It's in fact somewhere between compact and system camera. I formerly possessed the System Cameras Olympus Pen E-PL1 and E-PL2 and have gladly tried various Compact as the Samsung EX1, Olympus and Fujifilm X10 XZ1. My present is the Sony RX100 with the large sensor that everywhere euphoric test reports for its - was celebrated outstanding image quality - for such a small camera. But the Pentax Q is never much worse. As always the nagging tester tested: "biased" Either too hastily or too.
Haptic ever much better to handle than the Sony RX100 or even the smooth Olympus XZ1. From the size - Prime with the standard lens - almost the same as the two; considerably smaller than the Fujifilm X10. So a real "Jack Pocket clippers". Well, she has the Prime Standard is a fixed focal length and no zoom, but that suits me: I prefer prime lenses; let me somehow make concrete. The metal case is not only processed excellently, but also very practical: Card and battery drawer from the side by means of two stable doors; which means you can leave the camera on the tripod and the right to put on the table in order to extract the like switch / to.
The turn-on / turn-off time is very short (sensor cleaning off) because no Zoom must go out. The display is very bright and dissolves well in. The brightness is deceptive something because under low lighting conditions, it may be that the result actually darker fails. Then - not only for those who work with Pentax cameras - operation: The menu simple and tidy, a second rear dial to set parameters, diverse, partly freely assignable knobs, everything like a Pentax DSLR. Optimal! What is not as optimally solved, is the right gifts dial front. At the front of the camera, on which you can put all kinds of image effects, the usual camera's internal Spielkram as "Toy Mode" or color distortion Unfortunately, you can not save any personally configured user settings on what had really made sense. Or at least functions as Raw, JPEG, white balance, ISO etc. But just unfortunately just a cog for Spielkram. If you like it ... I do not.
But then again a highlight: the flash. It also flashes when you can not get it work. Very handy, because who wants to walk around at a party with this centimeters out folding ends lightning? Since Cancel would inevitable. But not - he always flashes when you want it. And not if you do not want. And if you want even more, you unlocked it, and the part of an effort just over four inches in height and has an impressive luminosity. I accidentally times when the folded lightning finger firmly before had he flashed through the finger through, bathing the room in red light. However: I use a flash actually almost never. Nonetheless nice + impressive.
The video function I have not tried because I do not movies. From the picture quality I'm not only surprised but also thrilled. The JPEG processing works very solid. If you want to see the final details, you go to RAW (Pentax-typical: the zuletzte shot JPEG can still subsequently saved as RAW). The white balance is always working exactly under all conditions. There are also bracketing up to +/- 3 levels of exposure possible (hello, HDR!) Under "normal" light conditions are photos depending personally set configuration noise free until crisp; in Program mode P takes the camera a very good balance between shutter speed and ISO. Under rather darker artificial light conditions in the interior falls at the Pentax Q, as compared with the Sony RX100 that the photos have a much better white balance and light colors and of course play, also brighter and better-drawn look in the shadow areas. The first impression - without crop in a photo inside - opposite the Sony RX100 is in artificial light always better, brighter, more harmonious. If you go to 100% resolution, the large sensor of RX100 attracts the Minifunzel of Q around that shows less noise and more detail, is cleaner. But do we need this 100%?
Furthermore, very good: The built Bildstablisator what is at Pentax, the sensor is mounted movable. This means that each lens is automatically stabilized (unless one turns on the stabilizer). How effective is the Pentax Q Stablisator, became clear when I sat a manual 80mm lens via an adapter on the Q off. 80mm to about 5.5X by the factor, which the sensor causes to actual 440mm. This corresponds exactly to the 32 times zoom is at the telephoto position of the bridge camera Sony DSC-HX100V, with which I can just make this comparison (Sony writes what of 720mm, but this is not comprehensible in practice, sorry). And at 1/50 sec from the hand shaky nothing really is unbelievable at this focal length.
So, I'm excited, going the way not paid by Pentax or anyone else for praise - like is so suspicious of fast times - and have even bought a second white Q, because I could not decide which I find pretty: the white or the black. The white perhaps for the day, the black of the night? Or, conversely, let's see. As an additional optical viewfinder I use a Leica 5cm viewfinder on the hot shoe, which works fine with the standard prime together. Now I'm still thinking if I the RX100, which is a great camera for the rest sell, because that bit of better Bildqualiät at 100% view makes it not compensated because the RX100 of handling just only is a compact camera, the Pentax Q but a real tool, a camera, where you can turn right on it and what screw it and - what to me just goes through your mind: if I anflantschen a 1000mm lens with a 2x teleconverter to the Q, then would arise - moment time count - 11000mm focal length. So one would have to shoot a portrait of a Martian?
