Video Comparison: Drift HD 1080p vs Pentax Q

One of the things that I am hoping that the Pentax Q does is take higher quality video compared to POV cams. While POV cams are very small and very convenient, their IQ is sometimes lacking. To test the Q agains the Drift HD, I stacked them on top of each other and went for a drive. Here's the Odd Couple:


And here's the video:

Drift HD v Pentax Q from john flores on Vimeo.

Drift HD v Pentax Q from john flores on Vimeo.

[Click on the Vimeo logo if you want to watch it bigger.]
As you can see, the Q is handing the challenging and changing lighting much better than the DriftHD, and in a package not that much larger. It's sharper, got greater dynamic range, the 03 Fish Eye is less susceptible to flaring, and is doing a better job at reacting to changes in exposure. The sensor-base image stabilization is also helping out here.

In the Drift's favor is convenience - the battery lasts longer, it's not saddled with a 25 minute recording limit (24:59 actually for the Q), it's water resistant, it can accept external mic input, comes with a remote control, and it be mounted to a helmet more easily.

Stay tuned as I continue to test video. Next up, Pentax Q vs. Contour ROAM