Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Pentax Q - first impressions
#1
I'm aware that many of you are less than thrilled by the camera concept but upon first contact I sort of like it.

The build quality of the camera itself is on Leica-level - and it better has to regarding the steep pricing anyway. The AF speed is not really top notch but the handling is actually quite nice and far better than -say- on the E-PL3.

It follows something like a Minox philosophy - a Pana GH-2 or Sammy NX10 are monsters in comparison.

The two kit lenses are extremely lightweight. The outer shell is made of metal here as well but the inner tube is made of plastic. The zoom lens extends quite a bit (mono-cam).

No field image impressions yet.
#2
[quote name='Klaus' timestamp='1318022349' post='12213']

I'm aware that many of you are less than thrilled by the camera concept but upon first contact I sort of like it.

The build quality of the camera itself is on Leica-level - and it better has to regarding the steep pricing anyway. The AF speed is not really top notch but the handling is actually quite nice and far better than -say- on the E-PL3.

It follows something like a Minox philosophy - a Pana GH-2 or Sammy NX10 are monsters in comparison.

The two kit lenses are extremely lightweight. The outer shell is made of metal here as well but the inner tube is made of plastic. The zoom lens extends quite a bit (mono-cam).

No field image impressions yet.

[/quote]



Hi Klaus,



You got one of these or just had a play?



Joachim
enjoy
#3
[quote name='Klaus' timestamp='1318022349' post='12213']

I'm aware that many of you are less than thrilled by the camera concept but upon first contact I sort of like it.

The build quality of the camera itself is on Leica-level - and it better has to regarding the steep pricing anyway. The AF speed is not really top notch but the handling is actually quite nice and far better than -say- on the E-PL3.

It follows something like a Minox philosophy - a Pana GH-2 or Sammy NX10 are monsters in comparison.

The two kit lenses are extremely lightweight. The outer shell is made of metal here as well but the inner tube is made of plastic. The zoom lens extends quite a bit (mono-cam).

No field image impressions yet.

[/quote]



Kool, thanks for sharing your impressions. Unlike many people, I'm reserving judgement until I can handle and shoot one. The pricing has been a constant criticism, but the build quality (cast-Mg body) is the same high-end level as the K-5. It's a serious statement about their intentions with this camera. No doubt that a polycarbonate body (i.e. K-r) could follow at half the price.



I had great fun and results with a Ricoh GX-8 (1/1.8" sensor) between 135 film days and APS-C dSLR days. The sensor had terrible auto-exposure (very slow to lock exposure) and pretty limited dynamic range (this was circa 2005) but it was a serious body and fun to work with (not too different from the other GX's and the GRD's). The sensor on the Q has to be miles ahead, so it should be a fun camera.



Some "snapshots" on 1/1.8" format from the GX-8:



[Image: p514002773-5.jpg]



[Image: p351903164-4.jpg]



[Image: p366516252-5.jpg]



[Image: p223014199-4.jpg]



[Image: p997312410-4.jpg]



[Image: p733229316-5.jpg]
#4
[quote name='joachim' timestamp='1318184071' post='12245']

You got one of these or just had a play?

[/quote]



Klaus got the camera for the Nepal-trip (wo which he left yesterday). See also this thread:



http://forum.photozone.de/index.php?/top...ice-klaus/



I'm sure we can expect a few more insights into the Q's performance in early November.



-- Markus
Editor
opticallimits.com

#5
[quote name='dave9t5' timestamp='1318205131' post='12246']

Some "snapshots" on 1/1.8" format from the GX-8:

[/quote]



I especially like the last one, Dave.



-- Markus
Editor
opticallimits.com

#6
I wonder if we'll be seeing formal tests...
#7
I had the opportunity to handle and examine the Q today at the Paris Photo Show. Undoubtedly high quality, but so small that it almost feels like a toy. The AF felt OK, but not particularly quick. I did not see any VF, so I cannot comment.



I also had a look and shot both the NEX-7 and the A77. The EVF of the NEX7 was slow as hell and did not feel good, but the overall quality looks outstanding. The A77 is going to be a serious contender in the semi pro APC-S market. The body was light and felt very comfortable to handle including the controls and the EVF works very, very well. I tried a 16-50 f2.8 which was light and very fast AF. According to the Sony folks, the NEX7 is slow because of the AF technology they use, but tthe A77 felt really good in the hands and the speed is something else. To me a sure winner but the NEX7 did not convince me.



Olympus on the other hand showed the EP3 with the VF and several very nice lenses. The VF works really well, with fast AF and very clear. In spite of the unbecoming design on top of the body I feel that it will sell really well. I'd much rather have the EP3 in my pocket with a pancake and one or two more lenses in a bag than the NEX7. The design of the whole system feels more complete and the speed and detail of the VF were very pleasant.



The Nikon 1 was amasing, nothing less. I think Nikon has a real winner. The quality was best in class and the VF seemed oustanding to me. I carried a D700 with a F2 35 and the V1 was not very far behind in terms of AF speed and clarity. I could put a V1 with the flat lense in my trouser pocket and it was not silly and still it felt like a big camera when handling and shooting.



I guess every one has tried the X100, but I had not until today and what a wonderful camera to hold and use. I have seen all the comments regarding process speed, etc., but you forget it when you hold one and apparently the firmware update has improved a lot of things. The Vf is without any doubt the best of all except for the DSLR's and it just feels right!



To me the biggest surprise was the Olympus, which flabbergasted me and I really believe Sony has something going with the A77. If reliability and functioning is as good as I think, they will take a lot of DSLR market share, provided the lenses follow. Otherwise, the Nikon 1 was better than I had hoped for and if IQ is as good as they promise, they will develop a brand new market segment an sell lots of cameras, including one to me.





#8
Thanks a lot for the summary, certainly interesting.



Yes, the X100 is a real cutie, I also was immediately in love with it. I really like the idea of the hybrid viewfinder and would love to see it in a system camera too. However, I'm sure it only works so well because it is limited to a single focal length on the X100.



A bit surprised to read you liked the Nikon V1 so much. On the other hand, we're now already two customers in Europe, then <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='Wink' />



-- Markus
Editor
opticallimits.com

#9
Just one more comment; Samsung was not present in any way shape or form, not even by a dealer. I can not understand how they expect to sell the NX system without marketing! As far as I can remember, all the other players were present and Pentax had a huge stand right in the middle of the show whereas Ricoh had a very small stand.
#10
[quote name='mst' timestamp='1318241348' post='12249']

I especially like the last one, Dave.



-- Markus

[/quote]



Thanks Markus, that was a later image...my workflow and processing got better. Only JPG output from the GX-8 and I think alot of the earlier images suffered from unintentional JPG degradation.



The flash images are with the built-in flash, it had a lot of power for a compact camera.
  


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread:
2 Guest(s)