[Frogfish]

It is easy to take with you in the ladiesroom, and I can think of some more.

[barondla]

It remains to be seen if bigger brother K-01 can actually out sell the Q worldwide! Many feel the K-01 will steal sales from the Q. Wouldn't it be interesting if the opposite happens. Think there is room for both.
thanks
barondla

[JinDesu]

Cross posted from what I put in the interview thread....but it's relevant for the Q

From BCN......a year old, I can't find this years list, but I don't suspect it has changed that much.

Percentage DSLR APS-C: 71.5%
Percentage DSLR FF: 1.8%
Percentage Mirrorless: 19.1%
Unknown: 7.6%

If you check the latest data for the US, which goes to the 80th most popular DSLR.....Pentax doesn't register. Not one camera.

If you check Japan stats....3 of the 80 most popular dslrs are combinations of the "Q". The only other Pentax listed is the K-5 in spot #42.

Considering the Pentax Q is not the most popular DSLR on this forum, but it is (presumably) for Pentax sales, how representative is this forum for Pentax?

With this entire statement in mind, I can't see the Q being anything but a Success for Pentax.

[PentaxMom Felua]

Sure, I don't always am with someone else and really, it is not always convenient to drag along a big bag loaded with k-5 and lenses into the ladiesroom.
Other than that, YOU can't really know what might all go on there, can you, at least, that is if you behave properly ... but I might never know if you, oh, well, never mind ,,,

Anyway, this afternoon I succesfully sold again some old stuff, just a little more and the q might soon be mine.

[Biro]

It remains to be seen if bigger brother K-01 can actually out sell the Q worldwide! Many feel the K-01 will steal sales from the Q. Wouldn't it be interesting if the opposite happens. Think there is room for both.
thanks
barondla

The K-01 and Q are so different that they really can't be compared. The only thing they have in common is that they are both mirrorless and both are made by Pentax. So, yes, I see room for both cameras. But the Q definitely needs a price adjustment - at least here in the Americas.

[eddie1960]

The K-01 and Q are so different that they really can't be compared. The only thing they have in common is that they are both mirrorless and both are made by Pentax. So, yes, I see room for both cameras. But the Q definitely needs a price adjustment - at least here in the Americas.

it seems to have dropped to me but not as much in the US where the 01 kit is 649

In Canada
Henry's - 01kit is 599
Aden is 589 (they've been as low as 549 in the last month)
Prodigital2000 - 550.65 (i think they may have had 1 or 2 at 499 earlier)
Lozeau in Montreal is the highest @ 629 - frequently they are the lowest and i imagine they are aggressive in-store on this one (as an example they are 10499 for a 645D with the DFA55 2.8 right now which is pretty hot IMO)

so it's getting there - I think the magic price point for it is 499 though with the 01 lens, and 599-629 with the 01-02 lens kit

[emergo]

I first hated the Q when I saw the early leaked images - but that was before I knew the details. Once the specs were released, and I had a chance to wrap my head around the Q, the more appealing it became (mostly, the size, interchangeability and the fun factor). When the K-01 was released last week, I instantly liked its specs and design (yup, I said it). It's a clever camera with an appeal and fun factor of its own.

I think I have a pretty clear idea of who these cameras are marketed to, and the more I think about them, the more and more I want the Q.

I consider myself somewhat of an enthusiast (taking pictures for over 30 years now) and the K-01 is not an enthusiast's camera. And while the Q isn't either, it seems to better fill the gap between the times I want to carry my K-5 and the times I don't, but still want a little more options and playfulness than a point and shoot can provide.

However, I will wait to see what happens with the price - and if a Q-2 is on the horizon - but lately, I can't stop thinking about it...

[Clicker]

The magic number for me was sub $500 so i got one, now using it some more and prices again heading north of $500, i wish i had gotten 2. BUT that's K5 territory you say...yes to me that sensor as it is right now with the feature set included minus the EVF is a great tool for online showings which i tend to do 99% of the time now...if i were printing big 16x20plus for sure K5 but the biggest screen i have here is only 42" and that tiny sensor is more than enough and i'm only using probably only 5% of the Q's capabilities.

[SteveM]

I thought the 4 hundred zone was quite reasonable for the Q....I suppose it will go back down again soon.

As far as the BCN number go, I had always attributed a dslr with an OVF, but perhaps interchangable lenses is the measure for them. Either way, it's interesting from a Pentax sales perspective.

[RioRico]

ObTopic -- I posted this in another thread:

We don't want the Q to be *TOO* successful. Consider Olympus: They had a fine OM SLR system. Then they released the little XA rangefinder, which sold like hotcakes. Then they released simpler successors to the XA, which sold even more. Their little film P&S toys made *SO* much money that they dropped the OM line and just raked in cash. (And blew it later, but that's another story.) If Q is as successful as the XA, why should Pentax bother producing bigger cameras?

