Pentax Q-S1 Review

Construction and Handling

Going in to this review, we expected nothing but the best from the Q-S1 in terms of build quality.  The camera's many dials left a good impression, as they are of high quality with finely-machined metal grooves.  This quality is similar to what we saw in the original Pentax Q's dials.  Compare this to the Q7's cheaper matte plastic dial below. 

Click on any close-up thumbnail to enlarge:

Q-S1 Front IR Sensor	Q-S1 Quick Dial
Q-S1 Mode Dial and E-Dial	Q7 Mode Dial

The faux leather that lines the front of the body also has a nice feel and look to it: arguably better than the original Q.

Q-S1 body with 02 lens - Click to Enlarge

When it comes to the rest of the body panels, however, the Q-S1 drops the ball because it's made of plastic.  When we reviewed the Q7 last year, we expected it to be made of plastic and found the finish to feel more solid than we had anticipated (the plastic was thicker).  We had higher expectations of the Q-S1, and they simply weren't met.  The two doors on either side of the side of the camera feel thin and flimsy. Even when closed, there is a little bit of play: give the doors a gentle tap and they will wobble a bit and emit a faint sound that screams "poor design".

You can also forget about the magnesium alloy build quality that we saw on the original Q.

Fortunately, there are a few redeeming factors that keep the Q-S1 afloat in our eyes.  First of all, the body design looks good; the rounded sides remind us of a Leica.  Even the black/black body looks the part despite being the most boring color option:

Q-S1 without lens - Click to Enlarge

Many of the other color options look phenomenally good and can be used to match a variety of themes.

A blue/white Q-S1 in its natural environment

Also, despite its light weight, the camera as a whole also feels solid and well-balanced.  The spring-loaded flash is well-made, and none of the buttons feel cheap, either.  A word of caution: the flash pops open with a considerable amount of force, so either dampen it with your finder, or keep clear!

Finally, when we look at the Q-S1's price tag ($399), we can start to understand why we did not get a magnesium alloy body.  The original Q retailed for twice as much at launch in the US, and the premium simply wasn't something that customers were willing to pay.  If the Q body had not dropped to the $200 price point prior to discontinuation, we would have likely seen very few owners even among our own ranks.  The design philosophy behind the Q lineup simply caters more to a Japanese audience than anyone else.

Connectivity

The Q-S1 supports USB2 and HDMI connectivity.  The ports are located underneath the camera, together with the tripod mount.  While there's no built-in Wi-Fi, the Q-S1 does offer native support for Eye-Fi cards (refer to the user manual for details).

Pentax Q-S1 Ports

Ergonomics and Size

The Q-S1 is tiny.  Therefore, the smaller your hands, the easier of a time you'll have handling the camera.

The Pentax K-50 dwarfs the Q-S1

If you have big fingers, you may have a hard time pressing the small buttons on the back of the camera.

Pentax Q-S1 back - Click to Enlarge

Overall, Pentax has done a very good job of making the Q-S1 user-friendly: about as good as a camera this small can get, we believe.  Both the e-dial and the mode dial can be accessed during one-handed operation, as can most of the buttons.  The knob surrounding the IR port on the left side of the camera also improves handling, as your middle finger can hook around it to improve stability.  Still, with a zoom lens, you will most likely be using two hands to hold the camera since there is no power zoom.

The only thing we can ding the Q-S1 for when it comes to ergonomics is the angled design of the battery and SR card doors on the side of the camera.  These doors are considerably harder to open and close than on the Q7 or original Q, but this is a minor issue as you won't be opening them that often.

Pentax Q-S1 SD card door

Just one thing really bothers us about the Q-S1's handling (and other Q-series cameras), and it's the fact that it is not pocketable when a lens is mounted.  A camera this small should be pocketable, just like the Ricoh GR or Sony RX100.  Fortunately, the Q-S1 makes up for this with its versatility as well as the fact that it will easily fit in just about any bag or storage compartment such as your car door or center console.

LCD and Optical Viewfinder

The Q-S1 has no built-in viewfinder, and still offers no support for an electronic viewfinder, so you have to rely on the 3" LCD monitor on the back.  This monitor, while bright and generally easy to view, is in our opinion the biggest drawback of the Q-S1.  The LCD has a resolution of approximately 460,000 dots (half VGA), which is below-average by today's standards (and unchanged since the original Q).  This low resolution makes manual focusing difficult, as renders the focus peaking outlines indiscernible in many shooting scenarios.

There is an optional optical viewfinder available (O-VF1) which attaches to the hotshoe but it only matches the "01" Standard Prime lens and is very expensive (about $200). Thus, many users have been resorting to cheaper third-party viewfinders or DIY solutions for basic framing.

While the lack of a viewfinder may not be a major issue for casual shooters, it is a huge drawback when using the Q-S1 with adapted lenses, as both framing and focus becomes a hassle.  We remain hopeful that Pentax will add an electronic viewfinder to future generations of the Q family.  If the Q-S1 had a fixed lens, this would be a whole different story, but the lack of an EVF, even as an accessory, takes away a lot of the appeal of a interchangeable lens camera.  Considering the Pentax Q line mainly appeals to photo enthusiasts and hobbyists, we feel that it is a mistake that no EVF accessory has been launched to date.

Product Photos

Below are additional product photos of the Q-S1.  Click on any thumbnail to enlarge.

Verdict

The Q-S1 would have greatly benefited from a high-quality metal body, but given its relatively-low price tag, we can understand why this was omitted. The camera handles relatively well for something so small, and we are happy to report that the knob that's been added to the front of the Q-S1 actually makes it easier to hold than its predecessors.

Overall, we like the design of the Q-S1.  If you decide to get this camera, we recommend that you take full advantage of its good looks by ordering one of the special color combinations rather than the pedestrian black body.

It's a shame that this camera still only has a 460k-dot LCD and no support for an EVF.  These issues remain unaddressed since the launch of the original Pentax Q back in 2011.