Pentax displayed a new “Q” mirrorless camera. That camera is smaller than the smallest camera to date, the [shoplink 7207]Sony NEX-C3[/shoplink]. But that was ony possible by using an ultra tiny 1:2.33 inch sensor (what the hell?). For the record, Pentax uses a 1:2.33 inch backlit sensor. You can read more about the Pentax “Q” on MirrorlessRumors.com.
What’s more important is that Pentax will release a more advanced mirrorless system in autumn. And they will probably use Sony APS-C sensor! I would have loved if Pentax would have joined the NEX system but instead they will make their own new mount 🙁
51 Responses
Is it me or Pentax does everything wrong?
This system doesn’t makes sense to me. I’m better off with a compact than this.
Waiting for the NEX C5/Pro in the mean time 🙂
Ha! a $350 Sony HX9V P&S can do better than this Pentax Mirroless System!
BTW, I though this site is for Sony Alpha related rumors and cameras.
Pentax uses a Sony sensor. That’s the news!
just ignore when people say shit like that. you get people complaining about your choice of news like 50 times a week. it’s your site so just do what you want.
I love hearing about all kinds of cameras related to or competing with sony.
Ditto!
+1
Totally AGREE with Avesta.
Bring it on Andrea!
8.5mm lens (equivalent to 47mm) f/1.9 lol!
Anyone care to work out the equiv DOF on a full-frame sensor ? Guessing it’s something rediculous like f16!
should be equivalent to 47mm f10 on fullframe..
i think in that case people can simply take their iphones and use the instagram app <<
I worked it out to between f88 and f128.
No one is going to upgrade from an 8×10 view camera to one of these, it’s fair to say!
Wow, Pentax going for broke here–I appreciate the bold move their making, just unfortunate it’s entirely in wrong direction.
Let’s hope Pentax makes up for it by coming out with a compact full frame or medium format. Otherwise…. LOL
P.S. The flash hinge looks like it was made by Hasbro.
heh yeah, it looks pretty dumb too
The flash is extended higher and away from the lens and sensor for better results when using the flash. This setup actually shows that Pentax understands and values the use of flash to supplement available light.
I appreciate that, but the hinge mechanism itself look very very cheap and plastic-y, hence the Hasbro reference.
1/2.33 sensor? What the hell is this?? O_o
Exmor R sensor commonly used in Sony’s digital cameras.
e.g. HX100V, WX10, etc.
Personally don’t believe this camera could lead to any success though…
Rumor has it this is where Nikon is headed as well. Strange ideas… but innovative in their own right. Pentax has their niche with superbright primes… could be there are enough people interested in such a toy, despite the rather large drawbacks where depth of field is concerned.
Still… interesting or not I just can’t see Sony or Panasonic getting all in a twist over this.
Maybe the idea is that after a few years those tiny sensors will perform well enough and the only thing missing will be the DoF. At that point Pentax will have the system already built. I still don’t get it, but that’s the only logical reason I can come up with.
Sigma SD1 – joke #1
Pentax Q – joke#2
fun times
I’m on this with you guys… People want bigger sensors in small cameras, not extra small sensors in normal sized small cameras. The only attractive feature besides the transformability of this camera can be a looooow price (if they bring it), cause compared to a good compact this camera which looks like from Dealextreme and Hasbro, has nothing serious to offer. Worse sensor than a NEX, more complicated than a compact. Bleh:<
Price is 800$
“People want bigger sensors in small cameras”
+1
+2
this is clearly put together as a fashion item, not a photographic tool
Then why is it so extremely ugly? 🙂
Well, I seriously hope this explains why the lenses for the NEX system can’t be made as teeny tiny as the Panasonic/Olympus ones. In order to accomodate a big sensor, you need big lenses. MFT is half the size of APS-C and this is even smaller. Sure, they got small lenses but the image quality won’t compare against an APS-C sensor.
I have no problem with the size of the NEX lenses to be honest, I could carry the camera and the lenses to go with it in my bag or in a dedicated small bag. I have no need or desire to be carrying around a camera in my pants or shirt pockets, that’s just uncomfortable and dumb, since you can crack something with all the pressure exerted on the clothes. Or if you bump against something or if liquids fall on you, and your camera is done for.
This Pentax camera will go for 800 dollars, way too expensive, but that’s the price to pay for such miniaturization. I rather get a NEX 5 with 2 lenses than this to be honest.
Nice try by Pentax but this will just appeal to hipsters if they are lucky. Pentax lenses owners can’t use their lenses since there is no adapter and with such tiny sensor, they wouldn’t make much sense, all of them would be telephotos.
Seriously, ISO 6400 on that small space?
This sounds like a good idea except for one single flaw, the price is just ridiculous. $800? No, just no. What are Pentax doing? They should be marketing this as a fun, casual, interchangeable lens camera. They’re selling 2 ‘toy’ lenses for around $80 each for this system which is good. But they should sell the body and the kit lens for $350 RRP max. Then it would sell like hotcakes to the majority of consumers looking for an ILC because they’re going to be clueless about sensor size anyway and they’ll just get the smallest looking camera. But they’ve priced it at $800. This thing isn’t going to sell to ANYONE.
Forgot to add: there is a physical limit and boundaries within optics that make really damn hard or impossible to build tiny lenses for big sensors.
That’s like expecting a Lamborghini or Aston Martin to run at 300 km/h on R13 size tires…
Big lenses will be the tradeoff to pay for a big sensor, but to be honest, Sony has a system with more pros than cons to me. They just need to expand the lens range and fix their JPEG engine, Menus as well.