[Wheatfield]

ObTopic -- I posted this in another thread:

We don't want the Q to be *TOO* successful. Consider Olympus: They had a fine OM SLR system. Then they released the little XA rangefinder, which sold like hotcakes. Then they released simpler successors to the XA, which sold even more. Their little film P&S toys made *SO* much money that they dropped the OM line and just raked in cash. (And blew it later, but that's another story.) If Q is as successful as the XA, why should Pentax bother producing bigger cameras?

During the 80s, Pentax supported themselves on their P&S cameras. Of course, it showed in how far behind they let themselves fall in SLR technology, a legacy that still dogs their heels.

[Cambo]

So, comparing all the hype that the K-01 has already generated to the amount of Q users we've accumulated over the past 6 months, what are your thoughts?

Considering the price of the Q and the price of the K-01 and the specs, I know what I would pick anyday.

I think the K-01 will cannibalize the Q.

I'm not sure if I'd buy a K-01 (since I have a K-5), but I am interested and it's certainly caught my attention. I never had a single thought about buying a Q.

I'm certainly not in a position to say for certain, but the Q kind of seems like a failure to me (on several levels).

I thought I'd heard that the Q sells like crazy in Japan and China, sells as many as are made, supply can't keep up with demand. True or false or what? If the Q makes no impression on the rest of the world but still turns a tidy profit, why worry?

I wonder how many of the above people have actually gone into a store AND TRIED ONE...I did the other day, and BOY did I change MY mind on the thing...here's my report, a reprint from another thread:

The Pentax Q - a tiny gem, and an instant classic:

You don't really get a feel for this camera from pictures. I finally got to try one in a store, and my immediate reaction was one of awe. It is WAY smaller that I first thought, absolutely TEENY, it is BEAUTIFULLY built, out of premium materials, construction is near flawless, the controls are tight, accurate, and precise, this feels like a tiny Leica and a REAL camera. It's better than the Auto 110, which is a classic...this thing is an instant classic, IMHO, and I want one now, after messing around with one for a few minutes. And the White one is GORGEOUS! I hope they make a gold-toned one in white, that would really be something.

Pentax's new era seems to be of really finely made cameras...after trying some of the cheap and cheesy stuff by the big guys, it's was nice to feel something of this level of quality. BEAUTIFUL little thing, I think our impressions of the K 01 is going to change once we actually see one in person. The photos certainly didn't do THIS little camera justice.

Nice job, Pentax, now bring out some more lenses!

















And below is a report from an actual OWNER:

the Q ,have one with 01 + 02 and love it for what it is!
a marvel in engineering, my friends compare it to Leica or Epson R-D1x rangefinder , very small and I can understand that OVF or EVF is not feasible.

now, the new Pentax K-01, well ...Art deco design, that's OK, I actually like it, but ......where is an OVF or EVF????
useless without it,

Cheers,
Cameron

[pinholecam]

I wonder how many of the above people have actually gone into a store AND TRIED ONE...I did the other day, and BOY did I change MY mind on the thing...here's my report, a reprint from another thread:

The Pentax Q - a tiny gem, and an instant classic:

You don't really get a feel for this camera from pictures. I finally got to try one in a store, and my immediate reaction was one of awe. It is WAY smaller that I first thought, absolutely TEENY, it is BEAUTIFULLY built, out of premium materials, construction is near flawless, the controls are tight, accurate, and precise, this feels like a tiny Leica and a REAL camera. It's better than the Auto 110, which is a classic...this thing is an instant classic, IMHO, and I want one now, after messing around with one for a few minutes. And the White one is GORGEOUS! I hope they make a gold-toned one in white, that would really be something.

Pentax's new era seems to be of really finely made cameras...after trying some of the cheap and cheesy stuff by the big guys, it's was nice to feel something of this level of quality. BEAUTIFUL little thing, I think our impressions of the K 01 is going to change once we actually see one in person. The photos certainly didn't do THIS little camera justice.

Nice job, Pentax, now bring out some more lenses!

+1 to this.
Once I held one and seen one in the flesh, I came to the same conclusions.

[creampuff]

Unfortunately many Pentax Q detractors belong to the armchair critics category who most likely haven't actually picked up the camera and used it.

[Asahiflex]

Unfortunately many Pentax Q detractors belong to the armchair critics category who most likely haven't actually picked up the camera and used it.

Yup. It's strange but I like the Q more than the K-5. Go figure.