Originally posted by fisheye freak The whole concept smells like the old 110 format film SLR from many years ago, which was more a novelty than a serious camera .I would have thought that any photographer who is willing to carry around and change lenses frequently would want the quality of a decent sized sensor. When I want a compact high quality camera, I pinch the wife's Lumix. Given that most buyers would want to use their existing glass, the advantage of a super compact body is lost. I believe the Q will be a flop. Shame it was not made in APS C format as a compact alternative to a DSLR. What was going through their minds when they came up with this?
My entire Auto 110 4-lens kit (including flash and autowinder) fit in a custom Pentax case that was about the same size as my first Sony Walkman cassette player, which was about the same size as the typical 35mm camera body at the time. That translates to small size/weight convenience for a "serious photographer". A single one of my existing Pentax glass wouldn't fit in that bag. Why would anyone want to use bulky existing glass on a new ultra compact body? That defeats one of the main benefits of this new system -- size.
I used my Auto 110 kit at least weekly, with periods of daily, for the 3 years I lived in Japan. I have thousands of negatives, and dozens of print albums to show for it with gorgeous pictures/captured memories of Japan -- photos my friends with their full size SLR didn't get because what 18-year-old wants to go through their young life with a bulky SLR bag/kit weighing them down? I'm an "old man" approaching 50 years now, but I find myself thinking a similar thing: What old man wants to go through old age trying to keep up with grandchildren and a busy modern life in general with a heavy DSLR kit bending my back more than my 50 years are naturally doing?
I'm a long-time Panasonic fan (still own an original release month FZ1 and actually gave up DSLRs for a few years for a FZ50), so I understand why you pinch the wife's Lumix at need, but the Q will be a better camera than any Lumix since it will hold a place somewhere between the "bridge" camera and DSLR worlds.
I am a serious photographer, and I'm interested in the Q. I want DSLR features in the smallest and lightest possible package. I suspect that once again I will be getting great pictures and memories while my friends are defaulting to mediocre pics by way of their phone cameras because their DSLR systems were too bulky and inconvenient to bring.