GM1 vs Pentax Q - which is the BEST tiniest camera?

[@Shreeb]

Been using a GM1 as my main camera since 2014. Never felt the need to upgrade since it suits my needs perfectly. Love your videos, we need more people championing small cameras!

[@archimark5060]

Great video of two excellent tiny cameras. Had the GM1, very nice, but the lenses I used with it made the camera quite thick and not very pocketable. Still have my Q's; QS-1, Q7s, Q10. All take surprisingly good quality images! And fun to use!

[@patrickmcfadden1689]

Love your channel and reviews. Am actually in UK outside London, brought an OMD EM10Miii, a ZS60, and Canon G7X Mii. Wanted to travel light and got great shots around London.

[@jumpmansz]

I need an updated Pentax Q. The reactions I get out and about using mine in public are the best 😂 love the telephoto zoom and would love a new body with better noise performance

[@thegadgetdude]

Love my GM1 and GM5, both great fun and more than good enough for family photography.

[@svracoon]

Did not mention adapted glass for the Q series. Including the Pentax K mount adapter with AF and dumb adapters for loads of manual glass. Great video!

[@FlappySock]

I might be wrong but the black knob on the Q-S1 might be a IR receiver, my Q7 has one and if you have an IR remote in your phone you should be able to trigger it remotely.

[@MicroFourNerds]

Aaah!! Thank you!

[@TigerPaw193]

You're right. It is an IR receiver. Works well, too, with the Pentax type F remote, or 3rd party equivalent. There's another, much smaller IR port on the back, almost a centimeter above the AV button. The rear port needs the remote *extremely* close but the front port has a decent range.

[@mordaunt9043]

Insanely well timed as I'm on the fence about re-buying a Q but was considering a GM as I already have M4/3 lenses!!

[@estraume]

I once gave a GM1 to a lady that I almost dated back in 2014. Nice little camera. It would be interesting if they could make a small camera like GM1 or better, the GM5 with the latest 25 MP sensor and IBIS.

[@AndrewMelder]

I love my Pentax Q! For shots that end up too noisy, modern AI denoise tools are really good without making things a mushy mess (as long as you don't go too heavy handed on it)

[@mistergiovanni7183]

Thank you Emily. I also have several cameras and many others that I owned and sold. I use full frame, M43 and smaller sensors as well. I was never able to sell my Pentax Q, on the contrary, I acquired another body and the 01, 02 and 06 lenses. I think that the GM1 can be replaced by other models a few millimeters larger and even much cheaper. But on the other hand, the Pentax Q has no replacement, there is no other comparable system. I have photos taken with the Q that have a very acceptable quality and, above all, good colors and tones. It's funny because it looks like an amateur sub camera and no one takes you seriously, however then you see the results and it seems incredible that being so small it manages to be so competent. It is a camera that does not cause laziness to carry, the minimum is to carry the Q with the lens option for the day and then it turns out that "you see the photo" and it is the camera you have on hand. It's true, it doesn't have an EVF, it doesn't have a huge dynamic range, you can't make major crops and you will always see some grain, instead you have all the possible controls at your fingertips.

[@MaartensDavid]

Great review. I’d love to see you review the Nikon 1 series of cameras and lenses. Adorable colours, metal build quality, tiny, ILC and the lenses are sharp.

[@MicroFourNerds]

I may need to check out a Nikon someday soon...

[@benfromatlantis]

Oh yeah!!!! And Canon M!!!!!

[@B9scrambler]

Nikon 1 J5 is a gem. Have all the tiny ilc cams and it's my fav. Lens lineup is seriously unreliable though :(

[@StephenStrangways]

​@@B9scramblerno kidding about the unreliable lenses - I had an extensive Nikon 1 system but ditched it all after 70% of the lenses suffered aperture mechanism failures!

[@B9scrambler]

@@StephenStrangways Sounds about right. I've been through 4 or so 30-110mm and about the same 10-30mm. As such, I sold everything but kept the J5 with the 18.5mm and the kit power zoom which are the only ones I've yet to have issues with. Also have yet another 30-110mm but the aperture spazzes out when taking videos, so it's clearly on the way out.

