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Pentax Q

Pentax Q
Pentax QPentax QPentax QPentax QPentax QPentax QPentax QPentax QPentax QPentax Q
alaScore 89

351 reviews

Apr, 2024

alaTest has collected and analyzed 351 reviews of Pentax Q. The average rating for this product is 4.1/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras for all reviews. Reviewers are impressed by the price and lens. The performance and usability also get good views. Many are negative about the shutter and energy efficiency, and there are mixed comments on the storage and focus.

portability, usability, performance, lens, price

battery, viewfinder, energy, shutter

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Pentax Q is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 89/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 351 reviews)

Expert Reviews  

User Reviews  

Review Ratings

  (46% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews   (30% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews   (17% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews   (4% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews   (3% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

portability
  Show positive (93%)Show negative (7%)(Show all)
usability
  Show positive (88%)Show negative (12%)(Show all)
performance
  Show positive (80%)Show negative (20%)(Show all)
lens
  Show positive (91%)Show negative (9%)(Show all)
price
  Show positive (57%)Show negative (43%)(Show all)
size
  Show positive (73%)Show negative (27%)(Show all)
image quality
  Show positive (90%)Show negative (10%)(Show all)
design
  Show positive (99%)Show negative (1%)(Show all)
durability
  Show positive (72%)Show negative (28%)(Show all)
zoom
  Show positive (72%)Show negative (28%)(Show all)
sensor
  Show positive (78%)Show negative (22%)(Show all)
reliability
  Show positive (79%)Show negative (21%)(Show all)
screen
  Show positive (58%)Show negative (42%)(Show all)
battery
  Show positive (44%)Show negative (56%)(Show all)
color
  Show positive (88%)Show negative (13%)(Show all)
glare
  Show positive (77%)Show negative (23%)(Show all)
focus
  Show positive (54%)Show negative (46%)(Show all)
low-light
  Show positive (83%)Show negative (17%)(Show all)
flash
  Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)
viewfinder
  Show positive (30%)Show negative (70%)(Show all)
storage
  Show positive (50%)Show negative (50%)(Show all)
exposure
  Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)
stabilizer
  Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)
optics
  Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)
contrast
  Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)
energy
  None yetShow negative (100%)(Show all)
memory
  Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)
shutter
  None yetShow negative (100%)(Show all)
More features

Showing 212 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

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Showing 1 - 180 of 212 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (137)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Pentax Q

 

alaTest has collected and analyzed 91 user reviews of Pentax Q from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.co.uk. People are impressed by the size and lens. The price and usability are also appreciated, but there are some critical comments about the screen and storage.

portability, usability, price, lens, size

storage, screen

96% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Pentax Q

 

alaTest has collected and analyzed 78 user reviews of Pentax Q from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.com. People are impressed by the size and image quality. The lens and usability also get good feedback, but many are negative about the shutter and glare.

portability, usability, lens, image quality, size

glare, shutter

99% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.ca)

Amazon.ca review summary for Pentax Q

 

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1 user review of Pentax Q from Amazon.ca. The average user rating for this product is 4.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.ca. Reviewers really like the design, but some have doubts about the usability.

design

usability

100% of the reviews on Amazon.ca give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : Zach Honig (engadget.com)

Pentax Q interchangeable lens camera review

 

Sony announces NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 cameras, new macro lens Pentax intros Q, world's smallest interchangeable lens digital camera (hands-on

Incredibly compact ; Option to save last image as RAW

Very expensive ; Short battery life ; Inconsistent image quality ; Multiple issues with video capture

Pentax may have managed to create the world's smallest mirrorless camera with this $800 ILC, but if image quality is more important than body size, the Q is not for you.

Oct, 2011
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Expert review by (engadget.com)

Pentax Q

 
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Expert review by : Jim Fisher (pcmag.com)

Pentax Adapter Q for K-Mount Lenses

 

The Pentax Adapter Q for K-Mount Lenses allows you to mount Pentax K lenses to the small Q camera for some impressive telephoto reach, but it's on the pricey side and a tripod mount adds to its cost.

