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Pentax Q

Ergonomics	8.6
Build Quality	9.4
User Interface	9.0
Autofocus	8.3
Features	9.0
Value	8.9
Image Quality	7.7
Noise	7.4

Reviews	Views	Date of last review
28	78,903	Sat March 18, 2017

Recommended By	Average Price	Average User Rating
93% of reviewers	$300.04	8.54

supersize	supersize	supersize
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Description:

Announced on July 23, 2011, the Pentax Q is the first mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera from Pentax. Alongside the camera, five lenses were launched, as well as accessories including a polarizing filter, lens hoods, and an external optical viewfinder for the kit lens (01 Standard Prime).

Our In-Depth Pentax Q review

The Pentax Q uses all-new lens system which is much smaller and more basic than the traditional K-mount system. The lenses are broken up into two categories: "High performance" and "Unique". The high performance lenses are compatible with filters and lens hoods. Visit our lens database to browse Pentax Q compatible lenses.

The Pentax Q is marketed as the "world’s smallest, lightest interchangeable-lens digital camera body," which is made possible due to the lack the intricate (and bulky) components of SLRs. The body weighs a mere 180g without the battery, and less than 250g with a lens! The camera is only slightly larger than a standard playing card and can even fit on your keychain, if you fancy.

The image sensor employed is a 12.4-megapixel, 1/2.33 inch backlit-CMOS unit. Pentax claims that this new sensor can deliver high-quality images due to innovation in design and image processing. The camera is also capable of recording full-HD (1080p) video at 30 frames per second, and its maximum photo framerate is 5 FPS, with a buffer for up to 5 images at 5 FPS and 100 images at 1.5 FPS, at 12 megapixels and maximum quality.

The Pentax Q shares several exciting features with Pentax DSLRs, including a sensor-shift Shake Reduction system, the Dust Removal II system, built-in auto flash with a pop-up mechanism, HDR mode, and a variety of shooting modes such as P, Tv, Av, M, and SCENE. It also has a host of new software functions designed to enhance image appearance, such as "Smart Effect modes", "Bokeh control", and "Electronic shutter".

Sample photos taken with the Q

Price with lens: $799
Expected US availability: September, 2011

Complete specifications (from the Pentax Japan web site):

General

Type	Lens-interchangeable digital-still camera
Lens Mount	PENTAX bayonet Q-mount
Compatible Lens	Q-mount lenses

Sensor

Image Sensor	Type: CMOS sensor with a primary color filter, Size: 1/2.3-inch (4.55 x 6.17 mm)
Effective Pixels	Approx. 12.4 megapixels
Total Pixels	Approx. 12.75 megapixels
Dust Removal	Image sensor cleaning using ultrasonic vibrations "DR II"
Sensitivity	AUTO: ISO 125 to 6400 (1/3 EV steps), Bulb mode: up to ISO 1600
Image Stabilizer	Sensor shift Shake Reduction

File Formats

File Format	RAW (DNG), JPEG (Exif 2.3), DCF2.0 compliant
Recorded Pixels	<JPEG> [4:3] 12M (4000x3000), 9M (3456x2592), 5M (2688x2016), 3M (1920x1440) [3:2] 10M (4000x2664), 8M (3456x2304), 5M (2688x1792), 2M (1920x1280) [16:9] 9M (4000x2248), 6M (3456x1944), 4M (2688x1512), 2M(1920x1080) [1:1] 9M (2992x2992), 6M (2592x2592), 4M (2016x2016), 2M (1440x1440) <RAW>[4:3] 12M (4000x3000)
Quality Level	RAW (12bit): DNG JPEG: (Best), (Better), (Good) RAW and JPEG simultaneously recordable
Color Space	sRGB, AdobeRGB
Storage Medium	SD, SDHC, and SDXC Memory Card
Storage Folder	Date (100_1018, 100_1019...)/PENTX (100PENTX, 101PENTX...)

