Pentax Q10, a powerful hybrid camera under €500

The Q10, Pentax's latest compact camera with an interchangeable lens, is expected to hit retailers in mid-October, with prices starting at €499.

The Q10, Pentax's latest compact camera with an interchangeable lens, is expected to hit retailers in mid-October, with prices starting at €499.

The latest generation of hybrid cameras produces results that are almost indistinct from the reflex models, and they come at much lower price points. The Pentax Q10's specs include a 12.4 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor, ISO capabilities from 100 to 6.500, a stabilizing system that detects vibrations, and an Auto Picture mode that automatically selects the right mode for a photograph.

The camera can be customized in nine different ways, and shutterbugs can add 19 different types of digital filters. It can capture videos in Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) at 30 frames per second.

The Pentax Q10 also includes a built-in pop-up flash, but users can add another one, and the sensor automatically gets rid of dust.

The Pentax Q10 is the latest addition to an increasingly cut-throat hybrid market, where it will face Canon's EOS M and Nikon's One V1.

The camera will sell with a 5-15mm lens for €499. The 15-45mm lens will be sold separately, for €299.