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08-04-2013, 07:37 PM   #16
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Q7 - 01, 06 and Toy Fisheye ( a system camera not just a pns )

The Q7 (and the Q series for that matter) differs from any other small sensor camera as its a system with interchangeable lenses.
There are a selection of lenses available for the Q system, but I'll just touch on what I have and what can be achieved with them.

First off, the benefits of a ILC.
I paid quite a bit for the original Q.
But since the lenses carry over to the next camera unlike other pns, I start to see the benefit when I got the Q7, as I only need to pay for the body only, which cost less than any new advanced pns of its same generation. (probably $200-$300 less)
Ok, enough talk about money (since picts are more important and we don't buy our cameras as investments)

I'd like to talk about the lenses and the photographic opportunities it affords the user.

The Q7 has a crop factor of x4.7 compared to that of the Q which was x5.5
This means that the existing lenses will get a wider equivalent FOV compared to being used on a Q/Q10.


01 Prime (eq. 40mm f1.9)


Don't stare too long...at the magazine..
Q7; Prime 01
40mm, a nice and nimble lens for whatever that pops up on the streets during a walkabout



The 01 prime is about 40mm eq on the Q7.
I found this to be almost the perfect versatile lens to have on the camera 90% of the time.
Small and unencumbered, fast aperture, sharp and a very nice FOV that can cover most things w/o reaching for another lens.

Its also reaches max sharpness at about f4 to f4.5, which is a good thing imo.
With the large DOF due to the smaller sensor, many times I can actually take the sharpest photo that the Q7 allows at f4 or f4.5, with everything within DOF while keeping the ISO reasonably low (important for a small sensor to keep IQ) and handheld.



The door to the other side is just beside
Q7; 01 prime
f1.9 is always handy for low light interiors




Bloody fresh!
Q7; 01 prime
Shallower DOF with a fast aperture as well as for the low light in the Tsukiji Fish Market

The 01 prime also allows a bit of DOF control with its small aperture for smaller, closer focused subjects.
There is also a BR (Blur Control) function on the Q7 which takes a series of shots of varying focus and combining them to give a pseudo shallow DOF shot.
I'll cover that later in another post.

Whats unique about the 01 prime is its equivalent 40mm field of view at a fast aperture of f1.9.
Thats a fast f1.9 at a somewhat normal focal length, like how a photographer uses a fast 50mm on 135 format.
Most other advanced compacts are fast aperture only at the widest end.


Last edited by pinholecam; 08-05-2013 at 04:13 PM.
08-05-2013, 07:18 PM   #17
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03 Toy fisheye

The 03, also known as the Toy Fisheye is not really a serious high performing lens.
Instead its a 17mm (eq) fisheye that is fixed at f5.6.
IQ is acceptable, but nothing to shout about, certainly enough for most purposes though.
But what it does provide, is the unique fisheye lens perspective on a small sensor camera (which does not exist on any other pns camera) and good fun.


Power Pac; Q7;Toy fisheye
I decided to walk from Asakusa to Akihabara and was delighted with that choice as I chanced on the Bandai office.
They had lots of cartoon/toy characters displayed outside, so I took some shots with the prime 01, then thought....
Hmm.... it would certainly be more fun if they were taken with the Fisheye.





Welcome to My World!; Q7; Toy fisheye



Chest up! Q7; Toy fisheye


Then of course, there is the more typical play of the fisheye for some distorted captures of typical places and a wide angle FOV.


Around Shiodome; Q7; Toy fisheye



Hurtling thru the warp; Q7; Toy fisheye
08-05-2013, 09:57 PM   #18
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06 Zoom (69-207mm eq f2.8 )

The 06 zoom on the Q7 is about the focal length of the traditional 70-200 on 135 format.
With a constant aperture of f2.8 and the longer focal length, it allows for some long reach applications as well as a bit of shallow DOF and/or tighter FOV option on the Q system.

What I liked about it was that the small, light system with longer reach and f2.8 aperture meant that even in poorer light, I could use the lens at f2.8 and try to keep ISO to less noisy levels.


The lotus was a bit away from land, but could be reached with the 06 zoom and a larger aperture gave better subject isolation while showing off some context of the surroundings of the lotus.



A more typical isolation thru shallow DOF shot using the 06 at wide open



Traditional use of a long focal length to get shy subjects



Unobtrusive long reach applications on human subjects; again in not that bright conditions with a largish aperture setting



Often on a tour in grand places (ie. temples; palaces; etc) there is a need to take the small details in high out of reach places.
Its easy to just switch to the Q7 with 06 lens.
This was the mural on the ceiling of the temple (dim and high up), instead of changing to another lens on my DSLR, I simply used the Q7 to take this shot at f2.8, bracing against a pillar for support.



Thoughts about usage :
I found it convenient to use the Q in 2 modes to compliment my DSLR.

A - DSLR+15mm UWA and Q7+normal or 06 zoom
The DSLR only did the very high quality landscape work, leaving the Q7 to cover the walkabout and long reach stuff.
All in a rather small package that did not need much lens switching.

B - DSLR+85mm and Q7+normal
The DSLR did the 'shallow DOF' stuff while the Q7 did most of the shooting that required a more normal/wide FOV or small subjects during a walkabout.
Again in a rather small package that did not need much lens switching.

Last edited by pinholecam; 08-05-2013 at 10:04 PM.
08-06-2013, 07:37 AM   #19
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A very impressive performance from a small sensor.
And a very comprehensive review too. well done.