LCD Monitor

Type	TFT color LCD monitor, wide angle viewing
Size	3.0 inches
Pixels	Approx. 460,000
Adjustment	Brightness and colors adjustable
Display	Field of View: approx. 100%, Grid display (4x4 Grid, Golden Section, Scale display), Bright/dark area warning, Histogram

White Balance

Auto	TTL by CMOS image sensor
Preset	Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light (D: Daylight Color, N: Daylight White, W: Cool White, L:Warm White), Tungsten, Flash, CTE, Manual
Manual	Configuration on monitor
Fine Adjustment	Adjustable ±7 steps on A-B axis or G-M axis

Autofocus System

Type	Contrast detection AF
Brightness Range	EV1 to 18(ISO125)
Focus Method	AF/MF switching
Autofocus Method	Face Detection, Tracking, AF Select (25 Points), Select, Spot
AF Assist Light	Dedicated LED AF assist light
MF Assist	OFF/×2/×4

Metering

Type	TTL image sensor metering, segment metering, centerweighted metering, and spot metering
Exposure Compensation	EV1.3 - 17 (ISO 125, F1.9 lens), +2EV using the Electronic Shutter setting or using the ND filter
Exposure Modes	<Auto Picture mode> Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Night Scene Portrait, Night Scene, Blue Sky, Forest <Scene Mode> Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object, Night Scene Portrait, Sunset, Blue Sky, Night Scene, Night Scene HDR, Night Snap, Food, Quick Macro, Pet, Kids, Forest, Surf & Snow, HDR, Backlight Silhouette, Candlelight, Stage Lighting, Museum, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Bulb, Blur Control *JPEG only
EV Compensation	± 3EV (1/3EV step)
AE Lock	Can be assigned to the green/delete button from the menu. Continuous as long as the shutter release button is pressed halfway.
Shutter	Lens shutter: 1/2000 - 30 seconds (1/3EV step, 1/8000 - 30 seconds when Electronic Shutter setting is enabled), Bulb *Shooting at 1/8000 - 2 seconds with Electronic Shutter and Bulb shooting are not available when using a lens that has no lens shutter.
Aperture	From wide open to F8 *Not available when using a lens that has no lens shutter.
ND Filter	Off/On *Not available when using a lens that has no lens shutter.

Drive Modes

Mode Selection	Single frame, Continuous (Hi, Lo), Self-timer (12s, 2s), Remote Control (0 sec., 3 sec., continuous), Auto Bracketing (3 frames, remote control)
Continuous Shooting	Approx. 5 fps, JPEG (12M Continuous Hi): up to 5 frames Approx. 1.5 fps, JPEG (12M Continuous Lo): up to 100 frames

Built-in Flash

Built-in Flash	Built-in retractable P-TTL flash
Guide number	approx. 5.6 (ISO125/m) / approx. 7 (ISO200/m)
Angle of view	coverage: wide angle-lens, equivalent to 28mm in 35mm format
Flash Modes	P-TTL, Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Trailing Curtain Sync
Sync Speed	Lens shutter: 1/2000 seconds, Electronic shutter: 1/13 seconds
Flash Exposure Compensation	–2.0 to +1.0 EV

Capture Functions

Custom Image	Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Radiant, Muted, Bleach Bypass, Reversal Film, Monochrome, Cross Processing
Noise Reduction	High-ISO NR
Dynamic Range Setting	Highlight Correction, Shadow Correction
Lens Correction	Distortion Correction
Digital Filter	Toy Camera, High Contrast, Shading, Slim, HDR, Invert Color, Extract Color, Color, Water Color, Posterization, Fish-eye
HDR Capture	Auto, HDR 1, HDR 2
Multi-exposure	Number of shots: 2-9, Exposure adjusted automatically.
Interval Shooting	Shooting interval: 1 sec. to 24 hr., Start Interval setting: immediately from the set time Number of shots: up to 999 images
Smart Effect	Brilliant Color, Unicolor Bold, Vintage Color, Cross Processing, Warm Fade, Tone Expansion, Bold Monochrome, Water Color, Vibrant Color Enhance, USER 1 to 3

