Talk me out of ir or into it: Pentax Q with Zoom

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  • #2873
    stupido
    Participant

    Well I looked at the reviews and such when they first came out. Interesting concept but not worth it. Now a little bit over a year later with the Q10 out, NewEgg had the Q with the zoom lens for $279. Not it is much more interesting. Any opinions?

    BTW, I already have a Pentax DSLR but no longer have a compact camera.

    #49787
    Yoyo
    Participant

    Sure, why not? Get the adapter and put on your longest lens for extreme telephotos.

    On the otherhand, that’s a lot of money for a tiny sensor. And even if it is the size of a deck of cards, you still can’t stick it in your pocket for carrying with a big honking lens sticking out the front. Furthermore, a sensor this small is surely an all new design for a mirrorless setup, so why maintain a rectangular format instead of going square to maximize the use of the lens? Ultimately, I’m going to say save your money for some other photography toys.

    #49788
    CauseISaidSo
    Participant

    I have no experience with Pentax nor have I read anything about this model in particular other than the NewEgg description I just reviewed, but it sounds like a pretty decent deal. 12MP, full manual control, shooting in RAW, flash hotshoe – all of the critical components seem to be there.

    The questions, then are 1) Do you have other lenses that will work with the camera? 2) If not, are you willing to invest in another set of lenses specifically for this body (or can you be satisfied with only the kit lens)? and 3) As Yoyo pointed out, even though the body itself is small, the lenses still make it not exactly pocket-sized, so would you actually use it?

    If the answers to those questions are even a weak yes, I’d say you probably couldn’t go wrong for that price.

    #49789
    stupido
    Participant

    The lens issue is probably the thing that is holding me back a bit. I got spoiled with cheap lenses for my two Pentax K mount DSLRs. I like the idea of the 8.5 mm normal lens in the future. But it appears that Pentax does not sell it by itself. You must buy a body. But then at this price, it is like buying the zoom and getting the body for $20.

    One thing about the Q, the 5-15 zoom and the 8.5 have the mechanical shutter in the lens and not the body. That brings the price up. But the body can use an electronic shutter as it does with the “toy” lens lineup. So there are 3rd party mechanical adapters for Pentax 110, Screw and K-Mount lenses. Pentax does make a K-mount to Q adapter with a shutter but it is $250!

    Still, I was thinking of dropping 150 to 200 on a smaller camera and I am leaning toward it.

    #49790
    sleeping
    Participant

    Hmm, you might want to consider that another 20$ could get you something rather more capable, sensor-wise (although also rather larger):

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/823590-REG/Nikon_27504_Nikon_1_V1_Mirrorless.html

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/768477-REG/Panasonic_DMC_G3KK_Lumix_DMC_G3_14_42mm_Lens.html

    #49791
    stupido
    Participant

    Well, against everyone’s better judgement and mine too, I ordered it. After the new year, I get the adapters and attach it to my telescope.

    #49792
    Yoyo
    Participant

    I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. If the normal lens is 8.5mm, my 85mm would be a 10 power zoom, and my 250 telephoto would be ~30x. I realize the resolving power of your setup with a telescope is not solely dependent on the size of the sensor pixels, but in this case, perhaps a smaller sensor is better.

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