I loved the photos from this little camera! It was so liberating going way with such a tiny camera system! Which photo was your fave?

So I'm today years old when I first hear of the Pentax Q. And the first thing that pops into my mind is, "This is something that Emily should review!" - and a quick youtube search later - there's Emily reviewing the Pentax Q! As always - thank you! I appreciate the information and the humor! Your reviews are anything but ho-hum. 🙂

Great pocket camera. Important to note that the first models had a different sensor with even more crop factor (and same resolution). Sad that it is 100% discontinued, this system would be great with modern sensors and more processing power.

I didn’t know this existed. Seriously cool system.

Emily's pictures look great coming out of just about any sized camera! No doubt, while editing, she sees a big difference in image quality varying from camera to camera, but once they pass under her touch and make their way to KZfaq, they all look pretty stellar. She achieves, through some wonky equipment, what I'm usually trying to do with bigger/better gear. Bravo!

Cool to see someone reviewing this now. I have a Q7 and 4 of the lenses. I use it more than my expensive Sony. The Q7 I have is bright yellow and has the standard zoom in yellow as well.

After using Q7 for 2 months, i can safely say the system is in many regards, as fun to use as my old faithful E-PL1. While i have the complete line up of lens, i have found the 5-15mm 02 lens most practical to use as it covers 24mm - 72mm range. The 01 can sometimes be useful especially at low-light. The 06 is the only lens capable of producing bokeh, so it is reserved for tele-portrait or product photos. The 08 is good in many regards, but its zoom range is abit narrow, so i prefer my Pana 7-14 F4 or N1 6.7-13 instead.

What a beautiful declaration of love!

The colors on your present are absolute fantastic!

I have three Q7 bodies (all-black, custom brown & olive green camouflage, and custom silver & white), with the three zooms, which tend to stay mounted and I just switch cameras instead. All three together weigh less than my Sony and twin zoom outfit. I'm having buyers remorse though. About the Sony! The little Pentaxes are such fun to use, unobtrusive, and if one body fails or runs out of battery I have backups. Pentax/Ricoh really screwed up when they axed future development.

6:02 I may be wrong but I think that might be the infrared sensor that allows you to use a remote with your camera

It's nice to know that you still have your pentax q! I actually bought mine because of you haha. I will never give it away. It's a fun system to shoot with.

You are infectious!!! You have so much fun, we all want to catch whatever you've got! ❣️👍😊

I love your videos. I recently acquired an original Pentax Q and three lenses (01, 02, and 03), and I absolutely love it. I owned a Pentax 110 many years ago, and was always a bit disappointed in the resolution of the photos I could take with it. This is obviously not as sharp as my Olympus MFT cameras but it is more than satisfactory. If I continue to use this camera (I did just today), I may find it impossible to resist buying a Q7!

I have the first Q, bought it used and it came with 7 of the 8 lens, the 08 wide is astronomical in price. The camera is a fun and the results are great! Great review!

In the 90s I rode tandem a lot with my kids. A Konica C35 in the back pocket of my cycling jersey. My daughters would take the camera out and take photos as we rode along. My grandsons now do the same with the Q10, now even taking short video clips.

Love it!! I originally got a Q back in 2017 to not draw attention to myself while riding the Los Angeles subway and have been absolutely smitten with it! I’ve got six of the eight lenses, too, though I’m missing the 02 (which I’m sure I’ll pick up when I get a backup Q) and the 08. I suppose I’m kind of an oddball, as I mostly stick to the 04 (with 05 & 03 in a supporting role)

Awesome and very entertaining video 😊

Great review thank you. I wanted to try the original Q with some C mount as well as vintage long telephoto lenses just for fun

When you made your first ode to the Q video I picked a Q10 up from ebay with the 02 and 06 lens, then after a few months I grabbed another Q10 (this one all black) with the 01 and another 06 lens. Around the same time I noticed amazon still have the fish eye, toy lenses and body cap in stock and cheap so I got those. The last year I found the S1 locally for cheap! So I have quite the collection and have one with me pretty much all times. I like the wide toy lens for macro but I'm going to have to give extension tubes a try!

I think these kinds of cameras are the most enjoyable to shoot with. I'm over huge cameras. Nothing beats being able to keep the camera and five lenses, the weight of which you can barely feel, in a backpack with room to spare. That's why I love my GM5 so much. Stick a something like the Panny 42.5 f1.7 on it and it punches far, far above its weight class.

The cameras and lens truly look thing in person!