Movie

File Format	MPEG–4 AVC/H.264
Recorded Pixels	Full HD (1920x1080, 16:9, 30fps), HD (1280x720, 16:9, 30fps), VGA (640x480, 4:3, 30fps)
Quality Level	(Best), (Better), (Good)
Sound	Built-in monaural microphone
Recording Time	Up to 25 minutes; automatically stops recording if the internal temperature of the camera becomes high.
Custom Image	Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Radiant, Muted, Bleach Bypass, Reversal Film, Monochrome, Cross Processing
Digital Filter	Toy Camera, High Contrast, Shading, Slim, HDR, Invert Color, Extract Color, Color, Water Color, Posterization, Fish-eye
Interval Movie	Recording interval: 1 sec., 5 sec., 10 sec., 30 sec., 1 min., 5 min., 10 min., 30 min., 1 hr., Recording time: 5 sec. to 99 hr. Start Interval setting: immediately, from the set time

Playback Functions

Playback View	Single frame, image comparison, multi-image display (4, 9, 20, 42, 90 segmentation), display magnification (up to 16x, scrolling and quick magnification available), rotating, histogram (Y histogram, RGB histogram), bright/dark area warning, detailed information display, folder display, calendar display, slideshow
Delete	Delete single image, delete all images, select & delete, delete folder, delete instant review image
Digital Filter	Monochrome, Toy Camera, High Contrast, Shading, Slim, HDR, Invert Color, Extract Color, Color, Water Color, Posterization, Fish-eye, Retro, Soft, Sketch Filter, Miniature, Frame Composite, Starburst, Base Parameter Adjustment
RAW Development	File Format (JPEG), Aspect Ratio, Color Space, Custom Image, White Balance, Sensitivity, High-ISO NR, Shadow Correction, Distortion Correction
Edit	Resize, Cropping (aspect ratio adjustment available), Index, Movie Editing (divide or delete selected frames), Capturing a JPEG still picture from a movie, Red-eye Edit, Saving buffer as a RAW file

Customization

Custom Functions	13 items
Mode Memory	12 items
Button/Dial Customization	Green/Delete button: Green Button, Preview, One Push File Format, AE Lock, Enable AF Quick Dial: Smart Effect, Custom Image, Digital Filter, Aspect Ratio
World Time	World Time settings for 75 cities (28 time zones)
Language	English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese

Power Supply

Battery Type	Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery D-LI68
AC Adapter	AC Adapter Kit K-AC115 (optional)
Battery Life	Number of recordable images: approx. 230 images (with 50% flash usage) approx. 250 images (without flash usage) Playback time: approx. 160 minutes

Interfaces

Connection Port	USB 2.0 (high-speed compatible) / AV output terminal, HDMI output terminal (Type D)
USB Connection	MSC/PTP
Video Output Format	NTSC/PAL

Dimensions and Weight

Dimensions	Approx. 98.0mm (W) x 57.5mm (H) x 31.0mm (D) (excluding the operation parts and protrusion)
Weight	Approx. 200g (loaded and ready with the dedicated battery and SD Memory Card) Approx. 180 g (body only)

Accessories

Package Contents	USB Cable I-USB7, Strap O-ST115, Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery D-LI68, Battery Charger D-BC68P, Software (CDROM) S-SW115, Hot shoe cover FK, Body mount cover
Firmware	Link to Latest Firmware
Software	SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0 for PENTAX

Megapixels:

12.4

ISO Range:

125-6400

Weight:

180g

FPS:

LCD:

3.0 inch

In Production:

Manual:

http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/man-pdf/q.pdf

In-Depth Review:

Price History:

Page 2 of 2

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Author:

Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 16-28 of 28

rob_k20d

Senior Member

Registered: August, 2010

Location: Leeds

Posts: 152

2 users found this helpful

Review Date: June 18, 2013

Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros:	Size, controls, cheap (now), affordable fish eye lens
Cons:	limited customisation of user settings, short battery life, focus peaking not as good as other pentax cameras
Ergonomics: 10 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 10 Autofocus: 9 Features: 10 Value: 10 Image Quality: 9 Noise: 8 New or Used: New

I just don't understand why so many people don't get the Pentax Q - though judging by the other reviews here, I am clearly not the only person.

If you want a camera with a small sensor, why not just get a compact camera?

