Once I maintain the Pentax Q10 – clawed fingers awkwardly clasping its paltry kind issue – I can not assist however think about I am Andre the Big, holding one of many greatest mirrorless cameras which are of a typical dimension.
The famed wrestler was billed at an unimaginable 7ft 4in tall with 16-inch fingers, to not point out an absolute legend of the game and a cultural icon. I suppose the Pentax Q10 does not should be uttered in the identical sentence… or does it?
The Q10 is certainly one of 4 our bodies that make up the Pentax Q system. The Q, Q10, Q7 and Q-S1 have been launched from 2011 to 2014, and these diminutive little cameras are fairly not like something I’ve ever used earlier than.
Every physique is concerning the dimension of your common compact digital camera, however they’re bonafide interchangeable lens mirrorless units, with their very personal sequence of Q-mount optics. At a time when Pentax’s DSLR- and film-focused mantra is wanting backward, the ‘Q’ feels uncharacteristically futuristic.
This explicit Q10 belongs to my colleague and good friend, @therobspedding, who makes use of it as his on a regular basis ‘beater digital camera’. In reality, that is his third Pentax Q. Each time he is offered one he is discovered that, nevertheless small, the absent Q has left an indelible gap in his digital camera assortment. Having made the error of promoting two Qs, he tells me that this one’s staying. And he means it.
If, like Rob, you merely can not derive the identical enjoyment, and certainly a connection, with images when utilizing a smartphone digital camera, the Pentax Q is a palpable various. It is exhausting to argue with the little digital camera’s maybe unmatched mix of portability and flexibility, because of its diminutive dimension and eight-strong roster of interchangeable lenses.
Rob’s proper. A lot in the identical approach that the Casio G-Shock has lengthy been thought-about the proper ‘beater watch’, the Pentax Q is the proper ‘beater digital camera’.
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And but, I do know tons of people that proudly brandish a Casio G-Shock on their arm – however whereas Rob’s certainly one of them, he is the one particular person I do know who’s owned a Pentax Q. Not to mention three of them! So why are individuals spending prime greenback on cameras just like the Fujifilm X100VI as their day by day point-and-shoot, when cameras just like the Pentax Q could be picked up for comparative pittance?
Certain, the Q10’s specs are nothing to shout about in 2024. However when you think about it is over a decade previous, and launched as one of many smallest interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras ever launched, it is nonetheless completely usable. It is constructed round a 12MP, 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, shoots RAW, shoots bursts at 5fps, boasts face-detection, has a max shutter velocity of 1/8000 sec, can shoot FullHD 30p and even has a neat little pop-up flash.
Unsurprisingly, there is not any viewfinder, so you may must compose by way of the 3-inch LCD monitor – which, as with most compacts, is sort of as large because the digital camera itself. However what I actually like about this little machine is how sturdy it feels. You’d assume it feels toy-like within the hand, however it really feels fairly meaty.
Sadly, Rob’s 01 Customary Prime 8.5mm f/1.9 and 06 Telephoto Zoom 15-45mm f/2.8 do not feel practically as premium or sturdy – however it is a teeny tiny system, in any case. And in the event you’re feeling significantly stylish, you’ll be able to decide up Pentax Qs in a variety of funky colours, since Pentax supplied a whopping 100 coloration variations by way of particular order.
So, there you will have it. In case you’re on the lookout for a ‘beater digital camera’ or a tool with slightly extra soul than the greatest digital camera telephone, you’ll be able to decide up a Pentax Q and a lens or two for a lot lower than many different trendy classics. And in the event you’re a Nikon consumer who likes the thought of the Pentax Q, perhaps I am going to take the very related Nikon 1 system for a spin in a future article. Yet one more miniature mirrorless system that was launched in 2011. Watch this little ol’ area…
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