I've been lurking here for a while, but this thread made me want to register so I can chime in.
The question was raised early in this discussion about what the actual projected image circle is, in hopes that we'll see a larger sensor in future models. It seems to me that if the normal lens has a focal length of 8.5mm, and they've actually labeled it as "01 STANDARD PRIME", I wouldn't expect that lens to perform in any other way than as a normal lens on a 1/2.3" sensor. Otherwise they would have used more traditional Pentax nomenclature. 8.5mm is a circular fisheye on an APS-C sensor. (See Sigma's 8.5mm for instance.) Remember that a "normal" lens is generally just a little bit longer focal length than the diagonal of the sensor. (APS-C diagonal is 28.5mm. FF diagonal is 43.3mm.) 1/2.3" is a 7.7 mm diagonal. If you used an 8.5mm focal length lens on a sensor with a diagonal of 9 to 9.5 mm (1/1.8" to 1/1.7", currently the largest sensors in compact digicams) it becomes a moderately wide angle lens (assuming the projected image circle is sufficient to cover that sensor).
While it's certainly possible, I don't think Pentax would have named the lens "01 STANDARD PRIME" if it's not going to be a standard lens for the life of the Q mount.
Speaking of which, has anyone heard anything about their choice of "Q" as the label for the mount? Is it supposed to stand for anything? Quick and Quality are the most obvious choices. "Q" doesn't exist in Japanese. Maybe they just liked it because it lends itself well to interesting, stylized typography options?
Oh, and by the way, I am VERY excited to see real-world image samples. I am particularly enthusiastic about high speed sync options, especially if they use more leaf shutters in future lens releases. I could fit this camera and several lenses in the same space as a Nikon D70 body (my current high speed sync option), and obviously I need to bring at least one lens along with that body. This would save space in my regular bag, and I could bring a real camera with real controls on family trips without bringing a full size camera bag. I would happily pay $800 (to start...) for those options.
- Jon