Because the Q has:

A hot shoe
External buttons and controls more or less like a DSLR
RAW
Different lenses - and fish eye in particular
TAv mode (after firmware update)
Usual Pentax green button (Or one button swith between jpeg and RAW)
A nice prime lens - which has quick shift focusing
Not to mention useful features that my K30 lacks: built in ND filter, remote control and bracketing (together) and remote continuous shooting

And, in addition, interesting macro and telephoto opportunities with adapter.

In short:

When you have leave your DSLR at home and take a compact camera instead, what doyou find most frustrating about using the compact camera?

A) Image quality and high ISO performance that doesn't compare to your DSLR
Or
B) The functionality of the camera. The lack of a hot shoe. The lack of raw. The lack of lens choice. The lack of external buttons and controls so that you have to keep accessing the menu to make changes to your settings.

If you answered B, this camera is for you. Despite its tiny size, the feels very much like A DSLR, in terms of its functionality etc.

Cynog Ap Brychan

Veteran Member

Registered: September, 2012

Location: Gloucester

Posts: 1,199

Review Date: April 11, 2013

Recommended | Price: $387.00 | Rating: 8

Pros:	Size; build quality; takes K-mount lenses with adapter
Cons:	No wide-angle prime (yet)
Ergonomics: 8 Build Quality: 9 User Interface: 10 Autofocus: 9 Features: 9 Value: 8 Image Quality: 8 Noise: 8 New or Used: New

I bought the Q when its price dropped to around £250 and have never regretted it. Its image quality is surprisingly good for such a small sensor, and its size means I have no excuse for leaving it at home. It has a great feature set, and a wide range of control options. So far, I only have the 5-15 zoom, which is reasonably sharp, but I have bought the official Pentax adapter. So far, I have tried it out with a Pentax-A 50mm f2.8 macro, and I have been very pleased with the results. Though not in the same ball park as the D-FA 100mm macro, it's really not bad at all.

The main difficulty I have found so far with the macro and adapter is in focusing accurately, but that will no doubt improve with practice. I also have a loupe on order, which should make things much easier.

All in all, a nice little package, and it should be even more useful when Pentax make a wide-angle prime for it, as per their roadmap.

pinholecam

Pentaxian

Registered: October, 2009

Location: North

Posts: 4,709

Review Date: April 11, 2013

Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 9

Pros:	small and portable; fun and less serious; 'crop engine' capability
Cons:	poor low light AF in very 1.0 firmware (fixed as of v1.1); 3-4sec startup time
Ergonomics: 8 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 9 Autofocus: 8 Features: 8 Value: 9 Image Quality: 9 Noise: 8 New or Used: New

The Q is not supposed to be a DSLR replacement.
Look past that and its a camera that shines in what it does.

My long review here :
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-q/194467-pentax-q-real-world-user-...ld+user+review

arnold

Site Supporter

Registered: August, 2012

Location: Queensland

Posts: 4,299

Review Date: February 24, 2013

Recommended | Price: $207.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Cute but with very good quality.
Cons:	No viewfinder
Ergonomics: 9 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 9 Autofocus: 9 Features: 9 Value: 10 Image Quality: 9 Noise: 9 New or Used: New

I love this little thing. It had not been my intention to look for this camera, but, knowing the positive reports about it, when I happened to see an opportunity to snipe one on eBay, I was pleasantly surprised to get it at a fabulous price, with the #1 lens.
I have had it foe a week now, and have had so much fun with it, that even my film cameras have had to share my attention. I adore this work of art, and for any but the most demanding professional work, the quality of the pictures is more than adequate. I certainly can't pick them from my K5 at normal viewing sizes.
I bought two adapters. The M42 has not arrived yet, but the K mount from Amazon did, and I put it to work with three different lenses. In the end, I settled with the old Vivitar 80-200mm Macro that was spare. After all if you want telephoto, then 200 is better than 135.
Below are pictures taken at various distances. Line of sight distance varies, in order, 6.10,and 12 miles. On the original picture one would be able to see if someone was on the balcony ten miles away.
I then tried the macro feature on the Vivitar. I was able to hand hold a dime size coin about a foot away, and it filled the frame. This gives good working distance for insects, although the quality is not something I checked in a comparison with the kit lens. I doubt it would measure up, but it does give one room to work.
The photos were taken in camera jpeg with only a simple 'enhancement' step in PP.
My 200mm lens would have had to be 1100mm on my SLR, so that alone makes this little camera a must have for telephoto.