I'm also a fan of small cameras, but I've stopped using cameras with 1/2.3" sensors. My Sony RX100 with the 1" sensor is tiny, but the images are noticeably inferior to my Micro Four Thirds system. You've captured some great images with the Q, Emily! I really enjoyed using my Olympus XA years ago. Too bad they can't make a digital equivalent.

Kool video. I have looked into the Q system but in my area it is rather expensive. Plus I have a ton of M43 gear, APSc and FF also. I did manage to find without looking, and very cheap, an N1J1 with 2 lenses. Sort of a novelty and doesn't get much use.

Thanks!

The more I play with my Q-S1 the more I love it. Yeah, it's not a super duper micro 4/3s or full frame camera, but for fun factor it blows them away. With a TINY sling bag, I can put in the camera (with case!), the other Pentax Q zoom lens AND a 50-200 K mount lens with the adapter (in a case!! It is so cool to have a take it everywhere camera that can do so much. My $1500 Olympus camera is feeling a bit left out these days....

I had this and the Nikon 1 but favored the Nikon more. I can usually make due with sensors worst than the Q but it just wasn’t worth the price back then. Maybe I’ll revisit it again today.

Great video and camera. Pentax started it all with the A 110 with several lenses. Nice camera for its time.

Holy Shit. I’m shocked as to how amazing this is

I have the q10 ! - straight out of Japan - one of my best cameras I’ve ever owned !

Surprised to read the Pentax Q was available new as recently as first quarter 2020. It seems like the kind of camera that would thrive on the home market but make little sense anywhere else, especially as m4/3 is seen as "too small" for serious users. It would be interesting to know how big a sharp print can be made from the Q series.

I love it -- I'll have to dig mine out. I was keen to get that telezoom, too, but it just got too expensive. I've almost bought the pink GX850 several times, too.

I got all recent cameras but at the end i carry qs1 for street photography, result is just better than other camera because of qs1's vivid colour mode with fun affect lenses. Its just so light and small, still my go camera in 2023. Recommend 8 wide zoom lens, its the most sharp lens among all lens but its hard to get, i was lucky to get one in Japan.

I bought one because of your video. 😄 it's so small and adorable! I was in a rut in taking photos but the pentax q is such a joy to shoot and very handy, i have found myself shooting again :)

thank you for the review. Im the same with cameras, I cant stop. I see one I like I will buy, lol

I've always been a fan of small cameras, having started with an Olympus OM1N in 1980 and a Konica C35 the following year. They don't get a lot of use now, but in 2016 I picked up a nail varnish pink coloured Q10 and 02 lens for just £80. At the time there was a complete kit with camera and all lenses from 01 to 08 available for just under £500!!! I didn't buy it as I had no experience of the system at the time, but if only! Since then I have added a white Q, silver Q10, and black Q7. Along with an 01, four 02, an 03, 05 and two 06 lenses. Two ever ready cases, four chargers ten batteries and a few filters and lens hoods. Total cost a little over £500. I don't expect to buy any more, but if a decently priced QS-1 came up , who knows. The two Q10s are on loan to my daughters. I'm enjoying the system so much I have no desire to buy anything supposedly "better".

Thanks for a great video of a fun and capable mini system! Question: it looks like there is a teeny square IR cut filter that might pop in/out just ahead of the sensor? If so, I would think it might make for a quick route to having a full spectrum camera whenever the mood strikes (with steady hands though, no doubt!)

Nikon also had a super small system. I would love to see what these Pentax raw files look after being cleaned up with DXO photoLab or DXO PureRaw.

I d love a video about the different QBodies!

I just bought q10, and I really like the size

Don't Emily, I'll be on Ebay, MPB and Wex looking for one lol I had the Nikon 1 a couple of years ago for similar reasons, only I did the classic thing of selling to fund another camera. Love your videos, always uplifting :)

Had a Canon bridge camera once with a similar sensor. Having a 28-420mm f2.8-3.5 equivalent zoom at that size is fun. Image quality was ...decent enough? And cause of the tiny sensor close focus is really close. Like directly at the front element close. But man, the distortions 😂 interchangeable lenses exist for a reason. Growing up I wondered why I never managed to get a straight picture of cityscapes. Only when I started photography a bit more seriously, I understood that it wasn't my fault

I so wish that I had the coin to splurge on this camera back in the day, as they are so cool! Having said that, I am happy that at least for the time being we have Panasonic GM series as a not-as-small mainstream alternative

I have 2 different models. Have never thought to shoot in raw. Wanted the Pentax adapter to put K lenses on these but it is like $250 - if you can find one.

