Pentax launch the Q

You would get interchangeable high (and low!) quality lenses, Raw, manual controls, traditional external buttons, lovely styling, solid metal build, and a flash mount. The price is too high at the moment but it's pretty compelling if you value these things and a tiny size over the superior pixel-peeping quality a larger APSC sensor camera would give you. Rangefinder? It's got a screen for composing shots like any other compact.

Time they brought these back.link.... in white with an
Apple iPooStereoCam sticker on them

It's even got a BINOCULAR Viewfinder!

The same advantage that there was to the Auto 110 having interchangeable lenses, or a modern DSLR having interchangeable lenses. Versatility. The ability to stretch ones repertoire. The ability to tackle subjects that a copactr camera has not been able to do before.

In view of the video capability there may be some potential there for those who shoot video.

Hopefully in true Pentax tradition it will be available in
more colours just like the Auto 110 was

http://www.subclub.org/subjpegs/safari.jpg

In a few years tiny little sensors on the descendants of Q will no doubt match what we get on a DSLR now. When they do, I have no doubt I'll get one. I think I'll wait till then though........

It's not a compact if you have to carry extra lenses about with you.

The average compact camera buyer is going to think "Bugger that! What a load of faffing around"

As I say, I'm not knocking it, I just don't get it.

But I don't get Facebook either and that seems to be doing OK!

Usually us dyslexics never get our prayers answered, but I swear to DOG if Pentax makes one of these lenses in a k-mount, I will buy it for video shooting.

It's not aimed at the average compact buyer though really. If you want to buy a Q you will probably:

- Be irresistably drawn to dinky cool designs.
- Get a kick out of old-school manual controls.
- Want a camera that is extremely portable and unobtrusive.
- Like collecting little accessories and add ons.
- Be more interested in using cameras and taking pictures than staring at 1:1 crops on a computer screen.
- Have deep pockets.

Admittedly rather a small niche, but Pentax have clearly not priced this camera to sell on volume If this isn't you - "move along... nothing to see here"...

Wow... everyone has got something to say about the Q.

I won't be buying this camera. To be honest if I am looking for a small size good IQ camera then I would get the Samsung NX100 which cost less then £300 with kit lens or I would get the Fuji X100, Both APSC sensor and still packed in a resonably small size.

However I hope pentax will sell many many Qs. Pentax has spent no money at all to develop the Q simply it is just like many of the compact camera that the put on the market every year. They just use the same compact sensor and take away the lens and here you go £500 please. Normally they sell their compacts for under £200. And I think even £200 is well over priced for this sort of camera. So in another word pentax is putting some rubbish on the market trying to scam some people's who don't care and do not understand photography money. I bought the Fuji X100 about 3 weeks ago and love it and it worth every penny. With the Q I think it is just not the right thing for me.

I am a real pentax fan and I hope they will do their marketing right and sell many many so that they can invest more money to develop a high end DSLR.

Agree it's overpriced but £200? You can not be serious!

How does it qualify as rubbish?

It's not a product for me and I'd rather see the monies going into a flash system or longer fast glass but where do you write this off as "rubbish"?

Best regards

This is just a remarketed compact camera. ok it might not be rubbish as a compact but IMO it is no way to match with something like the Olympus EP1 & EP2 and no way match the fuji X100.

How can you compare these cameras with the Q? cameras like the Olympus and the Fuji should rather be compared with the KR, to which they are much nearer in size.

The Q is totally another size and as someone noted earlier in this thread is near in size to the Canon S95. Whether we would by it or whether the price is right is a whole different matter.

Pentax might have got it wrong here, by I think it is right that they are trying to come out with different products to differentiate from competition.

You telling me that the EP1 and the X100 is more like the KR?? IMO it is much smaller than the KR and sit in between the Q and the KR just like its sensor size. But come on just use the same sensor as K5 does on the Q and they got the product right and I am sure that would sell very very well.