PENTAX Q - What A Missed Opportunity!

[@robinwong]

Happy New Year! What are your New Year Resolutions? Do share!

[@HughRaine]

I'm going to actually learn how to use my cameras properly. 😅 Happy New Year!

[@dublbude]

Thanks for asking. My resolution is 24.5mp in the Nikon z6;) Have a great 2025 Robin!

[@DJCJ999]

… less social media scrolling and more doing!

[@jameswiradi384]

New year, new to M43, E-P5 + sigma56.. im thrilled and excited 🔥

[@numbersix8919]

I've resolved not buy any more cameras smaller than MFT, no matter how cute they are (except a Nikon 1 J5). Thanks for all you do - stay good Robin!

[@ImageMaven]

Happy New Year Robin. Always nice to see your smiling face. Even though this camera has limited image quality and useable ISO, you manage to get some beautiful images from it. And that proves the creator is more important than the gear. But you know that! Cheers.

[@VizionZine]

The Pentax Q is one of my favorite cameras of all time. Always inspired me to go out to shoot. I have 1 OG Q in white, 2 Q7s in black, and 1 Q7 in silver. The 01 prime lens is my overall most used lens but I also very much like the 06 zooms lens and the much sought after 08 wide angle lens. The Q7 has worse build quality than the Q but it has better image quality with a bigger sensor. I use my Q7 with Godox flashes and love taking fun polaroid style portraits. The RAW files don't have a ton dynamic range but I can usually massage the colors to get some rather nice results especially at lower ISOs.

[@thissidetowardscreen4553]

Happy 2025 Robin! New Year goals: less gear more creative projects!. Doing more collaborative projects. Organize and better time management! I have a Pentax Q and have every lens except the 08 lens ( an amazing wide telephoto) , I used the camera to do a urban photo walk, was great for street photography due to it's size. It has it limits, but you work around it. 12mp is a sweet spot for me. Thanks for sharing,

[@camerascanfly]

Never had the chance to catch one for myself but great to see you got such great pictures out of such a tiny camera (and sensor). Keep up the great work - we always enjoy your joyful and inspiring videos ❤

[@banana_necessary]

The sensor size lends well to shooting d-mount lenses. They also had a cool Evangelion collaboration which makes for a great collectible and a lot of crazy colours.

[@AndrewSowerby]

Nice to see a new review for this old camera after so many years. Also, it's interesting to get an unpopular opinion on it, because this camera gets a lot of love, mostly from Pentaxians, of course, but also from reviewers who use other camera systems. Your summary regarding the sensor size was exactly why I never went out and bought into the system at the time. However, I do think that the Q7 and QS1, with (I think) the same sensor that went into the Olympus XZ2 and Pentax MX1 premium compacts, could make more sense. However, I don't think anything of the later Q models has as great a build quality as the original Q, which was built like a prosumer Pentax DSLR. One other thing: the star lens of the system is the 06, a 70-200mm equivalent lens. I have seen some surprisingly good images coming out of that combo, but it's hard to find a bargain there. Overall, I think your points hold up, there are much better small options out there, but it's still something I'd like to try... Just maybe one with the 1/1.7" sensor instead, and perhaps the later models improved the AF also.

[@protonpillpopper1]

