Pentax Q

Pentax Q is Pentax's Entry-Level Mirrorless digital camera originally launched on June of 2011. It uses a 12 MegaPixel, CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 4000 x 3000.

Pentax introduced the more recent Pentax Q10 (Read Full Comparison) as a way to improve this model.

The Q is positioned #117 out of 117 in Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras and all around #736 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. Remember to use our Advanced camera filter to get camera ratings based on your personalized criteria.

Below is a chart of specific criteria used in the scoring system.

The Pentax Q comes with a history of related cameras. Down below, you can discover all previous and more recent models as well as main features.

You can check the Q from several angles in the gallery underneath.

Below is a list of benefits and drawbacks of the Pentax Q based on things that are often viewed as important in a digital camera.

The measurement of the sensor on the Pentax Q is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 4000 x 3000 pixels and aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera has got Image Stabilization (Sensor based). In body stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization since the latter may lead to cropping.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 12MP and supports a standard ISO range of 125 to 6400. RAW format is supported therefore the user has wider margin for error.

The graphic below displays the Q's sensor dimensions when compared to other popular sizes. The Q sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.8 and is outlined in green.

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To get an idea of specific aspect ratios, you should refer to the graphic below.

Pentax Q has a weight of 0.40 lbs (180 grams or 6.35 ounces) and the measurement of the camera is 98mm x 57mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2"). The weight of normal Entry-Level Mirrorless camera is 329 grams and the Pentax Q is lighter when compared to various competitors.

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Below is a pic of the Pentax Q with a soft drink to help you have a sense of its scale.

The top view directly below will illustrate the button arrangement on the Q.

The Q works with the Pentax Q mount and has 8 lenses available. Below is some of the lenses we have in our collection which will work with the Q.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Pentax 02 Standard Zoom5-15mmf/2.8-4.5 96g

Pentax 07 Mount Shield Lens12mmf/9.0 8g

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Pentax 03 Fish-Eye3mmf/5.6 29g

Pentax 08 Wide Zoom4-6mmf/3.7-4.0 75g

Pentax 01 Standard Prime9mmf/1.9 37g

Pentax 06 Telephoto 15-45mm15-45mmf/2.8 90g

Photography Glossary

Pentax 05 Toy Lens Telephoto18mmf/8.0 18g

The Q has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras that contain NFC and / or Bluetooth connectivity can be used wirelessly through smartphones. You can easily transfer images and usually alter camera settings without the hassle of connecting straight to the camera.

Certain applications even give a Liveview and click the shutter when you aren't near the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI out, it can be attached to an external display. The majority of cameras will allow you to recharge the battery using the USB port.

The maximum video resolution on the Pentax Q is 1920 x 1080 and it can shoot in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 1080p resolution offers a decent balance in video quality vs file sizes but FULL HD is not going to leave you with much room to downsample. The camera doesn't feature a mic and / or headphone port which means that you have little control over your sound. It is perhaps a better idea to shop for another camera in case you require decent sound in your videos.

There is no weather sealing on the Pentax Q so you need to be cautious in rainy and dusty situations.

The Pentax Q houses a 3" fixed display supporting a resolution of 460k dots.

Sadly the display isn't a touch screen.

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The View Finder details regarding Pentax Q are as follows:

• ViewFinder None

In those bright outdoor situations which make the camera screens washed out and hard to view, viewfinders are rather valuable.

Pentax Q continuous shooting speed is 2.0 frames per second. The maximum shutter speed is 1/2000 sec.

Pentax Q has got both built-in flash and also external flash ability. The maximum flash sync speed is 1/2000 sec.

Pentax Q has got just Contrast Based Auto Focus and doesn't have Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot quicker and precise when compared to Contrast Based focusing.

It boasts 25 focus points to select from. It also has Tracking Auto Focus for things on the move. Pentax Q includes manual focusing when needed in low light or you want to have more accurate control on focusing.

The battery (D-LI68) on the Pentax Q is built to last for 230 photos as per the CIPA benchmarks making it lower when compared to its rivals. The general Entry-Level Mirrorless camera battery life is 343. Fujifilm X-S20 has the highest possible (750) battery life in this range of cameras.

Following is a listing of Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras having the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X-S20
Q vs X-S20750 yesnoyes

Samsung NX mini
Q vs NX mini650 yesnono

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Pentax K-01
Q vs K-01540 yesnono

Sony NEX-3N
Q vs NEX-3N480 yesnono

Sony NEX-F3
Q vs NEX-F3470 yesnono

The following graph provides a summation of the Pentax Q for varying types of photography. To learn more, scroll to the specific paragraph below.

The Pentax Q has a score of 45 which is really bad, and means the camera is not suitable to use for portrait photography. Shooting portrait photos leans greatly towards sensor dimensions, support for RAW photos plus the flexibility to work with external lighting.

Having a very good points total of 69, the Pentax Q is a fine pick for street photography. A decent street photography camera comes with a perfect balance of image quality and portability.

A really bad sports photography points tally of 31 suggests the Pentax Q is not suitable for photographing sports. A camera needs to have very good tracking and shutter speeds for sports photography.

Size is very crucial in buying a travel camera. All things considered, the Pentax Q gets a average 57 for a travelling camera which makes it relatively adequate for your journeys.

When you are planning to buy a digital camera for landscape photography, the most significant factor is going to be image quality. The Pentax Q at it's decent grade of 51 for a landscape camera is fairly acceptable compared to its competitors.

A vlogging camera preferably should offer a articulating display screen, mic input and ideally image stabilization. Taking everything in to account, the Pentax Q is not suitable for vlogging as it gets a really bad score of 34.

If you are in the market for alternatives to the Q, below is a selection of the top placed cameras that fall in to the category of Entry-Level Mirrorless.

The line graph here provides you an overview of the Q compared to it's highest ranking rivals shown above.

These are various other cameras you may look at as alternatives. To look at a thorough comparison, visit the "compare" link.