14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, we saw the Pentax Q-S1 mirrorless leaked in the first pictures along with its dedicated 28-45mm f/4.5 lens.
A few days later, the device was made official by Ricoh itself. The company seems to believe that the world is in dire need of another mirrorless camera, so it has taken the opportunity to launch a new one.
The Pentax Q-S1 should appeal to photographers of all tastes and preferences and will be made available in a combination of over 40 different colors.
The compact camera will arrive on shelves starting in August and can be yours if you’re willing to part with $500 / €372.
Unlike a lot of mirrorless products available on the market, the Q-S1 squeezes a tiny 1/1.7-inch sensor under the hood, and were we to compare it with most APS-C sensors in most mirrorless cameras out there, we’d find that the Pentax one is about 1/8 that size.
Cameras like the Samsung NX mini and Nikon 1 S2 pack a 1-inch sensor and manage to deliver decent enough quality.
If you were hoping to see the Q-S1 arrive with heavily updated specifications compared to the previous model in the line, you’ll be disappointed.
The small camera takes advantage of the same backside-illuminated sensor like the Q7, but arrives with a slightly improved processor.
Thanks to those upgrades, the camera should be able to shoot decent 13 x 19-inch prints and images should be devoid of noise up to ISO 1,600 light sensitive. Increase it to ISO 3200 and you’ll be able to get ok-ish images.
If we’re on this topic, the Q-S1 is able to support a light sensitivity range of up to ISO 12,800.
The Q-S1 can take advantage of continuous autofocus during movie recording, as well as improved face detection and tracking during still photography. Sadly, the camera does not have Wi-Fi like the Samsung NX mini.
Moving along, the device could be the perfect fit for the more creative-prone type of individuals, as it comes equipped with several filters and effects that will add that Instagram feeling to your photography, like the new “Antique” or “Faded Color.” HDR mode is also present, so users will be able to touch up images directly on the camera.
This can be achieved on the large 3-inch LCD display located on the back that allows photographers to play back images. Last but not least, we should mention that the Q-S1 features a dust removal system, so dust spots won’t interfere with your photo shooting activities.
Watch out for the new mirrorless this month.
