Views on potential purchase?

Mike Rotch

Aluminium Overcast
Staff Emeritus
13,831
Australia
Down under
I could do with some thoughts on a potential purchase I am considering.

I currently have a Canon Powershot S5 (about 7 years old) and a Nikon PnS which I've had for about 3 years and cannot stand. I am doing some travelling soon and am thinking of getting a new camera, that has some similar functionality to the Canon but is much more compact. Budget is <=$400.

What is are people's thoughts on the Pentax Q Digital?

Its got the ability to accept different lenses, but has a very compact body and a built in retractable flash.

Unlike the Canon, it has 5FPs continuous drive and a faster shutter speed. My primary uses will be social occasions, macro photography (which the Canon struggles with) and holiday situations.

So, thoughts?
 
I don't know much about Pentax cameras but I'll still give you my opinion.

The camera it'self seems well rounded, how you got to this choice is beyond me.

The mega pixels are fine on the camera. 12+ MP should be good for everyday occasions.

Mirror-less cameras are good for social occasions. The camera will be quieter so that is a plus in social occasions.

The ISO sensitivities are good from what I'm seeing. So if you're taking photos at night or in low light situations, you will be able to up that in order to catch a better photo.

It looks from here to be compact but if you want it to be even more compact, I'd recommend a pancake lens. Now, I didn't go out of the way to find a lens that is fully compatible with the one you're interested in so that will be a job for you.

Overall it seems like a good camera. If you feel that you need a better camera then go for it. It's a-lot better than the Canon that you have as of now because it's more versatile. Hopefully the interface isn't a complete mess.
 
I'd personally stay clear of the Pentax Q. It has a very small sensor and is apparently really bad when it gets darker.

Does it have to be an interchangeable lens system? If not I'd look at the Fuji XF1. It's got a bigger sensor in a smaller and more pocketable design. Plus the minimum aperture is F1.8 and that's pretty good in a compact.

Z-fujifilm-xf1-beauty.JPG


Actually reviewing some same shots, it doesn't do too bad (the Pentax).

test shots
 
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I'd personally stay clear of the Pentax Q. It has a very small sensor.

It's got a bigger sensor in a smaller and more pocketable design. Plus the minimum aperture is F1.8 and that's pretty good in a compact.

These are a few things I forgot to include. Both of these cameras are better than the Canon, but the XF1 looks like a better choice. You don't have to deal with that goofy ass flash either. Funny thing is that I went to look at the Fujifilm cameras and I only saw the X-100's and other really expensive ones.
 
The camera it'self seems well rounded, how you got to this choice is beyond me.

Ninja search abilities FTW :D.

Sprite
Does it have to be an interchangeable lens system?
Sho does, right at the bottom:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/camera-lenses

These are about $350 on average now, with a 5-15mm lense. The other interchangeable lense camera's from Olympus (PEN/ PL3) and Nikon (J1) are at least $100 more. Still, I did have a long hard look at the Olympus PM1 too, and it looked pretty good.

Am I right in saying the Fuji doesn't have an interchangeable lense system?
 
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Am I right in saying the Fuji doesn't have an interchangeable lense system?

The Fuji is just a compact camera, so no interchangeable lens. It's also a little bit more expensive working on $400 is about £240 and the XF1 comes in about £270-ish. I'm not sure if its cheaper in Australia. Fuji do have an interchangeble system on the X-E1 and its bigger brother the X1 Pro.

Don't get me wrong I love Pentax and have a few cameras from them and I'm looking at buying another. But because the sensor is small it may not produce as good pictures as expected.



Edit - After looking on Flickr.

After reading some user reviews and seeing that the Q10 (newer version) hasn't really improved on this camera apart from drive the price down is seems like a good buy. Looking through Flickr shows that it can produce some pleasing images.
 
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I would appreciate some help from the more knowledgeable members here. I want to buy a prime macro lens with a 1:1 ratio. Done a bit of Google and the advice is a bit confusing as what to buy. I am not going to use it for taking pictures of insects etc, but mainly for clinical cases in my work ( I am in the drilling business).

What do I need to fit a ring flash and what kind of flash can you recommend? I have a Canon D50. Thanks folks
 
I would appreciate some help from the more knowledgeable members here. I want to buy a prime macro lens with a 1:1 ratio. Done a bit of Google and the advice is a bit confusing as what to buy. I am not going to use it for taking pictures of insects etc, but mainly for clinical cases in my work ( I am in the drilling business).

What do I need to fit a ring flash and what kind of flash can you recommend? I have a Canon D50. Thanks folks
@ Zeeco - please create your own thread on the subject as it probably will get a response. Hijacking someone else's thread is not quite respectful - you probably did it with the best of intentions though.
Also give a bit more detail on what camera system you're currently using for which you want the macro. Your question is too generic to be answered.
 
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