My K-x measures about 63mm from flange surface to the back of the rear LCD panel, whilst my MZ-30 measures only 48mm from front to back (protruding part excluded). Actually, I believe you can see the big difference from the photos above.
Recently, I am very interested in getting the Samsung NX10. It is just because I still found my K-x is just too big and heavy, especially when I am on a business trip (when I already have all my documents and my notebook/netbook computer). As the NX10 is equipped with an APS-C sized sensor but its size/weight is significantly reduced and is actually much comparable to my micro-4/3 Pana GF-1, which has just a much smaller sensor (50% less in light receiving area when compared to the APS-C).
I think Samsung has been absolutely right in concept for making a compact and really lightweight APS-C EVIL and system. Recently, I have test driven the NX10 for several times. Whilst I like many of its design and features it offers, one thing that I am still not convinced with it, or with any Pentax DSLRs using a Samsung sensor, is that its produced Image Quality is somehow lacking/lagging behind. Unnatural colour rendition is a problem, in particular for the skin tones, which is actually very important for portraits - one of my major daily photographic needs. And more so for the obvious higher noise of the Samsung sensors, which IMO is a real problem.
In fact, I did find that the ISO 400 of my GF-1 is more or less something similar to the ISO 800 of the NX10 which in fact could be looking even a bit worse than what I can get at ISO 1600 with my K-x. :-(
So, could the Pentax DSLRs using the old K-mount be made thinner? I suppose Yes, possibly. If a film SLR like my MZ-30 can be made at 48mm for its overall thickness, why not a Pentax DSLR? What Pentax needs to add in is the CMOS imager, with Shake Reduction module and the back colour LCD monitor. Would that 1.5 cm difference be just too much? Anyway, the SR module would be the most space-consuming part there, I believe. But however, do note that for film SLRs, there is also space required for the film pressure plate at the back cover.
Well, if Pentax can further minimise their DSLRs, for its size, weight and overall dimension of a lens+body combo would be like this..
..which can even be a full frame DSLR! Then, I am almost sure that if they can make it, they will gain much of the DSLR market share! Just imagine if a Full Frame (Pentax) DSLR just looks and feels like my above which is just at around 400g which is ready to use with Lithium battery (but not AAs, which is large, heavy and of low performance!) and SD card, then!?
Reference:-
Camera Mounts & Registers
Logging you in...
Michael · 773 weeks ago
With digital, the sensor/AA Filter is some mm thick, with stabilization you gain some more mm and furthermore you need some air circulation to cool things down. So even the thinnest combination would have to be >5-8mm thicker then the flange back distance.
Of cource you could slim down the body elements as such, but then you had to even out the mount-sensor distance.
RiceHigh 110p · 773 weeks ago
ytterbium · 772 weeks ago
Even if some space can be preserved with samsungs OLED displays (no need for separate light source, less sensitive to physical damage - no need for tick glass), most of the size comes from the fact that samsung dosn't have in-camera shake reduction.
I'm also eye-ing the NX10, but unless my current gear breaks down, i'd like to see them mature trough at least one generation. So to see where are they heading and what downsides one might expect.
Fred · 772 weeks ago
If they add front and rear control dials together with the touch-sensitive display mated to their Exmor sensor, then the NX10 and its successor are trounced.
We just need to see what Sony do lens-wise, though the fact that they have brought out a 16mm/F2.8 that is far slimmer than Pentax's 15mm/F4.0 is encouraging.
RiceHigh 110p · 772 weeks ago
But then, the angle of incident of incoming light (rays) may be too large for a relatively large sensor of APS-C, which has a diagonal length of 28.8mm, which would affect image quality at the end, in particular at the corners, after all.
For the NEX image samples I have inspected so far I found what I suspected to be true! This is unfortunate! :-(
Samsung chose 25.5 as the back register distance for the NX, which IMO is a right thing. So they could make a really small 30mm pancake prime.
Btw, I am not impressed with the sensor IQ of neither the NX' or the NEX' so far. The NEX image formation is soft whilst the NX is noisy. Maybe we shall still need to wait for the NEXT, for both the NX and the NEX! ;-)
Fred · 772 weeks ago
It surprises me that Sony themselves haven't been able to get as much out of their own sensors as Nikon and Pentax have.
While I have nothing against Samsung in general (I have two Samsung LCD TVs at home, and they sponsor my football team!), I didn't like their declaration that they would capture 20% of the changeable-lens camera market. It was arrogant and outrageous. There is NO way they will succeed with that.
The Samsung 30mm pancake makes me jealous that Pentax don't have one though!
RiceHigh 110p · 772 weeks ago