[@boulderdash2000]

I got both cameras 📷 and I love both of them 😅 But I prefer the original Pentax Q with the more sturdy metal body. I think I need all of them to feel myself full filled with small and lovely cameras. I am happy to find the last lens - the ultra wide lens number 8

[@danjd97]

Try the 7artisans pancake lens for the GM1. It’s a great pairing.

[@lzwnn]

Love my Pentax Q, it’s the most fun per ounce of any camera system for me!

[@svracoon]

The black circle in the q series is an IR sensor for remote control

[@glx3846]

Hi, I’m watching your vlog now! Great to see you back!

[@gebauzchris]

Got both, just a few days went out with the Pentax Q-S1. When there is noise/grain, Ive found that the grain pattern is actually quite pleasant. I just wish the ultrawide lens (08) were not so outrageously expensive.

[@ChristofferNelsonG]

The original A7 series is my favourite. It's the closest feeling to my first 10 years shooting Praktica. Practika? Either or... and, after having tue A7S, and hearing the massive thunk of the A7R shutter, the A7 is my fave of the bunch. I love that I can afapt anything to them and get full-frame results. Like the Canon FD 50/1.4, which is I think my all time favourite lens. Pannasonic bodies tend to hurt my hand, and the EVFs on most Olympus cameras are too small for my taste, but I love 1:1 shooting, and Panny espexially has nice rich blacks. But, if I could, I would go out and buy another brand new old stock 2013 A7. Absolute all-time favourite camera.

[@BillRicker]

Oly Pen Mini with Lumix pancake and updated firmware. Was my EDC until I got a TG-6 refurb (not EVIL MILC but compatible OM firmware, MENU)

[@lenscraftedlife]

I did have the chance to use a Pentax q10 Evangelion edition and it is a fun, unique little camera. But the photo quality and increasing price just didn’t make it feasible. I think unfortunately time has passed on that itty bitty sensor.

[@MicroFourNerds]

Aaaargh I've always wanted that version. But you're so right. They're selling now as much as they were new!

[@hoorayforpentax3801]

Opinion: GM-1: Bigger sensor, intrinsically better low-light performance in the hand-held setting, huge lens ecosystem with ongoing development to this day, but too many of those will be the camera mounted to the lens rather than the other way around. But it's there in your pocket if you want to test any M4/3 lens in the store. If you are already invested in this ecosystem, it's a handy compact when paired with the smallest lenses you already have. Q: Limited lens ecosystem with a completed development cycle and long out of production, so you must cross your fingers to find a second-hand body and lenses that continue to work. Against that, the self-contained nature means that it wasn't ruinously expensive or difficult to own the entire ecosystem (finding them all _now_ may be another matter), all of the lenses are physically matched to the proportions of the camera, and it has neat little Pentax tricks like IBIS. It won't take a big camera bag to hold literally everything. If you're a casual snapper and it's your only digital camera outside of your cellphone, it wins hands-down as a fully integrated package.

[@pedroagonzalezfoto]

I am a m4/3 fan also. It lets me not only interchange lenses between bodies of the same system, despite their make, but also using lenses from other DSLR systems (be them digital or film) by means of adapters which use to cost some 18,00 € to 30,00 €. As you say: tons of different lenses available

[@jdleschw]

Since Panny won’t release a small updated mft cam, would you consider covering some apsc cams from fuji? Seems they are releasing some really interesting small and powerful cameras lately!

[@missingair]

I’d love to see you try and know what you think of the old Nikon1 too. I have the J5 and it’s tiny :D

[@joefaracevideos]

My wife loves her V1, she calls it her "art camera."

[@ohwhoaitzjoe]

I love how my Pentax q looks but the experience shooting with it is just a little too antiquated for me… 😅 I am genuinely interested in seeing the S9 succeed though to help revive compact cameras.