Steve.Ledger

Veteran Member

Registered: October, 2009

Location: Far North Qld

Posts: 3,301

Review Date: February 19, 2013

Recommended | Price: $309.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Size, weight, build quality, great results
Cons:	Battery life
Ergonomics: 8 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 10 Autofocus: 10 Features: 10 Value: 10 Image Quality: 8 Noise: 7 New or Used: New

I bought this at the start of the price drop cycle here in Australia for AUD$299. It dropped again to AUD$199 a few weeks later which was bad luck for me. None-the-less I love this camera! The release price was way to high and I think P/R have learned from this (and the K-01) with the MX being much more realistically priced on it's release.
Although the Q is a ILC, I don't really see myself buying other Q mount lenses, it's super useful to me as it is with the sharp 01 prime. Though the focus peaking is fabulous on the K-01, it's a bit hit and miss on the Q. Out of curiosity I tried the fotodiox adapter and found it to be completely useless with my K-mount lenses, though other Q owners with other lenses have had great results.
I think the Q is a unique and very capable miniature camera - the quality of the photos when saved as RAW are outstanding, it's design and it's construction is superior to the Q10 in my opinion, I think it's destined to become a classic collectible.
Q = Quality

Pioneer

Pentaxian

Registered: August, 2009

Location: Wandering the Streets

Posts: 1,411

Review Date: January 30, 2013

Recommended | Price: $350.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:	Size, Image Quality, Handling, Exposure Options, etc., etc.
Cons:	No coupled viewfinder, prime lens selection
Ergonomics: 8 Build Quality: 9 User Interface: 9 Autofocus: 10 Features: 8 Value: 10 Image Quality: 10 Noise: 9 New or Used: New

I sold my K7 last year to buy this kit and I have not regretted it once since then. This is the ultimate portable, interchangeable lens, camera and I literally carry it everywhere with me. I rarely print images larger than 11x14 and the image output from this camera is perfect to that size. It may have a small sensor but this camera has big ambitions.

I have only two complaints, one which I can work around, and the other I hope will change with time.

First, I would like to have a coupled, electronic viewfinder. I use different viewfinders in the accessory/hot shoe, and they are certainly useable, but being able to see what the camera is doing through a coupled finder would certainly be helpful.

Second, though I love being able to use lenses from other systems through the use of adaptors, I would like to see more prime lens options in the native Q-Mount. I have both zooms but rarely use them as I am not much on zoom lenses. I have the 8.5mm prime the camera came with, and a 25/1.1 portrait telephoto from MS Optical, both dynamite lenses, but I would like to see more options. Hopefully this will get better with time.

However, all that aside, I am absolutely thrilled with the Q. I have not once been even mildly tempted to go back to those monstrous dSLRs since I received this beautiful little camera.

MegaPower

Veteran Member

Registered: May, 2010

Location: Hong Kong / Irvine, CA

Posts: 636

Review Date: January 18, 2013

Recommended | Price: $350.00 | Rating: 9

Pros:	very nice build, very good user interface
Cons:
Ergonomics: 9 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 10 Autofocus: 8 Features: 9 Value: 7 Image Quality: 7 Noise: 8 New or Used: New

At $300-400, this is a great buy.
The interface is very easy to use for a pentax DSLR user.

I like the dial in the front to switch it between film effect / cross processing.
It did a nice or a better job than a DC.

It has a lot play-ablities.
It take good macro pic with K>Q adapter.
It also takes tons of C-mount film lenses.

Fookus

Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: October, 2009

Posts: 137

1 user found this helpful

Review Date: November 27, 2012

Recommended | Price: $300.00 | Rating: 9

Pros:	size & ergonomics & fun factor
Cons:	can't compete with K5/Kx
Ergonomics: 10 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 10 Autofocus: 6 Features: 9 Value: 10 Image Quality: 8 Noise: 8 New or Used: New

This is an excellent tool and boy toy! It's fun!

