Pentax Q Review

Overview

Bloggers/Press: Click for Pentax Q images to use in your posts.

It wasn't long ago I had the pleasure of running around town with one of the largest interchangeable lens cameras on the market, the Pentax 645D. It was big, but handled well, with excellent optics and a very high-resolution sensor. Today the contrast was dramatic, carrying the very tiny Pentax Q, a small interchangeable lens camera. The experience was very different, but it was still a Pentax, a company that's pushing beyond lots of boundaries lately. The Pentax Q has smaller optics and a smaller, lower-resolution sensor. Indeed, it's so small it fits in a pocket and conceals easily in a palm--or behind an iPhone. It could even hang--as our illustration demonstrates--from a keychain, were it not worthy of better daily care than that.

Although its smaller 1/2.3"-sized sensor can't compete with comparably priced SLRs and CSCs, we're impressed with the execution on the Pentax Q. It's easier to make a case for comparing it to quality enthusiast cameras like the Canon G12, where its image quality fares better by comparison, albeit at a $300 price premium for the luxury of interchangeable lenses.

Build. With all of its latest digital SLRs, Pentax has demonstrated its ability to build a high quality camera, and the Pentax Q's magnesium alloy build feels more serious than a simple pocket camera, despite its Lilliputian stature. Pentax's impressive line of Limited SLR lenses, in particular, seem to be echoed in the quality of the 8.5mm Standard Prime kit lens. Both the lens and mount are steel and have a tight, precision fit.

Dials and buttons, too, are of good quality, with firm detents on the dials, and audible, tactile clicks on the buttons: an important feature with such small buttons.

Most surprising is how natural it feels to use the Pentax Q. It's smaller than the average pocket long zoom, but still feels about like using one, thanks to the small finger and thumb grip. In something of an optical illusion, the lens seems to be closer to the grip side of the camera than the other, but it's actually about two millimeters to the right.

Ultimately, the Pentax Q is built more like an SLR, but it feels as familiar as a quality pocket camera.

With the lens off, you can see the small sensor that allows such a small camera and such small lenses. It's somewhat surprising Pentax didn't choose a 1/1.7" sensor, as are used in the Canon G12 and competing designs. But the 12.4-megapixel CMOS sensor is backlit, which should offer better performance in low light, and lower noise overall.

The front view of the Pentax Q shows an IR remote sensor embedded into the grip, an AF-assist lamp, the lens release button, and two holes for the stereo microphones. The peculiar dial on the right of the lens is used to quickly select among a selection of Smart Effects or other available filters. Via a menu, you pick which filters you want to have at each setting; returning the dial to the white dot turns all filters off.

Though the flash looks like any other built into a pocket camera, it is anything but ordinary. It doesn't just pop up, it swings up and over to the right (see photo below) to help minimize red-eye and to clear larger lenses and lens hoods. Someone deserves an award for this bit of engineering. Here's hoping Pentax makes a wad of cash licensing the design to other companies. The flash will also fire from its nested position.

A look at the top of the Pentax Q shows the 8.5mm lens (47mm equivalent), called the 01 Standard Prime. Its knurled ring makes mounting and removal easy, and the front focus ring does not offer physical control over focus, instead feeding ring position data to the focusing system as you turn it. Unlike many competing fly-by-wire designs, focus tracks the ring's movement very well, making it relatively pleasant to use.

The small popup flash is released via the slider just behind it. It takes a little practice to release the flash without your fingers getting in the way. Next to that is the Playback button, something we'd have preferred to see on the back, but admittedly there's very little room on the Pentax Q. The hot shoe looks relatively massive on the Q. It's compatible with Pentax's current line of flashes, but the size and weight of larger strobes will present handling issues. Five holes mark the position of the speaker. The small power button is right of that, and the gunmetal shutter button rises fairly high from the camera body, offering a very soft half-press with a clean break at full press for a very good feel.

The Mode dial sits atop and dictates the shape of the small fingertip grip, just as the Rear dial describes the shape of the rear thumbgrip. Strap lugs are molded into the top plate of the Pentax Q, presumably also of magnesium alloy.

Tightly fitted into the small chassis is the 460,000-dot, 3-inch TFT LCD with a 170 degree viewing angle. Unlike the Sony NEX-C3 and Panasonic GF3, two cameras also pushing the size barriers for interchangeable lens cameras, the Pentax Q doesn't take the minimalist approach to the camera's interface to eliminate buttons. Instead they take the approach that's worked for pocket digital cameras for years: small buttons; no scroll wheels, soft buttons, or touchscreens. I can see some objecting to the use of such small buttons, but those who don't like small buttons have no business looking at a camera this small to begin with. Most of the buttons are recessed and stiff enough to avoid accidental activation, yet they yield to gentle, inward pressure with a soft click. The four outer navigation buttons are beveled upward from the center out for easier tactile differentiation from the other buttons, which are admittedly quite close.

Magnesium alloy. The Pentax Q feels very solid thanks to its magnesium alloy body.

Most of the buttons are marked, and so self-explanatory. The markings are small enough that those with poor near vision might have trouble, but they would also have trouble with the interfaces on the C3 and GF3, so I think Pentax has made a good choice here. Just above the Exposure Compensation button is a secondary IR remote port, compatible with the same remote control units as are the company's larger SLRs.

It's when I look at the cavities necessary to house the battery, memory card, pop-up flash, and sensor that I marvel at the electronic engineering required to pack the circuit boards and processors into such a small remaining space. Internal space is further constrained by buttons, dials, the LCD, ports, and even the tripod mount. It is an impressive achievement, even if the sensor is quite small.

Getting back to that pop-up flash, it is a bit of a marvel itself, demonstrating that there is a way to get built-in flashes a little further from the lens through the application of clever engineering. First, with a slide of the mechanical release, a springloaded plunger rises from inside the Pentax Q's body, then opposing sprung levers both lift the flash and level it again in its final resting position. A simple downward press puts all back into place, quite well concealed and compact.

Size and Weight. Dimensions are 3.9 x 2.3 x 1.2 inches (98 x 58 x 31mm). Weight with a memory card, battery, and lens is 8.5 ounces (241g), and 7.1 ounces (202g) with the lens removed. That makes the lens about 1.4 ounces (39g) light, at least a partial answer to the question of why you'd make an interchangeable lens camera with so small a sensor.

Connectivity. The Pentax Q includes USB 2.0 High Speed data connectivity, as well as both NTSC / PAL composite standard definition video output, and a Type-D Micro HDMI high definition output; both of these are accessed via a small rubber door on the bottom of the camera. Impressively, given the size, the Pentax Q also includes infrared remote control receivers on both the front and rear of the camera, ensuring the remote works whether you're behind the camera or in front of it.

Storage. The Pentax Q accepts Secure Digital storage media, including the newer, higher capacity SDHC and SDXC types. Images are stored as 12-bit .DNG RAW files, or 8-bit JPEGs in one of three quality levels. Movies are stored as .MP4 files. The door is released with a slide to the rear, after which it swings open toward the front of the camera under spring pressure.

Power. A proprietary D-LI68 lithium-ion rechargeable battery allows the Pentax Q to provide for 230 shots on a charge to CIPA testing standards (50% flash usage), or 160 minutes of continuous playback. This door also opens with a firm pull to the rear, followed by a springloaded swing toward the front.

Pentax Q Technical Details

Sensor. The modest size of Pentax's Q compact system camera has been achieved largely thanks to Pentax's choice of a 1/2.3"-type image sensor, where the company's main rivals have all chosen to use significantly larger sensors in their interchangeable-lens models. Compared to a Micro Four Thirds camera, the Pentax Q's imager has just slightly less than 1/8th the light gathering area, while APS-C models have an advantage of closer to 13x.

That decision has proven to be something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it has allowed Pentax to craft a camera which it can confidently claim to be the world's smallest, lightest interchangeable-lens digital camera body. On the other hand, all other things being equal it also leaves the Pentax Q unable to challenge its compact system camera rivals in terms of high ISO noise performance, and nor can it rely on lens aperture control to provide the same shallow depth of field for creative effect. On the plus side, it matches or betters its main small-sensor rivals--enthusiast fixed-lens cameras like the Canon G12--and there's certainly something to be said for the importance of size and weight in camera design. If your camera gets left behind when you're out and about, the best image quality in the world is of little use when an unanticipated photo opportunity presents itself.

Aiming to achieve the best high ISO noise performance possible with its chosen sensor size, Pentax has selected a backside-illuminated, 12.4 effective megapixel CMOS image sensor for the Q. The backside-illuminated design places circuitry on the rear (non-illuminated) side of the sensor, allowing the greatest possible area on the light-gathering side to be devoted to photodiodes. Total resolution of the Pentax Q's chip is 12.75 megapixels, and the maximum dimensions of output images are 4,000 x 3,000 pixels. The sensor has a 4:3 aspect ratio, and the Pentax Q also offers cropped 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1 aspect modes. ISO sensitivity ranges from 125 to 6,400 equivalents in 1/3 EV steps, and can be controlled automatically or manually throughout the entire range.

Lens mount. Accompanying the Pentax Q's image sensor is a new stainless steel lens mount that's significantly smaller than the K-mount used on Pentax's digital SLR cameras. Dubbed the Q-mount, this has an outer diameter that's almost one-third smaller than that of the K-mount, allowing a reduction not only in camera body size, but also in the size of attached lenses. Like other compact system cameras, with no need to accommodate a bulky mirror box, optical viewfinder, dedicated autofocus and metering sensors, etc., Pentax has been able to reduce flange back distance--which relates closely to body thickness--by a whopping margin of close to 80%. Flange back distance for the Pentax Q is just 9.2mm, around half or less than that of the Sony E-mount (18mm), Micro Four Thirds mount (20mm), and Samsung NX mount (25.5mm).

As an aside, there's an interesting back story behind the names of Pentax's lens mounts. With the introduction of the K2, KX and KM film cameras in 1975, the company--then known as Asahi Pentax--decided to replace its venerable M42 screwmount with a newer, easier-to-use bayonet type. Dubbed the K-mount, the new mount's initial stood for "King"--an indication of Asahi's belief in their product which also happened to dovetail nicely with their marketing efforts. (At the time, the Asahi Pentax logo included a crown, while their cameras appeared in advertisements alongside a deck of playing cards, with a king card shown prominently.) Every king needs his queen, and with the debut of the Pentax Q camera, the new Q-mount assumes that role.

Optics. Alongside the camera's launch, Pentax revealed its first five Q-mount lens models, split into two distinct groups, which Pentax Japan refers to as the "High-Performance Series" and "Unique Series" respectively. High Performance lenses feature metal mounts and Pentax's SP (Super Protect) lens coating, offer 40.5mm filter threads, and include both a built-in ND filter, and an in-lens shutter mechanism that allows 1/2,000 second flash sync with the internal flash. Unique-series lenses are aimed at lower cost, and replace the metal mount with a plastic one, much like the company's DA-L lenses on K-mount cameras. They also drop autofocus capability, the in-lens shutter mechanism and ND filter, don't include filter threads, and--with the sole exception of the Fish-Eye lens--don't feature the Pentax SP lens coating.

The High Performance series currently (Feb 2012) includes two lens models. The PENTAX 01 Standard Prime kit lens, which ships with the camera itself, has a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 47mm, and an f/1.9 maximum aperture. The sole zoom lens, and the only High Performance-series lens available for separate purchase, is the PENTAX 02 Standard Zoom. This offers up a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 27.5-83mm, with a maximum aperture that varies from f/2.8 to f/4.5 across the range.

The Unique series lens lineup currently includes three models, all of which are manual-focus only. The PENTAX 03 Fish-Eye is the sole model in the series to include an SP coating, and has a 17.5mm equivalent focal length, a 160° field of view, and a pan-focus design. The remaining two lenses are intended for creative use, and will likely appeal to fans of lomo photography. Dubbed "toy lenses," the Pentax 04 Toy Lens Wide and Pentax 05 Toy Lens Telephoto equate to 35mm and 100mm lenses in the 35mm format, respectively, and each introduces various aberrations into final images.

Stabilization. Despite the huge reduction in body and mount size compared to its K-mount cameras, Pentax has still left sufficient room within the Q-mount's image circle to allow for it to include its sensor shift image stabilization mechanism. Like that used in its SLRs, the Pentax Q's Shake Reduction system is said to be good for a four-stop correction, and thanks to the in-body design, it's available for all Q-mount lenses.

Dust reduction. The Pentax Q also includes the company's DR II dust reduction system, similar to those used in its flagship K-5 / K-7 and 645D digital SLRs. Based around a piezoelectric element, this system represents a worthwhile step up in efficacy from the sensor shift-based systems used in many consumer DSLRs.

Performance. In its Continuous Hi-speed burst shooting mode, the Pentax Q can capture images at a swift five frames per second, although burst depth is limited to just five JPEG frames. By switching to the Continuous Lo drive mode, the burst speed falls to 1.5 frames per second, but the buffer depth can be extended to a much more useful 100 JPEG frames.

Display. On its rear panel, the Pentax Q offers up a roomy 3.0-inch LCD panel with a total resolution of some 460,000 dots, commonly known as HVGA (half VGA), where each pixel comprises adjacent red, green, and blue dots. The Pentax Q's display is said to offer wide 170-degree viewing angles both horizontally and vertically.

Viewfinder. The Pentax Q doesn't offer any form of built-in optical viewfinder, and unlike some compact system cameras, it can't accept an external electronic viewfinder either. Pentax does offer a shoe-mounted O-VF1 optical viewfinder accessory, but it only includes guide marks for the 47mm kit lens, and this combined with its $250 price tag will correctly persuade most photographers to instead rely solely on the Q's LCD display.

Focusing. Like its main competitors, the Pentax Q uses contrast-detection autofocusing, operating on data streaming from the main image sensor. The Pentax Q's 25-point autofocus system has both single and continuous-servo operating modes, and includes a face detection function. Of course, it's also possible to focus manually if desired.

Exposure. As you'd expect, the Pentax Q includes the usual selection of Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, and Manual exposure modes. There's also an Auto Picture mode that can automatically select between Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Night Scene Portrait, Night Scene, Blue Sky, and Forest shooting modes as the camera deems appropriate. For those who want a modicum more control without the need to understand basic exposure variables, there's also a Scene mode that offers a healthy selection of modes: Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object, Night Scene Portrait, Sunset, Blue Sky, Night Scene, Night Snap, Food, Pet, Kids, Forest, Surf & Snow, Backlight Silhouette, Candlelight, Stage Lighting, Museum, plus three JPEG-only modes, Night Scene HDR, Quick Macro, and HDR.

Mechanical shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 30 seconds are available, and are controlled with an in-lens shutter mechanism in the Pentax 01 Standard Prime and Pentax 02 Standard Zoom lenses. The Fish-Eye and Toy lenses all lack an in-lens shutter mechanism, and since the camera body itself doesn't include a mechanical shutter, this necessitates use of an electronic shutter when these lenses are attached. Electronic shutter speeds range from 1/8,000 to two seconds, and the electronic shutter can be enabled in the Custom Setting menu to get a combined range of 1/8,000 to 30 seconds with shutter-equipped lenses. The Pentax Q also offers a bulb position (not supported with shutterless lenses) in the Manual exposure mode, and this lowers the maximum sensitivity from ISO 6,400 to 1,600 equivalent. Three metering modes are available: Multi-segment (no info yet available on how many segments), Center-weighted and Spot. The Pentax Q offers 3.0 EV of exposure compensation, in 1/3 EV steps. There's also a three-frame bracketing mode, plus an exposure lock function which can be tied to either the Shutter or Green buttons.