Hi Robin. I own a couple of these little guys and feel you may have missed the mark a little with your review. I think you've been too critical of it considering its age, form factor and, obviously, sensor size. Complaining about the lack of subject separation on a camera with a 1/2.3 inch sensor is like complaining about not enough depth of field while trying to shoot macro with a medium format camera. It's simply not the right tool for the job and no one I know has ever bought a Q for the purpose of portrait photography. The price of the Q on the used market is crazy but somewhat understandable given it's relative scarcity and uniqueness. No one would buy this as a "first camera" and I'd advise anyone starting out in photography to avoid it as cost of entry is high and the price and scarcity of the lenses is off putting and the sensor size is limiting. That said, I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to someone that has been shooting for a while and would like a change of pace. I'm surprised you didn't get any joy out of using it, though I suspect the lens you have on the camera played a significant part. Not criticizing the 01 lens, it has its place in eeking out every last drop of performance from the tiny sensor in low light, but the camera comes alive with the 06 telephoto zoom. This lens is a 15-45mm (80-250mm full frame equivalent) zoom with constant f2.8 aperture. I've achieved some incredible results with this lens and yes, this includes some subject separation. I find the challenge of getting good results from this camera extremely satisfying to overcome, and it really isn't that difficult with the telephoto lens. I also found that if you set auto focus to a single point in the middle of the frame and use the focus/recompose method it works much faster and is pretty accurate. All this on a camera that you can fit into a jacket pocket with the telephoto lens attached. Overall the Q is a flawed camera. My own biggest criticism is the screen, which is not very bright and is easily washed out in full sunlight, but I forgive it for that because back in 2011 there weren't all that many cameras out there with great screens. If you're not in a hurry to move it on I strongly recommend you give that telephoto lens a go. Please don't take this comment as some sort of an attack on you. I love your work and I've been a subscriber for many years. Looking forward to more of your reviews in 2025. All the best.

[@pixelpeter3883]

Have a pictoresque new year Robin! :-) I have a Pentax Q7 with a bunch of lenses (still looking for that 01 prime lens and the wide angle zoom tho) and find it a lot of fun. Yes it's a small sensor (Q7 sensor is slightly bigger), yes you cannot get great results at higher iso. But I really enjoy it for shutter therapy with it's compactness, low weight, cuteness, small lenses (a whole set fits easily is one moderate pocket!), and crazy telephoto reach because of the crop-factor like the 1000mm mirror lens I have and used for the moon (on a very big & heavy tripod) or an old Sigma 400mm to photograph a partial sun eclipse. I also have two Nikon1 cameras (V1 & J1) but prefer the Pentax Q7 because of everything I mentioned above :-)

[@jmtphotographymedia]

Happy New Year Robin! I had the Q7 (and miss it). The 06 lens was a real gem.

[@danthegeetarman]

Happy New Year Robin! This year I just plan on taking more pictures and getting more 'keepers' than last year and doing more 'shutter therapy' to help couterbalance my 9-5

[@robinwong]

Happy New Year! That is an excellent resolution! We should all aim the same.

[@shojunichi]

Happy New Year Robin! My New Year Resolution: Controlling my Gear Acquisition Syndrome as an enthusiast haha 😅

[@jugstopper]

As always, Robin gets the best possible images out of whatever is in his hands!

[@zackthebongripper7274]

Pentax needs to release a new Q camera, like the original, with metal body, detachable EVF and grip that takes one or two14500 batteries. It would be the ultimate travel camera.

[@achaycock]

It's fascinating seeing you review this. The Pentax Q gave me my start in photography. It was my first interchangeable lens system and it taught me the fundamentals. I will add that in my experience, the quality was better than a typical compact camera, but I agree that it's miles behind the larger sensor systems. I also agree that Pentax entering the micro four thirds consortium could have been a game changer and at the very least given the community more health whilst keeping to Pentax ideals. In fact, as a former Pentax user micro four thirds was a natural fit and I suspect many other Pentax users have done the same.

[@XATNEP1]

Missed opportunity, certainly, but I still love my Pentax Q, the current GR3 is the modern non interchangeable equivalent but something you might like to try is using the K-Q adapter which given the crop factor makes the Q a real super telephoto option

[@ChrisBrogan]

Hi Robin! Happy New Year! The Pentax Q are so cool looking. You're right. It's a pity that it's such a missed opportunity. I bet it would do well against Ricoh GRIII, for instance.

[@gebauzchris]

I got a Pentax Q-S1, the last one. It's absolutely awesome, even has a slightly larger sensor, and I wish they'd have continued to support the system.

