Pentax Q review in 2024 — the smallest digital camera system ever made!
The Pentax Q comes in several variations, all incredibly small and compact. Secretly, it's one of my favourite camera systems of all time. Yes, it does have a tiny sensor, but don't let that deter you. You know what that makes? It makes for ultra tiny lenses to go with it!
The Pentax Q shoots both RAW and JPEG, and the image quality is fantastic. One advantage of the super small sensor is the crop factor, which is around 5.5x. This means you can get a 70-200mm lens that literally fits in your pocket. You can checkout my video review over on YouTube: The SMALLEST Camera System Ever Made!
Lenses for Pentax Q
The camera uses its own mount, known as the Pentax Q mount, with lenses labelled 01-08. I've been collecting them all and have managed to acquire lenses 01-06, which I'm really pleased about! Some are absolutely essential, in my opinion. Some you can probably skip. Here’s what’s on offer…
01 - Standard Prime Lens 39mm f/1.9 Full Frame Equivalent This lens is ideal for a walkabout focal length and it’s probably the one I use the most. If I could recommend just one lens, it would be this one. The lens also comes in a full range of colours, just like the cameras, so you can have fun mixing and matching. The image quality is surprisingly decent in low light as well thanks to the fast aperture.
02 - Standard Zoom Lens 23-69mm Full Frame Equivalent This lens serves as a standard stock lens replacement. It's slower than the prime lens but offers a wider range. It's very versatile and still pocketable, though it does stick out a bit. For the versatility it offers, I think it's great. If you're in good light and want more flexibility with your shots, I highly recommend this one. I took this one for a spin around Valencia, and with plenty of light to spare I really enjoyed this versatile option over the primes.
03 - Fisheye Lens 17.5mm Full Frame Equivalent This lens features a beautiful piece of glass. Getting something so wide on such a cropped sensor is impressive. Although not the fastest lens, it adds versatility to the lineup. This lens also has manual focus with simple near and far settings.
04 & 05 - Toy Lenses 35mm & 100mm f/8.0 Full Frame Equivalents These lenses include a telephoto and a wide-angle option. Both are manual focus and, to be honest, a bit subpar. The Pentax Q does have focus peaking, but it's not the best, making these lenses hard to focus with. I've mainly collected them for the sake of completing my set to be honest! I would skip them unless you find a bargain.
06 - Zoom Lens 70-200mm Full Frame Equivalent The crowning jewel of the lineup! Having a 70-200mm lens in your pocket is fantastic. You can capture excellent candid street photos with this lens and people would never know you had so much zoom. It's also great for sneaking into gigs, as its small size doesn't draw attention. The amount of zoom you get for its size is astonishing. I’d say, get 01, 02, and then this one if you could only get 3 lenses.
07 - Bodycap Lens These are pretty hard to come by, so I haven't had the opportunity to review one yet. But given the narrow aperture, I’m going to guess they’re pretty pants.
08 - Wide Angle Rectilinear Lens 17-27mm Full Frame Equivalent This lens is incredibly expensive due to the size of the sensor and the rectilinear nature of the lens! What a feat?! It retails for more than the rest of the kit combined, usually, but I am happy to own one now after my years of hunting for a bargain. This is the “pricy but nicey” lens in the set. Only get it if you shoot wide angle a LOT and will use it a lot.
Save this image as a quick reference for all lenses on the Pentax Q
Pentax Q Review
The Pentax Q system features sensor-shift ibis. Despite its small size, it is a beautiful piece of engineering! Since there isn't enough room inside the camera for the shutter, it's built into the lenses. The 01, 02, and 06 lenses have a leaf shutter with built-in ND filters, even! I know this camera might look like a gimmick, with its fun coluors and tiny lenses? But the quality is there. This range certainly isn't a gimmick for Pentax.
Me? I see it as a fully-fledged camera system in a tiny form, and a lot of engineering genius.
Images with the Pentax Q
These images are all edited with my City Escape Preset Pack. I love using it for bright, travel photography, and it makes architecture pop. You can check the packs out here.
Picture Profiles in the Pentax Q
One of the things I love about the Q series is the front dial, to which you can assign different picture profiles. I really like the monochrome option, but there are also a few faded and vintage looks. It's great if you shoot both RAW and JPEG because you can experiment with the JPEGs while keeping the RAW files as a backup for editing. Another cool feature is that all Pentax Q cameras have hot shoes. Unlike the Lumix GM1, which lacks a hot shoe, and is the only competitor in this size. The hotshoe can be handy for macro photography, allowing you to add a flash gun. There's also a built-in pop-up flash too which is really cute.
Speaking of macro photography, it was all the rage back in the day to shoot macro on this tiny camera. Because of the 5.5x crop, you could adapt a relatively sane standard lens to it and get crazy macro and zoom from it.
The Pentax Q is a special camera indeed…
The Pentax Q has a special place in my heart. I've been collecting bits and pieces in this system for the past 10 years. I originally took the first Pentax Q to Canada in 2012, and it was love at first pew pew pew. Since then, I've acquired the Q10, the Q7, and the Q-S1… and I might not stop if I find a colour combination I like.
If you’re looking to get your hands on your own Pentax Q, the used market is the only way to go now, unfortunately. check out the used market here at MPB!
And if you’re interested in taking a look at my City Escapes Preset Pack & other Preset Packs I have available click here