08-07-2013, 10:00 AM   #20
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Excellent write up, thank you for reposting here on PF. I am considering purchasing a Q7 for my wife this Christmas. Your thoughts on the 06 zoom have me wondering if I should purchase the kit with both zooms... strangely there doesn't seem to be any on offer with the prime.

I would love to see the results of the Q7 with a K mount adapter. Any chance you had one with you?
08-07-2013, 04:07 PM - 1 Like   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by maverickh Quote
A very impressive performance from a small sensor.
And a very comprehensive review too. well done.

Thanks.
Its not comprehensive enough.
So many possibilities with the Q, more to come



QuoteOriginally posted by Finchj Quote
Excellent write up, thank you for reposting here on PF. I am considering purchasing a Q7 for my wife this Christmas. Your thoughts on the 06 zoom have me wondering if I should purchase the kit with both zooms... strangely there doesn't seem to be any on offer with the prime.

I would love to see the results of the Q7 with a K mount adapter. Any chance you had one with you?
Thanks.
I started off with the 01, and this time round I got the Q7 with 02 and 06 zooms.
I have not warmed up to the 02 though.
The package price is too good to pass up.

I'll get to the Q7 with 3rd party adapter sometime later in the review.
You can also check out what I have on my flickr or my link to the original Q review.
I just can't think why Q7 would be worse.
Most likely, the less packed pixel density of the sensor and better ISO performance would mean that its going to be better.
08-07-2013, 08:09 PM   #22
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Enjoying the review so far pinholecam. Q7 looks great.
Thanks for sharing
barondla


Last edited by barondla; 08-09-2013 at 11:34 PM.
08-09-2013, 10:48 PM   #23
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yup really good stuff. hope you'll be talking about the difference b/t the q7 and the q as that's the thing that will sway me to buy or not.

thanks for sharing your experiences!
08-10-2013, 02:21 PM   #24
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Thanks for the terrific review! I'm very happy with my original Q (+01 & 06 lenses), but look forward to adding a Q7 at some point.
08-10-2013, 07:36 PM   #25
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Your review so far is definitely messing with my mind! When the Q7 was announced I wasn't sure there was enough advantages for me to part with the asking price. Now I'm re-thinking that, I'm really impressed with your pictures.
08-11-2013, 11:29 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by barondla Quote
Enjoying the review so far pinholecam. Q7 looks great.
Thanks for sharing
barondla
QuoteOriginally posted by vagrant10 Quote
yup really good stuff. hope you'll be talking about the difference b/t the q7 and the q as that's the thing that will sway me to buy or not.

thanks for sharing your experiences!
QuoteOriginally posted by jva59 Quote
Thanks for the terrific review! I'm very happy with my original Q (+01 & 06 lenses), but look forward to adding a Q7 at some point.
QuoteOriginally posted by mtngal Quote
Your review so far is definitely messing with my mind! When the Q7 was announced I wasn't sure there was enough advantages for me to part with the asking price. Now I'm re-thinking that, I'm really impressed with your pictures.

Thank you all for the encouragement.

The Q7 is certainly a step up from the Q/Q10 imho.
I have no regrets getting one so early.
08-11-2013, 11:29 PM   #27
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Quick Dial

Another unique feature to the Q7 (and Q/Q10) is the Quick Dial to the front of the camera.
The user can configure customized image presents to it and access them at the turn of the selector.
Examples of these options would be B&W; Film Color; Cross Processed; Bleach Bypass; color select filter; etc)
Usually this option is buried deep in any other camera.
It might not seem a big deal to have these image options at a flick of a dial, but in real use, it allows a spontaneity and pre-visualization via the LCD of the shot in that image mode that would have been dampened with menu digging on any other camera.
Fast, spontaneous and fun.


Cross my path; Q7+06 zoom;
Quick dial set to a custom monochrome setting;
This happened fast and would have been missed on any other camera while digging for the B&W setting buried in menus




The Rush; Q7+01 prime
With the preset "Bold monochrome setting"
Again; walking down the steps during rush hour, no-no to stand in the middle of the steps digging the menu for this.
But with the Q, it was at a flick of the dial
.



Q7 with 06 lens (eq. 200mm)
On color, there would just have been no point taking this.
It was far away (the newly opened Skytree) and the day was hazy in the distance.
But the long reach of the small 06 zoom at equivalent 200mm and the bold monochrome setting meant that I got one unique shot compared to the usual wide angle shots I'd just take from the venue.




Candy colored cones; Q7+01 prime
The multi-colored cones caught my attention during a walkabout.
I wanted to accentuate this, so just turned the dial to the 'Bold Colors' mode




Abandoned in Tokyo; Q7+01 prime
Again a spontaneous moment while travelling thru the subway.
Would have been just a "kid waiting for gramps outside the loo" shot in normal color



Its just hard to describe it, but I just keep coming back to the words Fun and Spontaneous.
Thats what the Q and the quick dial gives over any other camera I've used.
In many of the above cases, I would have just taken a shot in color (and maybe another boring color shot in the hard disk)
Otherwise, by the time I reached the setting on any other camera, the moment would have passed.
With the Q7, I flicked the dial, which allowed me to visualize in the setting that I wanted to shoot in, decide that "Hey! thats quite nice.." and take the shot.

Last edited by pinholecam; 08-11-2013 at 11:35 PM.
08-14-2013, 10:51 PM   #28
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I love the shot of the skyline. The 80s japanese architecture plays with the skyscraper on the right, which looks like the registration holes on film. Rad shot!
08-15-2013, 10:06 PM   #29
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You sir are a master. Great pictures. Great review!

You are also brave for taking pictures of a girl's backside.
08-18-2013, 10:53 AM   #30
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amazing review! thank you for the hard work! really enjoyed it!
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