Pentax launch the Q

At 300 quid i'd probably buy one. At 630 smackeroos frankly they can stick it up their aperture

Aimed at the advanced point and shoot photographer

I suspect it will be a sleeper hit..... slow to start due to the pricing.... but Pentax will knock one right out of the park with this.

If Pentax can do with this Sony sensor what they did with the k5's sony sensor... it won't match the k5, but it will meet or exceed the 4/3's and also have a mass market appeal like none before it.

the k5 does in fact hold it's own against cameras with larger sensors according to dxo labs, after all...

I am optimistic.
like the canon elf, there are lot's of people that would think this thing to be a cool fashion accessory.

Looked at DPReview and found this link.

Seems to be a large negative reaction on PentaxForums, DPR and here. If the Japanese market love it, maybe it will be available in multicoloured options soon after launch.

Best regards

having just waded through 3 pages of largely negative comments it occurs to me that most of you are just too elderly to get what this is all about.

I think this is very nicely placed in the market, especially when you consider that there is also a rumoured mirrorles APS-C K-Mount in the pipeline. (OK, it's only a rumour, but all the rumours are coming from exactly the same places that were talking about the Q, and they got that spot on). These two products side by side will bracket the market - one larger and ultra high quality for the pros and fanboys, and one fun, tiny, arty and grungy. I think this is a stroke of genius by Pentax. All the trendies currently fondling X100s will have one of each by 2012, I bet any money.

Stop asking serious photo enthusiasts if they want this. Ask Paris Hilton. Then start asking people that carry poodles and chihuahua's around in thier Gucci purses!

This Pentax is cute, and even if it doesn't match the k5 for image quality, at least it won't crap in your purse, or die if you leave your purse in you car, or run away if you're passed out on the floor in the bathroom stall of a trendy night club with white powder on your nose.... Paris, your camera has arrived!

As soon as a few stars are seen toting these, everybody will want one...

Absolutely Don, I think all other marks should be very very frightened.

Only reason I didn't buy a K5 is that Paris didn't flash her K5.

Best regards.

If the price is £600 plus then I imagine you would be paying for the miniaturisation. If the objective was to produce the smallest interchangable lens camera on the market then it is mission accomplished and there is a part of the market that hankers after this sort of thing. Perhaps the marketing bods may not be aiming this at the group on this forum. I can see the appeal of having everything very tiny- its kind of hi-tech cute, it just isn't something that appeals to me. I do like the flash arrangement on it and the 4 way switch on the front appeals.

Its different and thats good but if it were a big hit we in DSLR land could benefit.

I also suspect that given the pro d-slr modes like aperture priority, and the way it has the lens electrical contacts inside the mount... that this li' bugger is backward compatible with the auto 110 lenses.

I like it. Won't be buying it.
But I am studying it.
I figure it was co-developed alongside the bigger NC-1 and probably shares some traits...

if there be a bigger version of this camera, with the aps-c sensor and h264 1080p 30 fps video, with detachable EVF finder on the horizon, standard k-mount.... I'll buy TWO.

Yes- if this is a pre-curser to an EVIL with the sensor from the K5 and K mount then that will definately be interesting. Would you pay K5 money for it though?

The original Auto 110 is a great little camera. Not very good for high quality large images, but nonetheless very desireable in its day.

This newcomer will appeal, no question about it, and if it's as good as the I-10 or better then it will be fine. Certainly desireable and there's nothing wrong with a camera being desireable just for its own sake.

My first two K5's were naughty and crapped on their sensors but my latest has been well behaved so far.

I suspect it would come in at the $1000.00 mark. a couple hundred more than the Q and a couple hundred less than the k5..... after all it will be bundled with the 35 2.4 prime and the official price is the max price retailers will ask, if the retailers sell for less then getting the k5's image quality in an evil class cam will be a huge seller!

and Pentax had better keep the KR's battery system for it as well...

In reading up on the lenses, this camera may well exceed the k5 for normal to high light video shooting!
link