Q over quality compact?

Travelling later this year in some potentially dodgy areas and don't want to carry a DSLR. May even ditch the DSLR completely because of the weight when travelling, but not sure yet.

I want to get, or replace the DSLR with, something small and compact, preferably pocket sized and had another look at the Q today. It certainly fits the size requirements, but so do a variety of offerings from Sony, Fuji and Panasonic.

Pentax bias aside why would the Q be a better bet? Reviews aren't generally very good, but user reviews on here are almost universally excellent. This might also mean that some of the competition is better than reviews suggest! Very tempted at the current £199 price, but happy to pay up to £500 or so for the right camera so price isn't the only issue.

The reviews were for a camera that was priced at a lot more than £199. That's why there was negativity. Check out the other forum. Its got a specific Q sub forum with lots of happy owners.

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-q/

---

Alan


PPG
Flickr

It's what you make of it really. The Q punches way above its weight and you can now see lots of great examples on here and elsewhere. It's also very versatile with everything from fish-eye to ultra-telephoto thanks to the adapter.

However, depending on what you want to do, Pentax also offer the X-5 bridge camera and soon the MX-1 quality compact. Don't forget the WG-2 either, wihich definitely extends the repertoire.

As for other makes, they don't have that Pentax colour. To delve into those marques though you need to browse ePHOTOzine and similar sites that are not brand-specific. It's not that we're biased here, it's just that other makes are outside out remit.

---

Best regards, John

Thanks both.

X-5 is too big - I want something that can go in a shirt or jacket pocket. The MX-1 looks nice, but might not be out in time (going in early March and want some time to get used to it).

Personally if I had the money to spend on one, I'd go for the latest Ricoh GR Digital; fantastic cameras, especially the more recent variants.

I bought the Q on offer from SRS at 200 pounds (no pound symbol on my tanzanian laptop) for my trip out here and I'm very impressed with the IQ, much better than I expected.
I had a leica compact but the Q pictures are much better! Sold the leica to a happy local.

Most of the recent pictures on my portfolio are taken with the Q if you want to see.

In fact I use the Q most of the time for security reasons as some areas here are not safe to be carrying a DSLR around.
At the current price it's a 'steal'

---

Regards,
Michael
My new website:link

Thanks Michael

Presumably you are in Tanzania now unless Wales has degenerated a lot since I last visited

That's one of the places we are going plus Mozambique, Lesotho and South Africa. It's not that the locals are inherently more prone to theft, there are plenty of places in the UK that aren't that safe, it's more that I simply don't feel comfortable waving £600 worth of DSLR and lens around when so many people are so poor. It was particularly noticeable in Myanmar (Burma) last year.

I think it's basically a choice between the Q (and some spare cash), the Sony RX100 or the Panasonic LX7. Not easy.

I also picked up a Q recently and haven't regretted it at all - even though it was an impulse buy. After handling one at SRS when collecting a K-mount lens I just couldn't resist the charms of the Q. I don't think I've had more fun with a camera - it just makes you want to take photos (and as a result encourages experimentation). The handling and ergonomics are superb. IQ isn't up there with a DSLR of course, but then it's a different type of camera. It does seem to out perform my LX3, which itself is no slouch in the quality compact field (I don't know how much the LX7 has advanced from the LX3 IQ-wise - my impression was that the advances were more in lens speed and reach than IQ, though I may be wrong) - and it is a much more enjoyable camera to use (the LX ergonomonics/interface haven't changed much since the LX3 I think). I have yet to process any shots and to see how they respond to pp-ing, as I've just got back from Europe and am now downloading the LR3 update for Q files, but looking at them in Silkypix they seem very good for a compact and far better than I expected. The Q even does reasonably well in low light situations (which I was concerned about) - especially with the 01 lens.

The Ricoh top end compacts seem to get similarly good feedback as small cameras that enthusiasts enjoy, but I'd be surprised if they offered the bang for the buck that the Q offers at current prices (Blythman is right to point out that reviews tended to be negative because they were reviewing a £600 camera - which, nice as it is, the Q isn't). You can pick up the body plus the 01 prime and 02 zoom for around £300 now, which is a bargain IMO (the zoom represents the only serious wide angle option at the moment and is optically decent if a bit slow for me (f2.8-4.5); the 01 is sharp and fast - though f1.4 would have been even nicer - and its tiny size makes it the ideal companion for the Q).

I anticipate I'll be using the Q much more than I expected. It is such an enjoyable and intuitive camera to use. Given what the Pentax engineers managed to come up with in such a small package, it makes you wonder what on earth they were thinking of with the K-01? A scaled up Q could have had the impact that the Fuji X100 had.

@ Michael Blue - are you based in Tanzania? If so, where?

---

Mhuni

500px

Hello Mhuni,

I'm based in Southern Tanzania in a town called Mtwara, about 480 km south of Dar es Salaam, close to the Mozambique border.
Internet here is a bit sporadic and slow so I can't post as often as I'd like.

---

Regards,
Michael
My new website:link

Hi Michael,

I used to live in Dar es Salaam. Never got as far as Mtwara (only to Lindi and then turned right to Nyasa!). It's a beautiful part of the world. I always fancied the crossing to Mozambique near you, which was marked on my map as 'By canoe', but as you know Bongoland's a long way from Mtwara and I never found the time to do it.

---

Mhuni

500px

Dr Mhuni,

Where can you get the Q plus both lenses for £300? I too am a prospective purchaser.

Dave

I was going to ask the same, Dave. I know they were available for under £300 a while back, but can't find anything close to that now. Q and 5-15mm is still available for £199 at SRS. If I find anything better I'll let you know.

Cheers milamber.

I got an unboxed 01 lens off Chris at SRS last week. I don't know if he has any more. If he does, I'd imagine he could offer the twin lens kit for somewhere in the £300+ region to a PUF member. The 02 zoom is currently on offer at £129 - so I guess it all depends on whether there are any Q + 01 kits left. If you fancied the 15-45 zoom (f2.8 constant, which is nice) Milamber, you might get all three for not that much more than your £500 budget.

---

Mhuni

500px

Thanks - I e-mailed Chris a few hours back, but not until after office hours. He is usually very helpful. Will be in Colombo again in March, but just a short visit this time

Can't find any reviews of the 15-45mm yet - it would be nice to have.