I own both a Q and Q7 and although their great camera, they're certainly not a replacement for a DSLR, nor as versatile. They're at their best when you want or need a small, lightweight and unobtrusive system...
Now trying to aswer your question:
1) For manual focus, the best is to use focus peaking and magnification, and 4x is more than enough to see if the focus peaking lines are sharp or not. There's not need to pixel peep on this. Just check the white lines and set the focus at the position they're sharpest... It's fast and easy and you should get focus right on in a few seconds once you get accustomed to it.
2) Mostly because there's no point in supporting tethering with the Q. As said above, the Q is made to be a small, lightweight, almost pocketable system. If you're willing to carry a large monitor and cable, you probably also willing to carry something larger than a Q... It's just defeated why you would use a Q in the first place. Same thing if you're in a studio setting. There's no need to use a small camera like the Q... So, although it will be fun to have tehering on the Q (as on any camera), it's probably one of the last thing you would want to do with a Q even if it had the feature...
3)
Quote: All in all, this makes me really wonder how the manual mode of the Q10 is meant to be used. Being used to manual mode with Canon DSLRs, this is a big downer for me.
Well, manual mode on the Q just works like any DSLR from the last 50 years or so, no matter the model or maker. When the meter is centered on the EV sacle, the exposure is spot on for the selected exposure mode (multizone, centerweighted, spot). If it's on the left (negative value) or the right (positive values), it's underexposed or overexposed respectively. You can adjust it by changing aperture or shutter speed by turning the back wheel, using the +/- button to switch between both. All the Canon DSLR have seen in the last 20 years work the same, so I don't see what's so different from what your used to....
That said, no matter the brand or model of camera, adjusting exposure from you what see on the LCD is the worst way to adjust exposure and get bad results. You should learn to use and trust the meter. It's the way adjusting exposure should be done... The LCD is only good for framing...
Originally posted by microfriend However, the live histogram of the Q10 seems to represent only the live view, but not my manual exposure settings!
Because, as said above, the LCD should be used for framing and the meter for exposure...
Quote: I have to guess how much the manual exposure has to deviate from the automatic exposure.
Again, just use the EV scale and approriate exposure. No need to guess anything... And exactly the same way you should set the exposure with your Canon or any other camera. There's nothing special or fundamentally different with the Q here and all cameras from the last 50yrs or so work the same.
Quote: Btw: The "bright/dark area" warning also just represents the live view... so it will show areas blinking even if I set the exposure correctly for them.
Because it shows you what you will get with the selected picture settings. Which is perfectly fine since most people using the Q will also want to use OOC jpeg as often as possible (although, sure, you will find people only shooting raw). This is the way camera was designed to be used. Again it's the meter that will tell you if the raw is correctly exposed. If you want to expose for a specific area, just use spot metering and exposure lock, as you would do with your, or any, DSLR... Much easier, faster and accurate than adjusting exposure by looking on the LCD screen...
Quote: Unfortunately this looks like the Q10 is the wrong camera for me, since its firmware doesn't allow me to use its potential
Honestly, I think you just try to overwork the Q and make things more complicated than they should be. The point of the Q, and why people like it, is that it keeps things simple. You grab the camera, frame, press the trigger and take it back, all in an unobtrusive way. If you want to fine tune everything and pixel peep every small details, the Q will not cut it relative to your DSLR. The Q is more about spontaneity and grabing the moment than going for technical perfection and IQ...
Last edited by CarlJF; 06-30-2016 at 08:17 AM.