Flash. The Pentax Q includes a built-in five-mode popup flash strobe with a guide number of 7 meters / 23 feet at ISO 200. At first glance it looks to be fixed in place, and it can in fact be fired in the lowered position if desired, but it also includes an unusually tall articulation mechanism that allows coverage sufficient for a 28mm-equivalent wide angle lens. There's also a full-sized hot shoe compatible with all of Pentax's current flash strobes, although larger units--we tried the AF540FGZ, for example--prove very unwieldy, when paired with the Pentax Q's impressively compact body. The internal flash provides a red-eye reduction function, and operating modes include Auto, Auto + Redeye, On, On + Redeye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync + Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, and Off.

When using the internal flash strobe, X-sync is possible at 1/2,000 second, but only if the attached lens includes an internal shutter mechanism -- something true only of the High Performance lens series. X-sync falls to 1/250 second with an external flash strobe, and plummets to just 1/13 second for Unique-series lenses that must rely on an electronic shutter. Flash exposure compensation is possible within a range of -2.0 to +1.0 EV.

HDR imaging. Like all of Pentax's recent DSLRs, the Pentax Q includes in-camera high dynamic range imaging, which automatically blends three shots in-camera to yield a single frame. As with the company's DSLR HDR mode, the Pentax Q can automatically microalign the source images, allowing the HDR mode to be used handheld.

Creative. A particularly unusual feature of the Pentax Q is its Smart Effect functionality, which offers up a selection of Brilliant Color, Unicolor Bold, Vintage Color, Cross Processing, Warm Fade, Tone Expansion, Bold Monochrome, Watercolor, and Vibrant Color Enhance effects. Each can be assigned to the dedicated front dial to provide five-step control (1-4 and Off) over the strength of the effect. Alternatively, the dial can be set to switch between user-selected effect types. There are also a variety of capture-time digital filter modes, as seen in past Pentax SLR cameras. These include Toy Camera, High Contrast, Shading, Slim, HDR, Invert Color, Extract Color, Color, Watercolor, Posterization, and Fisheye. Finally, a JPEG-only "Blur Control" mode attempts to simulate reduced depth of field, mimicking the look of images shot with larger-sensor cameras.

User modes. Pentax Q shooters can also store a handful of key camera settings--white balance mode, custom image mode, and digital filter--into one of three User modes, allowing quick recall of these settings for use in a specific shooting situation. Unfortunately, you can't store and recall other settings at the same time.

Full HD. 1,920 x 1,080 30 fps movie. Click image to download 18.3MB MOV file.

Video. As well as still images, the Pentax Q can capture 1,920 x 1,080 pixel high definition video (commonly called 1,080p or "Full HD") at a rate of 30 frames per second. If storage or bandwidth are more important than resolution, you can also select from high-def 1,280 x 720 pixel (720p) and standard-def 640 x 480 (VGA) at the same rate of 30 fps. Unlike Pentax's digital SLR cameras, the Q uses H.264 AVC compression, which is far more efficient in terms of storage space, albeit with a greater requirement in terms of processing power to edit the resulting video on a computer. Visit the Pentax Q Video page for sample clips and more details.

Pentax Q size comparisons

Pentax Q vs Pentax A110

Arthur Etchells, IR's Director of Strategic Development, jumped in his time machine and acquired this pristine Pentax Auto 110 Super, circa 1982, for comparison with the Pentax Q. Its lens mount was even smaller, as the photos show. It was a true SLR, complete with pentaprism. Its relatively squat profile was allowed by the small stature of the 110 film cartridge, while the Pentax Q's size is dictated partially by the 3-inch LCD. The Auto 110 did not have a hot shoe, though it is less than a millimeter taller than the Pentax Q.

From the front with the lenses off, you get an even better idea of how small the Pentax Auto 110 Super's mount is. The two-bladed shutter inside the Auto 110's lens mount makes the film size seem smaller than it is. The Auto 110 was unusual in featuring a combined leaf shutter / aperture diaphragm in the camera body, while the corresponding lenses had a fixed f/2.8 aperture. Between exposures, the shutter / aperture mechanism was held partially open to allow image framing through its optical viewfinder, while the mirror beneath provided a light seal when lowered to prevent film exposure. An interesting side effect of this design was that full-aperture imaging was only available for exposures 1/30th second or longer. The view from the back with the film door open hence gives a better comparison of the Pentax Q's 1/2.3" sensor to the 110mm film size of the Pentax Auto 110.

Pentax Q vs Panasonic GF3

Pentax Q vs Sony NEX-C3

Pentax Q Field Test

by Mike Tomkins

On first acquainting myself with the Pentax Q, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it handled. This is a small camera--really small, by interchangeable-lens camera standards--and at over six feet tall, there's no getting around the fact that I have pretty big hands. I was expecting things to feel rather cramped, and while they're certainly compact, I actually found the Q very comfortable to shoot with, overall. It helps that the Q's lenses are equally small, and hence the overall package is well-balanced. That's not to say that it's perfect ergonomically; I personally found the ISO / Up Arrow button slightly uncomfortable to press, due to its proximity to the thumb grip bulge at the top right corner of the rear panel. Moving the four-way arrow pad a little closer to the LCD would have helped The Menu button also felt uncomfortably close to the corner of the camera body. Given the space Pentax had to work with, though, I think they did an excellent job with the Q's ergonomics, not to mention the aesthetics. (The retro styling is very attractive, bringing more attention around town than I can remember in quite some time. I quickly got used to people coming up and asking me about the Q.)

One feature did feel like something of a missed opportunity, though. The Quick dial on the front panel is a great idea, but the list of features which can be assigned to this dial is very brief, and really only of interest to JPEG shooters: Smart Effects, Custom Image settings, Digital Filters, and Aspect Ratio settings. My workflow is pretty-much exclusively RAW-based these days, and I'd have loved to see a greater selection of features available via the Quick dial. My ideal would have been for it to provide access to complete settings groups, much like the User Mode function on Pentax's digital SLRs. (In fact, my heart skipped a beat when I discovered the User 1 to User 3 option via the Quick Dial's Smart Effects function, but that hope was dashed when I realized that these 'User' options store only the White Balance, Custom Image, and Digital Filter settings.)

Default	Brilliant Color	Unicolor Bold
Vintage Color	Cross Processing
The Quick Dial defaults to selecting one of four Smart Effects, which combine Custom Image and Digital Filter functions into a single effect, as shown above.

I was fortunate to have a very complete Pentax Q kit on hand for my review, including not just the camera, but all current Q-mount lenses, the O-VF1 viewfinder accessory, and a 40.5mm polarizing filter that works with both the 01 Standard Prime and 02 Standard Zoom lenses. They even included a small case that I believe was actually intended for one of Pentax's Optio W-series digicams, but happily consumed the entire kit with space left over. That should tell you just how portable the Q is -- you don't feel in the least bit weighed down bringing the entire kit everywhere you go. My daily shooter is a Pentax K-5, and so I also had access to the relevant remote controls, flash strobes, etc. to see how the Q fit into the larger Pentax ecosystem. (And take it from me, the Q looks decidedly odd with a large AF540FGZ flash strobe mounted in the hot shoe. I try these things so you don't have to be the recipient of strange looks in public when you try it yourself!)

There's lots of detail in this shot with the 01 Standard Prime Lens, but even at just ISO 250, some noise (and noise reduction smudging) is starting to become noticeable.

Both High Performance-series lenses were a pleasure to shoot with. They feel just as high quality as the Q's body itself, their metal mounts click into place reassuringly when mounted, and although they're fly-by-wire, focusing manually is easy and accurate. It's a nice touch that both lenses share the same 40.5mm filter threads, allowing you to simply swap filters and lens caps between the pair. It's a pity that the prime's 8.5mm focal length is one already covered by the zoom, though. I found that because I'm not typically a prime shooter, and I could already achieve the same focal length with the zoom, I had to consciously remind myself that the prime was in my camera bag. It tended to go unused unless I really needed the wider f/1.9 aperture, or I was shooting a relatively static subject that gave me more time to think about switching to the prime, and framing with my feet. I'd have preferred to see the prime coupled to a more telephoto zoom, and it looks like that wish may come true later this year.

The Unique-series lenses were interesting, but they weren't really my cup of tea. I'm not the target audience, clearly: while I can see the appeal of the lo-fi look with the right image, I prefer to shoot a high-quality photo and then play with effects in post-processing. That way, I still have a high quality original if I decide to change my mind about the lo-fi look. I tried to put myself in the shoes of the typical cellphone-toting Instagram or Hipstamatic fan, nonetheless. The near impulse-buy pricing of the Unique-series lenses is a clear bonus, as is their extremely light nature. You can slip them in a pants pocket and literally forget that they're even there. They also still feel reasonably good quality, despite the price and greater usage of plastic in their designs. Unfortunately, they bring so many limitations--no autofocus, no in-lens shutter, no ND filter, fixed aperture, extremely slow 1/13 second X-sync, a very short manual-focus throw, and no filter threads--that shooting with them invariably took me out of the moment, as I tried to remember which features I could or couldn't use, and how I'd need to work around those limitations. At the price, I'd probably still pick them up, but I have a feeling they'd end up little-used once the novelty wore off. That's where I found my first real problem with the Pentax Q, and it's one that may resolve itself as more Q-mount optics are released: right now, there may be five lenses available, but I have a feeling all but the 02 Standard Zoom would spend most of their time languishing untouched in my camera bag.

Of the Unique series lenses, the most fun for my money is probably the Pentax 03 Fish-eye, but all lenses in the series have some pretty major functional limitations.

Pentax's O-VF1 optical viewfinder accessory likewise left me feeling a little conflicted. It's beautifully made, and yields a very bright, sharp view, as you'd expect given the hefty chunk of glass at its heart. It's a little tight to slip on and off the hotshoe, but with use I imagine a little wear would make it less fiddly to mount and remove. It's surprisingly expensive, though: double or more the price of competing system camera viewfinder accessories, and there are no front or rear caps to protect its optics. That made me rather nervous leaving it mounted when I wasn't actively shooting with it. It also blocks the popup flash, preventing it extending, and while you can at least use the flash in its retracted position, that's likely to increase the chances of redeye. Nor can you use an external flash strobe with the O-VF1 mounted. Perhaps the biggest issue, though, is that it only includes framing guidelines for the 01 Standard Prime lens. Of course, on the plus side it uses no battery whatsoever, and there's that gorgeous, bright view. If you plan on shooting almost exclusively with the standard prime, the O-VF1 might be worth considering, but otherwise I'd pass on it.

My Remote Control F and Remote Control O-RC1 both worked perfectly with the Pentax Q. Given that the Q's body isn't weather-sealed, the latter is overkill, though. If you don't own either, I'd suggest picking up the Remote Control F, which is so small you could forget it was in your shirt pocket. I didn't have access to any of Pentax's external strobes except my AF540FGZ, and while they worked just fine together, the combination was extremely unwieldy, as I've mentioned. Given that the Q's autofocus system can't take advantage of the AF assist function of larger strobes, I'd probably recommend staying with the AF200FG, if you really need an external strobe. (And you probably will, if you need to do much handheld, low-light shooting; the onboard flash has a very clever extension mechanism, but even by compact system camera standards, it's relatively weak.)

Bump the ISO sensitivity up nearer the maximum, and things start getting pretty blotchy and smeary, as in this ISO 3,200 shot. That said, there's still quite a lot of fine detail left in the bridge railings.

As I've said, I had a lot of fun shooting with the Pentax Q thanks to its camera-like feel. There were, however, a couple of flies in the ointment. Like I said, I'm typically a full-time RAW shooter, but while reviewing cameras I usually switch to RAW+JPEG, so that I can provide out-of-camera images as well. That can be a bit painful with the Pentax Q, because from a reasonably handy 5.3 frames per second in JPEG-only shooting, burst performance and depth falls off a cliff as soon as RAW capture is enabled. Even at just 1.2 frames per second, I could shoot roughly four RAW+JPEG frames, and would then have to wait ten seconds for the buffer to clear. Autofocus likewise felt sluggish, and while I didn't use it very much--this isn't a camera I'd choose to shoot sports with--the tracking autofocus seemed rather hit and miss, frequently forgetting what it was tracking even with a fairly high-contrast subject, and wandering off around the frame at random.

Back home, I found my shots a little disappointing for a camera at this price point. Although the Q's images had the fairly punchy, Pentax look which I rather like, they tended to be rather on the soft side, and that's at or near the camera's base ISO sensitivity. Push the sensitivity a bit, and rather heavy-handed noise reduction starts to rob images of detail. Personally, I found myself trying to stay under ISO 400, but having grown accustomed to regularly shooting at ISO 3,200 or even ISO 6,400 with my Pentax K-5, that felt very limiting. Of course, the Q didn't do badly compared to other cameras at this sensor size, but that's the point: its main mirrorless rivals don't have to contend with a sensor of this size. Even on a bright, sunny day, that sensor still brings drawbacks, most notably in the difficulty of achieving a shallow depth-of-field effect. Pentax's Blur Control function aims to answer this shortcoming, and in some situations it works surprisingly well. Unfortunately, it's rather hit and miss, though: the effect occasionally looks very artificial, and even blurs the edges of your subject into the background. It's also a shame that since it's a standalone mode, Blur Control can't be combined with other functions, meaning many Q owners will simply forget it's available to them.

The Blur Control function can yield some reasonably convincing results with the right shot, although even here, the illusion falls apart when inspected more closely. Note the dark halo around the antennae on the model trams, and the fact that the closer tram's antenna is more blurred than the one behind it, when the reverse should be the case.

I'm conscious that it probably seems I'm being rather hard on the Pentax Q. Perhaps that's partly down to the fact that I've found the company's SLR cameras so great: you could offer me significantly more expensive cameras, and you still wouldn't pry my K-5 out of my hands. Sadly, as much as I wanted to love the Pentax Q for its tiny, take-anywhere body and quality feel, I found myself leaving it at home entirely too often. Not because it's too big, like most other interchangeable-lens cameras, but because there always seemed to be another camera on the shelf promising better image quality. As much as ergonomics, feature set, and quality are an important part of the shooting experience, the quality of the images is key for me.

Were it a straight fight against compact cameras with a similar sensor size, the Pentax Q would win hands-down. Sadly, its pricing pits it against compact system cameras with much larger sensors, and while none of them come close to the size of the Pentax Q, you can argue that they're at least small enough, compared to the typical SLR. In terms of image quality, pitting the Q against the mirrorless competition is playing it against a stacked deck: it simply can't win. For me, the Pentax Q just isn't the right camera, no matter how much I wanted to love it. For you, it might be--but only if size and weight are your top priority.

Pentax Q Image Quality

The crops below compare the Pentax Q to a couple of premium Point & Shoots (the Canon G12 and Nikon P7100), and a few Compact System Cameras (Nikon V1, Olympus E-PM1 and Sony NEX-5N). Though we normally start with ISO 1,600 here, we thought we'd start with base ISO to show the best each camera can do.

A note on diffraction limiting: We initially shot the Pentax Q Still Life scene at f/5.6, which produced disappointingly soft images. Shooting it at f/2.8, though, yielded sharper images near the center, though corners were softer. (Selecting an aperture for lab shots is a tradeoff between sharpness, field curvature, depth-of-field, and available shutter speed.) Because the Pentax Q uses a smaller sensor with more pixels than the Canon G12 and Nikon P7100, for example, diffraction limiting sets in at above f/2.8. We shot the G12 and P7100 at f/5.6, but the same calculations show the lens to be diffraction limited at that setting; the cameras may look slightly sharper at f/4. Of course, we can't determine that without re-obtaining the cameras in question and re-shooting them, which we don't have the time to do. Just bear these factors in mind when looking at the images below.