[@trevorbrooks813]

Happy New Year Robin and thanks for everything you do. Getting an honest opinion on many topics greatly appreciated. Go well in 2025.

[@crimlarksSteve]

I bought one when they came out along with 2 lenses and used it when traveling to the Grand Teton mountains. Got really good results. Sold it quite a while ago. Great design, great build, easy to carry around.

[@pastelchu]

it looks adorable and classical!! love the Pentax Q

[@bingbong4848]

We should remember that this was released in 2011. In my opinion the image quality is more than good enough for social media if you shoot raw. Adding some denoise makes it better. The 1.9 prime is so small and bright and makes it truly pocketable. Its about same size as a lumix GM1 but once you add lenses the lumix isn't as pocketable. Lumix is better image quality and more megapixels and bigger sensor. The 200mm zoom lens will get you better images than most phones. You get an nd filter! The flash is super cool. By modern standards it's not the best edc, but it will fit in your pocket and take good pics if ultimate image quality isnt priority. The full manual controls are also good for anyone learning photography.

[@DJCJ999]

Happy new year Robin! I have m4/3rds Olympus dlsr system… what small body camera do you recommend for a highly pocketable point and shoot?

[@GringoLoco]

For some photographers, a deep depth of field is an advantage. And its main advantage is you can add a 300mm lens to the 5x crop factory body, and you have 1500mm+ equivalent superzoom, albeit with manual focus.

[@leckywoznicki5393]

Thank you & Happy New Year :)

[@CheikoSairin]

It's a very cute little PENTAX Q. Enjoy watching the footage. Thanks for sharing the video. A big LIKE!!! Happy New Year 2025, Robin.

[@glyno77]

I love the Q! When it came out originally with all the filters and “toy” lenses i saw it as a digital version of a lomo or Polaroid. Image quality and dof less essential than creativity and fun factor.

[@rikardpersson9493]

Happy New Year Robin! Thanks for another great video! My New Year resolution: to keep shooting m43! Cheers Rikard

[@robinwong]

Happy New Year to you too! Yes, shoot more and enjoy photography!

[@philosynth]

Happy New Year, Robin! Love your photos, specially the close-ups.

[@JaxDavis-h1y]

Happy new year, and happy Birthday. I saw your latest live, and hear you had Birthday.

[@Gitareur]

A good start for 2025, thanks for sharing and I wish you a good year too!

[@yourvitamin9474]

Fantastic performance ❤ Robin Watching from South Korea

[@christinecoughlan4699]

Thank you Robin and Happy new Year☘🌻🌾🌹.

[@seaeagles6025]

Hi Robin, Happy New Year to you and good health for 2025. This Pentax looks like fun to use and you had fun shooting with it. My New Year's resolution is to keep fit and continue taking photos. A minimalist New Year's resolution and keeping it real. Best wishes Robin 😊

[@nate_astro]

The Pentax Q was my first camera. It was given to me by my previous boss when I worked at a pawn shop. I love the little thing and I think it's an extremely fun system to handle, especially with Q-mount lenses being as incredible as they are. But I totally understand why you feel like it's a missed opportunity, especially in regards to image quality and the depth of field. I had the same gripes when I used it, but ultimately it made me a better photographer working around the limitations of this system. I don't give it much use anymore though, especially as I've been exploring other systems and types of cameras. It's a fun experiment if you can find one with a good Q-mount lens. Mine came with the 02 Standard Zoom which is a solid everyday lens, but the system has some killer primes/wide angle lenses as well. Just know that you're buying into a system with heavy limitations (and some overpriced gear/lenses imo). This little guy does get outclassed in almost every way by other options in the same era/market, but strangely, I still love it. I can see why the community around it refuses to put it down.

[@protonpillpopper1]

Couldn't agree with you more.

