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Pentax Q review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £599
inc VAT

Amazingly small, frustratingly slow and worryingly expensive, but we can't help but warm to this quirky little compact system camera

Specifications

1/2.3in 12.0-megapixel sensor, 1.0x zoom (47mm equivalent), 237g

http://www.jessops.com
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It’s worth bearing in mind that the Q’s f/1.9 kit lens is around twice as bright as the GF3’s f/2.5 and the NEX-C3’s f/2.8 pancake lenses; which allows it to use slower ISO speeds in identical lighting conditions. Then there’s the Q’s sensor-based stabilisation. The other two use lens-based stabilisation, but this is missing from their pancake lenses. As such, the Q can arguably drop its ISO speed yet further and use its stabilisation to keep shots sharp. We had to switch to shutter priority to capitalise on this, as automatic settings restricted the shutter speed to 1/60s and faster. However, against all the odds, the Q competes for low-light image quality with cameras that should by all rights be in a different league.

Pentax Q sample 3
Hardly impressive for the price, but a miracle given the small sensor inside – click to enlarge

This argument breaks down when comparing the Q to one of the Olympus PEN models (which also use sensor-based stabilisation) fitted with Panasonic’s super-fast 20mm f/1.7 lens. In addition, if you prefer a zoom lens, then all the cameras mentioned here will have stabilisation, which helps level the playing field. Still, kudos to Pentax for delivering a camera system that looked ludicrous in paper, but in truth, deserves to be taken seriously.

We can’t fault the Q’s build quality, with its magnesium alloy body and retro styling. The battery and SDXC compartment doors are on either side, so there’s easy access to both when using a tripod. It’s a good job, too – battery life is poor at 230 shots. The kit lens we tested is a standard fast prime with a 47mm (equivalent) focal length; it displayed impressive corner sharpness, even at f/1.9. Those coming from a compact might miss having a zoom, and so should consider the twin-lens kit, which costs £730 inc VAT from Jessops.

Pentax Q flash
The neat little pop-up flash is unleashed using a small switch, and can fire from either position

There’s a pop-up flash, hotshoe, mode dial and command dial squeezed onto the top plate. Another dial on the front can be assigned to aspect ratio or one of three image-processing functions. The buttons are extremely small but we didn’t find them too fiddly. The 3in screen is disappointing, though, suffering badly from reflections in bright light. There’s a neutral density (ND) filter built in, but we’d have preferred an orientation sensor so portrait-shaped photos were automatically rotated.

Pentax Q top
Plenty of controls for those who like to fiddle

The photographic options and menu layout are derived from Pentax’s SLRs rather than its compact cameras. Advanced functions such as automatic HDR capture and interval shooting are included. We love the ability to adjust the Auto ISO range in just a few presses, and the option to save a raw file after capturing a photo in JPEG format. Other functions are well organised, with fast access to key settings and a sensible menu layout. The only exception is manual/auto focus, which is buried in a submenu. The lens ring affects focus even when the camera is set to autofocus, but we’re not sure why – the camera autofocuses again before taking a shot.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ***
CCD effective megapixels 12.0 megapixels
CCD size 1/2.3in
Viewfinder optional optical
Viewfinder magnification, coverage N/A
LCD screen size 3.0in
LCD screen resolution 460,000 pixels
Articulated screen No
Live view Yes
Optical zoom 1.0x
Zoom 35mm equivalent 47mm
Image stabilisation optical, sensor shift
Maximum image resolution 4,000×3,000
Maximum movie resolution 1,920×1,080
Movie frame rate at max quality 30fps
File formats JPEG, RAW; QuickTime (AVC)

Physical

Memory slot SDXC
Mermory supplied none
Battery type Li-ion
Battery Life (tested) 230 shots
Connectivity USB, AV, micro HDMI
HDMI output resolution 1080i
Body material magnesium alloy
Lens mount Pentax Q mount
Focal length multiplier 5.5x
Kit lens model name Standard PRIME 8.5mm f/1.9 AL [IF]
Accessories USB cable
Weight 237g
Size 57x98x50mm

Buying Information

Warranty one-year RTB
Price £599
Supplier http://www.jessops.com
Details www.pentax.co.uk

Camera Controls

Exposure modes program, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual
Shutter speed 30 to 1/8,000 seconds
Aperture range f/1.9 to f/8
ISO range (at full resolution) 125 to 6400
Exposure compensation +/-3 EV
White balance auto, 10 presets with fine tuning, manual
Additional image controls contrast, saturation, sharpness, hue, high/low key adjust, noise reduction
Manual focus Yes
Closest macro focus 20cm
Auto-focus modes multi, centre, flexible spot, face detect, tracking
Metering modes multi, centre-weighted, centre, AF point, face detect
Flash auto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, rear curtain, red-eye reduction
Drive modes single, continuous, self-timer, AE bracket, interval, HDR, multi-exposure, distortion correction