan if/when my K-30 has that problem.

[surfar]

The cheapest thing to do would be to purchase several manual lenses

Yes, but 4 rechargeables and charger on Ebay is U$ 7...cheapest lens i got is $4 but havent found any near that for a while.

My back up K-50 had apeture block a few weeks ago...the rechargeable trick fixed it.

[manufocus]

Thanks for all the input!

Indeed I think I'm suffering from the "sticky" aperture bug, so cleaning should fix it. (Interest in smaller/lighter camera is still valid though).
Either keeping the K30 as Time-lapse sacrifice or selling it off for that purpose.

The suggestion of the Sony got me looking into DSLM's which I didn't think about previously. Since a friend of mine already has an Olympus I'm thinking about getting the OM-D EM10 Mark II which can be had without a lens for a bit under 500€.

Any first-hand experince with this model(-series)?

[UncleVanya]

Thanks for all the input!

Indeed I think I'm suffering from the "sticky" aperture bug, so cleaning should fix it. (Interest in smaller/lighter camera is still valid though).
Either keeping the K30 as Time-lapse sacrifice or selling it off for that purpose.

The suggestion of the Sony got me looking into DSLM's which I didn't think about previously. Since a friend of mine already has an Olympus I'm thinking about getting the OM-D EM10 Mark II which can be had without a lens for a bit under 500€.

Any first-hand experince with this model(-series)?

I shoot a Panasonic m43 and a Pentax K-3. Happy to compare notes. Just know the lenses are expensive, and the sensor is smaller with less low light capability.

[manufocus]

Gladly, so I'm thinking the olympus has the newer sensor and better IS so hopefully I will end up with roughly the same low light capabilities as with the K30.

As Lenses I'm looking for the Lumix 25mm f1.7 as main lens. Probably going for a 35mm FF equivalent later on. Also have to check size of the 25mm/1.7 to see if it fits or if I have to go pancake.

This would pretty much fullfull my needs in flexibility retaining the option of getting a long lens but also having full dslr capabilities in a much smaller/lighter package.

Any comments appreciated.

P.s. I'm looking to substitute the M50/1.7 and DA35/2.8 lenses since those were the ones I used most.

[UncleVanya]

Gladly, so I'm thinking the olympus has the newer sensor and better IS so hopefully I will end up with roughly the same low light capabilities as with the K30.

As Lenses I'm looking for the Lumix 25mm f1.7 as main lens. Probably going for a 35mm FF equivalent later on. Also have to check size of the 25mm/1.7 to see if it fits or if I have to go pancake.

This would pretty much fullfull my needs in flexibility retaining the option of getting a long lens but also having full dslr capabilities in a much smaller/lighter package.

Any comments appreciated.

I have the 20mm f/1.7 Lumix and like it but it is slow to focus which is a common complaint. I have never used the 25mm f/1.7 Lumix. The 42.5 f/1.7 Lumix I have is very fast and reasonably small. I have a GX-1 and a GX-7. I found the 2 axis GX-7 Image Stabilization to be surprisingly effective even with adapted lenses. The GX-7 sensor works well to about 1600, 3200 is pushing it a bit. I found the K-3 better at 3200. Sorry I don't have any direct Olympus experience that is relevant. I have used some of the lenses and a long time ago I played with a couple of friends bodies but I never warmed to them. The Panasonic menu structure always made more sense to me.

---------- Post added 11-19-17 at 12:26 PM ----------

Here's a size comparison for you: http://j.mp/2ivHgbT

OMD-EM5 MKII with 25mm f/1.7 Lumix
GX-1 with 20mm f/1.7 Lumix
GX-7 with 42.5mm f/1.7 Lumix

The latter two are for you to know what I am using for comparison. You can swap in other bodies and lenses as you want on this site to get a good idea of sizes.

[Fcsnt54]

There is the olympus 25 1.8 that ive had good results with, pairs well with that sensor.

[surfar]

Gladly, so I'm thinking the olympus has the newer sensor and better IS so hopefully I will end up with roughly the same low light capabilities as with the K30.

Oly does IBIS very well,some say they set the standard....M43 in low light????...

Check out the Mk 3 OMD 10...its still 16mp but has excellent video capability an extra dial for the advanced functions and a Quick style menu(similar to Fuji) which makes it much easier to use than the MK 2 version.The MK3 has the same processor as the flagship Omd 1 mk 2.Theres plenty of YTube clips to watch.U$ 649.

[manufocus]

@UncleVanya Thanks for that website! Great for comparison!
Now I know that at least the Lumix 25mm Lens is about as long as the K30+DA35. The Olympus 25mm is a good bit smaller but quite expensive which would set me back at 800€ for body + lens... far from ideal.

If there's about one stop loss in IQ from mft to K3 I am ok with it. I sold off my 70-200/f2.8 because I got tired of lugging it around so with the weight savings I can easily carry a small tripod to counter any low light challenges.

@surfar I looked at the MK3, its about 180€ more expensive and I don't realy care for video. New processor is nice... but the MK2 is already newer than my K30 so it should be an improvement either way.

P.s.
In the reviews of the mkII it is often said that the menus are very complex and have a huge amount of customization options. Directly speaks to me :-)

[UncleVanya]

The way Olympus organized their menus is confusing to me. I prefer Panasonic which seems more Pentax friendly so going back and forth is easier for me.

The Oly 17mm f1.8 is highly respected and 35mm Full Frame field of view, but I'd probably go for the Leica/Panny 15 f1.7 since I like a little wider gap between lenses, and I have the 20 rather than the 25 you are planning to get. I owned the Oly 17 f2.8 and found it useful before I got the 20 despite many people calling it soft.. I also have a 30mm Sigma f2.8 and Panny 42.5 f1.7. In adapted lenses I have a Canon FD 85 f1.8, as well as an adapter for k mount lenses including da. The metal adapter is very heavy and bulky compared to native lenses.