[@starbase218]

Yes, Pentax Q. Want to hear your thoughts. Let's DO THIS. :)

[@starbase218]

Unfortunately I can't disagree with your conclusion. I had a Pentax Q10 myself with the standard zoom, the telezoom, and the prime you use as well. I think I also had an ultrawide toy lens. But yes, image quality was always a bit of a letdown. Although I don't remember it being as bad as your ISO 400 example. The standard zoom also wasn't that good a lens, especially at longer focal lengths. The telezoom was quite good though, and it was a constant f/2.8. But yeah, the sensor was still too small to make it shine. Pentax did eventually released the Q7 and Q-S1 with a larger 1/1.7 inch sensor. But it still wasn't that large either. One positive effect though, is that it turned the standard zoom into a 23-69mm equivalent lens. And the telezoom became a 69-207mm lens. So very close to 24-70 and 70-200.

[@lim2001burger]

I was a little sad when i found out about the pentax q line wjen they were already discontinued and had gained a cult status...but hearing all the disadvantages, i'm kind of glad i missed the boat...i'll stick to my gx850 and em10 ii and the m43 collapsible kit lenses to get my small camera fix instead

[@dionhouston]

It's kind of official my friend - you obviously have some affinity for Pentax - me too :) You should pick up a used DSLR and maybe a couple of film-era K-mount lenses. That is my fun photography on A K-1. :)

[@Bettys_Eldest]

I bought my first Q10 in 2016. I now own a pink Q10, white Q, black Q10 and silver Q7. One 01 lens, four 02, an 03, 05 and two 06 lenses. Along with two every ready cases six chargers and load of batteries and other accessories I'm in to it for a total of about £700. Just after buying my first a Q along with the full set of lenses, including the 08 wide zoom, became available for only £350. Knowing too little about the range at the time I let it go, such a shame. I'm still having a lot of fun, as are my daughters who each have one of the Q10s on loan. Picture quality is not the issue I thought it would be, though it would be good if I could get the depth of field my 50mm f1.4 gave on my OM1 back in the 80s. The batteries are small, and I enjoy it so much that I take lots of photos usually needing to replace the battery during a session. The internal batteries have all by now died so I have to reset the date and time with every battery change which is a pain.

[@hfvhf987]

I've always wanted to try on of these. I must get around to buying one.

[@Maanroma]

I want so much a new Pentax Q, with a better sensor and better autofocus. It would be a killer, making the transition from phone to DSL cameras so smooth

[@TIB1106EProductions]

Got a Nikon 1 J2 recently. I wished all these small mirrorless lineup conginued

[@roytore5062]

Pentax should have definitely went into the M43 system. With their glass, they would have outsold the other lenses, and relax with making a new body every 3 years.

[@iandrury1542]

I managed to find a used one and love it along with 3 lenses for very little money. I love it.

[@andreasrochow5170]

All the best for you, Robin!

[@jumpmansz]

Definitely need to use some sort of AI processing like in Lightroom if you want to blur out backgrounds 😅 my Q7 and the telephoto zoom *can* produce a more shallow DoF but regardless, it’s so fun to use!

[@dogblessamerica]

This baffled most Pentax users at the time as well. M43 would have made much more sense! I think Pentax never really took mirrorless seriously. I mean look at the K01!

[@KingGameReview]

I want to get a Pentax Q to adapt Pentax 110 lenses to, but the crop factor might be too much. MFT / APSC is the sweet spot. I used to shoot them on my Fuji XE before I had in infrared converted.

