Author Topic: 'Pentax "Q" In The Real World - You Might Be Surprised' (Read 1609 times)

RT_Panther · « **on:** November 23, 2011, 06:42:43 PM »

http://www.flickr.com/groups/pentax-q/

voyager · « **Reply #1 on:** November 23, 2011, 07:41:41 PM »

The photos in that pool don't strike me as impressive. Show a few examples?

RT_Panther · « **Reply #2 on:** November 23, 2011, 08:21:20 PM »

Quote from: voyager on November 23, 2011, 07:41:41 PM

The photos in that pool don't strike me as impressive. Show a few examples?

I don't have the camera...

voyager · « **Reply #3 on:** November 23, 2011, 08:25:55 PM »

I meant from the pool that you found impressive.

RT_Panther · « **Reply #4 on:** November 23, 2011, 09:03:53 PM »

On my desk

voyager · « **Reply #5 on:** November 23, 2011, 09:04:30 PM »

Great example. Very sharp too.

adash · « **Reply #6 on:** November 23, 2011, 11:05:22 PM »

Yet another proof that photography depends on the photographer and not on the equipment.
Now, on the serious side - I am gonna buy neither Pentax Q, nor Nikon 1, because these are intentionally crippled cameras, sold at premium prices, exploiting only a couple of legendary names. The sensor size, being intentionally crippled in order not to endanger DSLR sales, gives an inherent disadvantage of these systems. The approach seems to be exactly the opposite of what Oly did, thus except the small size, which is anyway not so small enough compared to latest Pany GF/Oly EPM, and the latest Power Zoom pancake, there is no advantage in usability, IQ or price. No reason on earth to downgrade to either of these systems. Thank you.

barondla · « **Reply #7 on:** November 28, 2011, 06:07:20 PM »

Pentax didn't intentionally cripple the Q to keep from hurting their DSLR business. The sensor had to be that small to make the camera & SYSTEM that small. They wanted to build something unique. It isn't for everyone. It is very well done.

The power zoom pancake and tiny m4/3 body appear very nice. But thats one lens. Use any other m43 lens and the size relationship balloons - just like the Sony NEX. the Q with its 5 lenses can fit in an open hand. No other camera SYSTEM allows this. Not even close.

4/3 and m43 owners screamed foul when FF and APS-c owners slammed their small sensors. Never thought I would see the same from Olympus and Panasonic owners.
thanks
barondla ( a very happy Q owner)

cosinaphile · « **Reply #8 on:** November 28, 2011, 06:20:21 PM »

the saving grace of the q is irs 5.7 crop which means that even a 50mm 1.8 becomes a 285mm 1.8 superzoom , at very low isos this might be amazing

just think what my 200 2,8 fd lens on the q could do!

voyager · « **Reply #9 on:** November 28, 2011, 06:27:56 PM »

Yikes, that's quite a long lens.

RT_Panther · « **Reply #10 on:** November 28, 2011, 08:33:03 PM »

Quote from: barondla on November 28, 2011, 06:07:20 PM

m43 owners screamed foul when FF and APS-c owners slammed their small sensors. Never thought I would see the same from Olympus and Panasonic owners.
thanks
barondla ( a very happy Q owner)

There you go!

adash · « **Reply #11 on:** November 28, 2011, 11:23:19 PM »

Quote from: barondla on November 28, 2011, 06:07:20 PM

4/3 and m43 owners screamed foul when FF and APS-c owners slammed their small sensors. Never thought I would see the same from Olympus and Panasonic owners.
thanks
barondla ( a very happy Q owner)

Does "usability, IQ or price" sound like being "slammed their small sensors". I mean, really, K-x sold cheaper than Q, having a selection of thousands of lenses, and an amazing IQ. Now this "system" has a wonderful selection of five lenses, two of which are a joke, and its only advantage is....size? Which isn't exactly inherent because of the small sensor, because, as stated earlier, any of the E-Px/GFx/GX1 with a pancake prime or with the pancake zoom, is almost that small. The ridiculous NEX is that small too, but Sony's marketing fails to include the size of the lens.
So, I don't doubt you're a happy owner, but again with everything Pentax, it is "my child is smarter than yours", while it actually isn't. It is the photographer who takes the photo. You can call pepper spray "a food product essentially", or call the killing of thousands of innocent people "a war on terror", but like with everything Pentax, that's again a matter of preference and deep inner belief, isn't it? Just like the guys who line up in front of the apple store for days and nights, and the religious fanatics, that's not something that you can question or discuss, is it?