Note also that these images are best quality JPEGs straight out of the camera, at default settings including noise reduction. Each camera was shot with the sharpest lens on hand, though we have no reference lens for the Pentax Q system yet, so we had to use the Pentax 8.5mm f/1.9 Standard Prime for it. The point-and-shoot cameras we've included here obviously used their fixed zoom lenses.

Pentax Q versus Canon G12 at base ISO

Pentax Q at ISO 125	Canon G12 ISO 80
Our initial test images with the Pentax Q were noticeably softer than this, taken at f/5.6 with the 8.5mm Standard Prime. Changing to f/2.8 yielded better results, though we have no way of telling whether the G12, shot at f/5.6, would do significantly better at f/2.8. That significant variable told, the 12-megapixel Pentax Q does fairly well, better than the 10-megapixel G12 on the mosaic label, but not quite as good on the red leaf swatch.

Pentax Q versus Nikon P7100 at base ISO

Pentax Q at ISO 125	Nikon P7100 at ISO 100
Also up against the 10-megapixel Nikon P7100, the 12-megapixel Pentax Q does a little better with the olive oil bottle shot and mosaic image, but not quite as good at the red leaf swatch. Pentax's rendering of the pink swatch is also decidedly more magenta.

Pentax Q versus Nikon V1 at base ISO

Pentax Q at ISO 125	Nikon V1 at ISO 100
Though its sensor is even larger than the Nikon P7100, the 10-megapixel Nikon V1's results are similar, with lower performance in fine detail, but better performance in the red leaf swatch when compared to the Pentax Q; and that's exactly what we'd expect given the Pentax Q's smaller sensor size at a higher resolution.

Pentax Q versus Olympus E-PM1 at base ISO

Pentax Q at ISO 125	Olympus E-PM1 at ISO 200
Finally finding a match in resolution against the 12-megapixel Olympus E-PM1, the Pentax Q fares surprisingly well. (Bear in mind that the E-PM1 was shot at f/8, yet with a very sharp lens.) The Olympus show more sharpening, but also more detail, especially in the pink swatch, where one can see the gaps between threads. It's a pretty close competition, one in which the Pentax Q does better than expected.

Pentax Q versus Sony NEX-5N at base ISO

Pentax Q at ISO 125	Sony NEX-5N at ISO 100
The 16-megapixel Sony NEX-5N (shot at f/8) shows what can be done with our still life target, standing as one of the highest quality compact system cameras available for the money. Still, there's more evidence of sharpening halos in the Mas Portel bottle (top) than in the Pentax Q image. There's more detail in all the other elements, though, including the mosaic image, the red leaf swatch, and the pink fabric. Given its APS-C sensor size and higher resolution, though, it's no surprise that the Q couldn't quite rise to the challenge.

Most decent cameras produce very good results at base ISO, so we like to see what they can do at higher settings. Recent advances in sensor technology have made ISO 1,600 look a lot more like ISO 100, but there still are cameras whose quality starts to fall apart at this setting. We also choose 1,600 because we like to be able to shoot at least at this level when indoors and at night.

Pentax Q versus Canon G12 at ISO 1,600

Pentax Q at ISO 1,600	Canon G12 ISO 1,600
We argued pretty heavily at its introduction that the Pentax Q's primary competition was the G12 and P7100, not other compact system cameras with larger sensors. So the above results are instructive. The Q does slightly better with the Mosaic image, but the rest is pretty equally soft. Contrast and color are better from the Q, though, and the Mas Portel label at the top does look a little better. Still, both cameras struggle a lot at our first benchmark ISO 1,600 test.

Pentax Q versus Nikon P7100 at ISO 1,600

Pentax Q at ISO 1,600	Nikon P7100 at ISO 1,600
Color is again the differentiator between the Pentax Q and P7100, and the Q also retains more high-contrast detail than the P7100.

Pentax Q versus Nikon V1 at ISO 1,600

Pentax Q at ISO 1,600	Nikon V1 at ISO 1,600
Despite its larger sensor, the Nikon V1 doesn't do as well against the Q as we'd expected. It's pretty close to a draw, with slightly richer color from the V1, but also more blotchy chroma noise, particularly around the olive oil bottle.

Pentax Q versus Olympus E-PM1 at ISO 1,600

Pentax Q at ISO 1,600	Olympus E-PM1 at ISO 1,600
The Olympus E-PM1 resolves a bit more high-contrast detail, and does a lot more processing on the image. It may look a little more artificial onscreen, but it results in a larger print.

Pentax Q versus Sony NEX-5N at ISO 1,600

Pentax Q at ISO 1,600	Sony NEX-5N at ISO 1,600
Few words are required to show the differences here. The advantage to a larger sensor could be illustrated clearly with these crops.

Today's ISO 3,200 is yesterday's ISO 1,600 (well, almost), so below are the same crops at ISO 3,200.

Pentax Q versus Canon G12 at ISO 3,200

Pentax Q at ISO 3,200	Canon G12 ISO 3,200
There's surprisingly lower image quality in the Canon G12 images, with more blotchy noise and less color retention than the Pentax Q manages. Note that the Pentax Q's aperture was f/4 at ISO 3,200, because of the 1/2000 second shutter speed limit.

Pentax Q versus Nikon P7100 at ISO 3,200

Pentax Q at ISO 3,200	Nikon P7100 at ISO 3,200
The Nikon P7100 fares far worse at ISO 3,200 with both blotchy luminance noise and noticeable color loss. We prefer the Pentax Q's output.

Pentax Q versus Nikon V1 at ISO 3,200

Pentax Q at ISO 3,200	Nikon V1 at ISO 3,200
The Nikon V1 retains more detail and color than the Pentax, showing a better sense of all elements, including the mosaic and even the red leaf swatch, a different outcome from the ISO 1,600 results, where the Pentax Q seemed to have an edge.

Pentax Q versus Olympus E-PM1 at ISO 3,200

Pentax Q at ISO 3,200	Olympus E-PM1 at ISO 3,200
The E-PM1's extraordinary efforts still look odd onscreen, but print larger and better, thanks to contrast and detail retention, though some colors are faded.

Pentax Q versus Sony NEX-5N at ISO 3,200

Pentax Q at ISO 3,200	Sony NEX-5N at ISO 3,200
The NEX-5N is naturally sharper with more detail and better color.

Detail: Pentax Q vs. Canon G12, Nikon P7100, Nikon V1, Olympus E-PM1, and Sony NEX-5N

	N/A
Pentax Q ISO 125 ISO 3,200 ISO 6,400	Canon G12 ISO 80 ISO 3,200 ISO 6,400	Nikon P7100 ISO 100 ISO 3,200 ISO 6,400	Nikon V1 ISO 100 ISO 3,200 ISO 6,400	Olympus E-PM1 ISO 200 ISO 3,200 ISO 6,400	Sony NEX-5N ISO 100 ISO 3,200 ISO 6,400
Detail comparison. High-contrast details are often sharper as ISO rises, so they're worth a look as well. The Pentax Q's detail is superior to the 10-megapixel contenders in this test, but only just enough for color demosaicing errors to appear in the fine lines in our Pure Brewed label letters, a fairly common error among Pentax sensors in particular. As ISO rises, detail blurs more dramatically, though the aperture of f/4 at ISO 3,200 and f/5.6 at 6,400 contributes to the softness. Still, it's easy to see that the larger sensors in this comparison do better by default at higher ISOs.

Pentax Q Print Quality

Great 16x20-inch images from ISO 125-400; ISO 1,600 makes a good 8x10; ISO 6,400 shots are a little too soft at 4x6.

Diffraction limiting affected the Pentax Q so dramatically that we had to reshoot our Still life shots at f/2.8 to get a sharper image, because the Q's original print quality assessment showed a disappointing 11x14-inch maximum print size for images shot at f/5.6. The new prints show considerably better performance.

ISO 125 shots look quite good in the detail department when printed as large as 16x20 inches. Unsurprisingly, reds are a little soft at this size, but we think most folks would accept the output as quite good.

ISO 200 images are also very good at 16x20 inches.

ISO 400 images are good at 13x19, but the red detail is a little softer, such that we prefer it printed at 11x14 inches.

ISO 800 shots look very good at 11x14.

ISO 1,600 shots are quite good at 8x10. Reds are soft, but that's not surprising for the sensor size. What's surprising is the good quality 8x10 at ISO 1,600!

ISO 3,200 images appear a little smudgy at 5x7; the color is there, but the detail seems too soft. Reduction to 4x6 results in a more normal-looking print.

ISO 6,400 images have the color, but not the detail again. The lack of noise is pretty remarkable, but it comes at the cost of detail. We'd call it usable, but not stellar.

Overall, though, the Pentax Q shot at f/2.8 performs very well, redeeming itself somewhat in our eyes from our first impressions. Diffraction limiting makes smaller apertures less useful for sharp images, but that's just a fact of digital photography, especially with small, high-resolution sensors.

In the Box

The Pentax Q ships with the following items in the box:

• Pentax Q body
• Pentax 01 Standard Prime lens and (in dual lens kit) Pentax 02 Standard Zoom Lens (in US kits; other kits may be available outside the US market)
• Body mount cover Q
• Front and rear caps for lens(es)
• D-LI68 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack
• K-BC68 battery charger kit
• I-USB7 USB cable
• O-ST115 shoulder strap
• Hotshoe mount cover FK
• S-SW115 Software CD-ROM
• Instruction manual
• Warranty card

Recommended Accessories

• Extra battery pack
• O-VF1 external optical viewfinder (if you plan to shoot mostly with the 01 Standard Prime lens)
• Remote Control F or Remote Control WP
• External flash strobe (AF-200FG looks to be best-suited for the Q)
• K-AC115 AC adapter kit if you plan to shoot in a studio often
• K mount adapter (if you want to use Pentax's K-mount lenses; other adapter types are available from third parties)
• Protective case (perhaps the Q Leather Vintage Case)
• Large capacity, high-speed SDHC/SDXC memory card. 8-16GB or larger makes sense if you plan on shooting lots of HD video. Look for a speed grade of at least Class 6 for HD video capture.

Pentax Q Conclusion

When Pentax announced the tiny Pentax Q compact system camera in the middle of last year, it instantly polarized opinions. Some loved it for its truly compact proportions, fulfilling a promise that they felt other mirrorless cameras had failed to truly deliver upon. Others decried its much smaller-than-typical image sensor, and the constraints this would bring in terms of image quality, especially in the areas of high ISO noise and shallow depth-of-field effects. Here at IR headquarters, we likewise found ourselves conflicted. On the one hand, we admired Pentax's ability to take a bold step in its own direction, offering a camera that truly stood out from the crowd. On the other hand, we understood the Q to be bound by the same laws of physics and the same optical constraints as any other camera, and hence our enthusiasm was tempered by concern as to whether image quality would be sufficient to make the tradeoff worthwhile.

Having finished our review, we admit to still being conflicted. There's a lot to love about the Pentax Q, without question. It manages to demonstrate perfectly what Pentax has shown itself to be best at: making a really small camera that feels like a genuine photographic tool, not a computer with a lens strapped to the front. In the right conditions, the Pentax Q is a really fun camera to shoot with, and despite its trim proportions, it manages to be pretty comfortable even for photographers with large hands. Were it priced competitively with the fixed-lens cameras that share a similar sensor size, the Pentax Q would be a no-brainer, but unfortunately, it's not. Its pricing is similar to that of compact system cameras that, while significantly larger, are also capable of providing far superior image quality, especially when you're not shooting in ideal lighting conditions. Compared to those cameras, the Q's smaller sensor also brings another significant drawback: at apertures smaller than f/2.8, you're already diffraction-limited, meaning that you have to stay at f/2.8 or larger if you want to get the maximum detail. That does rather restrict one's options, but if you can take account of the diffraction limit and stay at a lower ISO sensitivity, you might be surprised by how much detail the Q can hold onto.

It's simply not fair to compare the Pentax Q with cameras that are so much larger than it is, however. When you place the Q alongside even the smallest rival compact system cameras, the difference in size is dramatic--especially when you take the size of the optics into account. And so, we find ourselves returning time and again to a comparison with the small-sensor, fixed lens cameras that seem to provide the most realistic basis for comparison. Here, the advantage should be clear: the ability to switch lenses, and all the versatility that brings. Unfortunately, the Q-mount lens selection at launch is underwhelming. All but two current Q-mount lenses have major limitations that reduce their appeal. Of those remaining two lenses, your choices are either a prime or a short 3x zoom , both of whose focal lengths overlap each other. That situation should improve in the future, but we can't say when, and in the meantime, the Pentax Q buyer remains limited to shooting with what's currently on offer. In a nutshell, you're buying into a 3x zoom, small-sensor camera with a promise that one day it might be so much more, for significantly more than you'd expect to pay for a 3x zoom, small-sensor camera.

For some, who are focused on having the smallest camera possible, but without sacrificing the versatility of an interchangeable lens, that's a deal worth making. For the rest of us, though, while the Pentax Q certainly has a lot to offer, it's not a camera we can recommend at the current list price, and with the current lens lineup. (Note that we're discussing list pricing here; we've seen some occasional price discounts over the last few months that do make the Q a rather more attractive option, and if you can manage to pick up one of these, it's a much easier camera to recommend.)

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Operation

Pentax Q Modes and Menus

Pentax Q Capture Modes

When powered on, the camera is automatically placed into Record mode. The Mode dial on top of the camera sets the main shooting mode, with the following options:

 Auto Picture mode: Recognized scene types include Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Night Scene Portrait, Sunset, Blue Sky, and Forest.

 Scene mode: Options are: Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object, Night Scene Portrait, Sunset, Blue Sky, Night Scene, Night Scene HDR, Night Snap, Food, Quick Macro, Pet, Kids, Forest, Surf & Snow, HDR, Backlight Silhouette, Candlelight, Stage Lighting, and Museum.

 Blur Control mode: Attempts to simulate the shallow depth-of-field effect of a large-sensor camera. Three strength levels are offered.

 Program mode: Includes a Program Shift function to bias the overall exposure towards your desired shutter speed / aperture, if using a lens with built-in shutter. Can also be configured to switch to full Shutter-priority or Aperture-priority shooting, instead of using Program Shift. Green button resets to metered exposure. Toy and Fish-eye lenses, which lack a built-in shutter and have a fixed aperture, don't offer Program Shift or Priority shooting, but shutter speed can be biased by adjusting ISO sensitivity.

 Shutter Priority mode: Abbreviated as "Tv" for Time value. Shutter speeds range from 1/2,000 to 30 seconds if the attached lens has a built-in shutter. Toy and Fish-eye lenses lack this, and have a fixed aperture. For these lenses, shutter speeds are 1/8,000 to 30 seconds, and the shutter speed cannot be adjusted manually, but can be biased by adjusting ISO sensitivity.

 Aperture Priority mode: Abbreviated as "Av" for Aperture value. Toy and Fish-eye lenses have a fixed aperture.

 Manual mode: Includes Bulb mode, albeit limited to 32 seconds and ISO 1,600. Green button can reset shutter speed, aperture, or both to the metered value. Bulb mode isn't available when shooting with Toy or Fish-eye lenses, which have a fixed aperture, and the slowest shutter speed with these is limited to two seconds.

 Movie mode: Allows either Program or Manual exposure, and both Custom Image and Digital Filter functions are available for video shooting. Shutter speed range is 1/30 to 1/8,000 second, and the lens aperture is fixed with Toy or Fish-eye lenses.

