PENTAX’s Amazingly Tiny Q Interchangeable Lens Camera Continues Company’s Compact, Light Form Factor Focus

PENTAX is one of the iconic camera brands with a long history dating back to the heyday of the 35 mm single lens reflex and Kodak Tri-X and Kodachrome film. The PENTAX Spotmatic was favored by some professionals as a much lighter-weight alternative to the top-dog but boat-anchor heavy Nikon F of the day, without sacrificing quality optics. Spotmatic sales really took off in the early ’70s when the company dumped its classic solid and simple but slow-swapping screw-in lens mount system for the much quicker bayonet-style K-mount, that’s still supported by today’s full-sized PENTAX SLRs and DSLRs.

PENTAX Imaging Company still evidently has compact form factors and light weight as a central focus of its engineering in the digital photography age, having just announced the PENTAX Q, claimed to be the world’s smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera (ILC). The Q offers the versatility and precision of an advanced DSLR in a body that is significantly smaller than every other digital ILC body available on the market today.

The camera’s tiny size, lightweight design, and PENTAX’s traditional superior image quality are made possible by an innovative PENTAX-developed imaging system. With a high-resolution 12.4 megapixel, 1/2.3 inch CMOS image sensor, the Q is intended to carve out an entirely new camera category that extends beyond traditional digital compact, APS-C or 4/3 digital cameras. The backlit sensor is a highly efficient light-gathering instrument that produces very little noise at high sensitivity levels particularly in low light settings. Further, the new Q lens mount is a perfect match with the new sensor and every interchangeable Q lens is designed for more advanced image quality than may be found on traditional compact digital cameras, and the foundation of the Q’s position as the worlds smallest, lightest ILC system, with superior image quality.

Several important features of the PENTAX Q include:

• A newly designed PENTAX Q-mount lens system for convenient interchangeability with a variety of specialty Q lenses including prime, zoom, fish-eye and more.
Exceptional image quality in 12.4 megapixels from the Qs 1/2.3 inch backlit CMOS image sensor. Capable of producing 12 bit DNG RAW and JPG images, the backlit CMOS sensor is a highly efficient light-gathering instrument designed specifically to produce very low noise at high levels of sensitivity.

• Extremely compact, durable, lightweight, scratch resistant magnesium alloy body.

• A variety of creative modes, Smart Effect options, or camera settings that assign to the Qs Quick Dial located on the front of the camera.

• In-camera HDR capture mode shoots 3 images of varying exposures, blending them to bring out the details in even the darkest shadows and brightest highlights of extreme contrast shots.

• High quality motion video with stunning full 1080p HD clarity at 30 frames per second.

• A sensor-shift Shake Reduction system with integrated DRII Dust Reduction for blur and dust free images even in low lighting.

• 5 frames per second continuous shooting mode for any fast action setting.

• Effortless bokeh control with the Qs Bokeh Control filter.

• A built-in popup flash adds the perfect amount of extra light to an image with a high extension to naturally reduce the redeye effect common to compact cameras.

Along with the Q, PENTAX introduced the PENTAX 01 Standard Prime kit lens and an optional optical viewfinder. Anticipated shipping time to the United States is early Fall 2011 at around $800 for the standard lens kit. An optional shoe-mounted viewfinder will be available at the same time for $249.95 USD. The PENTAX 01 Standard Prime kit lens will not be sold separately. PENTAX also announced a Zoom, Fish-Eye, Toy Wide and Toy Telephoto lenses.

Complete information is available here:
http://www.pentaximaging.com/news

Ars Technica has posted a review of the PENTAX Q here:
http://bit.ly/mA4Nyk

ImagingResource’s Shawn Barnett, Mike Tomkins, and Zig Weidelich have a PENTAX Q Hands-On Preview here
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/PENTAXQ/PENTAXQA.HTM

Low End Mac’s Dan Knight has a PENTAX Q commentary here:
http://lowendmac.com/digigraphica/11dg/pentax-q.html