Pentax Q 12.4 MP CMOS Sensor Kit with 8.5mm 1.9 AL [IF] Prime Lens(White)

by Pentax

• 12.4 megapixel CMOS
• 1080p high-defintion video at 30 fps
• World?s smallest & lightest interchangeable lens camera body,3" LCD
• For specialty Q lenses including prime, zoom, fisheye lenses & others
• World?s smallest & lightest interchangeable lens camera body

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.9 x 1.2 x 2.3 inches ; 7.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B005BG0IK0
• Item model number: Pentax Q white 8.5mm lens kit
• Batteries 1 Nonstandard Battery batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,448 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 8, 2011

Product Description

Color: White

From the Manufacturer

The new Q is small enough to fit in your palm. Its capabilities, on the other hand, are enormous. The Q has complete aperture and shutter control. Both RAW and JPEG processing. And the smallest interchangeable lens system in the world, including a standard prime, zoom, fish-eye and the unique "toy" wide angle and telephoto lenses.

Pentax Q Highlights

Capture more light The Q captures amazingly sharp images and HD video, thanks to an innovative 12.4 megapixel sensor with an advanced backlit design. Since the circuitry is behind the photo diode, unlike typical CMOS sensors, the Q gathers more light in a small area for outstanding low light performance and low noise. The sensor was also designed for motion video, capturing your memories at full 1080p resolution with the versatile h.264 compression.

Capture more creativity With the highly adaptable Q, you have complete creative freedom. Its many modes let you apply multiple image effects - from brilliant and vintage color to warm fade and bold monochrome. Other modes allow you to save favorite camera settings, filters and custom image modes for instant reuse.

Capture it all Start with a white or black magnesium alloy body. Choose your interchangeable lenses. Add external options such as a shoe-mounted viewfinder, lens hoods and filters. And capture it all with the PENTAX Q.

Pentax Q Features

Q-Mount Lens System
The Q features the newly designed PENTAX Q-mount lens system for convenient interchangeability with a variety of specialty Q lenses. Choose from a selection of prime, zoom, fisheye lenses, and more to suit just about any photographic need. The Q system will be available in a standard kit that includes the 8.5mm lens (equivalent to 47mm).

Durable
Though extremely compact, the Q is also surprisingly durable, sporting lightweight, scratch resistant magnesium alloy body.

Customizable Quick Dial
Conveniently choose from a variety of creative modes, Smart Effect options, or camera settings to assign to the Q’s Quick Dial located on the front of the camera. Easily customize the setting or effect using the Quick Dial’s 4 positions, allowing you to concentrate on photography without having to explore the camera’s menu system.

1080p HD Video
Shoot high quality motion video with stunning full 1080p HD clarity at 30 frames per second. The Q efficiently processes the full HD video using high quality h.264 compression for superior color and detail. Explore creative video effects through the use of custom image modes, digital video filters, and interval shooting; or select from a variety of Q lenses to realize your perfect artistic vision.

5 FPS
Capture even the fastest action with a 5 frames per second continuous shooting mode, ideal for sporting events, children at play, or any fast action situation.

Smart Effects Mode
New Smart Effects modes enhance digital photography by applying a series of effects to images to achieve high quality finishing. Brilliant Color, Vintage Color, Warm Fade, Bold Monochrome, and Water Color are just some of the Smart Effects available, which can also be assigned to the Q’s Quick Dial.

1/2000 to 30 Second Shutter Speeds
Shutter speeds range from 1/2000 to 30 seconds, perfect for freezing fast action or capturing long nighttime exposures. Bulb mode adds flexibility for low light photography and motion effects.

HDMI Port
A built-in micro HDMI port is perfect for outputting high resolution images and video, with sound, to modern HDTVs.

RAW File Processing
The Q includes SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3 software for powerful and flexible RAW file processing. In-camera RAW image development is also supported.

World's Smallest and Lightest Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera
The Q represents an evolution in interchangeable lens digital camera design, featuring the world’s smallest and lightest body. Experience the PENTAX Q. The Camera. Evolved.

12.4 Megapixels
Enjoy exceptional image quality in 12.4 megapixels courtesy of the Q’s 1/2.3 inch backlit CMOS image sensor. Capable of producing 12 bit DNG RAW and JPG images, the backlit CMOS sensor is a highly efficient light-gathering instrument designed specifically to produce very low noise at high levels of sensitivity.

Traditional DSLR Shooting Modes
Experienced photographers will enjoy the power and flexibility of traditional DSLR shooting modes such as Program, Aperture/Shutter Priority, and Metered Manual exposure control. Yet casual shooters will appreciate the highly convenient automatic modes such as the set-it-and-forget-it PENTAX Auto Picture and 21 scene modes.

HDR Capture
In-camera HDR capture mode shoots 3 images of varying exposures, blending them to bring out the details in even the darkest shadows and brightest highlights of extreme contrast shots.