Playback Mode

The Playback button on the top panel accesses Playback mode, where you can review captured images. The left and right arrow keys scroll forward and backward one image at a time, while the down key calls up the Playback Mode palette, from which you can edit and develop images, view side-by-side comparisons, etc. By rolling the E-dial to the right, you can enlarge captured images, while rolling it to the left displays them first in index format, then grouped by folder. You can select the number of thumbnails to display in the index, or alternatively, select a calendar view.

Pentax Q Menu Details

Pressing the Menu button provides access to the camera's full menu system. The following options are available in most camera modes as menu tabs at the top of the display:

Record Menu 1:

Record Menu 2:

Record Menu 3:

Movie Menu:

Playback Menu:

Setup Menu 1:

Setup Menu 2:

Setup Menu 3:

Custom Menu 1:

Custom Menu 2:

Optics

Kit Lens

As you'd expect given that it ships with a brand-new lens mount, the Pentax Q isn't available body-only. In the US market, it's currently available in only one kit, which includes the 01 Standard Prime lens, an 8.5mm f/1.9 optic that's equivalent to a 47mm lens on a 35mm camera. Some overseas markets offer a choice of kit lenses, either replacing or supplementing the prime lens with the 02 Standard Zoom. With a 3x optical zoom range, this lens offers focal lengths from 5 to 15mm with a variable f/2.8 to f/4.5 aperture. 35mm equivalent focal lengths range from 27.5 to 83mm.

Both lenses are part of what Pentax is referring to as the 'High-Performance series' (and at this time, they're the only models in the series). They have metal lens mounts, mix metal and plastic construction in the rest of their makeup, and despite their small size and weight, achieve a feeling of good quality. They feature 40.5mm filter threads, a nice touch since that means they can both share the same filters, and their center-pinch lens caps are interchangeable. They also have fly-by-wire manual focusing, and are internal focusing designs. Their front elements don't rotate when focusing or (for the zoom) when adjusting focal length. Both have 5-bladed apertures that double as in-lens shutters, and allow maximum shutter speeds of 1/2,000 second, with internal flash sync possible at up to the same speed. They also include built-in, optional two-stop neutral density filters. Minimum aperture in both cases is f/8.0. As you'd expect, they also include Pentax's lens coating to combat flare.

Optical construction of the 01 Standard Prime kit lens consists of eight elements in five groups, with two aspherical elements. Minimum focusing distance is 20cm or 7.9 inches for a maximum magnification ratio of 0.05x or 1:20 equivalent. Length is 23mm or 0.9 inches, while maximum diameter is 46mm or 1.8 inches. Weight is just 96 grams or 1.3 ounces, without the optional lens hood. Given that it's included with all Q camera bodies in the US market, this lens isn't available for purchase separately here. In some other markets where it's possible to buy the Q with just the zoom lens, the prime may also be available as a separate product, however.

For the 02 Standard Prime lens that's available as a kit model in some markets, the optical formula is eight elements in seven groups, including four extra-low dispersion glass elements. Minimum focusing distance is 30 cm or 11.8 inches across the zoom range, for a maximum magnification of 0.06x or 1:16.7 equivalent at the telephoto position. The optical zoom ratio is 3x, with a rotary mechanical zoom control, and the lens extends by about 3/8 inch (10mm) or so at the wide angle position. (Its most compact size is achieved at an actual focal length of 12-13mm, although it only extends negligibly at full telephoto.) There's no zoom lock, but given the extremely light weight of the lens, it's unlikely that zoom creep would ever be an issue, even with several filters and a hood attached. Length is 48mm or 1.9 inches when the lens is retracted, and maximum diameter is also 48 mm or 1.9 inches. Weight is about 175 grams or 3.4 oz, without the optional lens hood. List pricing for this lens is $300 in the US market.

Lens Compatibility

The Pentax Q features a brand new bayonet lens mount dubbed the Q mount. It's not backwards-compatible with any previous lenses, although Pentax has plans to offer an adapter offering K-mount compatibility, with some limitations (and a fairly extreme focal length crop). The Pentax Q-mount is designed to accommodate a 1/2.3-inch type (7.7 mm / 0.30 inch diagonal) image sensor with sensor-shift stabilization mechanism, and the reduced backfocus distance of a mirrorless design.

Pentax's Q-mount lenses are unusual in that the company defines them as two distinct groups, separated by price and feature set. In the kit lens section above, we've already detailed the 'High-Performance series', which launches with two lens models. The remaining three lenses available at launch make up the 'Unique series'. These are aimed at lower cost, and replace the metal mount with a plastic one, much like the company's DA-L lenses on K-mount cameras. More importantly, though, they don't include the in-lens shutter mechanism of the 'High-Performance' models, which brings a couple of key limitations. They can show significant rolling shutter effect in still images, if your subject is in motion. They also limit flash sync speed to just 1/13 second.

Additionally, they have a fixed aperture, drop autofocus capability and the built-in ND filter, don't include filter threads or provision for lens hoods, and most models don't feature a Pentax SP lens coating. Another cost-saving difference from the High-Performance series lenses can be found in their lens caps. Unlike their more expensive siblings, which ship with a traditional spring-loaded center pinch lens cap, the Unique-series lenses include a soft, plastic cap that simply presses around the outside of the lens barrel, and is held in place by friction. The front caps for the fisheye and toy wide lenses are interchangeable, while the toy tele lens is slightly larger than those for the other Unique models.

Although the Unique-series lenses all include mechanical manual focus dials, they have a very short throw indeed. It takes only around an eighth of a turn to traverse the entire focus range, and you do have to pay attention to focusing carefully: all three lenses will go beyond infinity.

The PENTAX 03 Fish-eye is the sole model in the series to include an SP coating, and has a fixed f/5.6 aperture, and a 3.2mm focal length (17.5mm equivalent), yielding a 160° field of view. Pentax describes it as a pan-focus design, meaning that depth of field is sufficient to keep both your subject and background sharp, unless the subject is very close to the camera. The optical formula is six elements in five groups, and minimum focusing distance for this lens is rated at 89mm or 3.5 inches, while maximum magnification is 0.06x / 1:16.7. Length is 30mm or 1.2 inches, while maximum diameter is 41mm or 1.6 inches. Even though its weight is just 29 grams or 1.0 ounces, this is actually the heaviest current unique-series lens. Pricing for this model is in the region of US$130.

The remaining two lenses are intended to appeal to fans of Lomo photography, and are dubbed "toy" lenses by Pentax. The Pentax 04 Toy Lens Wide has a fixed f/7.1 aperture, and a 6.3mm actual focal length (35mm equivalent), yielding a 64° field of view. The optical formula is four elements in three groups, and minimum focusing distance for this lens is rated at 71mm or 2.8 inches, while maximum magnification is 0.15x / 1:6.7. Length is 25mm or 1.0 inches, while maximum diameter is 41mm or 1.6 inches. Weight is just 21 grams or 0.7 ounces. This lens is priced at a very affordable US$80 or thereabouts.

Finally, the Pentax 05 Toy Lens Telephoto has a fixed f/8 aperture, and an 18mm actual focal length (100mm equivalent), yielding a 24.5° field of view. The optical formula is extremely simple: just three elements, none of them grouped, and minimum focusing distance for this lens is rated at 26.9cm or 10.6 inches, while maximum magnification is 0.08x / 1:12.5. Length is 20mm or 0.8 inches, while maximum diameter is 41mm or 1.6 inches. The weight is a remarkable 18 grams or 0.6 ounces; this is both the smallest and lightest Q-mount lens as of this writing (Feb 2012). As with the other toy model, pricing for this lens is approximately US$80.

Pentax revealed development of several additional Q-mount optics expected to be available sometime during 2012, although this is subject to change. These include a telephoto zoom lens of unspecified focal length and aperture, a pinhole lens tentatively known as the 'Mount Cap Lens', and a mount adaptor allowing use of K-mount lenses on Q-mount bodies. This last is particularly interesting, given that it includes a built-in shutter unit, but sadly it doesn't provide for autofocus or automatic aperture control. (There's an aperture dial allowing apertures from the maximum of the lens to f/8, however.) Slated to go on sale from Spring 2012, pricing isn't available for the adapter; nor do we have pricing info for the new lenses.

Following are detailed specifications for all five Q-mount lenses available as of February 2012.

	PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME	PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM	PENTAX-03 FISH EYE	PENTAX-04 TOY LENS WIDE	PENTAX-05 TOY LENS TELEPHOTO
Series	High-Performance Series		Unique Series
Mount	PENTAX Q
Mount Material	Metal		Plastic
Flange Focal Length	9.2mm
Lens Construction	8 elements in 5 groups	8 elements in 7 groups	6 elements in 5 groups	4 elements in 3 groups	3 elements in 3 groups
Angle of View	49.5°	76.0° - 29.0°	160°	64°	24.5°
Actual Focal Length	8.5mm	5mm - 15mm	3.2mm	6.3mm	18mm
35mm-equivalent Focal Length	47mm	27.5mm - 83.0mm	17.5mm	35mm	100mm
Max. Aperture	F1.9	F2.8 - F4.5	F5.6	F7.1	F8
Diaphragm Control	Automatic		Fixed
Lens Shutter	Yes		No
ND Filter	Yes		No
SP (Super Protect) Coating	Yes			No
Minimum Focusing Distance	0.2m	0.3m (all focal lengths)	0.09m	0.07m	0.27m
Approx. Maximum Magnification	0.05x	0.06x	0.06x	0.15x	0.08x
Filter Thread Diameter	40.5mm		Not compatible
Maximum Diameter	45.5mm	48.5mm	40.6mm	40.6mm	40.6mm
Minimum Length	23.0mm	48.0mm	30.5mm	25.0mm	19.5mm
Approx. Weight	37g	96g	29g	21g	18g
Hood	MH-RA 40.5mm (optional)	PH-SBA 40.5mm (optional)	Not compatible

Focusing

The Pentax Q offers five autofocus modes: Face Detection, Tracking, 25-point AF Select, Select, and Spot. Of course, manual focus is also available. Like almost all compact system cameras, all modes rely on contrast detection algorithms that analyze data streaming off the image sensor.

In Face Detection mode, the Pentax Q can detect up to twelve faces simultaneously, and automatically selects one of these faces for autofocus and autoexposure determination. A yellow frame is placed around this face, while white frames appear for other faces. If no faces are present, the camera falls back to a centered 9-point mode.

The 25-point AF Select mode divides the image frame--with the exception of the extreme edges--into an array of five by five areas. The camera automatically selects the focus point, and it's possible to limit the number of points to either 9-point (a 3x3 array), 5-point (a plus-shaped array), 3-point (either vertical or horizontal), or single-point. All of these reduced-point modes allow the active area to be moved around the frame, and can't overlap the edge of the frame, except for the 5-point mode. This last can be placed so that the center point sits on one edge of the array, or in the extreme corner.

The Tracking mode provides a single, smaller AF point at the center of the frame, and attempts to follow the subject as it moves around the frame. The Select mode offers a smaller AF point size, and lets you position that single point within a much finer-grained grid of 47 x 33 locations covering most of the image frame, apart from the extreme edges. Finally, Spot mode simply locks focus from the very center of the image frame.

Note that there isn't a separate Continuous Autofocus mode on the Pentax Q. Instead, this is enabled only when the camera is placed in Moving Object, Night Snap, Pet, Kids, or Stage Lighting scene modes.

When using manual focus, you can magnify the image by either 2x or 4x courtesy of the MF Assist option in the Focus Settings menu, and activated by pressing the OK button, and this defaults to zooming at the center of the frame, although you can move this area around the frame with the arrow keys, and roll the E-dial to change between the two zoom levels when active. The four-way controller can be used to move the magnified area around the frame, and if set to Contrast Detection AF, the focus point moves so as to remain in the center of the view. Pressing the OK button a second time immediately returns the view to the center, and when you half-press the shutter button, the magnified view is immediately canceled to allow image framing.

AF Assist

To help with focusing on nearby subjects in low ambient lighting conditions, the Pentax Q includes an AF assist lamp, which can be disabled in the Custom menu.

Shake Reduction

Like its SLR cameras, the Pentax Q includes an in-body stabilization system, or 'Shake Reduction' in Pentax parlance. Unlike lens-based systems which rely on each lens to provide stabilization capability, the in-body stabilization functions with all Q-mount lenses. The potential disadvantage is that sensor shift designs aren't necessarily as effective at correcting for shake on lenses with longer focal lengths, compared to lens-based stabilization. This, as yet, isn't something that Q owners need worry about, given that the no current Q-mount lenses offer more than a 100mm focal length. That may change when the company ships longer focal length lenses for the Q mount, however. In the meantime, Shake Reduction comes in very handy to freeze blur from camera shake in low-light conditions, although obviously only a higher shutter speed can help with subject motion.

According to Pentax, the Q's Shake Reduction can provide up to a 4 stop reduction in blur. Through the Custom menu, you can opt to have Shake Reduction performed only during image exposure, or during framing as well. Disabling the function isn't likely to save much power, however, as the system must remain active if only to hold the sensor still during exposure.

Dust Reduction

The Pentax Q also includes a Pentax dust removal system, branded as DR II, the same system that debuted in the Pentax K-7 and also features in the K-5. Like these models, the Q relies on the combination of an SP coating on the low-pass filter to keep dust from adhering in the first place, and high-frequency vibration using a dedicated piezoelectric element to try shake dust off the sensor. Our past testing has found these systems to be more effective, compared to systems like those in Pentax's entry-level SLRs, which instead use lower-frequency vibrations induced using the sensor shift mechanism.

Unlike the company's SLRs, the Pentax Q doesn't offer a Dust Alert function, however, so you'll need to take your own test images if you want to confirm if there's any dust adhering to the OLPF that merits a manual sensor cleaning.

Distortion Correction. The Pentax Q can correct for lens distortion in-camera, when using Q-mount lenses. This feature corrects for both pincushion and barrel distortion for 'High-Performance' series lenses, helping ensure lines that should be straight appear so in the final image. No correction is available for 'Unique' series lenses.

Kit Lens Test Results

Prime Lens
Fair performance with the 8.5mm f/1.9 kit lens.

The Pentax Q is available bundled with a Pentax-01 8.5mm f/1.9 lens (35mm equivalent is 47mm). The lens is reasonably sharp at f/5.6, with minimal softness in the corners and fairly strong detail throughout the rest of the frame, though finer details are a bit fuzzy. (We normally shoot our Far-field test at f/8 for interchangeable lens cameras, however because the Pentax Q's sensor is much smaller than most, we shot it at f/5.6. A larger aperture such as f/4 or f/2.8 would have likely performed better in terms of center sharpness.) Coma distortion in the trees was low, and chromatic aberration appears well controlled, with only a hint of flare around some of the white trim.

Macro
A larger-than-average minium area, with good detail in the center. Flash had trouble up-close, producing a very dim exposure.

The Pentax Q's macro performance will depend entirely on the lens in use. However, with the 8.5mm kit lens, the Pentax Q captured a somewhat larger-than-average minimum area measuring 3.53 x 2.64 inches (90 x 67 millimeters). Resolution and detail were both good in the center of the frame, with moderate softening in the extreme corners. (Most lenses have some softening in the corners at macro distances, and stopping-down to a smaller aperture generally helps.) The built-in flash had trouble at this close distance, producing a very underexposed image. You'll likely have to stick to external lighting for up-close shots like this one with the Pentax Q.

Geometric Distortion
Very low geometric distortion with the 8.5mm kit lens in JPEGs with Distortion Correction enabled.