If I use one of these, I want the IQ to be excellent, I don’t mind having big lenses to go with it.
If I want a small lens on a small camera, I’ll just get a compact. But if I do that, then I can’t be too picky about image quality.
The notion of having the A900 sensor in a TX-10 sized body with lenses just as small is a bit unrealistic… It’d be awesome, but I just don’t see how it could be done. I’m eager to be proven wrong by Sony engineers if they can figure it out.
This Pentax Q will probably sell by the truckload when released since Japanese like small things and they ditch their cameras every 4 months, once the rage is gone, sales will decline and that’s when Pentax will come with the Special Edition Dragon Ball Z and Mazinger Z editions and the whole Adobe RGB color spectrum to pick from.
The big sale of m4/3 and NEX shows that customers don’t mind the so called “big lenses” for these system. At least these cameras are lighter and small than traditional DSLR, while also provide good image quality.
This Q thing is only small but the IQ is not good. Just like my WX1. See the following for samples:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/PENTAXQ/PENTAXQA7.HTM
Have you heard of the Leica M mount? It’s a FullFrame mount and the lenses are small. I use Leica and Voigtlander M lenses on my Sony NEX 5 with an adapter. The lenses are excellent.
Just look at the Leica M9, it’s a Fullframe camera.
It’s also small.
I know of the Leica M Mount and I know their lenses are quite small, probably because they are mechanical lenses that require manual focus and manual selection of the aperture and they don’t pack anything but the glass, aperture blades, the lens barrel and a small chip so the camera identifies it.
Try telling the masses that bought a NEX that the autofocus, optical Steady Shot and focusing motors from their lenses are gone and now they have to do it manually and we’ll see how long it takes for the ship to burn and everyone to jump overboard.
Besides, last I recall, Leica had to add microlenses on the sensor to be able to move the light from the rear element to the far edges of the sensor, otherwise it would have vignetted horribly. That also helps for small lens bodies.
My point when commenting on FF sensors on a small body is that we can’t have that big a thing on such a small body and expect lenses to be tiny as well while packing all the bells and whistles they do these days.
Sure, back in the Leica golden days, they made small lenses and they still probably do, but that’s because they kept their lenses mechanical and sold the AF patent to Minolta. If they had included stabilization on the lenses or focusing motors, they’d be bigger as well…
Actually, aren’t the S series lenses really big? And they just pack the barrel, glass, shutter mechanism and a chip. Since the S2 has a bigger sensor than FF, lenses had to be bigger. It would be silly to ask Leica to make APS-C sized lenses to cover a format bigger than FF…
If Sony didn’t have to build any electronics in their lenses, that 30mm Macro lens could have been a f/2 at least and probably a quarter the size smaller.
Lest we forget, the E mount is aimed at people who take pictures AND video, that’s why it’s silent and has the stabilization on the lens.
The M9 on the other hand is a rangefinder, aimed at people with a fond love of Leica and deep pockets.
A 5,5 Crop and as “biggest” Zoom one with a 3x ratio? For a price of 700 + 300 for the Zoom? LOL.
I mean, why on earth should this camera have a better IQ then any high-end compact out there? I just don’t get the point …
Much fun selling this thing, Pentax! (Oh, and they continue their tradition to do everything wrong …)
Equivalent depth of field to a 50mm f/88 lens? I hope no one is expecting to shoot portraits with it.
Well, maybe veeeeeeery deep portraits… 😛
I hope the lens is sharp from wide open, as the camera will reach its diffraction limit around f2.4
The only real explanation I see for this is to bring back the Pentax 110 system. I actually like that the pop-up flash can be moved around like that, although I’m not sure how effective it is.
The Pentax 110 lenses have image circles large enough to (just) cover APS format, curiously. I’d say a digital compact that used the same lens mount and sensor area as the Pentax 110 cameras would be much more interesting than this.
It seems that, an APS-C mirrorlress camera will come in autumn…
Of course the sensor is too small… But the same kind of body with hotshoe and manual controls with aps-c sensor would be much more interesting ! Untill Sony leak the Nex-C5,7,pro !???
I don’t really care about the camera (Pentax has always been competition) but I really like that pop up flash design. Has that been in any other compact cameras?
This camera actually beats the Ricoh GXR for “stupidest digital camera”, something I didn’t think was possible. The world will never know why they didn’t just make a digital Pentax 110, with compatible bayonet, something which would have given them points with old camera geeks and hipsters alike.
Nice looking design (nifty flash extension!) but the sensor size is a WTF moment. Sony could learn from Pentax.
Agreed, but it’s obvious that Pentax can learn from NOBODY. What a total joke to put out a camera like that with a 1/2.33 sensor.
uuuu nice…always wondered how small is the 2.33 sensor…with this it’s possible to see it =)
That flash looks like a cheap chinese toy
NOT inches, right? 1:2.33 looks like a ratio. The pictures indicate that it is waaay less than 25.4 mm (1 inch).
No, it’s inches diagonal. I’m not sure why they don’t use millimetres, though, given larger formats are counted that way.
For size, compare here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/SensorSizes.svg
1/2.33″ is ever-so-slightly larger than the bottom right image.
I dont know why but I actually like the look of this camera. Small, retro. Sony needs to make a retro line. Cheaper M9 please Sony!
You could not imagine how many people do not really know what a sensor size or format means.
It could be a very attractive option for people usually bying bridges if the price was not so high (800$ is really a joke).
Perhaps, A lot of people will imagine this camera performing as good as huge classical dslr cameras when seeing such a high price…
Who knows ?! 🙂