3 Inch LCD Monitor
Easily capture or review images and video using the Q’s large 3 inch LCD monitor. The high quality LCD features HVGA resolution with 460,000 dots, as well as viewing angles up to 170 degrees horizontally and vertically.

Bokeh Control Filter
Enjoy effortless bokeh control with the Q’s bokeh control filter. Traditionally controlled through a DSLR lens’s aperture, bokeh is the out of focus part of the background that helps to emphasize the subject, drawing the viewer’s eyes to the most important part of the photo. The Q assists the experienced and casual photographer alike by offering a fine degree of extra control over image bokeh via an in-camera filter operation.

USER Modes For Creativity
Powerful USER modes allow the creative photographer to save a series of favorite camera settings, filters, and custom image modes for instant reuse.

Built-In Popup Flash
The Q’s built-in popup flash adds the perfect amount of extra light to an image, while its high extension naturally reduces the redeye effect common to compact cameras. The Q’s flash is effective to 23 feet at 200 ISO, and covers a wide angle 28 degree field of view.

SD, SDHC, and SDXC Memory Cards
The Q is compatible with the latest generation SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards for ultra-high capacity storage as well as outstanding image file portability.

Product Description

The Q features the world’s smallest and lightest Interchangeable Lens Camera body. Experience the PENTAX Q. The Camera. Evolved. Newly designed PENTAX Q-mount lens system for specialty Q lenses including prime, zoom, fisheye lenses, and others, and ships in a standard kit with a 47mm equivalent prime lens.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Exceeds expectation February 25, 2012

By J. Farr

Color Name:Black

My main camera is a K-x with a slew of Pentax "limited" lenses. So I was a bit concern about the small sensor on the Q. However I am more than please with the image quality. Certainly is in not as good as an APC size sensor. But the results are significantly better than anything I expected. Up to 800 iso the results are almost comparable. Above 800 iso the noise is an issue, for me, not usable above that figure. On my K-x I get acceptable results all the way up to 4000 iso.

However the results I am getting are better than anything I have seen with a 4/3 system, which I think is the intended compotition. Given the size of the camera and the build quality I am very happy I bought it. The Kit lens has outstanding optical quality and a classic 50mm lens equivalent (47mm) field of view. The "02 Stand zoom" has some barrel distortion issues but they are correctable with in camera software and the zoom range right in the popular range 28-85mm equivalent.

Overall this is a fantastic camera for street photography. It fits into your coat pocket and you can take it anywhere. I ofter forget it's even in my pocket, it's so tiny. But the quality is still about 90% of my considerable larger Pentax K-x. It has all the same SLR type functions as well and a slew of digital filters.

I would recommend looking through samples in the "Pentax Q" group on Flickr.
[...]

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pentax Q July 27, 2012

By John Wright

Color Name:Black|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this camera on a whim thinking it would be fun to play with. Well, it's that & a whole lot more. It feels like a little brick in your hand. The controls are laid out just right. And most of all the pictures are excellent. After all what is a camera made for? To take pictures,right. So forget all this crap about sensor size, how many lines per inch, and all the so called professional reviews.
If a camera feels good in your hand & the pictures are great & you enjoy taking pictures with it. That's the one for you.
By the way I've been in photography for forty plus years.
John

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little camera with proper expectations June 19, 2012

By M. A. Mitchell

Color Name:Black|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have read all the reviews of this little Pentax camera I could find before purchasing. Many people are focused on the image sensor size and various other technical aspects but for me the overall experience with the camera interface, capabilities and image quality are the real measure of success.

Overall this is probably best classified a niche camera and not intended to replace your higher end DSLR units.

The camera is physically small but not too small to handle or use. Lens system is tiny but good optically. Camera body is 3.9 x 2.3 x 1.2 inches. I purchased an adapter to use normal sized Sony and Pentax lenses with the Q. The use of the larger dslr lenses extends the cameras usefulness a bit but changes footprint dramatically.

I find the Pentax Q a very small full featured and capable camera. Startup time for my unit is on par with all my other big bodied DSLR cameras. The focus speed is certainly not the fastest but mine will focus within 1.5 seconds max with kit lens. All the normal manual and automatic features are available that I normally use from my Pentax K-r or other.

I restrict the ISO settings to 1250 max for low light photos and have taken excellent pictures. Yes the image sensor size does limit the very high ISO ranges based on noise introduced but most cameras have this limitation. The dual position flash is interesting solution to avoid lens light blockage. The HDR in camera process works well.

Writing speed of images to SD card is acceptable when saving both RAW+JPG images at same time. Just saving RAW or JPG images are as expected much quicker with a decent image burst speed for an inexpensive camera.

Rechargable battery provides me with about 200 continuous use images without flash.

It is not a Pentax K-5,Sony SLT-A77 or Nikon J1. Think more of a Panasonic LX5 with interchangeable lenses. In my opinion, if you are interested in a TINY interchangeable lens camera with dslr like capabilities then this is a good choice.