Pentax Q10 Now Shipping & Price Drop!

Q10 kit is $45 off MSRP - Learn more in this post

By PF Staff in Product Updates on Nov 7, 2012

The Pentax Q10 (the smallest interchangeable lens digital camera out there) has just hit the shelves at B&H, where it has been discounted to just $554.95, $45 off MSRP. The camera is also available on Amazon at full price. In the US, the Q10 is currently available in both red and silver, and the supplied kit lens is the 5-15mm 02 standard zoom. We find that this initial kit choice is a very good one, as it gives Pentax Q10 users a lot more flexibility than the 8.5mm 01 standard prime did. The Pentax Q, which was the Q's predecessor, was at first only available with this prime lens, and the kit cost a monstrous $799.

On top of this, the Pentax Q lens system is now much more complete than it was last year, thanks to the imminent availability of the 15-45mm 06 telephoto zoom and the Pentax K (DSLR) to Q mount lens adapter. Because the crop factor of a DSLR lens on the Q/Q10 cameras is 5.5, you can easily take sharp extreme telephoto or macro shots with this adapter. We'll be sure to post some samples in our in-depth review once we receive the camera!

The Pentax Q10 is a tiny camera, yet it packs a punch. Here is a size comparison with the Pentax K-5 (photo taken during our visit to Photokina earlier this year):

The Q10 features RAW and JPEG shooting, P/A/S/M modes for full auto or full manual controls, full-HD video at 1080p, focus peaking for ease of shooting with manual lenses, and much, much more. At its heart is a new 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor with lower noise than before and an ISO range of 100-6400. Pentax also promises that the autofocus and battery life of the Q10 have been improved over its predecessor.

The true advantage of the Q system over other mirrorless systems is its small size and the adaptability of K-mount DSLR lenses, which allows you to take extremely high-resolution photos without having to spend very much money. A member on our forum has recently posted some bird photos with the DA 50-300mm adapted on the Pentax Q. At 300mm and when mounted on the Pentax Q or Q10, this lens is the equivalent of a 1650mm lens on full-frame! If this is your kind of thing, then the Pentax Q10 is for you. When we reviewed the original Pentax Q, however, there were a few things that we didn't like (the price was one of them, at the time), and the camera is certainly not for everyone. However, now that the Q system is much more complete and the Q10 is about half the price of the original Q, the tides may have turned in favor of this tiny Pentax camera!