Distortion Correction On: Pincushion distortion is less than 0.1 percent

Distortion Correction Off: Barrel distortion is about 1.4 percent

The Pentax Q's 8.5mm kit lens produced under 0.1 percent pincushion distortion in JPEGs, which is negligible, though it's interesting that distortion was pincushion (slightly overcorrected barrel distortion). Turning off the camera's Distortion Correction feature resulted in barrel distortion that was quite high, at just under 1.4 percent. This is the tendency for the lens to bend straight lines outward (like a barrel -- usually at wide-angle) or inward (like a pincushion -- usually at telephoto).

Chromatic Aberration and Corner Sharpness
Moderate chromatic aberration with the kit lens, with strong blurring in the right corners.

Aperture: f/1.9
8.5mm @ f/1.9: Lower right C.A.: Moderate and somewhat bright Softness: Very soft	8.5mm @ f/1.9: Center C.A.: Low Softness: Sharp

Chromatic Aberration. Chromatic aberration in the corners with the Pentax Q's 8.5mm kit lens is moderate and a little bright, though some of this is no doubt affected by some strong blurring in the right corners. (CA is less in the left corners.) Chromatic aberration in uncorrected RAW files is similar, but the camera may be applying CA correction to RAW files (there's no way we can tell).

Corner Softness. The Pentax Q's 8.5mm kit lens produced very soft corners on the right side of the frame, though the left corners showed only minor blurring. In the center, sharpness was very good. (Corner sharpness generally improves when a lens is "stopped-down" a couple of f-stops below full aperture.) There's a bit of corner shading visible as can be seen by the darker corner crop, but light fall-off is actually quite low for the brightness of the lens (f/1.9).

Aperture: f/5.6
8.5mm @ f/5.6: Lower right C.A.: Fairly low Softness: Mild blurring	8.5mm @ f/5.6: Center C.A.: Low Softness: Slightly soft

Chromatic Aberration. With the aperture stopped down to f/5.6, chromatic aberration in the corners with the Pentax Q's 8.5mm kit lens is fairly low, showing really only a hint of a red or green fringing along target lines.

Corner Softness. Corner sharpness is better at f/5.6, with only mild blurring in the corners compared to what we saw at f/1.9, but the center is a touch soft, probably due to diffraction. Vignetting (corner shading) is very low when stopped down to f/5.6.

Aperture: f/2.8
8.5mm @ f/2.8: Lower right C.A.: Moderate Softness: Soft	8.5mm @ f/2.8: Center C.A.: Low Softness: Sharp

During our testing, we found that our 8.5mm f/1.9 lens is sharpest in the center at around f/2.8, however corners on the right side are still quite soft though not as soft as f/1.9. See above. A second copy of the lens tested similarly. We'll be testing this lens on SLRgear.com, so stay tuned for test results at a full range of apertures. Bottom line, avoid apertures smaller than f/2.8 for maximum sharpness.

The images above were taken from our standardized test shots. For a collection of more pictorial photos, see our Pentax Q Photo Gallery .

Exposure

Pentax Q Exposure

The Pentax Q offers much the same exposure options you'd expect in an interchangeable-lens camera, plus a few Pentax-specific options. Available exposure modes include Program AE with Program Shift, Manual, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority modes, with shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 30 seconds when using a mechanical shutter, as well as a Bulb setting for exposures as long as 32 seconds. The x-sync speed for external flash photography is 1/250 second with a mechanical shutter, quite a bit faster than average for a compact system camera. With the internal flash, X-sync is possible at 1/2,000 second.

Some Q-mount lenses--specifically, Toy and Fish-eye types--have a fixed aperture and require a completely electronic shutter, however. These offer a range of 1/8,000 to two seconds. It's also possible to achieve the same fastest shutter speed by using an electronic shutter, even for a lens that includes an in-lens shutter. Given the lack of a variable aperture, Program Shift and Priority shooting aren't available with these lenses, although shutter speed can be biased by adjusting the ISO sensitivity. (You can't, however, simply roll the E-dial to select your chosen shutter speed and have the Pentax Q select the ISO speed automatically -- instead, you have to manually adjust the sensitivity to achieve your desired shutter speed.) X-sync with an electronic shutter is extremely slow, at just 1/13 second.

A full Auto mode enables Scene Detection, and places the camera in control of the main exposure variables, although functions such as ISO sensitivity, metering modes, and exposure compensation still remain accessible to the user. The Pentax Q also offers an unusual Blur Control mode that simulates a shallow depth-of-field effect, attempting to mitigate one of the main areas in which large-sensor cameras have an advantage over the Q. See the Operation page for more details.

The Q offers an optional live histogram function in all operating modes except Movie. Located near the bottom right corner of the LCD panel, it's rather small, and offers only a luminance readout rather than a full RGBY histogram, but it's still very useful for ensuring your exposures are correct. Another feature that's rather more common, but still very welcome, is the exposure display visible at bottom center of the LCD when the camera is in either the still image or movie Manual exposure modes. This shows the amount the camera thinks an image will be over- or underexposed within a range of +/-3.0EV, based on the settings you have selected, to help you find the best exposure for the subject. (Beyond the 2.0EV range, the value turns red to emphasise that the metering system's limit has been reached.) Together, the live histogram and exposure display make it relatively easy to get suitable exposures even when shooting manually.

Metering
As with most interchangeable-lens cameras, three metering methods are available on the Pentax Q: Multi-segment, Center-Weighted, and Spot. All are accessed through either the Control Panel display on the LCD panel, or through page one of the Record menu.

In Multi-segment mode, the camera takes an exposure reading from 16 segments and chooses the best exposure based on brightness and contrast across much of the scene. The Q gives you the option to decouple the AF points from the autoexposure in Multi-segment mode, via Custom Function 2, "Link AE to AF Point", but the default is to determine exposure at the AF point location.

Center-Weighted metering reads from the center of the frame, but from a fairly large area. Center-Weighted mode is automatically selected instead of Multi-segment mode, if the 03 Fish-eye lens is mounted.

Spot metering simply reads the exposure from the very center of the image, so you can pinpoint the specific area of the photograph you want properly exposed. (Spot metering is very handy when you have a subject that's backlit, or that has a very different brightness, either lighter or darker, than the background.)

By default, exposure is locked at the same time as focus, by half-pressing the shutter button, but you can instead program the Green button to act as an AE Lock button, and lock the current exposure settings whenever pressed.  (AE Lock is useful when you want to base your exposure on an off-center subject. Point the camera at the subject, lock the exposure, then recompose your shot however you like. Your subject will be correctly exposed, regardless of what might be in the center of the frame when you finally snap the shutter.)

In situations where exposure compensation is necessary, simply press the dedicated Exposure Compensation button on the rear panel. So long as you're not in Manual exposure mode, the exposure value (EV) will be displayed on the LCD display, and can be adjusted by turning the E-dial. EV compensation ranges from -3 to +3 EV in increments of 1/3 EV. In Manual mode, the exposure compensation button is used to toggle between shutter control (the default) and aperture control. You can also use the Auto Exposure Bracketing function to automatically capture a bracketed exposure with three frames, varying the exposure between shots by as much as 3.0EV in either 1/3 EV increments. You can control the bracketing order for AEB sequences using Custom Function 3. AEB is handy for those times when you want to make sure you get just the right exposure for a critical subject.

It's worth noting that the effects of exposure compensation and auto exposure bracketing are additive -- that is to say, if you dial in 3.0EV of exposure compensation, and shoot a bracketed exposure, it's possible for one frame to vary as much as 6.0EV from the metered exposure.

Neutral Density Filter
Some lenses for the Pentax Q include a built-in neutral density filter. From the models offered at launch, these include the 01 Standard Prime, and the 02 Standard Zoom. When shooting with either of these lenses, you can enable or disable the ND filter through the camera's menu system, for a two-stop light reduction. This allows either slower shutter speeds with the same aperture, or a wider aperture with the same shutter speeds.

For example, if you were shooting at 1/400 second with an aperture of f/8 without the ND filter, then you could obtain approximately the same exposure either by changing the shutter speed to 1/200 second or the aperture to f/4, with the ND filter active. That's potentially handy if you're trying to obtain a wider aperture to reduce depth-of-field (although with the Pentax Q's tiny sensor, even the widest apertures don't offer a very shallow depth-of-field effect). It's also useful if you're trying to blur a moving subject, since you can leave the shutter open for twice as long.

White Balance
White balance options include Auto (which ranges from about 4,000K to 8,000K), Daylight (5,200K), Shade (8,000K), Cloudy (6,000K), Fluorescent Daylight Color (6,500K), Fluorescent Daylight White (5,000K), Fluorescent Cool White (4,200K), Fluorescent Warm White (3,000K), Tungsten (2,850K), Flash (5,400K), Color Temperature Enhancement (CTE; used to retain and strengthen the color tone of the light source), and Manual.

Pressing the AWB (down arrow) button brings up the White Balance menu. The Manual setting is useful for basing the white balance on a white card. You can also adjust the Q in any white balance mode so as to control the amount of amber, green, blue, and magenta in the color balance using a 2D grid. This ability to "tweak" the white balance, called White Balance Fine Tuning, is very helpful when dealing with difficult light sources.

When using the Q's Auto Picture or Scene modes, white balance cannot be adjusted.

ISO Sensitivity
The Pentax Q lets you adjust its light sensitivity in 1/3 EV steps, with options ranging from 125 to 6,400 ISO equivalents. Higher ISO settings are helpful when you want faster shutter speeds under normal lighting, to help freeze fast action.

In exposure modes other than Manual, an Auto ISO mode is provided, in which the camera selects an ISO appropriate to the subject's brightness. The default range for Auto ISO is from the base ISO sensitivity to 3,200, but you can adjust the maximum ISO limit manually.

There are a couple of provisos related to ISO sensitivity in the Pentax Q. If you're shooting in bulb mode or with an exposure longer than two seconds, the maximum ISO sensitivity is 1,600 equivalent. If highlight correction is enabled, the lower limit is raised to ISO 250 equivalent. Several scene modes disable manual ISO sensitivity adjustment.

Noise Reduction
Of course, as with all digital cameras, the higher ISO settings produce photos with more image noise, in much the same way that higher-ISO films show more film grain. To combat this problem, the Q offers a High-ISONoise Reduction option through the Record menu, which reduces the amount of image noise at high ISOs. Options consist of Auto, Low, or High, and it isn't possible to disable the function altogether. When set to Auto, the level of noise reduction is varied with ISO sensitivity, while Low or High provide a consistent noise reduction level, regardless of sensitivity

Unusually, the Pentax Q doesn't include a slow shutter noise reduction function, sometimes referred to as dark frame subtraction. This isn't necessarily a problem, as you can replicate the effect simply by taking an exposure with identical settings immediately before or after your image, but with the lens cap on, then subtracting the result from your image to remote stuck pixels. (Of course, you have to remember to do so at the same time as the original shot, since the locations of stuck pixels vary as a function of temperature.)

Expanded Dynamic Range
The Pentax Q offers expanded dynamic range functionality, which attempts to preserve highlights and/or shadows in high-contrast situations. Like recent Pentax SLRs, the Q offers separate Highlight Correction and Shadow Correction options. Both Highlight and Shadow correction have Auto, On, or Off settings, and apply to raw and JPEG files alike. Shadow Correction can also be applied to raw files post-capture through the raw development option of the Playback mode palette, whereas Highlight correction must be applied before exposure, even when shooting Raws. When Highlight correction is enabled, the minimum sensitivity is ISO 250.

HDR Capture
The Q also offers High Dynamic Range imaging, which Pentax first introduced on the K-7, and refined in the K-r. The Q's HDR mode captures three images in quick succession: one properly exposed, one underexposed by 3.0 EV, and one overexposed by 3.0 EV. These are then combined in-camera into a single output image with increased dynamic range, capturing the best highlight detail from the underexposed image, and the maximal shadow detail from the overexposed image. As in the K-r and K-5, the Q automatically aligns the images before combining them, and so is usable handheld, so long as your subject is reasonably static, and your hand somewhat steady.

One notable difference between the HDR functionality of the Q and its predecessors is the level of control available over the effect. The K-7 and K-x offered only three settings (Off, Standard, and Strong), while the K-r and K-5 added an Auto mode, and provided four presets (Standard, Strong 1, Strong 2, and Strong 3). The Q hits a middle ground, retaining the Auto mode while offering two presets (HDR 1 and HDR 2).

When enabled, the HDR mode precludes the use of flash, raw file format, bulb shutter speed, continuous shooting, multi exposure, bracketing, and digital filters. Each HDR capture requires a brief processing time to create the final image, and the three source images can't be saved -- they're discarded when processing is complete, which is something we'd love to see changed in future firmware. (On those occasions where the in-camera HDR merge isn't optimal, it might be possible to do a better job manually on a PC, or it might still be desirable to have a copy of the standard exposure image).

Multiple Exposure
The Pentax Q's Multiple Exposure feature allows you to combine 2 to 9 images into a single JPEG image as they are being captured. If shooting in Live View mode on the LCD display, the previous image(s) are shown as a semi-transparent ("onion skin") overlay on the live view image, as an aid to precise alignment of subsequent images. An option called Auto EV Adjustment can average the exposure of each individual shot so that the combined image has the same brightness as a normally exposed individual shot. When disabled, the process is additive, just like shooting multi-exposures on film. To understand the difference, imagine a two-frame exposure where the same point is mid-grey in one image, and near-white in the other image. With auto EV adjust disabled, the same point in the final image will be completely white (clipped in every channel). With the adjustment enabled, the same area will have a brightness halfway between that of the same point in the brighter and darker images. An interesting usage of this feature is that multiple frames can be combined in-camera with averaged exposure to yield a single image with reduced noise / an effective exposure longer than would ordinarily be the case.

Custom Image
The Pentax Q offers users the ability to apply and modify pre-existing image profiles for use on JPEG images. (Raw files are also tagged with the image parameters, but most raw processing software other than Pentax's bundled Silkypix Developer Studio 3.0 will not obey the tags.) You can't control the Custom Image mode when the Q's Mode dial is set to the Scene position.

The camera offers eleven image style settings: Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape,Vibrant, Radiant, Muted, Bleach Bypass, Reversal Film, Monochrome, and Cross Processing. The following image parameters can be adjusted for profiles other than Cross Process: Saturation (-4 to +4), Hue (-4 to +4), High/Low Key Adjustment (-4 to +4), Contrast (-4 to +4), Sharpness (-4 to +4), and Fine Sharpness (-4 to +4). Hue can't be adjusted when Monochrome, Muted, Bleach Bypass, and Reversal Film are selected, while Saturation isn't available for Monochome or Reversal Film, and High / Low Key Adjust and Contrast aren't available with Reversal Film. When using Monochrome, instead of Saturation and Hue, Filter Effects and Toning options are provided. Filter effects consist of Green, Yellow, Orange,Red,Magenta, Blue, Cyan, and Infrared Filter. Monochrome can be further modified with a Toning adjustment which allows you to dial in an amount of either selenium style processing (blues) or sepia style processing (browns). The two sharpness options use different algorithms that are suited to varying image types.

The Pentax Q's Cross Processing mode aims to replicate a film technique known as cross-processing. For film photography, the method is to deliberately process one type of film using chemicals intended for a different type, with often surprising effects. The Q's Cross Processing mode replicates this by adjusting the image after capture, and you can preview the result before capture if you're shooting in Live View mode. You can either apply a random effect that will change its results even if the scene doesn't change, or one of three presets whose results are predictable, once you're familiar with them. There are also three Favorite presets in which you can store settings from favorite images created with the Random mode.

Of course, you can also select between sRGB and Adobe RGBcolor spaces in the Image Capture Settings screen, accessed from page 1 of the Record menu.

Blur Control
The Pentax Q's Blur Control function is completely new, and an acknowledgement of one of the shortcomings of the camera's relatively small image sensor, with respect to other interchangeable-lens models. With a smaller sensor, it's more challenging to achieve a shallow depth-of-field effect, and so the Blur Control function attempts to simulate this look in software, instead.

