Pentax Q up to battle it out with NEX and Ricoh

The lens system

Five Q mount interchangeable lenses
designed for exclusive use with the PENTAX Q digital camera;
a choice of High-performance or Unique series
to satisfy diversified photographic requirements

PENTAX Imaging Systems is pleased to announce the launch of five interchangeable lenses designed for exclusive use with the new PENTAX Q digital interchangeable lens system camera. Featuring the newly designed Q lens mount, these new lenses come in two distinctive series: The two models of the High-performance series offer exceptional image rendition, while the three models of the Unique series assure the effortless capturing of creative images.

The five new lenses have been developed for exclusive use with the newly launched PENTAX Q digital interchangeable lens system camera — currently the world’s smallest, lightest model in its class.* They are all designed to be super compact and ultra-lightweight, by optimizing their image circle to the size of the CMOS image sensor installed in the new Q mount camera body. This makes them the perfect partners for the pocket sized, go anywhere PENTAX Q. By providing two distinctive lens series — the High-performance series emphasizing image rendition, and Unique series with outstanding cost performance and ease of lens changeability — this new Q mount series gives PENTAX Q users a unique lens line-up that assures all the benefits of a digital interchangeable lens system camera, including the fun of creating different perspectives and visual effects through quick, effortless lens changes.

The first of the new Q mount lineup from PENTAX are the “PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME” unifocal standard lens and the “PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM” standard zoom lens in the High-performance series; and the “PENTAX-03 FISH EYE” unifocal ultra-wide-angle lens, the “PENTAX-04 TOY LENS WIDE” unifocal wide-angle lens and the “PENTAX-05 TOY LENS TELEPHOTO” unifocal telephoto lens in the Unique series. The two TOY LENS models are designed to produce a distinctive toy-camera-like visual effect.

* The world’s smallest and lightest digital interchangeable lens system camera, as of June 15, 2011 (based on PENTAX research).

Common features of the two High-performance series models

The High-performance series has been developed to bring out the optimum imaging power in the PENTAX Q digital camera by combining exceptional image rendition with effortless handling, while also offering a high grade finish. Featuring the state-of-the-art optics incorporating special optical glass elements and PENTAX exclusive lens coating technology, this series delivers beautifully defined, high quality images that are sharp and high contrast, even at their edges. The AF motor installed in the lens barrel assures smooth, quiet focusing operation. Thanks to the lens shutter mechanism, the PENTAX Q’s built-in auto flash can even be synchronized to the camera’s top shutter speed of 1/2000 second (or 1/250 second when using an accessory flash unit). The lenses are also equipped with a built-in ND (neutral density) filter, which comes in handy when shooting with open aperture in bright locations or when using slower shutter speeds.

PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME
This unifocal standard lens has a focal length equivalent to 47mm in the 35mm format. Since it offers a natural perspective similar to that of the human eye, it can be used as a multi-purpose, daily-use standard lens for many different subjects, including landscape and portraiture. With a maximum aperture of F1.9, it not only performs superbly in dim locations, but also makes it easy to throw the background out of focus. Incorporating two high grade aspherical optical elements, this lens compensates various aberrations to a minimum and produces beautiful, high resolution images that are bright and crisp even at the edge of the image field.

PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM
With a focal length coverage equivalent to that of a 27.5~83.0mm zoom lens in the 35mm format, this standard zoom lens is ideal for various applications in the wide angle to medium telephoto range. Incorporating a total of four extra-low-dispersion and low-refractive aspherical optical elements in its optics, it assures exceptional image rendition while effectively reducing chromatic aberration to a minimum over the entire zoom range. It also offers a minimum focusing distance of 30 centimetres at all focal lengths to simplify close-up photography.

Editor’s comment: these are highly conservative designs. On this format, an aperture faster than f/1.4 or even f/1.0 is practical for a prime standard lens. With such a small sensor, there is no need for a zoom to be limited to an 83mm equivalent. We should see future lenses with equivalents of more like 1,000mm. And (see below) with the exception of a fisheye with less than the usual fisheye coverage, there is no true wide-angle lens. 27.5mm equivalent barely counts today, it’s the common wide end of any zoom range (indeed, most now go to 24mm equivalent). The vital 17-20mm equivalent is missing. The kit zoom looks almost as large as the NEX 18-55mm and hass exactly the same rather limited overall range.

Common features of the three Unique series models

This series offers outstanding value against its price, and allows every photographer to produce a variety of distinctive, dramatic images simply by altering the angle of view and perspective through quick, effortless lens changes. They all feature manual focus operation, fixed aperture and plastic lens mount, and have no lens shutter unit — the main factors contributing to the massive reduction in size and weight and making them far more affordable than conventional interchangeable lenses.

PENTAX-03 FISH EYE
This ultra-wide angle lens offers an extra wide angle of view of 160 degrees along the diagonal line of the image sensor, allowing the photographer to create a fish eye visual effect with great ease. Thanks to its distinctive ultra-wide angle characteristics, it produces unique, eye-catching images unlike those captured by the human eye, with an exaggerated perspective, distorted subjects, and a pan-focus effect that captures every element in the image field in sharp focus.

PENTAX-04 TOY LENS WIDE and PENTAX-05 TOY LENS TELEPHOTO
With their optics designed specifically to retain various lens aberrations, these lenses produce subdued, heartwarming images like photos taken by a toy camera. The “PENTAX-04 TOY LENS WIDE” is a unifocal wide angle lens with a focal length equivalent to 35mm in the 35mm format; the “PENTAX-05 TOY LENS TELEPHOTO” is a unifocal medium telephoto lens with a focal length equivalent to 100mm in the 35 format.

Exclusive optional accessories
PENTAX-100 PL Filter
When attached to the “PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME” or “PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM”, this 40.5mm polarizing filter minimizes reflections on the water or glass surface, which are difficult to remove during digital processing, to assure crisp, high contrast images.

MH-RA 40.5mm
A metallic, dome-shaped lens hood for exclusive use with the “PENTAX-01 STANDARD PRIME” lens

PH-SBA 40.5mm Lens
A plastic, square-shaped lens hood for exclusive use with the “PENTAX-02 STANDARD ZOOM” lens

♦PENTAX is a trademark of HOYA CORPORATION.
♦Design and Specifications are subject to change without notice.