Looking for Pentax dslr recommendation

DG13 wrote:

Hi, I have been considering switching back to a dslr from mirrorless and compacts. I formerly had an *ist D and really enjoyed the size and lenses. But got into 4/3 and m43 eventually.

What would you recommend for a weather proofed pentax dslr with the smallest body? I am not interested in full frame, nor would it have to be new. Just looking for a place to start researching this.

Thanks in advance.

DG13,

I looked at your gear list to get a feel for what you've liked in the past, and you might like the KP.  I currently have all of the cameras that have been recommended with the exception of the K-S2.  Of the cameras that have been recommended, the K5iis and the K3 are great extremely strong cameras but they don't have the styling and flare of the cameras you are used to.  The KP has a bit of that and it is a step up from what you are used to in terms of build and image quality.

The K-70 doesn't have the build of such cameras as the K5 and K3 line or even the KP, but it may have a bit more than what you have been currently used to; so a K-70 could work for you if you like its look.

You had an E1 at one time.  The K5 and K3 series are closest to that of any cameras I see on your gear list -- solid, well-built weather-resistant cameras.  The KP is Ricoh-Pentax's nostalgia entrant, comparable to the Pen-F in the Olympus line.   It provides the best image quality of any Pentax camera at the present time except for the K1 Mark ii and the 645Z.

On the other hand, the person who recommended a used KS-2 was right.   I had one briefly and it is a very nice camera.  It didn't have the popularity or the build of the mainstream Pentax cameras, but it does have a bit of the look of some of the cameras on your gear list; so you might like it if you can get a good used copy.  You chose the OMD-EM10 series camera at one time -- which is Olympus' "beginner grade" rather than the "enthusiast grade" EM5 or the "pro-grade" EM1.  Think of the KS-2 and K-70 as the closest Pentax has recently come to a "beginner-grade" camera.  The K5 and K3 series would be Pentax's "pro-grade" cameras.  The KP as I said would be equivalent to the micro-4/3 retro-look Pen-F.

Lawrence