The Q's manual states that this is achieved by capturing multiple images with different focus positions and then merging them, something that must be achieved using an electronic shutter, as the lens shutter only opens once per shot. Since the effect relies on adjustment of focus, it doesn't work for the toy or fisheye lenses, which are all manual-focus only.

Blur Control is accessed via a dedicated Mode dial position, and hence doesn't allow direct control over aperture or shutter speed. Aperture is fixed at the widest available position, as you'd expect. Shutter speed can be controlled after a fashion, though, in that you can set the ISO sensitivity, and the shutter speed will be adjusted to yield the metered exposure. Three strength levels are available for the Blur Control effect, which are selected with the E-dial. We found Blur Control to work surprisingly well in the right circumstances, although it could sometimes produce a rather artificial look, depending upon the subject.

Digital Filters
The Pentax Q offers eleven pre-exposure digital filter effects, each of which can tweak the look of images in various (sometimes fairly radical) ways. These include Toy Camera, High Contrast, Shading, Slim, HDR, Invert Color, Extract Color, Color, Water Color, Posterization, and Fish-eye. A variety of parameters specific to each filter can be adjusted.

All of the pre-capture effects can also be applied post-capture through the Playback Mode palette, if you prefer. The Q also offers eight more filter effects that are only available in playback mode, and whose effect can't be previewed before capture. These include Monochrome, Retro, Soft, Sketch Filter, Miniature, Frame Composite, Starburst, and Base Parameter Adjust, with this last option combining some of the functions available in the preset filters. Up to 20 filters can be applied to a single image in playback mode, and it's possible to copy the combination of filters you've applied, then apply the same group to another image, if you create a look you like.

Smart Effect
Another new addition to the Q is the Smart Effect function, whose functionality seems to combine the white balance, custom image and digital filter tools into a single control. It can't be accessed through the Menu system, however; the only way to use it is to configure the Quick Dial on the Q's front panel to access it. (And so, if you want to use the Quick Dial for something else, you essentially lose access to Smart Effects.)

Available Smart Effects include Brilliant Color, Unicolor Bold, Vintage Color, Cross Processing, Warm Fade, Tone Expansion, Bold Monochrome, Water Color, and Vibrant Color Enhance. All but Unicolor Bold and Vintage Color provide two-step control over the strength of the effect. Unicolor Bold allows you to select one color that will remain in your image: red, magenta, blue, cyan, green, or yellow. Vintage Color provides three different user-selectable effect types.

There are also three User sets for Smart Effects, which allow you to store three camera settings for later recall: white balance mode, custom image mode, and digital filter. Sadly, it doesn't store any other options, unlike the User mode on some of Pentax's digital SLRs. It's supposed to be possible to save a thumbnail from your captured images that's shown in the Menu system when adjusting User sets, however this wouldn't work for us on a production-level camera with v1.01 firmware. We could select and apply a thumbnail, but it wouldn't appear in the menu system. We never tried setting a thumbnail before updating the camera's firmware, and so can't be sure if it worked with earlier firmware.

Drive Modes
Like most interchangeable-lens cameras, the Pentax Q offers a number of Drive Modes. Modes include Single Frame (where one image is captured when the shutter release button is pressed, even if held), Continuous, Self-timer, Remote, and Exposure Bracketing. There are two Continuous modes, which differ only in terms of frame rate and burst depth. We tested the Continuous Hi mode, which Pentax lists as capable of five frames per second, and actually managed a little better, at around 5.3 frames per second. Burst depth was also slightly better than specified despite our hard-to-compress test target, yielding 5 Large / Best quality JPEG frames. The Continuous Lo mode is rated at a rather sedate 1.5 frames per second, and actually managed just 1.2 frames per second in our testing.

The Pentax Q also offers two Self-Timer modes for self-portraits or those occasions when you don't want to risk camera shake on a long exposure by pressing the Shutter button to trip the shutter. You can choose between a two- or 12-second countdown. The two-second countdown is useful for times when you're taking a long exposure with the camera on a tripod, and you want to minimize any camera shake from pressing the Shutter button.

The Remote Control modes offered are immediate release, 3-second delayed release, and Remote Continuous. Despite its tiny size, the Pentax Q has IR receivers for wireless remotes both on the front and back panels, making it easy to trip the shutter regardless of whether you're going to be in the shot or not. For Remote Continuous mode, the first press of the remote release starts burst shooting, and the second stops it.

Finally, an Exposure Bracketing mode is also provided, where 3 frames can be capture with as much as 3.0 EV steps between frames, set in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps. The bracketing order can be changed through Custom menu 1. Bracketed exposure sequences can also be captured using the remote control.

Interval Shooting
The Q also offers an Interval Shooting mode where the camera can take pictures by itself on a regular basis, used for time-lapse photography. The interval can be programmed between 1 second and 24 hours, the number of shots between 2 and 999, and the starting time can be immediate or at a set time.

The images above were taken from our standardized test shots. For a collection of more pictorial photos, see our Pentax Q Photo Gallery .

Not sure which camera to buy? Let your eyes be the ultimate judge! Visit our Comparometer(tm) to compare images from the Pentax Q with those from other cameras you may be considering. The proof is in the pictures, so let your own eyes decide which you like best!

Performance

Imaging

Color

Saturation & Hue Accuracy
Bright, vibrant colors, though below average hue accuracy.

ISO 125	ISO 200	ISO 400	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 3200	ISO 6400
In the diagram above, the squares show the original color, and the circles show the color that the camera captured. More saturated colors are located toward the periphery of the graph. Hue changes as you travel around the center. Thus, hue-accurate, highly saturated colors appear as lines radiating from the center. Mouse over the links to compare ISOs and click for larger versions.

Saturation. The Pentax Q pushes strong blues and purples quite a bit, as well as bright reds and some greens. Most other colors are either accurate or only slightly oversaturated. Default saturation is 123.4% (23.4% oversaturated) at base ISO, which is notably higher-than-average, but signature Pentax. Saturation remains reasonably constant throughout the ISO range, which is good. You can always decrease saturation, or select a different picture mode to adjust color to your tastes. Most consumer digital cameras produce color that's more highly saturated (more intense) than what's found in the original subjects. This is simply because most people like their color a bit brighter than life.

Skin tones. Here, because default saturation is high, the Pentax Q produced Caucasian skin tones that had quite a bit of color, with lighter areas a bit too orange/yellow and darker skin tones more pink. Where oversaturation is most problematic is on Caucasian skin tones, as it's very easy for these "memory colors" to be seen as too bright, too pink, too yellow, etc.

Hue. The Pentax Q did push cyan toward blue and oranges significantly toward yellow, but other hues were about right. (The cyan to blue shift is very common among the digital cameras we test; we think it's a deliberate choice by camera engineers to produce better-looking sky colors.) The Delta-C color error after correction for saturation of 7.61 at base ISO is higher-than-average (lower numbers are better) compared to other CSCs or compact cameras. Hue is "what color" the color is.

Color Modes
The Pentax Q offers a large selection of Custom Image and Smart Effects modes, as well as the ability to tweak contrast, saturation, dynamic range, digital filters, and a host of other creative parameters (depending on the mode).

Custom Image Modes
Bright (Default)
Bleach	B&W	Cross Processing	Reversal Film	Landscape
Muted	Natural	Portrait	Radiant	Vibrant

Mouse over the links above to see the effect of the Custom Image Mode presets on our Still Life target. You can click on a link to load the full resolution image.

Smart Effects Modes
Brilliant Color	Cross Processing	Unicolor Bold	Vintage Color

Mouse over the links above to see the effect of some of the Smart Effects presets on our Still Life target. Other effects not shown include Warm Fade, Tone Expansion, Bold Monochrome, Water Color and Vibrant Color Enhance. You can click on a link to load the full resolution image.

Saturation Adjustment
The Pentax Q lets you adjust the image saturation (as well as other parameters such as contrast, hue, high/low key and sharpness), in nine steps (-4 to +4). As can be seen below, the saturation adjustment works well, covers a useful range and doesn't strongly impact contrast. (Minor contrast tweaks are somewhat visible at the highest setting.)

Saturation Adjustment Examples
-4	0	+4

The table above shows results with the default as well as the two extreme saturation settings. See the Test Shots page for the full range of settings. Click on any thumbnail above, then click again to see the full-sized image.

Sensor

Exposure and White Balance

Indoors, incandescent lighting
Strong warm casts with both Auto modes, and cooler casts with Incandescent and Manual. Higher than average exposure compensation required.

Indoors, under normal incandescent lighting, color balance was quite warm with both of the Pentax Q's Auto white balance options. Results with the Incandescent setting were quite cool, while the Manual setting produced a slightly greenish tint overall. Still, Manual produced the most appealing color balance to the eye, despite the slight cast. The Pentax Q required more than the average amount of positive exposure compensation here, at +1.0 EV; the average needed among cameras we've tested for this shot is about +0.3 EV. (Our test lighting for this shot is a mixture of 60 and 100 watt household incandescent bulbs, a pretty yellow light source, but a very common one in typical home settings here in the U.S.)

Outdoors, daylight
Bright, vibrant colors with pretty good exposure.

Outdoors, the Pentax Q performed fairly well, with good color and good exposure in the outdoor Far-field shot. Highlights are a little hot on the white columns, but a fair amount of detail remains present. The Pentax Q required an average amount of positive exposure compensation (+0.7 EV) to keep facial tones reasonably bright on the "Sunlit" Portrait test. Default contrast is quite high, so there are quite a few blown highlights in the shirt, pendant and flowers. Shadow detail was pretty good, though. Overall, pretty good results here for a camera with such a small sensor.

See full set of test images with explanations
See thumbnails of all test and gallery images

Resolution
High resolution, ~ 1,900 to ~1,950 lines of strong detail in JPEGs, about the same from RAW.

Camera JPEGs of our laboratory resolution chart revealed sharp, distinct line patterns down to about 1,950 lines per picture height horizontally and to about 1,900 lines vertically. Complete extinction of the pattern didn't occur until about 2,300 lines horizontally, and 2,500 lines vertically. RAW files converted with Adobe Camera Raw showed similar resolution, though color moiré was much more visible near resolution limits. Use these numbers to compare with other cameras of similar resolution, or use them to see just what higher resolution can mean in terms of potential detail.

See full set of test images with explanations
See thumbnails of all test and gallery images

Sharpness & Detail
Somewhat soft images overall, though edge-enhancement artifacts on high-contrast subjects are visible. Moderate noise suppression visible in the shadows.

Sharpness. The Pentax Q's images are often on the soft side, with fine details like the pine needles in the above left crop smudged together by strong default noise reduction. Some edge enhancement artifacts such as sharpening halos can be seen around high contrast elements such as the larger branches and some pine cones, though not finer detail such as the pine needles themselves. The 01 Standard Prime 8.5mm f/1.9 lens is also contributing to some softness here, as our standard aperture for this shot is f/5.6 for cameras with small sensors, but this lens is noticeably sharper at f/2.8. Edge enhancement creates the illusion of sharpness by enhancing colors and tones right at the edge of a rapid transition in color or tone.

Detail. The crop above right shows moderate levels of noise suppression artifacts, and a light noise grain pattern even in the lighter areas of the model's hair, smudging individual strands together, and leaving only the highest contrast strands distinctly visible. Note that the Indoor Portrait images used for hair crops were shot at f/4, so lens softness due to diffraction is not as much of an issue here. Noise-suppression systems in digital cameras tend to flatten-out detail in areas of subtle contrast. The effects can often be seen in shots of human hair, where the individual strands are lost and an almost "watercolor" look appears.

Camera JPEG (Firmware v1.00)	Camera JPEG (Firmware v1.01)

Since shooting our Q lab shots, Pentax has released firmware version 1.01, which is said to "improve the resolution when setting Fine Sharpness." Fine Sharpness is an alternative to the standard sharpening setting.

We reshot our "Pine" target to see if it made any difference (it was one of the few shots where the camera enabled Fine Sharpness -- we always leave sharpness at default settings), and indeed the new firmware made a difference. It's a little difficult to compare these shots because the lighting, sky, and even foliage are different, but if you look closely, you can see sharpening is stronger and noise reduction seems to be lower with the new firmware, leading to slightly better definition of fine detail, but also more visible sharpening artifacts and noise.

RAW vs In-Camera JPEGs
As noted above, the Pentax produces somewhat soft in-camera JPEGs. We were able to extract a little more detail by processing RAW files through Adobe Camera Raw, but not as much as we expected. Take a look below, to see what we mean:

Camera JPEG (Fine)	RAW via ACR (Sharpened in Photoshop)

In the table above, mousing over a link at the bottom will load the corresponding crop in the area above, and clicking on the link will load the full resolution image. The image on the left is an in-camera JPEG, while the one on the right was processed with Adobe Camera Raw 6.6, and then sharpened in Photoshop using very strong Unsharp Mask of 400% with radius 0.6. (The Pentax Q's RAW file are quite soft requiring stronger sharpening than most. We also noticed the camera appears to apply noise reduction to RAW files even at base ISO, which may explain some of the softness.)

As you can see, the Adobe Camera Raw conversion resulted in an image with slightly improved fine detail, though it's still on the soft side despite applying strong sharpening, and it does contain a bit more noise "grain" than the in-camera JPEG. On a more positive note, ACR was able to recover some of the lost highlights in the white clouds.

ISO & Noise Performance
Good detail to ISO 400, but very strong blurring from noise and noise suppression at higher settings.

Default High ISO Noise Reduction
ISO 125	ISO 200	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 1,600	ISO 3,200
	ISO 6,400

The Pentax Q's images are already a bit noisy and smudgy even at the lowest ISO setting of 125. Though detail is reasonable, noise grain is already apparent. However, detail remains relatively strong up to about ISO 400 compared to most digicams. By ISO 800, noise suppression starts to take over and fine detail gives way. As sensitivity increases, so does the amount of blurring and the size of visible noise grain. By ISOs 3,200 and 6,400, the majority of fine detail is lost. Chroma noise in the form of yellow and purple blotches also becomes more evident in darker areas at higher ISOs. Overall, these results show how the Pentax Q's tiny sensor can't really compete with the much larger sensors found in most other compact system cameras, though the Q does well against most compact digicams. As always, see the Print Quality section below for maximum recommended print sizes at each ISO.

Extremes: Sunlit, dynamic range and low light tests
Good detail and dynamic range, though with high default contrast. Good low-light performance, helped by a fast (bright) lens.

Sunlight. The Pentax Q struggled a bit with this difficult shot as do many cameras, mainly because of its high default contrast, though it performed quite well for a compact camera. At +0.3 EV, the mannequin's face looks slightly dim in areas, while +1.0 EV pushed highlights way too much on the shirt and face, so here we preferred the +0.7 EV exposure overall. As mentioned previously, most cameras we've tested require about +0.7 EV for this "Sunlit" Portrait shot, so the Pentax Q's exposure performance here was about average. We did however notice some inconsistencies in exposure, though: the same series using Auto white balance (the above used Manual white balance) produced a darker image at +0.7 EV than +0.3 EV, and the Contrast series at +0.3 EV is slightly dimmer than other "Sunlit" Portrait shots using the same exposure compensation. Variations in exposure like this aren't rare though, and can be due to a sticky aperture mechanism, but we can't be sure that was the cause here. Dynamic range was limited, as expected when high contrast is combined with a small sensor, producing quite a few clipped highlights, though shadow detail was actually pretty good. Compared to other small sensor cameras, though, the Pentax Q actually did quite well.