Dear EmiIy: usually use full frame but I also have the M43 and a while ago the Pentax Q. I must say that as a compact camera to carry around without worrying about weight and space it is great. Even going with such a small camera means that no one will take you seriously and that is a huge advantage. In my case, the image quality is at the limit and in the end I always end up applying noise reduction whether in LR, PH or Topaz. It is a very small sensor and the noise is visible even at ISO 200. Sometimes I like it because it reminds me of the era of the film but depending on the conditions other times I feel that it bothers me and I end up applying the noise reducer just a little, very sparingly so as not to degrade other components of the image. And so yes, I find it pleasant and often surprising, since for landscapes the depth of field is wide that it seems as if you were doing focus stacking in each shot. In fact, I did tests at a focal length similar to a 28 with my D700 and a fixed 28 2.8 AI lens and although it does not achieve the sharpness nor does it have the tonal variation of the D700, in a scene that combines a foreground and a background the image taken with the Pentax Q I like it better when I ask others. And indeed the quality is not so far away. I made prints on paper and the results were excellent too, more than happy with this wonderful little system and a shame it's a camera with no alternatives. Cheers!

Reminds me of the Pentax 110 auto film camera which I owned along with the three lenses. I guess this is the digital variant of the 110.

Great system and capturers. Congrats, as you were able to achieve stellar pictures that some of “fancy” Leica / Fujifilm shooters may not have that wisdom to shot like this. Although they have soooo expensive cams. :)

Ok I have only just discovered this camera today thanks to this video! ...Did you 'catch them all' when it comes to the lenses? (Sorry if I missed an update?)

For some reason KZfaq has recently started to recommend to me videos that deal (and often praise) with the Pentax Q system. I've always loved the Pentax DSLRs (they're all I use) but the Q passed me by back in the day. But now with the slight resurgence of its popularity in street photography (due to its small size and low, low price in the used market), I had the thought that I could probably easily smuggle it into some gigs and get better shots than with my crappy cell phone camera. And I just can't shake that idea! So I guess I'll be getting a Q7 or a Q-S1 in the near future...

I have been on the look out for this and the Nikon 1 system in the local classifeds. Scored a Nikon 1V1 for about £40, so the Q system is a bit on the backburner at the moment as I plan to flesh out the Nikon system a bit. Already got the 10-30 (somewhat dead) that came with the camera, and a 30-110 as well as the tiny flash for them. Plan to get the OEM adapter, a fully working normal range lens, possibly the Wide angle zoom, and the Holy Grail would be the 70-300, which at 2.7X should be a nice 190 to 810mm equivalent coming in at rather less than two lbs/1kilo with one of the "big" V style cameras that sports LVFs.

Would love to see a test for minimum DOF on this system with a portrait and how it compares to something like a compact digicam

Cute tiny camera, what do you think of Samsung NX Mini?

This is so cool! I can't believe the quality from such a tiny sensor! There isn't a single tiny camera out there that you don't know about 🤣

Can you please how you manual focus with gh series? I am having hard time.

I also collected the Pentax Q full set and even had the 08 Wide, which I sold last year for more that I paid for it two years prior. Rare to make money on camera lenses. I still have more original Q and love the prime, which keeps the camera so tiny.

Reminds me of the Pentax 110 SLR

How does it compare to the Samsung NX cameras?

size of the body i was expecting 1inch sensor! the SamsungNX-mini has 1inch sensor and has that slim compact body!

Absolutely one of my first and favorite camera systems, (unfortunately got stolen) so now I’m looking to repurchase possibly, even being an almost 10 year old camera system at this point it’s still just about the same price for the camera + a 02 lens (which seems kind of amazing) Absolutely my fav camera that I’ve used so far for macro insect photos (although my phone camera with macro is maybe easier at this point)

May i suggest your next camera quest be the Nikon 1 with phase detect autofocus. Not much bigger than th Pentax Q

I’ve got the #8 lens but very rarely use it. I need to trade it for some m43 lenses

I have original Q. I like it. But used it soooo long time ago.

My favourite so far is my Olympus EM10 MkII since it makes me feel like a pro (though I am not LOL). Though I do have a Pentax Q10 that I bought for my girlfriend, but she doesn't use it as much. I think she probably needs a LCD Hood to see what she's taking. I have taken photos with it myself and it always amazes me. On the screen itself the photos look meh, but when I open it on the PC it is like whoa, what? it was this sharp? I think in a different world I'd be a Pentax Q only person but it is just too limited and M4/3 is really the best bargain.

I had 2 of the original Qs along with several lenses, and like and idiot sold all of them. But my wife and I went on a driving trip from Minnesota to Utah and I took that and the Pentaz K-01 and got great photos. Yep - sold the K-01 too.

