[cpritchardv]

Looking to break into shooting some video and I'd love to use my old m42 glass. I don't really want to lug around my K-1, so I am looking for a compact mirrorless body that I can adapt to m42, which also shoots decent video. Also looking to not break the bank (sub-$700 is preferable.)

Looking for recommendations (I've seen the Fujifilm X-E2 being mentioned elsewhere)

Thanks!

[Benz3ne]

X-E2 looks a lovely little camera but I'm not sure what limitations it has video-wise.
I'd be inclined to look at some of the Sony A6xxx series. Probably the A6000. Neither of those two choices will be stabilised so you might want to look at a gimbal if you don't already have one.

[jslifoaw]

A friendly reminder that although the mirrorless body will likely be smaller and have better video, you must use an adapter to get M42 lenses to focus properly. This may slightly diminish any perceived compactness the body has because your lenses will stick out quite a bit since the adapter is about 2-3cm thick. The K-1 is relatively compact and supports m42 lenses without a thick adapter so my focus would be on gaining access to features not available on a Pentax camera such as better video.

The mirrorless Pentax K-01 is a bit older and not the greatest video shooter, but it is compact for a mirrorless if you plan to use mostly k mount and m42 lenses and has solid IQ similar to the K-5 ii series. It can even shoot HD video.

[Benz3ne]

A friendly reminder that although the mirrorless body will likely be smaller and have better video, you must use an adapter to get M42 lenses to focus properly. This may slightly diminish any perceived compactness the body has because your lenses will stick out quite a bit since the adapter is about 2-3cm thick. The K-1 is relatively compact and supports m42 lenses without a thick adapter so my focus would be on gaining access to features not available on a Pentax camera such as better video.

The mirrorless Pentax K-01 is a bit older and not the greatest video shooter, but it is compact for a mirrorless if you plan to use mostly k mount and m42 lenses and has solid IQ similar to the K-5 ii series. It can even shoot HD video.

It's worth noting that the adapter is to meet the flange distance for the camera it was original made for. I.e. although the lens will 'protrude' more than a native lens on that camera, the overall result will not be any 'deeper' than the originally intended camera, but will likely be lighter, shorter and narrower.

[surfar]

(I've seen the Fujifilm X-E2 being mentioned elsewhere)

The XE3 is much better and with the recent XE4 announcement,it should be on runout new or in good condition used.

4-500 depending on condition.The 18-55 f2.8-4 is a good lens for video(if you want a native lens).

Lots of dumb M42 adapters for just a few dollars on Ebay.

[UncleVanya]

Looking to break into shooting some video and I'd love to use my old m42 glass. I don't really want to lug around my K-1, so I am looking for a compact mirrorless body that I can adapt to m42, which also shoots decent video. Also looking to not break the bank (sub-$700 is preferable.)

Looking for recommendations (I've seen the Fujifilm X-E2 being mentioned elsewhere)

Thanks!

This article might help: The 7 Best DSLRs & Mirrorless Cameras for Video - BorrowLenses Blog

Of these I’d say the Sigma FP is very compact, but it lacks a viewfinder, the Sony a7iii is another smallish choice (the a7c video features are not up to par in my opinion), there’s even a Fuji mentioned.

It would help to know exact video features are important. The video on an APSC Pentax body like the new k3iii might be just what you need - remember that most of these cameras don’t record video over the entire sensor and crop to smaller frame size.

[selfnoise]

If you're primarily going to be shooting video and with old glass I would recommend a Panasonic M43 camera over the Fuji. The x-e cameras are not stabilized and you will not be using optically stabilized lenses.

I use a G85 for this purpose but any camera around that generation is pretty good.

[ChristianRock]

If it were me, I would get one of the A7s cameras for this, even the original A7s should work nicely, and woul make great use of the lenses (being full frame).