Q over quality compact?

There are some sample pics on the pentax Japan site, impressive indeed.

I haven't heard one Q owner being any less than pleased, impressed and inspired by their camera

I got the Q as a complementary camera to the K5 as I wanted a go everywhere option that was pocketable and also good for sneaky street shooting. The IQ was a pleasant surprise. I'm with Andrew's thoughts on the appeal of the Q. I also had the choice between the Q and a compact. However, if I were going somewhere with great photo opportunities and not taking a DSLR then I would have reservations.

I use the Q only with the 01 normal prime. It's compact and fast and sharp. It's pocketable, but just. Cargo pant pocketable rather than shirt pocket pocketable, which is fine for me. The zooms though are quite a bit larger than the prime and the extra width really makes a big difference to pocketability. The Q is screaming out for a wide angle prime. One is in the pipeline and if it hadn't been I would have gone for a compact instead.

Image quality is very good indeed for what it is. I find optimal results at the faster end of the lens. I do however disagree with those who think that image quality is not far short of a dslr, I think it is. The Q produces surprisingly good results when used optimally, but there are plenty of shooting situations where too much noise starts to creep in. My niece got a Nikon something1 and I have been very impressed with the results. I wouldn't recommend that as an option but for me it did demonstrate that the larger sensor makes a big difference.

If I were going on an exotic trip with great photo opportunities and wanted to take one discreet camera then it would not be the Q. I would go for a high end compact. The new MX-1 looks really good. I would take a look at the Olympus XV-2 which seems to have the same lens and sensor and if the image quality was good enough I'd wait for the MX-1. Otherwise it would be the Sony RX100.

I'd satisfy myself that the 02 zoom f2.8-4.5 versus the f1.8-2.5 of the MX-1 meets the shooting needs of the trip as those differences in spec are significant, especially factoring the relative sensor sizes. I think the promise of adapted lenses outweighs the performance. I still haven't seen anything that has impressed me much, there are some ok results.

The Q has a long list of positives and I'm sure you'll enjoy using it.

My first pp-ed shot from the Q + 01 (re-sized to 800px for PUF):




Watford overground (guess where I'd been:wink

Overall I'm quite pleased. Not DSLR quality - I doubt the K5 would have any blocked up dark areas, and the general detail retained would have been significantly better (the hair on the guy on the left is distinctly mushy, for example, when viewed at full size). But this is a decent performance in pretty challenging conditions (settings: 1/30 @ f2.8 & ISO400). Particularly given that the shot has been fairly significantly cropped (what you see is probably around 2/3 the original size). At full size (after cropping, that is), the tread on the guy's trainer on the right is surprisingly clear. It did require more sharpening than usual, but it could take it. Also the white balance (not a strength of the Q) wasn't accurate - though this is easily adjusted in PP (especially in RAW).

At the very least, I think this demonstrates IQ-wise what a handy take-everywhere camera the Q is for street shooters. Image quality's decent enough and its diminutive size opens up all sorts of possibilities which would either be impossible or ill-advised with a larger camera. I wouldn't have been too bothered taking the above with a larger camera , but would have been more self-conscious doing so and would also have probably attracted greater attention; and I've taken many photos with the Q that I wouldn't have dreamed of taking with a larger camera.

Re. the lens sizes. Adrian has a point about the difference between the 01 and 02 lenses on camera. The 01 + Q is a tiny package, and very handy for this reason. But the 02 is by no means large. I would feel a little anxious about the LCD putting a camera in my pocket in any case. Instead I use a camera bag attached to my belt. I got one of these from SRS: link. Perfect for the Q, which fits body down with the 01 and lens down with the 02. It makes for a discreet package either way.

As Adrian points out a fast wide prime is a desirable addition to the range, which I would prefer to the 02. The 06 telezoom looks pretty decent - check out shots posted by RaistD (I think that's his name) on the getDPI.forum. I guess stability would be more of an issue at this length - though at least it's constant f2.8 (wish the 02 had this).

Adrian's also right about it not being a DSLR replacement. While I could see myself being reasonably happy travelling with just the Q (actually taking a Q would most likely result in being more photographically active), I wouldn't if I had serious photographic intentions on any trip. Most likely I'd take more than just the Q - but I am notoriously bad at travelling light. On my recent visit to London I had some photographic opportunities with the Q that wouldn't have existed without it (as I likely wouldn't have had any camera with me otherwise). The results - in quite challenging lighting - don't appear bad at all on first inspection even if they are not of the quality I might have captured with a larger sensor camera. In better lighting I'd have fewer reservations about the Q, but I do shoot a lot in low light conditions. Another benefit of the Q btw is as a handy tool to investigate photo ops that might be returned to with a larger camera.

Re. the Q vs. the MX-1 or similar cameras, the faster aperture is desirable, but I find the tiny form factor a big plus with the Q; and wonder if the compacts would provide such photographer friendly handling as the Q, which is a joy to use.

Good point on the screen. Mine is protected with a screen protector. Not just for more rugged handling but as a general safeguard. I've scratched my K5 screen a bit but I have the viewfinder.

The handling of the Q is great. Sometimes I accidentally press the wrong button if I'm sneaking a shot or nudge the dial around in pocket, but you soon learn to check. Having an EV dial makes a huge difference to me and that's something the RX100 lacks. Good to see the MX1 has it. One of the biggest pluses of the Q is metering accuracy which I think easily outperforms the K5, which is key for quickly grabbed shots.