I was going to buy this camera, but my dad told me just to buy a better phone (which does make sense honestly). I still want to pick this up eventually though. Also, random question, but have you ever used the Zcam E2-M4? It would be a interesting alternative to the Gh6

Nice review of a curious little camera. I wonder if Pentax made any money out of it? I must say, however, that I wince whenever you wave your cameras about with the sensor exposed due to no lens being attached.

I love this series! Pentax was seriously ahead of its time wow. 😮 Is it even possible to shoot with this in low light? 😂

Q was a nice series. To bad Pentax shut it down. Same with Nikon 1, really wanted to try that system but was already invested in MFT. It’s a shame the camera world doesn’t tolerate a system with smaller sensors.

Love my Pentax q10! Wish Pentax would blow some life into the system with a new body

I'm trying to find it, but here in Spain I can't find it..

Thanks Emily. How does the 70-200 equivalent compare in size and weight to the Lumix 35-100 f4-5.6?

You can put Lumix and Leica Fullframe lenses on it with an adapter, that would look funny. You should try it.

now the two most important things, original Pentax Q to Pentax K converter and Pentax M star 300 F4 it gives us 1400mm F4 a and it's incredibly sharp. The M 300 star lens is very small. .. at the end Metabone speed buster . thanks to him, when we use lens of f1.2 we will get the fastest connection that exists, f 0.666 ( we can take photos in darkness) I recommend

Never change, Pentax .. :)

I went to a Spanish town called Callella which had massive puppets like yours. They were very photogenic even with my cutting-edge Nikon d50 and it's massive 6mp sensor. Can I ask you a completely random question about a Panny 42.5mm lens? I'm off to my sister's wedding in Spain soon, would this be a good lens to take on holiday for family photo wedding duties?

Emily, actually it's no secret. At all. And I can see why. Looks like one of the most fun camera families there is to shoot with!

Decided to go to short trawel only with q10 leawing g9 home and found this wideo just now he he...

WOAHHHHH. That 70-200 lens is tiny!! :D

I never realized how small the sensor was on the Q !

I have 3 of the Qs with the 01, 02 and 06 lenses. The 08 goes for $700-$1000 which is not worth it IMO.

The round lump that you are using as a "grip" is actually an infrared receiver for a remote control. I doubt if you will find the remote control. You might also be able to find a "C-mount" adapter for the Q series. The C-mount is "industrial" and is used for things like security cameras or microscope cameras. C-mount lenses are all manual and highly variable in price and quality. They range from very poor quality and cheap up to excellent quality and very expensive. Ricoh makes C-mount lenses, which can be thought of as "appropriate" for a Pentax camera.

Some of us still mourn the day that Pentax discontinued the Q-series. I could never quite afford them when they were current and now, in the UK, it's seemingly hard to track them down at sensible money

Huge fail was, that it started with 1/2.3" sensors and quite high price. Only those later produced Q7 and later cameras with slightly larger 1/1.6" sensors are more interesting. Calling lenses "toy lens" was also horrible marketing fail. It will be better to release Q7 with some 24-150/2.8 equivallent lens, add fisheye and AF adaptor for K mount. As a result of all those fails I rather bought Olympus Stylus 1s and I have pocketable camera with same sensor like Q7, superb 28-300/2.8 lens, significantly better AF and all in one small package with EVF included. Unfortunately Ricoh killed the whole system :(

I've shot m43 for a decade and am finally giving it up. Its mediocre image quality just doesn't cut it for me anymore. Emily, are you affiliated with Panasonic or another company?

What's the sensor size?

Which Q camera is best?

Which is the 70-200

Eh, did u say Pentax "Cute?" I'm mulling🤔 original edition all-metal Q. With the right adaptors, much fun 2 b had. Btw; very nice colour rendering.

hmm, probably better off with a modern compact camera with a ~400mm range like a Panasonic Tz200.. when on discount lol. They are Truly pocketable and better image quality. But it's nice reviving old things.

Q for Qute!

Pink it and shrink it

ITS ALSO FROM AN ANIME

Besides more fun, quality can’t be better than a modern mobile, don’t you agree?

I happen to have an extra 07 shield mount lens! I DM'd you on Insta

Surprised to read the Pentax Q was available new as recently as first quarter 2020. It seems like the kind of camera that would thrive on the home market but make little sense anywhere else, especially as m4/3 is seen as "too small" for serious users. It would be interesting to know how big a sharp print can be made from the Q series.

Now I have to go find my Q system, nice review. I use a clearviewer on mine so I can bring to my eye and use like a normal camera (blocks sun with hand)