Pentax Q-S1

Pentax Q-S1 is Pentax's Entry-Level Mirrorless digital camera first announced on August of 2014. The camera houses a 12MP, BSI-CMOS 1/1.7" sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 4000 x 3000.

The Q-S1 places at #114 out of 117 in Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras & all round #543 out of 1465 for cameras in our database. Remember to test our Advanced camera filter to see camera ratings based on your personalized requirements.

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

The Pentax Q-S1 has a history of related cameras. Below, you can find all previous and more recent models alongside main specifications.

You can see the Q-S1 from different angles in the gallery underneath.

Below is a list of advantages and disadvantages of the Pentax Q-S1 based on criterias that are normally viewed as crucial in a digital camera.

The Pentax Q-S1 is powered by the Q Engine chip. The sensor spec on the Pentax Q-S1 is 7.44mm x 5.58mm (1/1.7"). The 42 mm² sensor can resolve 4000 x 3000 pixels at aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera comes with Image Stabilization (Sensor based). Optical stabilization is more effective than digital stabilization since the latter can lead to cropping.

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The BSI-CMOS sensor has 12 megapixels and delivers a standard ISO range of 100 to 12800. RAW files are supported so the user has wider margin for error.

The image below shows the Q-S1's sensor dimensions in comparison to other popular sizes. The Q-S1 sensor has a crop factor of 4.8 and is displayed in green.

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To get an understanding of different aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Pentax Q-S1 weighs 0.45 lb (203 gr / 7.16 ounces) & the sizing of the camera is 105mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3"). The weight of normal Entry-Level Mirrorless camera is 329 gr and the Pentax Q-S1 is lighter when compared with other rivals.

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Below is a photo of the Pentax Q-S1 beside a softdrink to help you to get a sense of its scale.

The top view directly below will illustrate the button layout on the Q-S1.

The Q-S1 fits the Pentax Q mount and has 8 lenses on sale. Below is some of the lenses we have in our collection which will work with the Q-S1.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Pentax 05 Toy Lens Telephoto18mmf/8.0 18g

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

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Pentax 07 Mount Shield Lens12mmf/9.0 8g

Pentax 04 Toy Lens Wide6mmf/7.1 21g

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

Pentax 03 Fish-Eye3mmf/5.6 29g

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

The Q-S1 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras that contain NFC or Bluetooth connectivity can easily be controlled wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to copy files and oftentimes alter camera settings without connecting directly to the camera.

A few applications even provide a Liveview and click the shutter when you aren't near the camera. If the camera comes with a HDMI port, it could be hooked up to an external monitor. Almost all cameras will allow you to recharge the battery through the USB port.

The maximum video quality on the Pentax Q-S1 is 1920 x 1080 and you can capture in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 1080p quality offers a decent balance in video quality vs file sizes but FULL HD is not going to leave you with any room to crop. The camera doesn't feature a microphone or headphone jack so you get no control over the sound. It is perhaps best to consider another camera if you want good sound for your videos.

There is no weather sealing for the Pentax Q-S1 so you need to be cautious in rainy and dusty conditions.

The Pentax Q-S1 is equipped with a 3 inch fixed display boasting a resolution of 460 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the display isn't a touch screen.

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The ViewFinder specifications for Pentax Q-S1 are as follows:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders can be really helpful in bright outdoor conditions which can make the camera screen washed out and difficult to see.

Pentax Q-S1 continuous shooting speed is 5.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/8000 seconds.

Pentax Q-S1 comes with both built in flash along with external flash ability.

Pentax Q-S1 comes with just Contrast Based Autofocus & doesn't have Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is more quicker & accurate when compared with Contrast Based focusing. The camera supports Face detection making it handy for taking portraits of people.

It also comes with Tracking Autofocus for subjects on the move. Pentax Q-S1 includes manual focusing if needed in low light situations or you want to have more exact control on focusing.

The battery (D-LI68) for the Pentax Q-S1 is built to last for 250 photographs as per the CIPA measurements making it less compared to it's competition. The general Entry-Level Mirrorless camera battery life is 343. Fujifilm X-S20 has got the highest possible (750) battery life in this type of cameras.

Below is a number of Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras having the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X-S20
Q-S1 vs X-S20750 yesnoyes

Samsung NX mini
Q-S1 vs NX mini650 yesnono

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Pentax K-01
Q-S1 vs K-01540 yesnono

Sony NEX-3N
Q-S1 vs NEX-3N480 yesnono

Sony NEX-F3
Q-S1 vs NEX-F3470 yesnono

The following graph shows a summation of the Pentax Q-S1 for varying categories of photography. To check out more, visit the specific paragraph below.

The Pentax Q-S1 has a score of 46 which is decent, and means the camera is reasonably suitable for portrait photography. Taking portraits favors greatly towards sensor resolution, RAW support in addition to the potential to work with external flash.

Coming in at a above average points total of 69, the Pentax Q-S1 is a very decent option for street photography. A very good street photography camera provides a fine balance of image quality and portability.

A terrible sports photography points total of 37 suggests the Pentax Q-S1 is just not very good for taking pictures of sports. A camera really should have excellent focusing and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

Size is extremely important in getting a camera for travel. All things considered, the Pentax Q-S1 gets a modest 60 for a travel camera which makes it relatively adequate to take on your journeys.

For anybody planning to purchase a digital camera for landscape pictures, the most important factor will no doubt be image quality. The Pentax Q-S1 with it's moderate score of 55 as a landscape camera is reasonably adequate among it's competition.

A vlogging camera should have a articulating screen, microphone port and if possible image stabilization. Taking everything into account, the Pentax Q-S1 is just not very good as a vlog camera as it receives a terrible score of 35.

If you need replacements to the Q-S1, here is a selection of the top ranked cameras that fall into the family of Entry-Level Mirrorless.

The line chart below will give you a bird's eye view of the Q-S1 compared to it's top ranking competitors shown previously.

There are more cameras you may look into as alternate options. To go through a detailed comparison, just click on the "compare" link.