K5 chip in a small camera

Would you like to see the chip from the K5 placed into a small mirrorless camera either with a interchangeable lens or a fixed lens?

This would suit my needs perfectly and would let me stay with Pentax whereas I'm looking at other brands presently to fulfill this need.

I agree with the idea as the Sony APS-C 16 mpixel chip is clearly one of the best they have ever produced AND presumably is much more affordable now to put in a camera than when it came out.

A Ricoh MX 2 with the same tilting lCD perhaps and a fast 31mm lens? If it isn't pocketable then I may as well go out with the cheap 35mm currently on my K5.

You mean like the Ricoh GR?

That would seem to be the same, or a very similar, CMOS 16MP chip in a small camera with fixed lens, plus the option of a high quality accessory lens for wider angles.

There's no AA filter and the performance is very similar to the K-5 IIs.

You are right John, But having seen the MX-1, an affordable version 2 in APS-C (or perhaps somewhere in between?)with largely the same controls and menus as my K5 would have been a nice switch. Unlikely to happen now I guess. Once you get over £500 I tend to start thinking lenses as best use of my limited photography budget money.

Sounds like you're describing the k-01

I'd prefer something smaller than the K01.

The GR looks promising, but in an ideal world something in the Fuji X series mould with a really thin prime would be what I'm looking for.

That's what i went for as a replacement for my old Panny GF1. With a 27mm Pancake on the front. K5 (or better) IQ in a tiny body. And with the right adapter i can use all my Pentax M lenses too. Perfect.

Something smaller than the Pentax K01 is not possible if keeping the Pentax PK lenses. From the lens mount to the sensor actually needs to remain that distance, it can literally never be reduced. People hoping to see the reduced size and then keeping PK will never see it. Although it would be great to anywhere in the ballpark for size comparing a mirrorless such as the K01 to any of the Sony models.

But btw it would be possible to make a considerably smaller camera IF a full frame sensor was used.

More about sensors... This is basically the end of 16mp sensors, they are at the end of their production cycle, and have already finished out at the assembly lines. What cameras are using them now have already lined up their purchases of the sensors in advance. Simply go to any camera purchasing website to see how few cameras there are left that are still using it; such as Fuji.

Pentax could do it but they would have to offer an adapter with the electronic contacts to allow the lenses to work. This is what Panasonic did when they moved to m4/3 and its what Sony offered with their CSC range. But i can see why Pentax didn't do it. Ideally they would have had to design a new set of lenses to make the system worthwhile. And in the end been left with something like the EOS M, an supported camera that is now nothing more than a folly on the camera landscape. The K-01 was a half baked attempt at mirrorless but they sensibly didn't sink too much cash into it.
At least its possible to use another brand CSC with all our Pentax M and A legacy lenses. On my Fuji all i needed was a £5 adapter between the Fuji body and the Pentax lens.

Similarly, if you don't mind shooting manually, a Pentax-K to E-Mount adapter can be fitted to a Sony Nex body to enable it to use Pentax lenses.

Cheers.
Philip

The GR looks a great camera - if I didn't already have a GR1s (35mm film format) I'd have bought one (I shoot much more film than digital). None of the Fuji X series I've seen is anywhere comparable with a GR size wise (shirt-pocketable) - which for me is the most important factor in this kind of camera.

If Pentax/Ricoh don't make the camera for you, buy another (there will be trade-offs - some of which may bite you later), but I'd have to ask why a Fuji X series (with or without a 'really thin prime') would be better than a GR?

Once we stray away from the Pentax bodies, we lose one of the nicest Pentax features, that wonderful colour reproduction. I do understand that from time to time we could feel tempted by a fantastic array of alternative makes, but every time I've come back to Pentax.

The GR is a great camera, but limited by its 18.3mm lens. The Pentax MX-1 is so much more versatile and intuitive to use, albeit it with a smaller sensor.

As a Fuji X owner my reasons for choosing one to compliment my K5 were quite simple:

Price, image quality, high ISO, versatility, size and weight. I only have the bottom of the range X-A1 but it has, give or take, the same 16mp Sony sensor as the GR or even my K5. Will take all my Pentax manual glass, actually getting a lot more use from them now. Also use a Samyang 8mm fisheye or 16-50 kit lens. Just so much more versatile than the GR with no compromise required on the image quality,

Having used an XE1 and being a current owner of a GR (and GRD III), my vote would be for the GRs. The user interface is streets ahead and the quality of the output somehow better, though difficult to describe. Clearly if interchangeable lens versatility is a requirement, the Fuji or similar is the way to go. Otherwise, the Ricohs are superb image-making machines.

The GR is an incredible camera, it's the most photographer-centric camera I've ever used, incredibly well-designed, small, plus it takes fantastic images. I don't think there's another camera that comes anywhere near it for what it is, ie a fixed focus, incredibly well designed and highly capable bit of kit that's small enough to go in your pocket.