"The new Pentax Q takes that concept in a completely different direction by building a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with no optical viewfinder around a tiny 1/2.3 inch CMOS image sensor (like those found on most P&S digicams) which allows for an even smaller footprint. The Pentax Q is the smallest interchangeable lens camera currently available - noticeably smaller than Micro 4/3 format digital cameras like the

Panasonic GF3 and the Sony NEX5, about half the size of a Canon G12, and less than a fifth the size of the new Canon Digital Rebel T3. That diminutive profile was achieved by Pentax's decision to use the smaller P&S sized image sensor, but the "Q"s competition have all chosen to use substantially larger sensors in their CSC models. The "Q"s tiny sensor has only about 1/8th the light gathering area of the GF3's sensor. Every major camera manufacturer now offers CSC models except Canon and Casio."