Pentax launch the Q

I have been hoping for a K-mount, APS-C sensor mirrorless camera and am therefore deeply disappointed. This Q thing makes no sense at all. Anyone who is happy with that kind of sensor probably does not need interchangeable lenses. A Canon S95 makes much more sense for anyone after an upmarket compact. And THREE different lens mounts from one company! Are they mad? I have to say that I think the thing is ugly, anyway. I want Pentax to succeed but I shall be amazed if this helps.

Where do the three lens mounts come from?

Q, K and 645.

Dan

Pentax also makes many c mount, medical, binocular, and compact camera lenses... no new news here, to be honest...

Q, K, 110, 645, 67....plus varieties of K. Going back a while there's also M42 and Asahiflex.

To Jovan - there IS a further camera to be announced later this year, probably with K-mount. I think they should have announced it first, as there is already pent-up demand for such a product. As far as being ugly... I strongly disagree, although I really don't like the off-white version, which looks 'antiqued' (or nicotine stained!) I expected to hate the Q, but I'm actually finding myself won over - apart from the cost!

I hope the sensor finds its way into cheaper Pentax compacts.

ISO 6400: link

Looks handsome in black, IMO!

I was NOT kidding (link a few posts back) read up on these lenses!

they seem to have the af system from the 18-135 and built in nd filters, these puppies are advanced and I hope to see a k mount version of that zoom for video shooters!

flash syncs up to 1/2000!

Wide open apertures in daylight is easily possible for shallow dof with fill flash!
Even the k5 cannot do that! (without an external hs flash)

I have to say Pentax should be applauded for trying something different in the compact interchangeable lens camera market. It really does look a lovely little camera.

On the other side of the coin I wonder really who they are aiming at with the combination of price and likely LX3-5/XZ-1 level of image quality. Maybe it will start a new niche between compacts and EVILs but at the moment it's more expensive than many larger sensor EVIL offerings.

I hope the Pentax market research department are on the ball with this one like they've been with the K-5 / K-7

Sure is a cute little camera though....

Somebody at Pentax would be wise to send me a loaner, for a video shoot, I'm convinced it can do "PRo" quality video, in the right hands...

that flash pops up and over! definately a bonus and a sighn that a big telephoto is being considered!

I already have a camera with this backlit sony exmor R sensor in my Sony TX-5

The IQ is better than the sensor in my previous Sony Compact, the T900. but I can't imagine it would meet the quality of a much bigger 4/3rds sensor which has probably 10 times the area .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor_format

Once you get over ISO200 image Q degrades considerably, and some awful noise reduction is used.

So for a small compact costing a couple of hundred quid the senor is very good, but for somrthing costing nearly 600 quid.... nope.

Although I'm pleased to say it shoots RAW ( DNG not PEF ? )

http://www.pentax.co.uk/en/digital-mirrorless/specifications/PENTAX-Q

I want one of these! I only bought my Canon G12 because Pentax didn't offer a compact with manual controls and a hotshoe - now they do I feel a part-ex coming on...

It seems there are a lot of folk (from what I've read so far) who just don't "get" this camera. Stop thinking of it as a poor man's DSLR and instead think of it as the ultimate pocket digicam - once the street price comes down (and it will) to G12/LX5 levels these will fly off the shelves.

Well done Pentax!

The images on imaging resource were initially at 2000 x 1500, and looked ace at iso1600. Better than samples I have seen from the TX5 which is good for a compact. Sensor development moves on all the time. Of course a bigger sensor would be better, but we knew this was coming, and within the constraints of a tiny sensor I think they've done really well. I was fearful that they'd use the sensor from the RS100 or something- that really would have been a shame!

Then factor in that the bright 1.9 lens will mean you probably won't need such high iso's, and things don't look so bad.

I certainly wouldn't spend 600.00 on it, but really it's not so awful, and it's not like they're forcing anyone to buy it!

I suspect this will be a huge leap forward from my old g5 I used to love, and these are LEAF SHUTTER lenses with built in ND filters!

I anticipate that if a bigger version of this hits the market in the fall with a standard kmount, Pentax will lay cllaim to BOTH the smallest ilc system and the highest quality sensor EVER in an evil cam come this fall when the NC-1 comes out.

I love the way people diss a new product before it is even available. The market will decide whether Pentax have got this right or not.

As to why they put their money into this and not a super-telephoto? Because they will almost certainly make more money from it.

Just because a product isn't something you want, doesn't make it a bad product. I hope that those people shouting "fail" so loudly are made to eat their words, but only because that will mean Pentax is making money. It is in all our interests for Pentax to remain a viable and competitive company.

K.