Pentax Mirrorless Camera Unveiled

June 23, 2011: Pentax has released details of what it claims to be the smallest interchangeable-lens camera on the market.
Featuring a 6.16 x 4.62 mm CMOS sensor with an effective resolution of 12.4 megapixels, the Pentax Q comes with a new Q-mount for a new series of ultra-compact lenses. The new camera has a magnesium-alloy body and is equipped with anti-dust and shake reduction mechanisms. It supports Full HD video recording and has a maximum burst speed of five frames/second for up to five large/fine JPEGs. Top sensitivity is ISO 6400.

The two colour options for the Pentax Q. (Source: Pentax.)
The new camera includes a multi-mode exposure system plus a range of shooting modes that extends from full auto (with scene recognition) through a wide range of Scene presets to P.A.S and M modes. It also provides an extensive range of in-camera effects, including HDR processing and depth-of-focus adjustment.
Announced concurrently with the Pentax Q is the Pentax 01 Standard Prime kit lens, which has a maximum aperture of f/1.9 and a focal length equivalent to 47mm in 35mm format. It has a built-in shutter mechanism that allows the built-in auto flash to be synchronized to the camera’s top shutter speed of 1/2000 second (or 1/250 second when using an accessory flash unit). This lens is also equipped with a built-in ND (neutral density) filter. Additional lenses are in the pipeline.

The Pentax Q system. (Source: Pentax.)
Pentax has also announced a shoe-mounted viewfinder attachment as an optional accessory. The External Viewfinder O-VF1 comes with framing marks for the Standard lens. The Pentax Q will be offered in white or black body models and shipped in a Standard Prime lens (available in silver) kit. Initially, the system will ship in Japan. The price of the camera with the 49mm equivalent f/1.9 lens is $800 in the US and 700 euro in mainland Europe. Details of local pricing and release dates will be published when they are available.

Specifications
Image sensor: 1/2.3-inch (6.16 x 4.62 mm) CMOS sensor with 12.75 million photosites (12.4 megapixels effective)
Lens mount: Q-mount
Focal length crop factor:
Image formats: Stills -DNG.RAW, JPEG (Exif 2.3), RAW+JPEG; Movies – MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Image Sizes: Stills – JPEG: 4:3 aspect: 4000 x 3000, 3456 x 2592, 2688 x2 016, 1920 x 1440; 3:2 aspect: 4000 x 2664, 3456 x 2304, 2688 x 1792, 1920 x 1280; 16:9 9 aspect: 4000 x 2248, 3456 x 1944, 2688 x 1512, 1920 x 1080; 1:1 aspect: 2992 x 2992, 2592 x 2592, 2016 x 2016, 1440 x 1440; Movies: Full HD (1920×1080, 16:9, 30fps), HD (1280×720, 16:9, 30fps), VGA (640×480, 4:3, 30fps)
Image Stabilisation: Sensor shift Shake Reduction
Dust removal: DR II ultrasonic vibration system
Shutter speed range: 1/2000 – 30 seconds (up to 1/8000 sec. when Electronic Shutter setting is enabled), Bulb
Exposure Compensation: +/- 3EV in 1/3EV steps
Exposure bracketing: 3 frames across +/- 3EV
Self-timer: 2 or 12 seconds delay
Focus system: Contrast detection AF with AF/MF switching, Dedicated LED AF assist light and x2, x4 MF assist magnification
Focus modes: Face Detection, Tracking, AF Select (25 Points), Select, Spot
Exposure metering: TTL image sensor metering with , multi-segment, centre-weighted and spot modes
Shooting modes: Auto Picture mode, Scene Mode (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object, Night Scene Portrait, Sunset, Blue Sky, Night Scene, Night Scene HDR*, Night Snap, Food, Quick Macro*, Pet, Kids, Forest, Surf & Snow, HDR*, Backlight Silhouette, Candlelight, Stage Lighting, Museum, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority,
Manual, Bulb, Blur Control* ) *=JPEG only
Picture Style/Control settings: Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Radiant, Muted, Bleach Bypass, Reversal Film, Monochrome, Cross Processing
Digital filters: Toy Camera, High Contrast, Shading, Slim, HDR, Invert Colour, Extract Colour, Colour, Water Colour, Posterisation, Fish-eye, Retro, Soft, Sketch Filter, Miniature, Frame Composite, Starburst, Base Parameter Adjustment
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
ISO range: Auto: ISO 125 to 6400 (1/3 EV steps)
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light (D:Daylight Colour, N:Daylight White, W:Cool White, L:Warm White), Tungsten, Flash, CTE, Manual
Flash: Built-in retractable P-TTL flash; GN 5.6 (ISO 125/m); max. synch speed 1/2000 second; – 2EV to +1.EV adjustment; hot-shoe available for external flash guns
Flash modes: P-TTL, Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Trailing Curtain Sync
Custom Functions: 13
Sequence shooting: Max. 5 fps for up to 5 high-resolution JPEGs
Storage Media: SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards
Viewfinder: No
LCD monitor: 3-inch TFT colour LCD monitor with approx. 460,000 dots
Playback functions: Single frame, image comparison, multi-image display (4, 9, 20, 42, 90 segmentation), display magnification (up to 16x, scrolling and quick magnification available), rotating, histogram (Y histogram, RGB histogram), bright/dark area warning, detailed information display, folder display, calendar display, slideshow; in-camera raw development (File Format (JPEG), Aspect Ratio, Colour Space, Custom Image, White Balance, Sensitivity, High-ISO NR, Shadow Correction, Distortion Correction)
Interface terminals: USB 2.0 (high-speed compatible) / AV output terminal, HDMI output terminal (Type D)
Power supply: D-LI68 rechargeable lithium-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. 230 shots (with 50% flash usage), approx. 250 shots (without flash usage)
Dimensions (wxhxd): 98.0 x 57.5 x 31.0 mm
Weight: Approx. 180 grams (body only)