[@imseeno]

Interesting... @5:12 you mention the black thing in the front of the Q. I just looked at my version of the Q and Q10. Both of them don't have a black part that is THAT large. Mine both look like a sensor or something that is in the grip part. I wonder if that is just a difference of region. (I'm in Japan, so maybe the Japanese versions are a little different from the international models).

[@StephenStrangways]

It's not a region difference, it's a model difference - she has the Q-S1.

[@busydadscooking001]

the pentax low light are actually more pleasant, so that's very cool to see, and interesting. your mileage may vary is probably a good way to put it :)

[@arenalsurferphoto]

Hello, of all the small objectives you have, which one offers you the most quality? the 20mm lumix.?

[@CraigSmith-ui2xx]

GM1 and the 14mm F2.5 is a great pocketable combo. I made the mistake of selling mine, and now the price of the GM1 has gone through the roof.

[@MicroFourNerds]

I feel your pain. The same happened to me with the Pen F. The prices now are almost as high as when I bought it new in 2017!

[@JasperBunschoten]

I love the idea of very small pocketable camera's. But I just never been able to vibe with them. Not on film. Not with digital. Love the EM1-X because it is the antithesis of the small camera. Still I wish more small cameras are made. They are heaps and heaps better than smartphones!! Espcially with larger sensors like m43!

[@vuman99]

Would love to enter the micro 4/3 works with the GM1 but it's impossible to find one at a reasonable price.

[@MicroFourNerds]

It's getting tricky for sure! I saw an Ebay listing last week for an orange one that went for about £280. It's definitely worth sticking alerts on eBay and MPB (or anywhere else you like to shop)

[@XXX-vy6xv]

"I'm a bit of a camera collector" seems like an understatement! I must admit your collection looks cute (and colourful)! Shooting mostly with Pentax gear I'm interested in knowing which model your pink (Pentax) DSLR is. K30?

[@MicroFourNerds]

The Pentax K-r. I found it in a shop in Tokyo and knew on sight it was coming home with me 😂

[@XXX-vy6xv]

@MicroFourNerds wow! Had to Google it, didn't know it came in so many color variations.

[@Danny_Boel]

I had a Q for a while, but the biggest drawback for me is the lack of an EVF. I used it with a 400mm once, that was fun. Which one would I buy? Neither actually, I got a Nikon 1V2 and a Lumix G5 to play around with old lenses .

[@bingbong4848]

Hi which 400mm setup did you use? I'm looking for more range past the standard zoom lens 😂

[@Danny_Boel]

@bingbong4848 an old M42 Soligor f6.3 but manual focusing without an EVF was far from easy.

[@marshallr.8121]

ive recently been really enjoying adapting old lenses to my Q7. kind of wish pentax couldve keep the system alive longer, pretty much given up collecting the original lenses at this point since most have exceeded what id be willing to pay for them

[@ghost.3409]

Hi, i have a question, i would like a good quality camera mid sized in up to 1k USD for portraits, street photography, photos of my pet, nature, landscape, basically something that can do all of these, I'm curious if you could give me any suggestions? i have searched for a while but I lack photography experience to know what to pick for my needs Thank you very much in advance!

[@stephanreifenberg6429]

There is a MFT to Q Adapter out there! But i have no experience with it. What I tried is a Q to 16mm lens adapter but I could not find an option in the q camera to shoot with a no electrical lens. Maybe I need a firmware update?

[@StephenStrangways]

If you're using the original Q, you need at least firmware 1.10 to be able to set the focal length for shake reduction.

[@lnuponom2678]

Where can I watch a video or photo report about your trip to Africa?