Because digital cameras are more like slide film than negative film (in that they tend to have a more limited tonal range), we test them in the harshest situations to see how they handle scenes with bright highlights and dark shadows, as well as what kind of sensitivity they have in low light. The shot above is designed to mimic the very harsh, contrasty effect of direct noonday sunlight, a very tough challenge for most digital cameras. (You can read details of this test here. In actual shooting conditions, be sure to use fill flash in situations like the one shown here; it's better to shoot in open shade whenever possible.)

Contrast Adjustment
The camera's contrast adjustment helped in handling the harsh lighting in our "Sunlit" Portrait and Far-field shots, though saturation also suffers.

Minimum Contrast
Contrast set to lowest, +0.3 EV	Contrast set to lowest, Auto Exposure

At its lowest contrast setting, the Pentax Q did a better job of preserving highlight and shadow detail, though skin tones appeared flat and colors less pumped.

"Sunlit" Portrait Contrast Adjustment Examples
-4	0	+4

The shots above show the results of the minimum, default and maximum contrast settings. See the Test Shots page for the full range of settings. As you can see with the lowest contrast setting, highlights are toned-down, while shadows and mid-tones are boosted, though some colors are a little muted.

Dynamic Range
A key parameter in a digital camera is its Dynamic Range, the range of brightness that can be faithfully recorded. At the upper end of the tonal scale, dynamic range is dictated by the point at which the RGB data "saturates" at values of 255, 255, 255. At the lower end of the tonal scale, dynamic range is determined by the point at which there ceases to be any useful difference between adjacent tonal steps. Note the use of the qualifier "useful" in there: While it's tempting to evaluate dynamic range as the maximum number of tonal steps that can be discerned at all, that measure of dynamic range has very little relevance to real-world photography. What we care about as photographers is how much detail we can pull out of the shadows before image noise becomes too objectionable. This, of course, is a very subjective matter, and will vary with the application and even the subject matter in question. (Noise will be much more visible in subjects with large areas of flat tints and subtle shading than it would in subjects with strong, highly contrasting surface texture.)

What makes most sense then, is to specify useful dynamic range in terms of the point at which image noise reaches some agreed-upon threshold. To this end, Imatest computes a number of different dynamic range measurements, based on a variety of image noise thresholds. The noise thresholds are specified in terms of f-stops of equivalent luminance variation in the final image file, and dynamic range is computed for noise thresholds of 1.0 (low image quality), 0.5 (medium image quality), 0.25 (medium-high image quality) and 0.1 (high image quality). For most photographers and most applications, the noise thresholds of 0.5 and 0.25 f-stops are probably the most relevant to the production of acceptable-quality finished images, but many noise-sensitive shooters will insist on the 0.1 f-stop limit for their most critical work. A full discussion of all the data Imatest produces is really beyond the scope of this review: Visit the Imatest website for details of what the program measures, how it performs its computations, and how to interpret its output.

JPEG. The graph at right (click for a larger version) was generated using Imatest's dynamic range analysis for an in-camera Pentax Q JPEG file with a nominally-exposed density step target (Stouffer 4110). At default settings and base ISO, the graph shows 10.5 f-stops of total dynamic range, with 7.05 f-stops at the "High" quality level. The tone curve is nicely shaped, with fairly gradual roll-offs at both the highlight and shadow ends. These are surprisingly good results for a tiny sensor. Compared to the Pentax K-5 for instance, the Pentax Q scored just slightly lower at the "High" quality level (7.05 vs 7.22 f-stops), however total dynamic range was identical (10.5 f-stops). Note though that this measurement has a margin of error of about 1/3 f-stop, so differences of less than 0.33 can be ignored.

RAW. The graph at right is from the same Stouffer 4110 stepchart image captured as a RAW (.DNG) file, processed with Adobe Camera Raw The Pentax Q's RAW file also scored surprisingly well: an f-stop higher in total dynamic range compared to the JPEG (11.5 vs 10.5 f-stops), and the score at the highest quality level increased about 1.2 f-stops from 7.05 to 8.24 f-stops. These are better scores than most Micro Four Thirds compact system cameras with much larger sensors, though not as good as most APS-C sensors. The Pentax K-5 for instance managed a 10.2 f-stop score at the High Quality level, though total dynamic range was identical at 11.5 f-stops. It's worth noting here is that Adobe Camera Raw's default noise reduction settings reduced overall noise relative to the levels in the in-camera JPEG (compare the noise plots in the graphs), which tends to boost the dynamic range numbers for the High Quality threshold.

D-Range Settings
The Pentax Q offers separate Shadow Correction and Highlight Correction settings in its D-Range menu. Settings are On, Auto or Off for both. As the name implies, Shadow Correction works to raise shadow levels while attempting to keep highlights and midtones as they are, and likewise, Highlight Correction attempts to reduce highlights without darkening shadows and midtones. Both can be used simultaneously. See the images below to see their effect on our high contrast "Sunlit" Portrait test shot.

Outdoor Portrait Highlight and Shadow Correction
	Mode: Correction: Off Highlight Correction: On Highlight Correction: Auto Shadow Correction: On Shadow Correction: Auto

Mouse over the links to see how the various settings for D-Range affects our "Outdoor" Portrait shot. Click on a link to get to the full-res image. (The effect can be a little subtle in shots like those above, so we decided to use a mouse-over to better show how each setting compares to Off.)

As you can see, enabling Highlight Correction did tone down highlights, though On and Auto produced noticeably different results. The On setting reduced highlights, but also boosted shadows a bit, while the Auto setting was a little more aggressive at reducing highlights but also produced darker shadows. Shadow Correction worked well on shadows, this time with Auto being a little less aggressive at raising shadows than the On setting, though both settings clipped more highlights than Off.

HDR Capture
The Pentax Q has a High Dynamic Range (HDR) capture mode where the camera takes three images (- 3 EV underexposed, normal, and + 3 EV overexposed) in quick succession and combines them in-camera into one image.  If performed properly, this method should result in much higher dynamic range, without the additional noise penalty that comes with boosting sensitivity when using the D-Range option. (In fact, it can reduce shadow noise by combining shadows from the overexposed shot.) There are three settings available: HDR 1, HDR 2, HDR Auto, as well as HDR Off.

Outdoor Portrait HDR Capture
	Mode: HDR Off HDR 1 HDR 2 HDR Auto

As you can see from the above images, none of the HDR settings worked well with our "Sunlit" Portrait shot. The HDR 1 and 2 settings were much too strong for this scene yielding very unnatural looking images with strong halos and reduced saturation, while Auto dialed back the highlights too much, so the resulting image was quite dim. Perhaps some positive exposure compensation would have helped, but HDR modes rarely work well with portraits anyway.

Here's how they compare with our Far-field shot:

Far-field HDR Examples
HDR Off	HDR 1	HDR 2	HDR Auto

As you can see from the above images, HDR Auto worked fairly well on our Far-field test shot, but the 1 and 2 settings were again too much for this scene, resulting in unnatural looking images with strong halos and reduced saturation.

Face Detection
Off at 0 EV	On at 0 EV

Face Detection
Like most Point & Shoot cameras these days (and some DSLRs in Live View mode), the Pentax Q has the ability to detect faces, and adjust exposure and focus accordingly. As you can see from the examples above, this feature did make a difference, but the image with face detection enabled is still quite dark overall. Full Auto mode probably would have done better.

Because digital cameras are more like slide film than negative film (in that they tend to have a more limited tonal range), we test them in the harshest situations to see how they handle scenes with bright highlights and dark shadows, as well as what kind of sensitivity they have in low light. The shot above is designed to mimic the very harsh, contrasty effect of direct noonday sunlight, a very tough challenge for most digital cameras. (You can read details of this test here.)

	1 fc 11 lux	1/2 fc 5.5 lux	1/4 fc 2.7 lux	1/8 fc 1.3 lux	1/16 fc 0.67 lux	1/16fc No NR
ISO 125	0.6 s f1.9	1.3 s f1.9	2.5 s f1.9	5 s f1.9	10 s f1.9	10 s f1.9
ISO 200	0.4 s f1.9	0.8 s f1.9	1.6 s f1.9	3 s f1.9	6 s f1.9	6 s f1.9
ISO 400	1/5 s f1.9	0.4 s f1.9	0.8 s f1.9	1.6 s f1.9	3 s f1.9	3 s f1.9
ISO 800	1/10 s f1.9	1/5 s f1.9	0.4 s f1.9	0.8 s f1.9	1.6 s f1.9	1.6 s f1.9
ISO 1600	1/20 s f1.9	1/10 s f1.9	1/5 s f1.9	0.4 s f1.9	0.8 s f1.9	0.8 s f1.9
ISO 3200	1/40 s f1.9	1/20 s f1.9	1/10 s f1.9	1/5 s f1.9	0.4 s f1.9	0.4 s f1.9
ISO 6400	1/80 s f1.9	1/40 s f1.9	1/20 s f1.9	1/10 s f1.9	1/5 s f1.9	1/5 s f1.9

Low Light. The Pentax Q performed well in low lighting, capturing bright exposures at our lowest light level even at the lowest ISO, helped by its bright f/1.9 kit lens. Noise is fairly well controlled up to around ISO 800, though ISO 1,600 isn't too bad. Noise is high at higher ISOs, to be expected from a small sensor. White balance is fairly neutral, with a slightly cool, blue/green cast that gets stronger at higher ISOs and lower light levels. Still, above average low-light performance compared to most compact cameras.

The camera's autofocus system was able to focus on the subject down to just under the 1/8 foot-candle light level unassisted, though to complete darkness with AF assist enabled. Pretty good performance for its class, helped again by the fast lens.

How bright is this? The one foot-candle light level that this test begins at roughly corresponds to the brightness of typical city street-lighting at night. Cameras performing well at that level should be able to snap good-looking photos of street-lit scenes.

NOTE: This low light test is conducted with a stationary subject, and the camera mounted on a sturdy tripod. Most digital cameras will fail miserably when faced with a moving subject in dim lighting. (For example, a child's ballet recital or a holiday pageant in a gymnasium.) Thanks to their phase-detect AF systems, digital SLRs tend to do much better than point & shoots, but you still shouldn't expect a quick autofocus lock with moving subjects. The Pentax Q uses contrast-detect autofocus, as is found in most point & shoot cameras, so its low-light focusing ability is less than that of most SLRs with phase-detect systems. (A useful trick is to just prop the camera on a convenient surface, and use its self-timer to release the shutter. This avoids any jiggling from your finger pressing the shutter button, and can work quite well when you don't have a tripod handy.)

Viewfinder

Pentax Q Viewfinder

Like any compact system camera, the Pentax Q's lack of a mirror box negates the possibility of providing a through-the-lens optical viewfinder. It also lacks a built-in electronic viewfinder, a decision that helped allow the Q's extremely compact size. Out of the box, the Q's LCD display serves as the sole method of framing and reviewing images.

Like some competing models, the Q does accept an optional, external viewfinder eyepiece, however. Faced with a choice of an optical, or an electronic viewfinder accessory, Pentax took the optical route. That decision brings advantages and disadvantages. Since the accessory is entirely optical, it doesn't require complex (and perhaps delicate) electrical connections to the camera body. It also uses no battery power, providing a significant advantage over framing images on an LCD display. Unlike an electronic viewfinder, there's also no need to worry about lag, resolution, contrast, and dynamic range: what you're seeing is a real-world view, and we can report that the Pentax O-VF1 accessory provides a clear, sharp, bright image that makes for a pleasing shooting experience.

On the flip side, though, since it has a separate optical path, the O-VF1 suffers from parallax error when shooting nearby subjects, and its focal length can't be adjusted to match that of your lens. This makes it useful only when shooting with the 47mm-equivalent 01 Standard Prime lens, for which the O-VF1 includes framing guidelines. Nor can the O-VF1 offer a preview of focus, white balance, exposure settings, and the like; the only utility is for framing your subject, if it's sufficiently far-enough away not to be subject to parallax.

It's also surprisingly expensive. Where competing optical viewfinders cost around US$100-130, the O-VF1 will set you back around US$250. There's no question that it's a solid, high-quality design, but given its pricing and relatively limited utility, it's not an accessory we'd recommend to most Q shooters. (If you plan on shooting near-exclusively with the 01 Standard Prime lens, though, it might be worth considering.)

The O-VF1 mounts in the camera's hot shoe, so note that you can't use an external flash strobe at the same time as the viewfinder accessory, at least not without resorting to a bracket of some kind (which would likely increase the severity of parallax error, the further the viewfinder was moved from the central axis of the lens.)

Pentax Q Full-time Live View

By its nature, the Pentax Q is always in "Live View" mode: In that respect, it's like any point & shoot digicam with a rear-panel LCD that works as its viewfinder. The difference with this camera is that it has interchangeable lenses. The Q's display has a reasonable 460,000 dot resolution, which together with a focus assist zoom function makes it reasonably easy to focus manually. It also has wide viewing angles of 170 degrees both horizontally and vertically.

Several display modes are available, allowing for overlays including a live histogram, several grid displays, and a blinking under / overexposure warning. The information display in record mode includes shutter speed and aperture, ISO sensitivity setting, exposure mode, flash mode, metering mode, focus mode, number of available images, resolution, aspect ratio, shake reduction, drive mode, white balance, focus confirmation, battery status, etc. Note, though, that the histogram function isn't available in Movie mode.

If you're shooting with the O-VF1 optical viewfinder accessory, you can also disable the LCD display to save power (and prevent distraction), or have it serve as a control panel display instead.

Viewfinder Test Results

Accuracy
Excellent accuracy from the LCD monitor.

The Pentax Q's LCD monitor proved very accurate, showing about 100% coverage with the 8.5mm kit lens. Excellent results here. We did not have access to the optional optical viewfinder.

Video

High-definition video capture has become ubiquitous in the latest generation of interchangeable-lens cameras, and essentially all the major manufacturers now provide some form of video capture in their compact system cameras. The Pentax Q offers a reasonably rich feature set, although it does lack some features found on more advanced models. Videos can be recorded at up to Full HD resolution, and full manual exposure control is possible, but there's no support for autofocusing during movie capture, and nor does the Q have a wind cut function, both options that consumer videographers might typically expect to see. Nor does the Q support external microphones, manual audio levels control, or adjustable frame rates, all functions that professional use typically demands. For those who like to cater to their creative side, the Q does offer a generous selection of pre-capture video filters, however.

Overall, we found the Pentax Q's video feature set a little limited compared to many of its competitors, especially due to the lack of autofocus capability. If you're willing to live within those limitations though, you can certainly achieve useful results with the Pentax Q, especially when considering its size relative to other interchangeable-lens cameras.

Pentax Q Basic Video Specs

• 1,920 x 1,080 (Full HD / 1080p), 1,280 x 720 (720p), and 640 x 480 (VGA) recording
• MPEG-4 H.264/AVC compression at all resolutions; MOV file format
• 29.97 frames per second at all resolutions
• Autofocus only possible before movie capture starts
• Manual focus possible during movie capture, but High Performance-series lenses are fly-by-wire and so may still induce AF motor drive noise
• Much greater depth of field than with a large-sensor camera, so lack of autofocus less of an issue
• Recording can start or stop with optional infrared remote control
• Auto or full manual exposure, set before recording starts; no priority-mode exposure
• Exposure compensation adjustment is available before recording starts
• Digital image stabilization supported during video recording
• Stereo audio recording via built-in, two-port microphone on front panel
• Audio capture can be disabled
• Custom Image / Digital Filter functions are available in movie mode
• Interval movie function can record timelapse movies at anywhere from one frame per second to one frame per hour
• Playback functions include the ability to split videos at up to four different points, and extract still frames

Pentax Q Video: Image Size, Frame Rate, and Encoding

Full HD video. The Pentax Q offers three resolution levels for video recording, topping out at a maximum resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (commonly known as 1080p or Full HD).

