[wildman]

I wouldn't want to drag that down any of the trails my wife and I hike on as she looks for birds.

Neither do/would I.

Frankly my bird photography is very controlled and specialized and it's gear and techniques have little relevance for those who want to get out and capture birds of opportunity.

Just as an aside - for those who think the Q sensor is not up to the job of birding...the catbird is the original Q sensor BTW.

---

Last edited by wildman; 02-22-2016 at 10:50 AM.

[reh321]

Neither do/would I.

Frankly my bird photography is very controlled and specialized and it's gear and techniques have little relevance for those who want to get out and capture birds of opportunity.

You have my admiration; you make a difficult job look easy. (that was basically one of my points).

Just as an aside - for those who think the Q sensor is not up to the job of birding...the catbird is the original Q sensor BTW.

Yes, the capability is there, but it is very demanding of the lens. (that was my other point)

[surfar]

Sorry REH that the 23A wasn't up to what you expected....my copy is


the 103A, rates a touch lower but is still very good regardless of the moonbeams dancing with the pixels


both tested on Q Q10 Q7 K01 K50....and keepers


keep looking because the tooth fairy(ricoh) wont be delivering for a while!

[RonHendriks1966]

I heard that Q was no longer in the program to order for shops in my country. So maybe Q is nearing it's end.

[patarok]

I heard that Q was no longer in the program to order for shops in my country. So maybe Q is nearing it's end.

Hm... Wonder where you "heard" that... Actually, i don't like it when people HEAR things. And just make them up.
But honestly, somewhen back in time, i had the same thought.

It was when i checked the american ricoh-website for Pentax Q and lenses... At first there was no sign of anything Q... But then... Yes
Q lens lineup, Q-S1...

It seems they are still restructuring the website...

I liked it more the last time when i discovered the Q lenses again. now they still show up, but not clearly separated from the other lenses.
???

The Age of the Internet, is a very odd one.
Such sayings make me feel this Terry Pratchett Quote hits the point completely --->

The Barkeeper asked us why we insisted on bringing our weapons into the bar.

I said, „MIMICS“. The barkeeper laughed, the party laughed, t h e t a b l e l a u g h e d,
we killed the table.
It was a good time.

feels like my new signature...
done.

[eyeswideshut]

I heard that Q was no longer in the program to order for shops in my country. So maybe Q is nearing it's end.

I forget, are you dutch or belgian? Anyway, here it is

PENTAX Q-S1 - RICOH IMAGING EUROPE S.A.S

if you need more variety, the rico-imaging.de site still lets you buy the q7 as well. And once the ff K1 is released, hopefully we will get some information from Pentax about the Q's future.

Cheers

[RonHendriks1966]

I forget, are you dutch or belgian? Anyway, here it is

PENTAX Q-S1 - RICOH IMAGING EUROPE S.A.S

if you need more variety, the rico-imaging.de site still lets you buy the q7 as well. And once the ff K1 is released, hopefully we will get some information from Pentax about the Q's future.

Cheers

When stores (or some of them, since they work with a middle party) can't stock them sales will go down.

[reh321]

When stores (or some of them, since they work with a middle party) can't stock them sales will go down.

And, of course, that is part of the overall problem. In my part of the USA, I'm not aware of any store that stocks any Pentax product. The other non-Canikon brands aren't doing much better.

[RonHendriks1966]

And, of course, that is part of the overall problem. In my part of the USA, I'm not aware of any store that stocks any Pentax product. The other non-Canikon brands aren't doing much better.

This is not a problem overhere. I heard this news in another store. Already noticed this some week's ago. I think this is the largest internet store overhere. They stock everything they can get their hands on. For camera they do official import with full warrenty and no grey import. There is for some time now no Q in program. This is in line with the not being available overhere anymore.

http://www.cameranu.nl/nl/c722/digitale-cameras/pentax

[eyeswideshut]

It seems that the situation is particularly dire in the US. Generally Pentax availability in Germany is pretty good, particularly in Hamburg which had been the European HQ until Ricoh took over.

The Q is a different story though. While I have seen them in stores they are a rare sight. Perhaps we are best off thinking of the Q as a 'Japan Only Product'.
Speaking of which, I just found this over at another site that starts with dp

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

Sorry if these have been posted before.

[CWRailman]

It seems that the situation is particularly dire in the US. Generally Pentax availability in Germany is pretty good, particularly in Hamburg which had been the European HQ until Ricoh took over.

The Q is a different story though. While I have seen them in stores they are a rare sight. Perhaps we are best off thinking of the Q as a 'Japan Only Product'.
Speaking of which, I just found this over at another site that starts with dp

�井� CM ペンタックス カメラ PENTAX Q7 「マジックトランプ�篇 - YouTube

�井� CM ペンタックス カメラ PENTAX Q10 「スモール���スタイル�篇 - YouTube

Sorry if these have been posted before.

Those are quite interesting. Thanks for posting those links. I wish they had done something like that here is the US. But then obviously we are the ignored market.