I own both the 01 and 02; in practice I use the 01 mostly, but the 02 can be used very well for wide angle views. I bought lens hoods for both of them

Compared to compacts the quality and flexibility is much better. I agree with Don Tomaso and others about the comparison with K5/Kx...and the batteries..
but...as a 2nd camera it can allways be at your service and it's of incredible value.

For example with city trips it can stay in your pocket; you just pull it out to take unexpected snapshots of what's going on around you.

I am rating it a full 9 due to it's flexibility and fun factor.

example photo's

Docrwm

Veteran Member

Registered: September, 2010

Location: Somewhere in the Southern US

Posts: 12,285

2 users found this helpful

Review Date: November 23, 2012

Recommended | Price: $299.00 | Rating: 9

Pros:	Build quality, size, front dial, range of in-camera options
Cons:	Battery life, price of accessories
Ergonomics: 10 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 9 Autofocus: 8 Features: 9 Value: 10 Image Quality: 8 Noise: 8 New or Used: New

This is the most fun I have had with a camera in 30 years since my first personal SLR purchase. This little camera is just plain fun to shoot. It's a good platform for using K mount lenses, even with the non-Pentax adapters. I find that the front dial makes using the camera just a lot more fun. I've rediscovered B&W through that dial, wow. I've put a Manfrotto mini-tripod on the Q and its like a little Transformer with its fold away feet and pop-up flash

. If you expect K-5 Raw quality photos you will be disappointed. If you are realistic and compare it to P&S and camera phones it rocks!

PROS:
Tiny
Excellent ergonomics
Build quality is truly outstanding
Lots of menu options
Front dial
Doors for battery and sd card are on the sides making use of tripod a breeze
Controls are easy to use despite small size
Flash extension reduces red eye
Focus peaking with firmware v1.1
In camera SR even non-Q mount lenses via adapter

CONS:
Battery life is poor - buy 3-4 extra non-OEM
Pentax accessories are outrageously pricey
Pentax adapter takes tripod foot that is unavailable
Price until the last month or so

DonThomaso

Pentaxian

Registered: January, 2011

Location: Skåne, Sweden

Posts: 482

2 users found this helpful

Review Date: November 22, 2012

Recommended | Price: $370.00 | Rating: 8

Pros:	Size, build quality, user interface, feature set, fun factor
Cons:	AF-speed in low light, needs high quality manual glass
Ergonomics: 9 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 10 Autofocus: 8 Features: 10 Value: 9 Image Quality: 7 Noise: 7 New or Used: New

This review is for a black Pentax Q bought new in Sweden, serial nr in the 425xxxx-range. Price is for the Q + 5-15mm kit (on sale as the Q10 was recently introduced when I bought it). The V1.10 firmware was also released just before my purchase, adding a few nice features like focus peaking and shake reduction with manual glass to name two.

PROS

Size
Fun factor (especially when your friends pops out the "transformer" flash )
Logical user interface (same layout as the K-5 or K-x and many other Pentax DSLRs)
Build quality
Conversation piece

CONS

Requires high quality glass
Auto-focus performance (better in later firmware versions, but not perfect)
Shutter-lag (can be an issue for street photography and similar)

Finally decided to get the Q! I was immediately intrigued by it when released, but it was nowhere to be seen "in the flesh" in Sweden (hard enough with the normal Pentax DSLRs). Also I think that the launch price was too high, but offering a very unique set of specifications it is up to the buyer to decide what it is worth to them.

Build quality is excellent! Very solid construction with its magnesium body and great feeling in buttons, switches, doors etc. No plastic mounts or anything like that. Being so small it can not be called heavy, but it has some weight to it, making it a solid piece of camera. I'm not totally happy with the shutter button though, I find it a bit to soft a initial "half-press" for focus. I was somewhat expecting great build quality, but what was more surprising was the ergonomics! They must have put a lot of effort to make such a small camera so usable. Even if the buttons are small and close together, you somehow end up pressing the right one. I could even use it with my leather gloves on without any problems.