The Pentax Q's CMOS image sensor records high definition video at a maximum resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels--otherwise known as Full HD or 1080p--with a 16:9 aspect ratio. In addition, there are two lower resolution options. The 720p mode is likewise 16:9 aspect, and captures high-def video at 1,280 x 720 pixels. A standard definition mode further downsamples the video stream to produce 640 x 480 (VGA or 480p) movies with a 4:3 aspect ratio. All resolutions provide a fixed recording rate of 29.97 frames per second.

Unless audio capture is disabled, all movies include PCM stereo audio. No spec is provided for the audio sampling rate, though video players report 16-bit audio at a 48 kHz sample rate.

The Pentax Q is the company's first interchangeable-lens camera to ditch inefficient Motion JPEG video compression in favor of MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 compression. This yields significantly smaller file sizes than in older Pentax cameras, but also requires much greater processing power to play back or edit. The more sophisticated encoding used in the H.264 standard requires quite a bit of processor power to pull it apart and put it back together again, so frame-accurate editing of H.264 requires a fast processor and capable editing program.

The table below shows the specs for various video recording options.

Continuous movie recording is limited to approximately 25 minutes regardless of the capture settings, and maximum movie file size is 4GB. Pentax doesn't provide a recommended Secure Digital card speed rating to avoid issues with write speeds during video capture, but other manufacturers typically specify at least a Class 6 card, and the same is likely true with the Q.

The Pentax Q seems particularly prone to something we've occasionally noticed on competing models: there's a noticeable delay of a little under a second between pressing the shutter button, and video capture starting. There's also a corresponding issue at the end of videos, which are cut off about a second or so before the point where the shutter button is pressed. Making things worse, the Q's audio capture doesn't seem to start for a second or so after the recording begins. If you want to be sure not to cut off something of importance, you want to bookend the action with some extra video at both ends, which you can crop back off in post-processing.

Here are some examples of video from the Pentax Q, showing typical results under daylight and night conditions.

Pentax Q: Video Samples
1,920 x 1,080, 30fps View on Vimeo | Download Original
1,280 x 720, 30fps View on Vimeo | Download Original	640 x 480, 30fps View on Vimeo | Download Original
1,920 x 1,080, 30fps View on Vimeo | Download Original
1,280 x 720, 30fps View on Vimeo | Download Original	640 x 480, 30fps View on Vimeo | Download Original

Pentax Q Video-Mode Focusing

For a consumer audience used to camcorders that can automatically focus during video capture (and who don't necessarily have the time and patience to learn to pull focus manually), autofocus is typically considered to be a pretty critical feature. The Pentax Q lacks the ability to autofocus during capture, but its design mitigates this to some extent, making it less of an issue than it would be for most other interchangeable-lens cameras. The reason? It's smaller-than-most image sensor, which acts as something of a double-edged sword. For still imaging, it makes it harder to achieve a narrow depth of field effect, with buttery-smooth background bokeh. For video, though, that wide depth of field means that autofocus isn't as critical as it might otherwise be. It also means that as your subject moves around, you don't have to be spot-on with your focus adjustments. All you must do is keep it in the ballpark.

There's a slight gotcha, though. While all Q-mount lenses to date include a manual focus ring, not all have a direct mechanical connection to the focus ring. Unique-series lenses all have a mechanical connection, but with a very short focus throw that makes it hard to dial in a very slight adjustment. The High Performance-series lenses, though, are all fly-by-wire, and that can translate to focus motor drive noise being picked up by the camera's microphone, disturbing the audio portion of your clips. As you turn the focus ring, there's no direct mechanical connection; instead, you're simply commanding the focus motors in the lens to make the adjustments for you.

Pentax Q Video Exposure Control

Pentax Q: Aperture Control / Depth-of-Field shot with PENTAX 01 Standard Prime lens
Manual exposure, f/1.9
1,920 x 1,080, 30fps View on Vimeo | Download Original
Manual exposure, f/8.0
1,920 x 1,080, 30fps View on Vimeo | Download Original

The Pentax Q is the first camera from Pentax that offers fully manual exposure control during shooting, but unfortunately, it drops the Aperture-priority mode that's been found in past Pentax cameras. Hence you're now faced with an all-or-nothing proposition: let the camera determine all the exposure variables, or do all the work yourself. That's a bit of a shame, because while we're thrilled to see the addition of fully manual exposure for the folks who want the fullest possible control over the look of their videos, we have a feeling many amateur videographers would prefer to stay inside their comfort zone and control only one exposure variable to achieve a given effect, while letting the camera handle the rest for a correct exposure. Still, given the wide depth of field of the Q, the aperture-priority mode might not have proven as useful as it does on the company's large-sensor cameras.

As well as direct control of the shutter speed and aperture, it's also possible to manually control the sensitivity which the Pentax Q will use up to a maximum of ISO 6,400 equivalent. In Programmed mode, 3.0EV of exposure compensation is available in 0.3 EV steps, and white balance settings also carry over to video mode.

Pentax Q In-Camera Image Adjustment for Movies

Catering to those who really want to express their creative side without relying on computers and complicated post-processing, the Pentax Q also includes some pre-capture functions that change the look of videos, in some cases quite radically.

The Custom Image effects are the more subtle, changing saturation, toning / hue, high / low-key adjustment, contrast, and sharpness, as well as filter effect for monochrome videos, to yield eleven different user-adjustable presets. These include Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Radiant, Muted, Bleach Bypass, Reversal Film, Monochrome, and Cross Processing.

The Digital Filter functions bring a more radical difference to the look of videos. For example, you can capture a video that's completely desaturated other than one chosen color, with the look of a film negative, or even with a quasi-fisheye effect added in software. In full, the list of Digital Filter effects in the Q includes Toy Camera, High Contrast, Shading, Slim, HDR, Invert Color, Extract Color, Color, Water Color, Posterization, and Fish-eye. Note that Pentax states movies recorded with digital filters active may have dropped frames, likely due to the processing power required for the effects.

In addition to the filter functions, the Pentax Q has an unusual interval movie mode, which captures images for a preset length of time, at a preset interval. You can opt for an interval of 1, 5, 10, or 30 seconds, or of 1, 5, 10, or 30 minutes, and the maximum interval period of one hour. The recording time can run anywhere from five seconds to 99 hours, although the upper limit varies with the selected interval, and so it's not possible to configure an interval movie of more than a few hundred frames. Interval movies play back at an accelerated rate, and don't include sound. The video can be set to start immediately that the shutter button is pressed, or at a predetermined start time. For longer clips, you'll want to use the optional K-AC115 AC adapter kit.

Pentax Q Video: Image Stabilization

Although the Pentax Q's incorporates a sensor shift-type image stabilization system, this is disabled during video recording, in favor of what Pentax calls 'Movie SR'; in essence, digital image stabilization. Unlike a mechanical system, this allows completely silent operation, but there's no such thing as a free lunch. The system works by creating the video feed from a 'window' of pixels in one particular location on the sensor, with the location of the window moved around the sensor as needed to correct for motion. For this system to function, you need to leave a band of "spare" pixels around the periphery of the sensor, and in the process, you effectively increase the effective focal length crop slightly. While for telephoto videos this may in fact be desirable, it means that if you want the widest possible field of view, you'll want to disable image stabilization.

Pentax Q Video: Audio recording

Audio recording in movies is optional with the Pentax Q. Audio can be turned on or off using the Sound function located in the Movie menu. Audio is recorded as 48kHz, 16-bit PCM stereo, captured via two microphones near the base of the camera's front face, with each channel having a separate single-hole grille on either side of the lens mount. No provision is provided for an external microphone.

Audio recorded with the camera's internal mic sounded clear, but we do no tests to measure frequency response or sensitivity, so can't comment quantitatively. The level of hiss recorded on audio tracks in relatively quiet environments was somewhat more noticeable than we're accustomed to on competing models. More troublesome is that the Pentax Q noticeably cuts off audio at the start of video capture. If you're planning to add a voiceover at capture time, you need to leave a significant pause on the order of a second or more, to be sure the first words aren't cut off. (Note that this brief silence is in addition to the fact that the Q seems to crop both ends of videos by a second or so, capturing a couple of seconds less in total than was indicated by the times the shutter button was pressed.

As with most of its competitors, the Pentax Q doesn't have any provision for manual audio level control. Nor is there a wind cut function, something which may be slightly more of an issue for the Q's primary target buyers; we noticed a fairly significant amount of wind noise picked up in our own clips, shot in a light breeze.

Audio capture is automatically disabled for interval movies.

Pentax Q Movie Recording User Interface

The Pentax Q's movie mode is accessed via a separate position on the camera's mode dial. Likely due to the space constraints of the Q's tiny body, there's no separate control button to start/stop movie recording. Instead, pressing the shutter button begins recording, and pressing it again stops it. Many interchangeable-lens cameras these days have a dedicated button to start/stop movie recording, and while newcomers will likely find the Q's use of the shutter button more intuitive, it draws a very clear dividing line between the camera's still imaging and movie capture functionality. This takes away somewhat from the ability to quickly grab spontaneous, unanticipated video clips, as you have to pay attention to changing the camera's operating mode before you can switch from still to video capture, or vice versa.

A few movie-specific setting adjustments are made in a dedicated Movie Menu, which has relatively few options. Other settings applicable to both still and video shooting are made in the still image menus. Options on the Movie Menu for video recording are:

Rolling Shutter Artifacts

Pentax Q: : Rolling Shutter Artifacts
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Essentially every video capable digital SLR/CSC currently on the market exhibits some level of motion-related distortion called rolling shutter artifacts. These are caused because the image data is captured and then read off the chip sequentially by rows, rather than each frame's data being captured all at once. In the case of the Pentax Q, this means that image data for the last row of a given frame is captured and read out as much as 1/30th second after the data for the top row was captured. The effect on moving objects is like that of a focal plane shutter in an SLR, but more pronounced, because the video frame is read out much more slowly than the slit of a focal plane shutter moves across the sensor.

For a camera that scans video frames vertically (as all do that we're aware of), rolling shutter artifacts will be most noticeable for subjects that are moving rapidly side to side, or when the camera itself is being panned horizontally. Verticals in the scene will appear tilted to the right or left, depending on the direction of camera motion. As an example, consider the case of a camera being panned from left to right, with a flagpole or other vertical object in the middle of the scene when recording for a particular frame begins: If the top of the object was centered horizontally when the first line of the video frame is acquired, by the time the last line of the frame has been captured, the bottom of the object will have shifted to somewhere left of center: As a result, the vertical object would appear to be leaning to the right.

Computer Requirements for Viewing HD Video

A typical computer these days has little trouble dealing with still images, but high-definition video can be another matter. Depending on the file format involved, it can take a pretty beefy computer to handle HD-resolution video playback without stuttering or dropping frames. The MPEG-4 H.264/AVC image compression used by the Pentax Q is a fairly compute-intensive format, and its high maximum resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels resolution means there's a lot of data in each frame to deal with. The net result is that you'll need a reasonably recent computer to play the Q's Full HD video files smoothly, and will want a pretty powerful machine for Full HD video editing.

You can of course view your movies on a high definition TV via the Type-D HDMI output, or a standard-def TV via the combined USB / Video output.

Flash

Pentax Q Flash

The Pentax Q features a built-in, pop-up flash, mounted on the top of an articulated mechanism that raises it surprisingly high above the top deck of the camera, while occupying relatively little space. The mechanism releases manually, and it's actually possible to fire the flash even when lowered, which could be useful with the optical viewfinder or another larger accessory mounted in the hot shoe, perhaps blocking the flash from popping up.

The Q's flash operates in either Auto, Flash On (forced flash), Auto + Red-eye reduction, Flash On + Red-eye reduction, Slow-sync, Slow-sync + Red-eye reduction, or Trailing Curtain Sync mode. (Sadly, the Q doesn't support wireless flash, either with the internal strobe or external ones.) The flash modes available depends on the current exposure mode. The flash is released from its compartment by sliding the Flash Up lever directly behind the flash itself. Close it again by pushing the flash head back down; the articulation mechanism will fold by itself as you do so.

The Pentax Q's built-in flash has a guide number rating of seven meters (23 feet) at ISO 200. That translates to a range of just 9.7 feet at the Q's base sensitivity of ISO 125, with the f/1.9 kit lens. It's pretty weak even by compact system camera standards, but that's perhaps understandable given its tiny size, and it's still fairly useful as a fill flash, or when ambient lighting is too low for near-by subjects. Flash coverage is rated by Pentax at 28mm equivalent. A Flash Exposure Compensation feature controls the flash exposure -2.0 to +1.0 stops in 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments, depending upon the lens in use.

Maximum sync speed for the built-in flash with High Performance-series lenses that feature a built-in shutter is very fast, at 1/2,000 second. With external strobes, this falls to a still reasonable 1/250 second. Unfortunately, Unique-series lenses lack a built-in shutter, and so must rely on the electronic shutter, which brings the flash sync speed down to a dismal 1/13 second.

The Pentax Q also has a top-mounted hot shoe for attaching an external flash unit. Compatible external strobes include the AF540FGZ, AF360FGZ, AF200FG, and AF160FC. (The latter will need a step-up ring, however.) Note that the Pentax Q cannot support contrast-control sync mode, nor will it allow wireless flash with external strobes, or use their autofocus assist lamps. Given the size and weight of external strobes compared to the camera itself, you'll likely also want to stick with off-camera flash, using an extension cord. As you'd expect for a compact system camera, a PC-sync terminal is not provided.

Flash Test Results

Coverage and Range
A somewhat weak flash, with narrow coverage. Standard flash shots are tolerably exposed with a +0.7 EV adjustment, though Slow-Sync mode is more natural.

Coverage and Exposure. Flash coverage was a little uneven at 47mm, and also a little dim in intensity even at the center of the frame. In our Indoor Portrait flash test, the Pentax Q's flash exposed our subject well, though an exposure boost to +0.7 EV was in order, which is about average for this shot. The camera's Slow-Sync flash mode produced much brighter and more natural looking results, aided by the slow 1/5 second shutter speed, though with a stronger pinkish-orange cast from the ambient room lighting.

Flash Range
6 ft	7 ft	8 ft	9 ft	10 ft	11 ft
1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125	1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125	1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125	1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125	1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125	1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125
12 ft	13 ft	14 ft	15 ft	16 ft
1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125	1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125	1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125	1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125	1/25 sec f1.9 ISO 125

ISO 125 Range. Flash exposure started out reasonably bright at 6 feet, and maintained about the same level to 8 feet before beginning to fall off incrementally.

Manufacturer-Specified Flash Range
12.0 feet ISO 200

Manufacturer Specified Flash Test. The Pentax Q's built-in flash has a Guide Number (GN) of 7 meters at ISO 200. That works out to about 12 feet at f/1.9, the maximum aperture of the 8.5mm kit lens. In the shot above, the Pentax Q performed fairly well within these specs, though exposure is just a hint dim. Our standard test method for flash range uses a fixed setting of ISO 100 (when supported), to provide a fair basis of comparison between cameras. We've now also begun shooting two shots using the manufacturer-specified camera settings, at the range the company claims for the camera, to assess the validity of the specific claims.

Pricing and availability

Available since September 2011, the Pentax Q is currently available in two kits in the US market. The single-lens kit includes the Pentax 01 Standard Prime lens, and has a list price of US$750. A twin-lens kit available at some retailers adds in the Pentax 02 Standard Zoom lens, and sells for around US$1,050.