Thoughts on the Pentax Q?

inzanakj · Jan 28, 2013

Hello everybody, I'm new to the forums and am currently in the market for a compact camera to carry with me. I currently own a Nikon d5100 and love it! The only problem is due to the size I do not carry it regularly with me. I wanted to know what your thoughts are on the Pentax Q. It seems pretty good build quality and looks like it would fit comfortably in a jacket pocket. I also noticed that it has dropped considerably in price to around the $200 to $250 mark. The main goal for this camera is to have a nice compact camera that I can have on me when I don't want to lug around a DSLR, (ie, shooting friends out at the bar, or little interesting things I might run into in the course of the day). I know that the Q has a much smaller sensor than the 4/3's mirrorless cameras, but most of them are larger than I care to go. I am looking for the best image quality given a small compact size. So how would the Pentax Q stack up against say the Cannon Powershot line or Nikon Coolpix? Thanks for the info guys!

jrizal · Feb 5, 2013

I don't know much about the Pentax Q. But I do know that is is on sale now at $189 at newegg.com.

Newegg.com - PENTAX Q (15100) Black 12.4 MP 3.0" 460K LCD Digital Camera with 02 Standard Zoom Lens

Here's some reviews I googled.

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/pentax_q_review/

http://fstoppers.com/pentax-q-mirrorless-camera-review

From the reviews IQ is below par compared to a DSLR, controls are buried in the menus, and limited lenses. But what I gathered is that adpaters should be available.

This leads me to conclude that the camera is so bad that it's sold at this price or it can be a good deal. Gotta search for more reviews and sample images from the web.

Just my two cents...

2fastlx · Feb 5, 2013

Why not one of nikons mirrorless cameras being that you're already invested in the Nikon system?

jrizal · Feb 5, 2013

In order to do that, you would need an adaptor to mount on the Nikon J1/V2 cameras. However, the cost of the adaptor is more than the Pentax Q.

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Lens-Adapters/3613/FT1-Mount-Adapter.html

jrizal · Feb 5, 2013

Sharpness of images from sample images seems passable at least the average person but there seems to be some barrel distortion evident. But given it's price it may be a good deal.

inzanakj · Feb 8, 2013

Well I would go with the Nikon 1 but I wanted something a bit more portable... I am looking for a nice little compact with good enough image quality that I could carry in my coat pocket everywhere... Mainly for when I dont want to lug around my dslr. The main reason I was looking at the Q was because of the portabilty factor.

jrizal · Feb 8, 2013

Its small form factor is its biggest selling point but apparently it fell short against the competition. But for its current sale place, I'd still give it a second look though.

inzanakj · Feb 8, 2013

Yea I think I'm going to give it a try... for that price point I don't think you can go wrong... I also found a cheap adaptor for f mount lenses for the Q... with the Q's 5.5x crop factor it will be cool for a crazy telephoto setup for cheap.

jrizal · Feb 8, 2013

As of now the $189 deal from newegg.com is still good which is also the price of some point and shoots.

jrizal · Feb 8, 2013

It is ow out of stock at newegg

Maneef · Apr 17, 2013

its a lovely camera u want to have to carry along just like that. So when you are not on some important assignment you can leave ur heavy DSLR kit home and compared to other point n shoots with its sensor size this is a beast... and lot of + points i see. Everyone starts comparing it with the dslr they have, but i think its wrong to do that. So much things attracted me to buy it. very small size , small lenses , raw files , hot-shoe , editing tools in build , ND filter , lots more ... Ordered some accessories as well like a wide convertor etc, waiting for them.

the batter life is a bit short thought , ordered some extra batteries as well , never mind they are as small as a CF card

pez · Apr 17, 2013

The Q is a misunderstood little jewel, and direct comparisons to a DSLR are inappropriate (and a bit dumb, lol). Very cool and soo tiny, high quality build, super neat lenses, and good IQ for what it is. A fun camera for your collection that will get a lot of use.

iolair · May 30, 2013

I have a Q10.

I would describe it as an enthusiasts camera. There's lots to play with, and it's a lot of fun to live with. It is, of course, the smallest interchangeable lens camera going. There are some great lenses - the 01 Prime, 03 Fisheye and 06 Zoom are amazing lenses with lot of fans, and the 02 Zoom is not bad either. There are lots of settings to tinker with (not only what you have on a typical SLR, but digital filters, interval timer, ...) which can be good fun.

There are lots of inexpensive adapters that let you use just about any lens you can think of (although most only in full manual mode). I have a nice little 25mm/1.4 CCTV lens which takes great portraits with a lot of character, and cost me only 20 pounds. The 5.5 x crop factor means that a, say, 200mm telephoto lens has the field of view of an 1100mm lens and decent image quality - getting this focal length on an SLR is likely to cost you as much as a small car but you can pick up a manual 200mm lens on eBay for under a hundred.

With a lens like the 01 prime or 03 fisheye, it will fit in a jacket pocket.

Downsides:
- no viewfinder (this is the thing I find hardest to live with, but as it's only my backup/travel camera I can manage).
- the flash hotshoe will only work with P-TTL flashes, wireless flash controllers won't work
- shutter lag, while fine to good by compact camera standards, is slow compared to an SLR.
- ISO performance is what you would expect from the sensor size (although I find the noise more like grain from high-ISO film compared to my Canon D-SLR).

If you get one, do make sure the firmware is up to date (easy to do) - the autofocus is MUCH faster with the latest version.