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Pentax Japan offers colorful special edition 'Evangelion' Q10

Jan 28, 2013 at 22:34:48 GMT

CAMERA NEWS PENTAX Q-10

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Pentax has released a three multi-colored variants of its Q10 small-sensor mirrorless camera for the Japanese market. The color scheme is based on characters from the country's popular science-fiction franchise Neon Genesis Evangelion. Apart from the cosmetic changes, there are no specification differences in these editions compared to the original Q10, which offers a 12.4MP 1/2.3" back-lit CMOS sensor, giving a roughly 5.5x crop factor, meaning a 28mm lens will give a 154mm equivalent field of view.

The special editions will be produced in a limited run of 1500, but it is unclear whether this is the total production per variant, or whether a run of 500 will be produced for each individual model. Price has yet to be confirmed.

Click here to read the press release (in Japanese)

This is the special edition 'Shinji Ikari' Q10. In Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shinji is a young boy who pilots a robot called Evangelion Unit 01, which he uses to protect the city of Tokyo-3 from creatures called Angels, who want to destroy mankind. And you thought it was just a camera...


This is the 'Rei Ayanami' edition. In Neon Genesis Evangelion, Rei is the pilot of Evaluation Unit 00.	This K-10 pays tribute to Asuka Langley Soryu, who pilots Evangelion Unit-02. According to our exhaustive research, Asuka is 'a girl who seeks to put herself above all others'. So now you know.

Pentax Q10

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Comments

Total comments: 104

I love how this announcements have revealed all the anime geeks on dpreview. lol

1 upvote

Gimmicky indeed. If you buy one of these, you lose most of the interchangeability. Now you have to buy the same color lense from pentax.

0 upvotes

OMG! my eyes!

0 upvotes

Wow! A gimmick for a gimmick! Pentax has become a master of gimmicks.

0 upvotes

Very cool! If the Q10 feels as good in the hand as the original Q, then this is worth looking into for a 'carry everywhere' camera. I especially like the look of the 'Rei Ayanami' edition -- it's very evocative of Japanese Sci-Fi media in general.

0 upvotes

fantastic! but I'm determined to hold out for the Totoro-styled Nikon D4.

2 upvotes

Pentax, you tried. I give you credit for doing something new. But it's time to just let the Q die. These last-ditch efforts at colored cameras are just kind of sad.

0 upvotes

Why should let the Q die when it's one of their very best selling systems in recent times? Oh, you didn't know it is doing quite well in Japan?

Oh and these Evangelion cameras are designed... hmmm.. for the Japanese market based this famous... um... Japanese anime series...

Do you think there may be some relationship here?

5 upvotes

This gimmick fits with the selling point of the Q10. Pentax didn't design it for performance (a MILC with a 1/2.3 sensor is like a motorcycle that needs to be pedaled) but as a mini sytem camera for the gadget crowd. It's like the K-01, a device that is more concerned with being a decoration than a camera.

0 upvotes

These are by far the nerdiest comments I have ever read on dpreview, excluding the techie stuff.

:-)

2 upvotes

A Makinami Mari Illustrious themed one would equal throwing money at them.

0 upvotes

Ha ...I like em'

1 upvote

If they would have brought out these colorways on the pentax K series I would have bought one in a heartbeat.

1 upvote

The 'Rei Ayanami' colours would look especially nice on the K-5, I think!

0 upvotes

IMHO Pentax is gaining excitement in their products from younger people that will possibly stay brand loyal over the next couple decades. It's less about pixel peeping and more about fun. Smart move, since this market will probably buy more cameras (and adapt to their changes) than the current market.

2 upvotes

I rolled my eyes at the heading, but I think they actually look quite attractive. That might be a first.

0 upvotes

The next ones ? A Barbapapa serie, then a DragonBall serie, then a Naruto serie, then a Doraemon serie, an AnPanMan serie, a Sazae-san serie... We were waiting for a progress in photography, not a childish regression. Please reassure me, didn't we ?