RT_Panther · « **Reply #12 on:** November 29, 2011, 10:09:10 AM »

Quote from: adash on November 28, 2011, 11:23:19 PM

this "system" has a wonderful selection of five lenses, two of which are a joke, and its only advantage is....size?

Let's see here....
The "Q" system was not developed to compete against DSLRs nor was it developed to compete against MFT & NEX. Therefore , how can you say the lenses are a "joke" when there is really nothing to compare them with?

Apples & Oranges to me....

cosinaphile · « **Reply #13 on:** November 29, 2011, 12:03:11 PM »

I BELIEVE THE REFERENCE WAS TO THE 2 "TOY" lenses for the system, they were created as fun cheap lenses for lo fi work i would guess

RT_Panther · « **Reply #14 on:** November 29, 2011, 03:48:01 PM »

Quote from: cosinaphile on November 29, 2011, 12:03:11 PM

I BELIEVE THE REFERENCE WAS TO THE 2 "TOY" lenses for the system, they were created as fun cheap lenses for lo fi work i would guess

Price aside,
I've stated before that my personal belief is that the "Q" system is sort of a 'digital Lomography' system. In that light, the Pentax Q "toy" lenses are a perfect for the Lomo crowd

Handheld · « **Reply #15 on:** November 29, 2011, 04:01:43 PM »

Without question the Q looks to me like a great little camera capable of some serious mobile photography, as well as fun which is a Pentax plus. Very well made, too. It has been upstaged somewhat by the Nikon V1 which is also quite attractive and versatile in a tiny package. With these competitors I can see why Olympus has been giving away the E-PM1. The Pen has slightly better IQ and more lenses but that's it.

cosinaphile · « **Reply #16 on:** November 29, 2011, 11:33:38 PM »

, i handled one and shot with it for all of 5 minutes , its beautifully built really so , and the files at low ISO looked damn good ,,,much better than i expected , if it were 399 i get it in a heartbeat

voyager · « **Reply #17 on:** November 29, 2011, 11:53:20 PM »

Of course there's only 5 lenses, the system isn't even a half year old.

barondla · « **Reply #18 on:** December 01, 2011, 08:04:29 PM »

The Q is a difficult camera system to review. It has a split personality. On one hand it is designed to be very small and many feel for beginners. On the other hand it is a monster when connected to adapted tele lenses. Two reviews have captured the 1st part well. Steve Huff's "Pocketfull Of Pixels" and Wouter Brandma's Pentax Q blog. None have touched the tele-monster side.

The Q allows incredible, hard to get any other way, telephoto and macro images. There are only 5 lenses in the Q stable, but with adapters all most anything can be adapted. There are millions of lenses Including medium format, FF, APS-c, Pentax 110, 16mm, 8mm, and CCTV.

Some have implied the camera isn't very usable. It works very similar to a Pentax KX or KR. The controls are smaller and that will require someone with decent dexterity and motor skills. Not a camera for everyone - but a good camera.
thanks
barondla

Pentax Q, Pentax A*300 at F4. I followed him all around the yard. This was shot from ~50ft away. No cropping.

voyager · « **Reply #19 on:** December 01, 2011, 09:43:07 PM »

Great photo! Really shows what it can do.

adash · « **Reply #20 on:** December 02, 2011, 04:34:26 AM »

Quote

Pentax Q, Pentax A*300 at F4.

Your photography skills are astonishing, but that photo is soft. Even at 800x600, there is no sharpness and little fine detail. This combination 300x5.5 crop factor is probably fun to use, but the extremely high pixel pitch at the Q sensor seems to limit its use as a toy only. Which is not a problem if that is what you bought that system for, of course.