[@MicroFourNerds]

Hi! So I did a couple of camera and lens reviews while I was there... G9ii vs OM1 kzbin.info/www/bejne/baK6aq2pfNKNe68si=_vzY40QCZZJ0f0hX And the lumix 100-400mm review kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqCaiGyfpbSNgpIsi=3LtN9demBgFG1cyR If and when I'm lucky enough to ever go again, I'm definitely just vlogging it!l rather than making it gear-based. It was honestly the best experience ever

[@sampodhorsky178]

I would like to have one GM1 but I can't get one in our country and I'm scared to order it from Ebay from Japan

[@MicroFourNerds]

I got this gm1 from a Japanese seller on eBay. It was the most pristine used camera I've ever bought, came with a cute paper crane in the box, and was already in English 😁 if you get one in Japanese (from Buyee for example) you can quite easily convert it to English, I have a tutorial on my website

[@benfromatlantis]

Would be nice to see some new cameras

[@jan-arnemovik642]

what about nikon 1

[@Gregory_Laborde]

In the early 1980s Pentax made a tiny 110 film camera that was NOT a casual point-and-shoot. It had interchangeable lenses and a flash and the whole kit would fit easily into the palm of your hand. It game Minox a run for the perfect spy camera. Maybe there will be yet another super tiny camera in Pentax’s future yet.

[@MicroFourNerds]

I have one and all the lenses. So cute! You can adapt the lenses really easily to m43 without much of a crop factor too 😁 I hope they make more innovative tiny cameras in the future

[@MrEddy]

How can I work with you?

[@bingbong4848]

Before you rush and buy a Q, beware the internal battery issue that many older cameras have. Basically the internal battery dies and it loses memory. So whenever you swap the main battery you need re-enter the date and time settings. Pretty annoying trust me 😂 Apparently its fixable but involves taking the camera apart. Try before you buy, or at least ask the question.

[@StephenStrangways]

The GM1 is now suffering the same problem. All older cameras inevitably will.

[@bingbong4848]

@@StephenStrangways Ah OK. Yeah I guess for most people they're now second cameras and spend a lot of time sitting around and dying a little bit inside, literally. :)

[@avegaiii]

Why Panasonic hasn’t released a successor to the GM1 is beyond me. Apparently everyone these days want massive camera bodies.

[@MicroFourNerds]

You are speaking my language! It would be so good

[@daveinportland]

Wasn't the GM5 the successor?

[@avegaiii]

@@daveinportland not as small

[@chrishowell5718]

What is it that you want? A new GM1? Or should they instead make a new GM5, a bit bigger but with an EVF? Should it in fact be a new GX800? Should they instead make an updated GX8, larger than its predecessor but weather-sealed, with a good EVF and a proper fully-articulated screen as befits the video features, or should the new GX camera in fact be photo-centric with a flip-out screen that's all you really need for street photography, no extraneous weather-sealing, and a smaller size. It would cost Panasonic the same to design, develop, and produce each one of these as it does a new GH series, so they would likely only make one. Moreover, they'd be targeting a market that is actually happy fiddling around with 10+ year-old second-hand cameras, and who probably wouldn't in fact go out and buy a new GX9 on day one of release if actually they wanted a GX8, or a GM1, r conversely they wanted a GX8ii, and a GX9 revamp doesn't tick all their boxes so perhaps we'll give it 6 months for the price to drop, or see what this has done to second-hand prices for GX80s on MPB. Panasonic are clearly wanting to grow their FF market-share, and keep their client base who are using GH cameras for video. Persuade a professional that an updated workhorse can do something new or quicker or more easily, and they can make a decision whether to upgrade as a business expense early in the life of the new model. Similarly, OM systems are focusing on wildlife photographers who have invested in smaller, more portable lenses for whom new focusing tools offer a better hit-rate will be enough for them to spring for a new body. Trying to pick the one new model to target a user base whose defining feature is that we're largely hobbyists and collectors who are actually perfectly happy with older gear just looks like a great way to lose money to me. I'm not saying this is a good thing, just an understandable business decision at this moment in time.

[@wongjefx980]

I got an old GX1 and GF2 just for easy carry. I asked a Panasonic rep if there would be a replacement for GX85 or 9 depending what market your in…basically they acknowledge the popularity of small form factor and rangefinder style…but no plans. I think Fuji will own this space.

