Originally posted by CWRailman I don’t believe I have ever read a review that found a clear difference between the MX-1 and the Q7.
I own the original Q, Q7 and the MX-1.
It may not matter as much now but you have to remember, the MX-1 was released 6 months before the Q7 was announced so no one yet knew that a future Q would have a larger sensor. So initially it had that going for it. The optic, at least in my copy, is excellent. By far the sharpest point and shoot camera I have ever owned. When considering aperture, it is faster than every lens in the Q system except for the 01 Standard lens, which it matches exactly at the same focal length. It has a nice macro mode (the Q has the nice 04 wide "toy" lens, which I like but the MX-1 is a bit less distorted.) Nice brass top and bottom plates... I know it is not indestructible but it has a nice feel to it (as the metal original Q did too.) The fact that it is not interchangeable can be a plus (sensor is not constantly exposed to outside elements, less to carry around.)
As mentioned, when compared to the Q7 it is a bit bigger and the interchangeable lenses can make the Q wider (including fish-eye) and more telephoto than possible with the MX-1. You can ultimately be more creative given all the adaptations you can do with the Q system.
Keeping in mind the sensor is the same either way: If you just want a camera you can throw in the car and not worry about lenses, the MX-1 is at the top of the Pentax point and shoot pile, even three years on. If you like to tinker and have the most options for your creativity, it would be hard not to be happy with the Q system.
Understand I am not arguing for or against... just giving my personal observations. I plan on holding on to both at this point and while I wouldn't be against an MX-2, I don't believe it will happen.
On the other hand, I'd really like to see Pentax put some R&D behind the Q and I'd love to see what could be done with it. Most of us that like the Q system understand it's not just about sensor size... it is what you get from the whole package. Some people will always write off the Q no matter what, but I can personally think of a number of reasonable improvements (ie existing technology that wouldn't be hard to implement) that could make the next Q a really awesome camera. I really hope Ricoh/Pentax stick with it.
Thanks for indulging me in this longish post.