Pentax Q System

[rbiemer]

I think it looks interesting...but I'm still thinking of getting an Auto 110 so I'm demonstrably unbalanced!
And the optical finder looks awfully familiar:

Photo from:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/PENTAXQ/PENTAXQA.HTM#

Rob

 

[Leica0Series]

Now I want one

Now I want one

Now I want one just because some people hate it so much. Some folks in the DPReview Pentax forums are losing their minds over this little thing.

 

[ruby.monkey]

oops, I didn't notice the part abut the in-lens leaf shutters. :bang:

From the spec sheet:

SHUTTER
Type: Lens shutter, electronic shutter**
Shutter speed: 1/2000 to 30 sec (lens shutter), 1/8000 to 30 sec (electronic shutter w a lens shutter lens), Bulb
** When using the electronic shutter setting with a non-lens shutter lens, shutter speed 1/2000 to 2 sec, Bulb, aperture adjustment, and ND filter setting NA.

Do the toy lenses even have built-in shutters?

 

[jsrockit]

The biggest problem I can see that with such a small sensor the depth of field is going to going to be massive on even the fast standard lens.

Nothing wrong with that... it comes in handy at time. You can be at f/1.9 and 1/30th of second (leaf shutter) and still have great depth of field. Bokeh isn't everything.

 

[pvdhaar]

Mmm.. Nikon had teasers on what's supposed to be their mirrorless Q system a while ago. You don't suppose Nikon and Pentax are using the same mount do you?

http://nikonrumors.com/2010/09/16/n..._campaign=Feed:+NikonRumors+(NikonRumors.com)

It's been awfully quiet at Nikon's since the teasers.. a couple of patents here and there, but nothing tangible.

Well, at least Pentax made something real. Maybe it isn't an ubercamera, but it sure looks small and cute. About the same size as a corsage. Perhaps that's its unique selling proposition.. not to shoot with, but as an adornment..

 

[John Robertson]

All very well making smaller and smaller cameras, but as yet evolution has not caught up and miniaturised our hands.
NOT INTERESTED
Pentax has disapointed me here!!

 

[Michael Da Re]

I like it. I will keep it in my purse next to my chihuahua.

I would teach my chihuahua how to use it!

 

[spaceman spif]

Man, I think these things are WAY COOL! I'm gonna buy one just as soon as they're <$100 on ebay. My guess is ten years or so...

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Not for me, but totally cool and weird.

 

[Athos6]

What I find frustrating about this camera is what it represents and what it dosen't. I like that a company will take a chance on something radical and most likely a money loser. Yet, they still manage to make something I don't want! I hope next time a company wants to make a far out product its something like a digital Spotmatic or some other thing thats really cool, like the X100 but with interchangable lenses, or Something....

 

[jsrockit]

I like that a company will take a chance on something radical .... or some other thing thats really cool, like the X100 but with interchangable lenses, or Something....

You mean like the Leica M9?

 

[DougFord]

From the spec sheet:

Do the toy lenses even have built-in shutters?

"This $299 28-83mm equivalent F2.8-4.5 lens will, like the Standard Prime, offer a built-in ND filter and lens shutter, allowing flash sync all the way up to 1/2000th of a second."

I'll be interested in reading the technical reviews of this little device.
If the performance of the standard prime is up to scratch wide open, scale focusing at about 5 feet should result in some pleasant looking DOF characteristics. Need to wait for the reviews.

 

[Athos6]

You mean like the Leica M9?

Right but without the 2 most useless features of the M9, the Leica dot and the price!

Athos

 

[ChrisN]

Regarding image quality from these small sensors: I was interested to read Ctein's comments about this in the post on Mike Johnston's The Online Photographer blog (here).

"No doubt there will be many folks upset with the small size of the sensor, but as one who did a reasonable amount of photography with a camera of very similar sensor size and pixel count (the Fuji S100), I can testify that entirely professional results are possible from that size and pixel count. By way of example, I'm selling 17x22" prints of the following photographs, and most folks do not consider my standards to be low:"​

(image samples linked)

Now I'm sure Ctein has better skills than most of us in post-processing and preparing images for printing, but I think that it's time we didn't automatically discount the small sensor cameras as incapable of serious image quality.

 

[DougFord]

I'm unaware of the shutter speeds obtainable with the current crop of like sized sensor compacts. But if the standard prime can do 1/8000 @ f1.9 along with a built-in ND filter, it could be quite the compact camera.
I'm really looking forward to the reviews and test images. Maybe it's a bust; we'll see.