I don't think much need to be said about the user interface. It is very similar to the other Pentax cameras I've used (K-5 and K-x). One of the reasons for buying the Q was for me to get a small camera with such a rich feature set, with possibilities for time-lapse shooting, focus peaking, in-body shake-reduction (even with manual glass), Full-HD movie recording with shake-reduction and just a general deep and customizable feature set. The possibility to exchange lenses on a "compact camera" body is of course a basic reason to buy the Q, and can be seen as a feature if compared to high-end RAW-shooting compacts like the Canon S95, Fuji X10, Olympus XZ-1 and other possible competitors

If I had to complain about something it would be that auto-focus with the 5-15 lens (the only AF lens I have for the Q) does have a hard time locking on in dim light and/or close focus distances (around 0.5 meters or closer). Accuracy and at daylight and normal distances is no problem though, and speed is reasonably fast.

Image quality is a bit hard to judge. It is not comparable to APS-C (K-5, K-x) or even Micro 4/3 (Panasonic GF2), but that wasn't expected either. I don't own or have any larger experience with high-end compacts, but what I've seen it would be around the same performance as most other RAW-shooting 1/1.x or 1/2.x-ish sensor size cameras. This means that at pixel level you can't expect the same detail as lager sensors and neither the same kind of high ISO-performance. If possible shoot at ISO125, but it holds upp very well to ISO400. Around 500-1000 is still very much acceptable, especially if using for web or small print. After that you start to loose details, but color stays pretty accurate up to ISO 2500, which I would have as a general maximum. At 3200-6400 colors gets distorted and lots of noise too. Details are still somewhat alright. Perhaps usable as a last resort if converted to B&W. Generally speaking noise is always present, even at base ISO. It is more of the pleasing "film grain" kind though, so not too disturbing until the higher sensitivities.

The small sensor also requires high quality optics. I'm generally pleased with the 5-15mm lens and around F4 it performs very well with the Q. When using old K-mount lenses I found that the loss in contrast and sharpness wide open was very much pronounced with the Q than with my K-5 or GF2. Also, CA, purple fringing and diffraction gets very noticeable, so you have to be careful and do some experimenting first. Below is two sample-series with the SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7 and a 25mm F1.4 C-mount lens, as well as a few sample images.

A test series with the SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7

A test series with the Fujian 25mm F1.4 CCTV

My pictures on flickr with this camera

bluefoam

Senior Member

Registered: September, 2012

Posts: 115

Review Date: September 13, 2012

Recommended | Price: $450.00 | Rating: 10

Pros:
Cons:
Ergonomics: 10 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 10 Autofocus: 9 Features: 10 Value: 10 Image Quality: 9 Noise: 10 New or Used: New

Exactly what I'm looking for - creative camera, that is easy to carry around for a non professional photographer & enough quality to be more than satisfactory.

AldAsAck

New Member

Registered: May, 2012

Posts: 15

4 users found this helpful

Review Date: June 6, 2012

Recommended | Price: $520.00 | Rating: 9

Pros:	Crop Factor 5.5 ideal for long range telephotographie
Cons:	Image quality when used as designed
Ergonomics: 8 Build Quality: 8 User Interface: 8 Autofocus: 8 Features: 10 Value: 10 Image Quality: 8 Noise: 7 New or Used: New

I purchased the Pentax Q BECAUSE of its small sensor.
Together with a NOVOFLEX Pentax q / Pentax K adapter and my DA* 300 I use this tiny gem as my long range telephoto camera.
I was inspired by some dicussion here in the blogs and it works out nicely.
You have to get used to always have the tripod set-up and that it is hard to focus using the LCD. But it allows you to make pictures at long range (1600 mm !!!! with DA 300) I ever wanted to do. See the attached comparision Pentx K5 anf Pentax Q with the same lens (DA 300).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grufti1957/7159708091/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grufti1957/7320335744/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grufti1957/7289099144/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grufti1957/7277755396/in/photostream/lightbox/

Wired

Veteran Member

Registered: August, 2009

Location: Edmonton, AB

Posts: 2,519

16 users found this helpful

Review Date: March 30, 2012

Recommended | Price: $650.00 | Rating: 9

Pros:	fun factor, image quality, size, options, control layout, iso noise
Cons:	cost, getting over the size of the sensor, battery life
Ergonomics: 10 Build Quality: 10 User Interface: 8 Autofocus: 7 Features: 10 Value: 8 Image Quality: 9 Noise: 10 New or Used: New

The problem with the Pentax Q is digital camera snobbery. This camera has a tiny form factor, it has a tiny sensor, it has a big price, and when you look at it the first time you may think that Pentax was smoking something pretty special when they designed this little camera. For the purpose of this tale, we will assume from here on out that I am using the Pentax Prime 01 kit lens and nothing else.

