I’m surprised it took this long for Oly to bring out Pancake primes. Their zooms are not that small, so they needed it, IMO.

I don’t think Pentax would bring out a camera without SR. Question is, if they would also leave out sensor cleaner. I don’t think they would drop the VF either.
The *Ist DS weighed 505 grams, the *Ist DL 470 grams. The K110 comes in at 485 grams, the K100 at 560 grams grams.


The dimensions of the new Oly 420 are : 129.5 x 91 x 53 mm.

The Ist DS : 125 x 92.5 x 66 (Width x Height x Depth (mm)).
And the K100 super : 129.5 x 92.5 x 70 mm.

Should Pentax cut the built-in flash, they might be able to come in at a smaller height than the Oly 420. With the *Ist series, they already proved that they could have a shorter width. And with a DA 40 limited, the camera with not have unacceptable depth.

The Zuiko Digital 25 mm 1:2.8 Pancake, weighs 95 grams, and in FF has the equivalent speed of f/5.6. Lens Diameter x Length is 64 x 23.5 mm.

The DA 40/2.8 AL Limited weighs 90 grams, can be used for film cams, but in crop format has the equivalent speed of f/4.2. Lens Diameter x Length is 63 x 15 mm


Final measurements for *Ist DS sized camera with DA40 lens, would be (Width x Height x Depth : 125 x 92.5 x 71 (mm)).
Final measurements for K100 Super with DA40 lens, would be (Width x Height x Depth : 129.5 x 92.5 x 85 (mm)).

Final dimensions of the new Oly 420 with Zuiko digital 25 mm, would be : 129.5 x 91 x 76,5 mm.

So a K100 Super would have 1 cm more depth, but else be about the same dimensions; (though weigh more).

The Oly 420 weighs 380 g (475 g with lens), so around a 100 grams lighter than *Ist DL at 470 grams (560 g with lens), and the K100 at 485 grams (575 g with lens).

Pairing the Ist DS to the new Oly 420; (both with lenses), would have the Pentax win on width and depth. The Oly would win in height and weight.


I know several that find DSLR’s too big, and therefore use P&S instead for trips. Taking a K100 Super and cutting the built-in flash, would probably bring it down to around 500 grams. It would still have SR and sensor cleaner. (And not just digital Shake Reduction assist, like the Olym 420).

Building a Pancake edition Pentax DSLR, selecting the best measurements from several model, would have a Pentax Pancake cam come out with following dimensions :
Width 125 mm (from DS or DL)
Height 92.5 mm (K100 super)
Depth 60 mm (from original *Ist D)
Weight 470 grams (from DL) / or 485 grams (K110).

So bottom-line, it would be possible for Pentax to make a camera that would match the Oly 420 dimension, but it would still weight a little more. But a Pentax Pancake limited edition could be a very compact DSLR. A K2000 deluxe entry camera, could be this spy cam.

All they need to do, is take a K100 Super, cut a bit in height, (dropping the built-in flash also for better weight specs), and the Pentax Pancake DSLR is a reality. It might still have better high Iso possibility compared to the Oly.

(Haven’t read through the entire thread, sorry if somebody else has already made the specs comparison)

The Oly has a very strong point, in overall being below 500 grams. A Pentax cam would be just above this. But I think dimensions would be the most important, so that could easily fit in a tight travel package.


Incorporating Live-View; and current Point & Shooters would be guarantied way better IQ, and still have a very intuitive camera that would be competitive weight and dimension wise.

--
kind regards
Sune