Pentax Q-S1

54 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
portability (14)
performance (11)
size (11)
design (9)
screen (8)

Negative
sensor (2)
viewfinder (1)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 54 reviews of Pentax Q-S1. The average rating for this product is 3.8/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras for all reviews. Reviews about the screen and design are generally positive. The performance and size also get good reviews. Many are critical about the viewfinder and sensor, while there are some mixed comments about the usability.

portability, size, performance, design, screen

sensor, viewfinder

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Pentax Q-S1 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 87/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 54 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(42% of reviews)
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Show all 2 star reviews (9% of reviews)
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Features

portability
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size
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performance
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design
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usability
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Showing 16 review(s)

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Showing 1 - 15 of 16 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (38)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Pentax Q-S1

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1 user review of Pentax Q-S1 from Amazon.co.uk. 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.co.uk. Reviews about the sensor and portability are on the whole positive. The durability and zoom are also mentioned favorably, but reviews are divided on the usability. Some have doubts about the design.

performance, zoom, durability, portability, sensor

design

100% 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-S1

alaTest has collected and analyzed 3 user reviews of Pentax Q-S1 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.2/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.com.

100% 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-S1

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1 user review of Pentax Q-S1 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. People are impressed by the lens and screen. The design and size also get good feedback, whereas some have doubts about the usability.

size, design, screen, lens

usability

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

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : Jim Fisher (pcmag.com)

Pentax Q-S1

The Pentax Q-S1 is one of the smallest interchangeable lens cameras on the market, but it performs like a compact camera when it comes to image quality.

Very small. In-body stabilization system. Intriguing lens system. Sharp rear LCD. In-camera art filters. Lots of color choices.

Lacks Wi-Fi. Lags behind other mirrorless systems in image quality. Raw uncorrected for distortion.

Performance and Conclusions The Q-S1 starts and captures an in-focus image in just about 1.7 seconds, which is on the pokey side for a mirrorless camera. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 does the same in just 0.9-second. The Q-S1's slower focus time, 0.4-second...

Mar, 2015

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Lori Grunin (cnet.com)

Pentax Q-S1 tones down the cute

Though it's still a tiny interchangeable-lens compact, it has a more refined design and color palette than its predecessor, the Q7.

Aug, 2014

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Expert review by : Michael Palmer (steves-digicams.com)

Pentax Q-S1

The Pentax Q-S1 is a compact mirrorless camera system with a 12.4-megapixel image sensor. Mated to the Q Engine image processor, this camera can shoot up to 5fps still images or 30fps 1080p HD videos in the 100-12800 ISO range and with full-time...

Dec, 2014

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Expert review by : Ilse Jurriën (letsgodigital.org)

Pentax Q-S1

Pentax Q-S1 digital system camera : Ricoh Imaging is proud to introduce the new Pentax Q-S1, one of the world's smallest and lightest digital cameras with interchangeable lenses. With a new refined look, Smart Affect mode for creative photo enhancing,...

In addition, Ricoh Imaging is pleased to announce the launch of a color to order service for the new Pentax Q-S1 digital camera. This unprecedented service, (originally launched with the Pentax Q7), has been popularly accepted by many users as a new,...

Aug, 2014

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Expert review by : Amy Davies (photographyblog.com)

Pentax QS-1 Review

The Pentax QS-1 was announced back in the summer of 2014, and is the latest in Ricoh's range of super small interchangeable lens cameras. At the time of its release, it was claimed to the the world's smallest interchangeable lens system, and this seems...

The compact system camera market is very crowded at the moment, and the area which has a lot of competition in particular is the very small, pocket friendly cameras with lots of companies vying for attention as “world’s smallest”.

Jan, 2015

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Expert review by : Mike Tomkins (imaging-resource.com)

Pentax Q-S1 Review

Back in 2011, Pentax launched its first compact system camera, the tiny little Pentax Q. In true Pentax fashion, the original Q was extremely small, yet had surprisingly good handling. (Doubly so, when you consider how many physical controls Pentax...

Available from August 2014, the Pentax Q-S1 will list for around US$500 in a kit with the Pentax-02 Standard Zoom kit lens. (On the Q-S1, this 5-15mm f/2.8-4.5 optic is equivalent to a 23-69mm wide zoom, after accounting for the focal length crop.)...

Aug, 2014

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Expert review by : Sam Rutherford (tomsguide.com)

Pentax Q-S1 Review: Style Over Substance

I wanted to like the Q-S1 with its cute retro styling and small but full-featured controls. Unfortunately, the Q-S1 is outclassed by the Samsung NX Mini in terms of specs, price and performance. For $100 less, you get a bigger sensor, smaller body and...

Small but easy-to-use controls ; Q system features eight interchangeable lenses ; Cute vintage style

Grainy low-light photos ; Low-res display with slow image playback ; Slow photo write speeds ; Just four filters

The Pentax Q-S1 is a compact interchangeable-lens camera, but its features and performance fall flat compared with similarly priced competitors.

Oct, 2014

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Expert review by : Shutterbug (shutterbug.com)

Pentax Unveils Retro-Style Q-S1 Mini Mirrorless Camera and 28-45mm 645 Medium-Format Lens

Pentax's parent company Ricoh Imaging just announced some product news big and small: a whopping 28-45mm F/4.5 lens for its 645Z medium format camera system; and a tiny, retro-style Q-S1 mirrorless compact system camera.

Aug, 2004

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Expert review by : Amy Davies (techradar.com)

Pentax Q-S1 review

It's the world's smallest compact system camera, but is that enough?

Small size ; Easy to use ; Manual control ; DNG raw format

Small sensor ; No touchscreen ; No WiFi ; Limited lens range

Although it's the world's smallest interchangeable lens camera, it doesn't offer a huge amount aside from that. Image quality is decent, but not amazing. Consider the fantastic Panasonic GM5 instead which is a little more expensive but gives you much...

Feb, 2015

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Joshua Waller (ephotozine.com)

Pentax Q-S1 Review

Reviewed, the new compact and stylish Pentax Q-S1, with 12 megapixel BSI sensor and a redesigned camera body available in a number of colours.

Adobe DNG raw format ; Dual-axis electronic level ; Lots of filter and effects ; Raw shooting ; Number of compact lenses available ; Good image quality ; Bright saturated colours with punch ; Available in a number of colours ; Quite stylish

Doesn't feature Wi-Fi ; Lacks panoramic mode ; Additional bright prime lenses would be welcome ; Smaller sensor than other mirrorless ILC cameras ; Raw continuous shooting is slow ; Mono sound recording

Whilst the Pentax Q-S1 may not have as large a sensor as other mirrorless cameras, the compact size of the camera and lenses may make this a stylish compact camera you'd want to take with you when you didn't want to cart a Digital SLR around with you....

Dec, 2014

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