Then you touch it and feel it and suddenly you don't want to tell the salesman that it feels very very solid. The body is all metal, the flappy bits are very well put together, and the rubbery texture of the grip feels sublime. Even the flash on it's transformer arm feels very solid. The buttons and dials click and roll very satisfyingly and feel like they would on Pentax's DSLRs. The only gripe here is the flimsy feeling HDMI/USB door that is getting ever looser on my model.

So you ask the shop keep if they mind if you throw your memory card in to see how it performs. With snickers of "I can't believe this guy is actually interested in this expensive toy camera" he gladly lets you start shooting about. It's then that you notice how well the little guy handles. Buttons are all in the right spots, and if you have used a Pentax before you will be very familiar with how it works... in fact it feels like home.

Then you start diving into the front mounted quick dial. You start finding that the different digital filters are really fun and that you can get some interesting shots very quickly. But the fun doesn't stop there, oh no.

You quickly start jacking up the sensitivity and checking the noise from 100 iso right up to the magical 6400 and notice that even at 800 it is still providing very presentable photos, stuff you wouldn't mind printing and putting on the wall.

The next step is to see depth of field. It's got a tiny sensor, there is no way, no how, that you can get decent depth of field. no no no. Well you would be surprised my snobbish shop keep. Because it in fact does provide decent blury parts without having to use the digital trickery of the Blur Control mode.... which does in fact give you even more blury bits.

So... you ask the shop keep... is it really $699?

"And he goes yes, it is, kinda stupid price isn't it?"\
And you go... "whats your return policy."
"15 days full money back."
"you got one new in box?"
"of course i do, no one in their right mind would buy this, why not look at the Nikon V1?."
"No, I want the Q. Can you do it for $650?"
"Why not, your the first person inquiring at my shop about this thing since we got them a few months ago"

So he grabs you the shiny silver box that looks like it could in fact house a pair of sandals. He takes your money and goes "make sure you hang onto this receipt. I'll see you in a week."

You rush home quickly to charge up that battery. Then you shove it in your pants pocket (comfortably I might add) and head out on the town.

Soon you find that this thing's true meaning in life is to bring the fun and creative juices back into your photography. You start seeing things differently, start planning shots in a more creative way than you would with your K5. You find out that the big thing about this camera is that it delivers the fun factor.

There is no other camera out there that provides more fun! And quality while we are at it.

Images are sharp, crisp, and full of color. Sure it might over-expose a little bit here and there, but thats okay, it shoots RAW! You can fix that later if need be. You also find it does almost everything your lovely DSLR does, just in a smaller package.

Sure you don't get the huge mega pixel shots of your DSLR, but thats not with this is for. This camera is for you to get creative again. To get back to having fun with your photos and bringing you back to the basics.

After a while you start getting a lil frustrated... the camera thinks that something is in focus, and it obviously is blurry as the night you downed a bottle of while at the company party after that beautiful girl in accounting shot you down. But you deal with it because your just having so much fun!

But when you really start crying is when after you shot 180 RAW+jpg images and you start getting the red flashing battery light of death. You try to squeak out one last photo before heading home and the camera just gives you a black screen of death. You sulk back to your car and take the sad drive home, only to know that at least your going to have fun showing all your friends on Pentaxforums what you did with your new Pentax Q.

So as you come home day after day you see your K5 and collections of wonderful K mount glass sitting on the shelf collecting dust, begging for you to pick it up and shoot with it once more... you take pride in the fact that your no longer a sensor snob and put your Q on the charger...as you often do.... going, you know what, I do think I will go see that shop keep. But to get prints done from my Q. But maybe I'll bring my K5 along just so it doesn't feel lonely.

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