Narrows field of view of lenses by 5x. Great for telephoto shots. Integrated aperture control.

Very expensive. Tripod mount costs extra. Lenses must be stopped down for optimal performance. Manual focus required.

Aug, 2013
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Expert review by : Jim Fisher (pcmag.com)

Pentax Q

 

The Pentax Q is the most compact interchangeable lens camera you can buy. But a small sensor that limits fine detail in images, slow start up and processing performance, and a high sticker price hold this small shooter back.

Sharp images. Excellent video quality. Good low light performance. Built-in flash. Silent operation.

Very expensive. Slow to start up and process images. Photos lack depth. Included lens doesn’t zoom.

Nov, 2011
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Expert review by : Richard Butler , Simon Joinson (dpreview.com)

Pentax Q Hands-on Preview

 

The Pentax Q is the smallest interchangeable lens camera on the market. And, just like the company's famously diminutive Auto 110 SLR from the late 70's, it achieves this by embracing a smaller format than its peers. Being built around a 1/2.3" sensor,...

Jun, 2011
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Expert review by : William Chambers (steves-digicams.com)

PENTAX Q Review

 

Pentax has created a very appealing compact camera that is packed with powerful features and the versatility of an interchangeable lens system. However, its price tag is very hard to swallow, when for the same or less you can pick up much more capable...

Compact and durable magnesium-alloy body ; Handy Quick Control Dial mounted on the front ; Captures nice 12-megapixel photos ; Great ISO performance up to ISO 1600 ; Bright 3.0-inch LCD screen ; Cool in-camera options ; Versatile interchangeable lens...

ISO 3200 and above show a great deal of noise ; Poor battery life ; Shooting performance is more in line with point-n-shoots rather than EVIL (aka MILC) cameras ; Slow buffer write speeds, causes camera to lock up after only a few shots; even in JPEG...

Pentax has created a very appealing compact camera that is packed with powerful features and the versatility of an interchangeable lens system. However, its price tag is very hard to swallow, when for the same or less you can pick up much more capable...

Jan, 2012
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Expert review by : Jeremy Stamas (camcorderinfo.com)

Pentax QDigital Camera Review

 

What follows is a quick overview of the video capabilities of the Pentax Q. Read our comprehensive analysis and testing results in greater detail at DigitalCameraInfo.com.

The Pentax Q performed admirably in our video tests, but its color accuracy and sharpness results were a notch lower than we normally see from a compact interchangeable lens camera. Like most cameras in this class, it’s able to record decent video, but...

Oct, 2011
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Expert review by : Mark Goldstein (photographyblog.com)

Pentax Q Review

 

The new Pentax Q is the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera. At its heart is a back illuminated 12.4 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS image sensor and the brand new super-compact Q-mount lens system. The Pentax Q also features Full 1080p...

The Pentax Q may look like a toy camera at first glance, but it actually proves to be a lot more full featured and intuitive to use in practice. Compact-like image quality and a sky-high price tag, however, combine to seriously detract from what is...

Oct, 2011
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Expert review by (imaging-resource.com)

Pentax Q

 

Pentax produces a small-sensor digital camera with interchangeable lenses, a first for the digital camera industry. If your interchangeable-lens camera sits at home on the shelf because it's too big, the Pentax Q could be the camera you're looking for,...

The first genuinely compact--almost pocket-friendly--compact system camera, paired with equally small, interchangeable lenses. Great ergonomics for the size, and it feels like a real camera, not a computer with a lens

Very restrictive lens selection at launch. All but two current lenses have severe limitations in functionality. Performance is sluggish, and image quality trails large-sensor cameras by some distance

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...

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Expert review by : Philip Ryan (popphoto.com)

Camera Test: Pentax Q ILC

 

When we saw the first mirror-less interchangeable-lens compact cameras just a few years ago, it was clear that the main reason the mirror went away was to allow for smaller cameras and lenses. And while the first models to hit the market were indeed...

Smallest ILC we’ve tested yet

Small sensor is noisy at high ISOs

Feb, 2012
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