0 upvotes

The only thing I can relate from your post, is 1) you aren't familiar with Evangelion, which is, actually, marketed at adults and not kids like the other ones you posted and 2nd, that you don't understand the japanese culture about them. Pentax already made special colorways like this before, and had succeeded at it too.
But I'm with you that Pentax should work harder to get better cameras out, their latest releases have been rather "meh", especially their attempt at he mirrorless market was quite the failure.... the horribly designed K-01 (takes great pictures though defeats the purpose of a mirrorless) , and the Q10 ain't wow either, but its a fun camera.
I'm a fan of odd colors on equipment, colors are fun, and like you said, people don't think they are "pro" and allow more pictures to be taken. If you have kids, you will get their attention faster too than a plain color. It also makes them less eager to get stolen, because it can be too easily recognized.

2 upvotes

Do you always judge others so fast, without knowing anything of them ? I must know "japanese culture" as you say because you are a manga fan (big laugh, X-cuse) better than you... as I have been living in Japan more than 16 years. Oh, my ! The world is collapsing !
That's maybe one thing that gives me the right (among other things like the freedom of speech I suppose) to call these camera "childish". Evangelion is aimed at adults, but childish ones, I fear, nothing to be proud of.

Besides, if some need so badly to catch the attention of kids for any purpose that leads them to take pictures of these little creatures, why not ? That said, there are not so many good reasons to use that sort of camera... But to be fair, you found a good one: one point for you.

0 upvotes

Actually, i think Doraemon version would sell a lot more :p

0 upvotes

not a personal attack, but reading a lot of the comments a lot of people seem to know nothing about it gets me mad.
Anyway, I'm not attacking you at all, I'm sure if some other camera company would bring out marvel comics/star wars themed cameras the same people that laugh at the evangelion stuff would buy them and call it innovating.

1 upvote

You're right again. A Star Wars serie would sell like hot cakes, as well as a Matrix one, an Iron Man one and so on. By Jove ! What's the world we're living in nowadays ?

0 upvotes

I think I just hurt my eyes.

0 upvotes

The best - and only - merit mines see in this sort of products is that they help a lot to hide your pro skill and identity. That way, one could easily take pictures as a "stupid tourist" where an obvious pro couldn't with his (or her) high-end-gear. By the way, that's a traditional japanese strategy.

1 upvote

WHHHHHHYYYYYY!

1 upvote

You asked for it: http://youtu.be/KzA-V0YN3QA

0 upvotes

Τhe new gospel of Genesis? Jesus! lol

0 upvotes

If Pentax makes Gundam version, I'm buying two.

1 upvote

There was a K-r Gundam edition before, so probably in future iterations?

1 upvote

They should release an Ultraman version

0 upvotes

Heard that the pre-order price is JPY 60,000 or about US$662. You must be a real Evangelion fan or a Pentax collector to chose one over the standard Q10, but hey, there are only 1500 units produced.

I still like that Unit-01 though.

0 upvotes

manga culture has come to stay.

0 upvotes

I have no doubt they sold out before the news even hit the page here.

1 upvote

Actually, I rather like the 'Asuka' model.

0 upvotes

"According to our exhaustive research, Asuka is 'a girl who seeks to put herself above all others'. So now you know. "

Awesome! It made my day!

0 upvotes

With regards to price, they are available for pre-order in Japan for ¥59,800 (approx. US$660 at today's exchange rate)

0 upvotes

I was going to buy one of these, but then I heard you get only five minutes of untethered battery life. Five minutes! What were the designers thinking??

4 upvotes

I heard it has an S² engine. But that may be just a rumor.

1 upvote

After it run out of juice, it'll go into berserk mode

0 upvotes

It's a Japan-only release, so I guess it's safe to say that more than half of the rants here have no idea what this "release" makes.

Or that it was shown at CP+, a Japanese camera convention, also.

Personally I like the Rei and Asuka ones. The NERV logo on the flash might look tacky even for fans of the series/movies, but it's a good touch.

Never thought the Unit 01's color scheme would look dramatically appalling on a camera though.

0 upvotes

soo, the K-01 had been a huge success, and they decided to top that ?