The problem with softness when used with old lenses made for 35mm film also exists in m4/3, of course, but with Q system it seems to be impossible to deal with.
You are of course welcome to show photos that will prove I'm wrong.

cosinaphile · « **Reply #21 on:** December 02, 2011, 05:57:26 AM »

adash im pretty sure the Q is capable of astonishing things with long lenses , ...even though it uses the tiniest sensor possible , theses sensors
though limited compared to apsc are capable of astonishing detail and dynamic range at very low isos whichis the only place i make this claim

when you take a 200 2.8 lens and turnit into a 1000 mm 2.8 lens you need to shoot it at probably 1\2000 of a sec because 2 mag factors are a t work
the smaller sensor and the high crop magnification ....not sure about this but i intend to get my hands on a q at fire sale prices when their a little older or available used

like the ep1 i shoot with i paid 900 dollars new , but now the price is 1\4 that ....that will happen to the q i suspect . its the 12mp in such a tiny crop factor coupled with the blessing of being able to use any lens on earth with a custom or offf the shelf adapter which is why i love m 4\3 so much

its really not a toy camera even if pentax used the unfortunate moniker to label 2 of its lenses that happen to be deliberately lo fi and lo priced

on of my modules for the ricoh gxr uses a 1 2\3 sensor and its 28-300 equiv at 300 even 1\125 sec images can blur
but at 1\640 their pin sharp and make really nice images up to 11x14 inches at lo isos , it not great but
but the q allows you to turn even a 85mm 1.8 lens into 500mm 1.8 monster at 12 real megapixels , no one else does that , i find that very intriguing

RT_Panther · « **Reply #22 on:** December 02, 2011, 09:36:21 AM »

+1
And from the "Q" group...

Careful Chickadee by KBauschardt, on Flickr

IMGP2159 r sm by snostorm, on Flickr

Quote from: cosinaphile on December 02, 2011, 05:57:26 AM

adash im pretty sure the Q is capable of astonishing things with long lenses , ...even though it uses the tiniest sensor possible , theses sensors
though limited compared to apsc are capable of astonishing detail and dynamic range at very low isos whichis the only place i make this claim

when you take a 200 2.8 lens and turnit into a 1000 mm 2.8 lens you need to shoot it at probably 1\2000 of a sec because 2 mag factors are a t work
the smaller sensor and the high crop magnification ....not sure about this but i intend to get my hands on a q at fire sale prices when their a little older or available used

like the ep1 i shoot with i paid 900 dollars new , but now the price is 1\4 that ....that will happen to the q i suspect . its the 12mp in such a tiny crop factor coupled with the blessing of being able to use any lens on earth with a custom or offf the shelf adapter which is why i love m 4\3 so much

its really not a toy camera even if pentax used the unfortunate moniker to label 2 of its lenses that happen to be deliberately lo fi and lo priced

on of my modules for the ricoh gxr uses a 1 2\3 sensor and its 28-300 equiv at 300 even 1\125 sec images can blur
but at 1\640 their pin sharp and make really nice images up to 11x14 inches at lo isos , it not great but
but the q allows you to turn even a 85mm 1.8 lens into 500mm 1.8 monster at 12 real megapixels , no one else does that , i find that very intriguing

voyager · « **Reply #23 on:** December 02, 2011, 08:08:18 PM »

Still a bit softer than I'd expect.

Pat Donnelly · « **Reply #24 on:** December 03, 2011, 01:41:02 AM »

This is a system and the sensors are improving all the time!

I too, intend to buy the Nikon 1 and Pentax Q, when they are cheap enough. The C mount zooms and cs mount lenses should all be valuable then!

For birding and hiking the Q seems ideal! I also find it comical to see the naysayers doubting the sensor sizes!

Author Topic: 'Pentax "Q" In The Real World - You Might Be Surprised' (Read 1609 times)

Related Topics

Recent Topics

Recent Gallery