A month with the Pentax Q10. The smallest interchangeable lens camera ever made.

Now I'm a self confessed camera geek!

I see a camera and I think "I want that!"

And more often not it's not even a good camera, I've got good cameras I don't need anymore (as of yet), so it usually ends up being some quirky thing that just looks like fun.

I'd seen the Pentax Q range before and thought it looked cool.

Early March, I was watching a Youtube video and see a Pentax Q on the shelf and that was it, the eBay search begun.

These cameras and lenses are not cheap!

Yeah they're not extortionate but after all they are over 10 years old and they're not great either.

So let's just say they hold their money well.

I didn't know what to expect when mine arrived in the post.

This little bad boy is tiny! I haven't got massive hands at all but the camera and  lens fits easily in the palm of my hand.

So what can you expect from such a small camera?

Autofocus; Yeah it's got autofocus but it's not going to set any records. In fact make sure you've got plenty of time.

Battery; the battery is tiny so therefore the battery life is awful!

Image quality; nothing special. I think I'm right in saying that a modern mobile like an iPhone has a similar sized or  even a larger sensor. So you could be better off just getting your phone out to take a photo.

The rear screen; oh god it's bad, good luck with seeing anything in the daylight. I did try turning the brightness up which did work a bit but that drains the battery even quicker.

But!

Did I mention that this camera is cool already?

It's a challenge. 

It's tiny!

With the Pentax Q10 body I purchased 2 lenses; SMC Pentax-Q 02 Standard Zoom 5-15mm F2.8-4.5 & Pentax Q 15-45mm f/2.8 06 Telephoto Zoom.

The 02 standard lens combined with the small sensor; image quality is terrible, I've only used it twice starting with a photo walk in the park.

Shooting the flowers; pointing the camera towards the sun with a crap autofocus and a rubbish rear screen was a little trial & error. And because these were some of the 1st photos taken with the camera I didn't know how the images were going to stand up with regards to highlight and shadow detail. So I erred on the side of caution and went for a darker look.

The next time I used the 02 standard lens was during some street photography in Wisbech.

I used to shoot a lot of street photography in Wisbech and it was great to be back again documenting local life; the good, the bad & the ugly.

It was like a trail of bread leading me to a photo opportunity.

I love a bit of lens flare and the 02 standard lens flares like mad.

As always it was a difficulty composing using the rear screen and getting the focus right.

The next challenge; the Pentax Q10 is no athlete. When you press the shutter button there's a delay whilst it thinks about it. So I admit that shooting people I'm using the continues shooting mode hoping that one of the images will capture the people before they disappear.

And usually I've pre focused because I haven't got time to wait for the camera to try and do that again!

All of the below images are taken with the 06 telephoto zoom.

The image quality is better than the 02 but don't go zooming in and pixel peeping because it's not that great.

Being more than a little rusty at street photography, I'm not so confident at getting up in peoples faces anymore. So using a zoom lens has been a nice easy way of getting back into it. 

Plus I'm usually pushing Florence in a stroller so I can stand a little further back with her and stay as inconspicuous as possible.

Street photography in Spalding; playing with light and documenting details.

So let's see where my journey with the Pentax Q10 leads.

Until next time.

Thanks for reading and keep shooting.

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Kings Lynn on a windy night in October

Another shoot around Kings Lynn at night.

Kings Lynn has a lot to offer when it comes to photography, especially old buildings and narrow streets.

That's what I was going for on this night.

It was a windy and wet day though which is never good for long exposures as you watch the camera shake around on the tripod during a 20 second shot.

So each shot took a couple of takes waiting for the wind to take a break.

I used small apertures, around f/11 to f/14 to achieve starbursts from the street lights.

In hindsight I should of shaded the lens a little more with my hands to prevent lens flare, however I had my hands in my pockets as they were cold....I've got to look after number 1 after all.

Black and white, as per usual was the way to go.

A world shot on black and white film.

Ive been shooting when I can using my Praktica MTL 50; a good strong metal based SLR mentioned in a previous post. Its a real beauty to use and look at.

Like any of my film cameras I load them up, take a few shots and put them back in drawer until next time, so the pictures on this post are from the past 4-5 months.

These shots were taken using BW400CN film that expired in 2006. I bought 8 rolls for about £15 last year and they are sitting in the freezer waiting to be used.

I don't know what it is but I love black and white, its a love that's really taken hold since late 2012 and now I find myself editing numerous digital images and converting them to black and white. I love the simplicity of a black and white shot with no colours to distract the eye, its also the timeless look of a monochrome shot that could of been taken anytime in the past.

Although I really like the camera sometimes im slightly disappointed with the shots its a combination of the grain of the film and processing and the softness of the lens that I use mostly; Im sure I can hold the camera steady, ive had plenty of practice these days and I take time to focus, yet shots im sure will be sharp often turn out soft.

The first day I loaded this film Laura and I were going shopping in Norwich.

A classic phone box.

Selfie taken in Bank in the Chapelfields Shopping Mall. Its got a great mirrored ceiling.

Someone moaned at me for taking a picture in the Castle Mall.....yawn!

 



Next the camera travelled to my Brothers at Bishops Stortford for his birthday weekend in November.

We had fun in the park

 

 

 

 

King of the castle.

 

What is it about benches that keeps me taking photo's of them?

 Family group shot outside the pub.

 

 Yeah....big dog!

 

 

Poser!

 

 Is that a funny walk Spen?

 

 

These self portraits turned out a lot darker than what i expected especially considering I used a light meter

 

 

The last 3 frames of the film were taken at the General Cemetery in Wisbech on a Saturday morning when I had taken Laura to work and I thought id take a look at this over grown old burial site.

 

2 more benches for the album!

 

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Ive already got a couple of future blog posts planned.

 

So please tune in next time.

 

Thanks

 

Ben