Pentax: rewriting the rules

Camera manufacturers typically follow a set sequence during product launch sessions: the big gun comes out first, followed by cameras lower in the line, followed by lenses, then accessories, usually ending with branded cases and the like.

But there was something about the Cheshire Cat smile worn by Mark Weir, Pentax’s senior technology manager, that told us that this time the last piece of the bag would be more than a new neck strap.

It was the Pentax Q. We knew immediately that it was something special just from its looks: from the solid metal-clad body to the substantial, ergonomic grip to the many buttons and control dials. And a rectangle on the back that looked suspiciously like a rangefinder eyepiece.

Then came the specs: a 24.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor, the same type used in the Alpha 77. A 3-inch, 921,600-dot tilting LCD screen. HD 1920xl080p60 video capture. Plus the usual Sony bag of tricks like Sweep Panorama and Handheld Twilight modes.

But the real game changer was that viewfinder. The eyepiece, it turns out, houses the same OLED electronic viewfinder used on the A77, making the Pentax Q the first rangefinder-style ILC with an integral through-the-lens EVF.

A bit of perspective: When ILCs first appeared, they were more exciting for potential than reality; early Pentax models were no exception. Sure, in the last three years we’ve seen innovative designs and very good image performance in many of these cameras, but there always seemed to be drawbacks.

One of the biggest problems has been the viewfinder. For ILCs to have comparable utility to DSLRs, they need an eye-level display in addition to the LCD screen. But rangefinder-style ILCs have so far not been designed with integral sights; to see at eye level, you must attach an accessory optical or electronic viewfinder. It’s true that DSLR-style ILCs, of the kind developed by Panasonic, have integral EVFs, but these are bulkier than rangefinder-style models and their EVFs have been of average quality. In particular, they are poor at following the action or panning.

That’s where Pentax stepped in with a new EVF technology, the organic light-emitting diode (OLED). These devices provide better color and contrast than LCD screens, as well as wider viewing angles. Also, they consume less battery power. With the Pentax Q and A77, Pentax becomes the first manufacturer to use this type of display in a viewfinder instead of the rear monitor.

It helps that the Pentax Q has a lot of points, more than 2.4 million. And in an OLED, each dot provides red, green, and blue information, unlike LCD screens, where each dot produces a single color. It offers clarity and smoothness in the viewfinder image, which can be mistaken for a good optical viewfinder. The illusion continues when you move the camera; the image slides smoothly across the frame.

To be named Camera of the Year, a model has to refine or redefine photography, and the Pentax Q does both and more. Demonstrated superior performance in the Popular Photography Test Lab and in the field.

With excellent resolution (2,740 lines), impressive noise suppression (low noise or better up to ISO 1600), and excellent color accuracy, the Pentax Q passed our lab tests for an excellent overall image quality rating. In the field, our testers took home many sharp, colorful images and raved about the camera’s handling and controls. You know how we always complain about cameras with only one thumbwheel instead of two? Well, the Pentax Q has three. If this sounds confusing, it isn’t, as Pentax assigns control functions according to a logical tree. For example, in aperture-priority auto exposure, the top two dials control f-stop and exposure compensation, while the bottom dial sets ISO. As you make these adjustments, all the settings can be seen in the viewfinder and on the LCD screen.

The camera is full of nice touches. Enthusiasts will appreciate the Pentax/Minolta-type shoe, on which you can mount an optional adapter that provides a sync terminal. Photographers and videographers alike will appreciate the tilting LCD screen, which is so thin when folded that we initially thought it was a fixed screen.

Since this is Pop Photo, you know we have some complaints. While the autofocus is pretty fast for a contrast detection system, it’s still nowhere near the problem! Alpha models phase detection speed. During a very fast pan, the EVF can get a bit jumpy. And burst shooting with continuous AF and AE is a weak 3fps. You can get 10fps in Speed ​​Priority mode, but you lose continuous AF and AE, and the camera will run out of gas at 17 JPEG. To be fair though, the Pentax Q is more suited to street, candid, portrait and travel photography than it is to sports photography.

Lens selection is also a concern, especially for enthusiasts. Pentax needs to add more to the Q lens lineup, which now numbers seven. There’s a big hole in the ultra-wide range, from 10mm to 14mm, focal lengths scaling up to 15mm to 21mm in full-frame equivalents. We expect Pentax to make some small prime lenses in this range as they would be a better fit for the Pentax Q body; You have to admit that the big zooms look a bit ridiculous on this little camera.

But to wear this model for any length of time is to love it. The Pentax Q is almost exactly the ideal we envisioned when consumer photography began to go digital: a compact camera with interchangeable lenses, viewing via direct feed from the sensor to an integrated high-resolution viewfinder, producing first-rate images. level. quality. Is here.