[@daveinportland]

The answer of course is the RX100 (mark III-VII)

[@mistergiovanni7183]

No have intercambiable lenses, the same for the Canon G7X.

[@Esellssomething]

Can I ask you a question: if I wanted to build an inexpensive M43 with one lens for shooting gymnastics from a distance. Could you give me two options good / best please and thank you. I appreciate it and all your videos.

[@bingbong4848]

Assuming indoor gymnastics with lowish light... If you're happy with a prime lens, check out the Olympus 45mm f1.8. Has the reach of a 90mm full frame if that's enough for you. Cheap as chips and super sharp with beautiful images.

[@Esellssomething]

@ thank you!! But what would be the best camera to pair that with? Also, if I needed to get say 250mm in length but stay at less than f2.8 is there a lens you’d recommend? Thank you again

[@bingbong4848]

@@Esellssomething Hi, only my opinion but... I don't know your exact budget so hard to say exactly. I would get a camera that is at least 20 mp sensor and can shoot at high burst rate. The Lumix G9 and Olympus EM1 Mkii are good cheap options at around £500 and will still be relevant for years to come. They're built for any weather and can multitask. Of course there are lower mp (and cheaper) options but you should get a technically better image with the newer sensors. An f2.8 250mm option will never be inexpensive. The Leica 200mm (400mm) is a dream for me at £1500 used. The olympus 40-150 f2.8 (80-300mm)is amazing at around £700 used. Lumiz 35-100 f2.8 (70-200) is a great lens at around £350 for the mk i version. Aside from that, you're looking at variable aperture zooms which will be a lot cheaper but not as bright. Olympus/Lumix 40-150/ 45-200 zooms are quite good at around £100-200 used but they will be in range of f4-5.6 ish. Don't be afraid to try one of these. Depending on your needs, they might be better than you expect unless you're operating in total darkness :) If you're doing video it's even less of an issue. Sorry for the essay. Hopefully someone will add to the list if i've missed anything.

[@Esellssomething]

@ amazing information thank you. Apologies for not setting a budget duh haha I’m thinking between $800-1200 for a camera. Thank you.

[@Esellssomething]

Would you still stick to those cameras you mention? Or a different one? Would the om1 work for indoor gymnastics with the proper lens? Or too slow?

[@kareem-mokdad-swiss]

The Pentax Q is the coolest camera, Pentax definitely has to make it again.

[@jerryfriedman-su5qh]

i chose the samsung nx mini.

[@Hemlck]

Neither is easy to find second hand I am afraid…especially the q s1☹️

[@CaptainJonathan]

My 01 lens is an f/1.9. I wonder, did they make a faster version?

[@bingbong4848]

Deffo 1.9. I'm not aware of 1.7.Slip of the tongue maybe

[@MicroFourNerds]

Yes I think a slip of the tongue!

[@frankinblackpool]

You thought about doing a SHORTS popup Flash montage? You could get lost in that loop. 🤯😵‍💫🤪

[@MicroFourNerds]

I posted one to my Reels recently actually, with a secret George 😂

[@frankinblackpool]

@@MicroFourNerds Sadly I don't do Facebook or Insta. But maybe one day I'll attempt Insta.

[@bublt4me]

The body cap lens has come down in price significantly in the last few months. You should consider checking out the market again. Spoiler alert: if you thought the Olympus body cap lens was bad, the Pentax is much worse 😅

[@GungKrisna12]

Maybe since Fujifilm has launched X-M5, Panasonic should revive the GM series

[@mitchellwnorowski6747]

Nikon 1 J5, not even close !

[@gianflower65]

Actually, the world smallest interchangeable lens camera is the Samsung NX Mini

[@angelsaucedo2231]

Shame on their ridiculous resale prices. And it seems like camera makers are done with the cheaper, smaller enthusiast level cameras.

[@RohanBernard-b3m]

first one here :)

[@thomasstrudwick94]

Worlds smallest? Samsung NX Mini, am I nothing to you?