While Blunty's excellent review of the Q is what got me interested in the Q series, this is one of my favorite Q7 video's. Too bad Pentax did not see the value in creating such video's for the American market.

You Tube

You Tube

[eyeswideshut]

Those are quite interesting. Thanks for posting those links. I wish they had done something like that here is the US. But then obviously we are the ignored market.

While Blunty's excellent review of the Q is what got me interested in the Q series, this is one of my favorite Q7 video's. Too bad Pentax did not see the value in creating such video's for the American market. Pentax Q7 Camera & Lenses: Small Kit, Big Fun - YouTube

Yes, Blunty is priceless and Ricoh owes him at least a titanium memorial Q.

Beyond that, I grow more and more convinced that the Q is not for Europe/America. In Asia they apparently understand Qute and cuddly and fun. Here, however, there is too much p envy* and size anxiety to sustain a camera system with such a small sensor. Plus, the Q simply doesn't deliver. If I want a small camera to cover me from 24mm to ~700mm equ. what am I going to get? No Q, thats's for sure. It offers nothing beyond the 06.

So selling the Q on the basis of 'fun' only gets you so far, no matter how much marketing you do. More is required to make it a success in the west imho.

* the system apparently auto censors a word for a man's private parts starting with P. Now that's what I call a family friendly site!
:-)

[lytrytyr]

size anxiety to sustain a camera system with such a small sensor. Plus, the Q simply doesn't deliver. If I want a small camera to cover me from 24mm to ~700mm equ. what am I going to get? No Q, thats's for sure. It offers nothing beyond the 06.

After using the "crop sensor" Q and the "full frame" Q7 for a couple of years now,
I couldn't disagree more.

The Q system offers much the same level of image quality as 35mm slide film used to do.

In many ways, the Q system now plays the role that the Leica system did when it first appeared.
Small, unobtrusive, adequate image quality, and great depth of field for macro and tele.

Like the Leica, it benefits from superb optics, such as the 01 and 08, and not just the 06.

As you observe, insecure westerners are unlikely to take the Q system for neck candy.
But if you're a photographer who knows how to use it, it's a great complement to larger formats,
and is capable of doing things that bigger-sensor cameras can't do.

[bluefoam]

Imo... regarding westerners not buying into the fun element and buy big spec cameras... it seems that canikon have bullied them into that position through aggressive marketing... most people I know with DSLR cameras can't take a decent photo to save their lives... they are beginning to realise this and are abandoning cameras altogether for phones... Pentax are suffering from that marketing even though they didn't participate in the falicy, but I'd imaging Nikon and Canon are also feeling it now

[eyeswideshut]

After using the "crop sensor" Q and the "full frame" Q7 for a couple of years now,
I couldn't disagree more.

The Q system offers much the same level of image quality as 35mm slide film used to do.

In many ways, the Q system now plays the role that the Leica system did when it first appeared.
Small, unobtrusive, adequate image quality, and great depth of field for macro and tele.

Like the Leica, it benefits from superb optics, such as the 01 and 08, and not just the 06.

As you observe, insecure westerners are unlikely to take the Q system for neck candy.
But if you're a photographer who knows how to use it, it's a great complement to larger formats,
and is capable of doing things that bigger-sensor cameras can't do.

No need to convince me, I'm sold. It's the rest of the western world I'm worried about.

Unless you are a low light afficionado or a narrowdoffer or a high dynamic range freak or whatever the photographic flavor of the month happens to be, the Q will deliver. What gets me though is that Pentax is so incredibly slow and reticent to flesh out this system. As it stands now it is only the 03 fish eye and the 08 uwa that set the Q apart from all those good small travel zoom cameras like the Panasonic TZ70 or Sony HX90 that seem to be undergoing quite a little revival right now. That is where the competition is. Those little cameras reach out to about 750mm equ, have EVF (of sorts) and share the Q's small sensor. They only cost around $€ 300++

Pentax needs to make a long zoom and a macro lens to at least take full advantage of the small sensor / interchangeable lens combination.

Anyway, I would love it if Pentax had struck gold and introduced the new Leica. Back in the 20's/30's it was a truly disruptive force in photography. I visited a major exhibition celebrating 100 years of the Leica last year and one of the things that struck me, looking at all those original prints from way back, is just what a major hit in quality photographers were willing to take at the time in exchange for a camera that could take pictures in circumstances where medium and large format could not. I mean 35mm film was pretty bad then and the earliest Leica lenses were nothing to write home about either.

Is that the point where the Q is at? Well, I would not want to bet any money on that but my best wishes for continued success.

---------- Post added 09-02-16 at 18:46 ----------

Imo... regarding westerners not buying into the fun element and buy big spec cameras... it seems that canikon have bullied them into that position through aggressive marketing... most people I know with DSLR cameras can't take a decent photo to save their lives... they are beginning to realise this and are abandoning cameras altogether for phones... Pentax are suffering from that marketing even though they didn't participate in the falicy, but I'd imaging Nikon and Canon are also feeling it now

All very true but the DSLR is loosing its once iconic position, so maybe there is hope and a market between IPhone and Nikon 1