[@JalanKesini]

Almost buy Pentax Q, but luckily I bought Lumix GM1 instead of Pentax Q. Because afraid the camera can't be use in low light 😂 and it's true

[@GearGeekB]

Personally I love adapting old d-mount lenses to it. I’ve got a 12.7mm f2.8 from the 40s that looks so cool and is the size of a thimble

[@tanrol1]

Happy new year dear Sir , thank you a lot for all your posts , very helpfull , i have Olympus TG1 and TG3 , SH50 and a lot of this wonderfull Brand , I have also SONY, NIKON, FUJI, Pentax , Lumix , I'm always waiting for your helpfull informations on your channel , respecfully Roland Tan from Paris , France

[@КостадинС-н9е]

Happy New Year Robin🎆🎇

[@sweden_ove2074]

Happy New Year Robin. I think it would be great if Pentax joined MFT. But I think it would be much more fun for me if OM System made a tinytiny minimalistic functions camera. Water resist with gooood IBIS and good AF. Video in 1080p and no 4K. And a sensor of 30 mp. Together with that simple camera two new pancake waterresist EZ zoom lenses. One "updated" 14-42, and the other one like 10-22 mm. And we both would agree, metal build quality and style is essential. Weight is not the issue, size is. Why not calling it PEN-Tiny/PEN-T. I believe OM System need to release two PEN cameras at the same time, and a third few months later when the hype is running a limited edition (PEN-F2 Monochrome)😅. That would be awesome. Everyone would then wait for the colour non limited PEN-F2 at Christmas 2025. 🎉 I know I'm dreaming, but hey, I'm allowed to dream. As are you. What lens update do you wish for? 25 mm 1.8 waterresist with manual clutch?

[@domtomazo]

I shot Pentax as my main system at the time, and got the Q when it was sold new. I share your view. The handling and build quality was great, fun with interchangeable format that small size... but at the end of the day IQ was not really there even in 2012. I had the 01 Standard Prime 02 Standard Zoom, used the prime 95% of the time. I was interested in the 06 Telephoto Zoom (85-250mm equiv.) and 08 Wide Zoom (21-33mm equiv.) that seemed to add something beyond premium compacts of the day, but never got them.

[@0zaree100]

My uncle got the OG version of the Pentax Q with standard prime and only used it like 3 times and refuses to sell it to me, true story unfortunately. =(

[@corykphotography]

Happy New Year Robin! In 2025 I plan to polish my online presence with a professional website and to create a full size (10ft by 8ft) portable backdrop set-up to basically bring the studio to all of my clients.

[@hfvhf987]

Colours look beautiful!

[@LidiaRose-g2z]

I really want to get one to try and make a micro macro photography setup. The lack of DOF is really appealing and the hotshoe means flash and defusers can be used. I love my om 1 but it would be sweet to have a backpack carry for when I'm not out specifically for photography but still out hiking.

[@jarihuikari8921]

Happy new year, Robin, and others! My digital system cameras have so far been only Canon EF-S (three bodies) and Olympus Pen Lite (also three camera bodies.) I have been more interested in all kind of lenses and accessories.

[@Cute_Maxi]

I have a Q-S1 its pretty cool… i like the lenses although the lack of a proper macro lens is frustrating. I really think Pentax should come up with a new Q camera body with a new sensor and modern image processing and then a few new lenses for the ecosystem

[@bryanescalante2871]

Ironically Pentax has said its not discontinued.... but yet no updates .... 😕

[@krone5]

the camera is awesome when you need saturation.

[@Thomas-q6y]

The Pentax Q cameras looked good, but I never understood the point of these cameras. There were compact cameras with larger sensors and brighter optics.

[@davidsanzrivera8899]

Happy New Year all. I see they continued the saga with Q10 and Q S1, and others I suppose. Sadly the Q10 keeps the very small sensor. Do you know if they upgraded at some point? Thank you.

[@micksterminator3]

There's one available in my area for 25usd. I can't let it go at that price lol. Thanks for the demo

[@fajaragusSaputra]

I have 1/2.3" canon sx530hs i agree with you about image quality its has minimum depth of field also hard to get focus in low light and full noise when using high iso 😅😅 but i have benefit to shoot object from far in 1200mm lense 😅😅

[@richardwalker4518]

Hmmm.. yeah, it looks about the same size as the Ricoh GR, and they got an APSC sensor inside those;-). If they can make that work, why couldn't they get an interchangeable lens version to work I wonder. Even if there were only three dinky lenses. like 14, 18, 24mm for example, kept as small as possible

[@protonpillpopper1]

It's noticeably smaller than a GR. I put it down to Japan's obsession with making things as small as possible.