1 upvote

I didn't know Pentax supplies camera for Toy 'r Us.

1 upvote

I love the part "According to our exhaustive research" about the Asuka camera. LOL. I am sure you knew that already.

0 upvotes

lol. i didn't get that until you mentioned it. someone in the dpr team is a huge fan. :)

0 upvotes

Someone doesn't like Rei. No exhaustive research on her! lol

0 upvotes

With 'exhaustive research' one should know too that they don't pilot 'robots'

0 upvotes

Free pair of clown shoes that squirt water when you purchase the kit version with zoom and flash! Water-squirting flower is optional...
But you'll not likely lose this camera in a dark camera bag or in the equipment drawer! Well done Pentax!

2 upvotes

Well actually the clown shoes will squirt LCL. If you're unlucky the camera will dissolve into same substance.

(apologies...I do not think Evangelion references will ever be on-topic on DPR again...)

4 upvotes

Dear Pentax... I love it! I own a white Q and love it to bits and the IQ is pretty nice for such a small sensor.

Obviously the rest of the world is not the target market and since the Q and Q10 is a hit in Japan, this will make a pretty penny for Pentax.

I love the non-traditional black cameras, its easier for me to make newbie models relax, sometime I think I should've bought the pink Kr instead of the white. Still drooling over that Pentax Kr Gundam edition.

0 upvotes

They're gonna make good money for just making it on EVA colours =) Being a fan of that anime (and many others) I find myself quite surprised to see something like this on dpreview. Not for me, but this made me smile today!

0 upvotes

Now it looks like the toy that it really is.

3 upvotes

Yeah, the Q was always a toy because... let me guess.. sensor size?
Yup.

http://raist3d.typepad.com/files/imgp4981.jpg

3 upvotes

Love it! Nothing is hotter than a girl piloting a battle robot! :)

0 upvotes

The 'Rei Ayanami' edition actualy looks quite nice - kind of like a 1950s T-Bird or Corvette.

1 upvote

Pentax being Pentax. If it weren't for new color announcements, they'd have no press releasese. I agree with Garyknrd though - like the blue & white one.

0 upvotes

zOMG TEH REI!

Sorry, had to be done.

0 upvotes

Ha ...I actually like the look ...sorry to say folks, but this is the way the market is going ...and everytime I see these types of posts I think of that wood paneled Sigma SLR from last year ...hahaha, at least these aren't 11 grand

0 upvotes

I kinda like the blue and white one.

1 upvote

Very nicely done! I like them all.

2 upvotes

Waking up this morning to this news, I almost can't believe it being a huge fan of that series. Anyway, it came out better than expected but still not interested.

0 upvotes

Wow, that's awesome

0 upvotes

Can I please have my full frame now? I've been patient...

0 upvotes

Me too. I am stocking up on classic Pentax glass eagerly waiting....

0 upvotes

reading all the negative comments, people have really no idea this thing will be a hit in Japan with all the Anime fans. Or put it in words you might understand: You are not the targeted buyers for these cameras!

Comment edited 21 seconds after posting

8 upvotes

Lol, it'd probably be a bigger hit here in the USA with the yellow fever japanophiles...

2 upvotes

I have red pentax k-x and every time people comment on it how cool it looks. I really wonder why nobody does this in US/european markets yet. People seems to dig it.

2 upvotes

I can imagine the Rei and Asuka versions being sold out in the blink of an eye, but who in their right mind would buy the Shinji? And why isn't there a Makinami Mari edition? ;-)

6 upvotes

Nobody loves Shinji. No, not even as a camera. =))

1 upvote

Poor Shinji.... :P Nigecha dame da!

0 upvotes

nice and vibrant colors .

2 upvotes

Which begs the question, how drunk or stoned with one have to get the CEO or lead product designer at Canon or Nikon to do this to an EOS 1D MK 5 or D5 and take it to market? I can just see sports photogs and paparazzi swinging their technicolour mantoys around to catch the attention of their normally disinterested subjects...

4 upvotes

So, does it also squirt water when you push the shutter ?

4 upvotes

Total comments: 104


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