[@w0lfyovi294]

Happy New Year Robin and sorry that I missed your streams (including the members only one). I recently got a Pentax Q original and I am struggling to keep it alive because after a few times turning on will not turn on for quite a while (I have read that it's possible the internal CMOS battery that keeps the settings and date saved is dead and it pulls more current out of it when it does turn on trying to charge itself but it won't work because its to old). I am sad that I can't keep it on without dying on me because love the size (I have the 01 Prime and 02 Standard Zoom) and I wanted to photograph the moon because of the crop factor, 2250mm with a 500mm lens reach, and to shoot in B&W only and use the noise and grain for artisical look. I don't know if I should try and get a Pentax Q7, slightly larger sensor at 1/1.7" with a 4.7x crop factor, because it might not stay alive for long like the original Q.

[@robinwong]

Happy New Year to you too, and there is no need to apologize, I am sure you have better things to do! My Pentax Q was fine though, the battery seems to last quite OK. Having used the Q, as I have said in the video, I am not impressed. I'd rather spend my money elsewhere, either Nikon 1 System or Micro Four Thirds, you get much better value out of these systems. The smaller sensor just does not work, now that even smartphones have larger image sensor than the Q!

[@Davidcallard]

I'm not into pixel peeping so I don't see anything wrong with the photos you have posted here! I do wear multifocal glasses but I don't seem to be having any problems with my eyesight. Please could you point out to me where you see faults in the image quality? Thank you. David Callard.

[@christopherbonis]

8:54 What is that iconic skyscraper? I see it from all different angles in a lot of Robin’s image reels.

[@HR-wd6cw]

I think it's a bit crazy that Pentax isn't really into doing mirrorless (At least not like the others). I know they want to keep their original roots like SLRs and that stuff, but even Nikon and Canon which go back probably as far as Pentax (maybe farther) have gotten onboard with mirrorless. Pentax could do just APSC mirrorless or even venture into the micro four thirds market again and release a modern camera. The issue with their current strategy is that they are only tailoring to their existing customers, and those numbers will drop as those photographers die off or move to another system (ML or not). So basically over time, their market share will go to 0 essentially, and by the time that does, they will be so far behind the others that it may be nearly impossible for them to dig their way out.

[@haraldscholz9123]

Pentax gave me the Q for testing. I am Semi-Pro Fotographer Street, Event, reporter. That time i shot with the K10D. The Q was funny. Not more. And the price was a bad joke. I gave it back, not mine, this Concept.

[@himeccms893]

If Pentax go with a four thirds sensor, they'll be competing with all the other cameras in the same category. 1/2.3" is too small, more in the super zoom category. They should have gone with the former largest sensor size for compacts that came before 1" sensor took over- the 2/3" size

[@xmeda]

Worst problems were that initial bodies had only 1/2.3" CCD which was horrible. Later bodies had 1/1.7" CMOS like Olympus XZ-2, which was much better. Second problem was price, which was too high reaching deep into entry DSLR pricing level. Especially here in EU it was more expensive than some DSLRs with kitlens. In general XZ-2 can do the same job and has own sharp lens :) But I might buy Q7 just for collecting purposes. And there are Kmount adaptors, so I can create brutal telephoto out of my Sig100-300/4 thanks to crop ratio.

[@FlappySock]

They always had CMOS, and they were definitely not horrible. Im impressed how much my Q10 can pull up shadows and noise looking organic

[@PaulStregevsky]

How did you compose on a sunny day without a viewfinder? Didn't the sun wash out the LCD?

[@xmeda]

Not easy. But there are hotshoe optical finders for this camera.

[@stmsaiya]

How about trying Samsung mini nx. Happy new year robin won.. well. new year resolutions be to keep exploring the micro fourth thirds i new to it