Pentax K-70 Comparison Review

The Pentax K-70 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in June 2016 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Pentax K-70 a good camera? The K-70 has a Camera Elo of 2261. This rating puts the K-70 among the top 20 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the K-70 ranks among the top 40 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Pentax K-70 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Pentax K-70 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-70	126 mm	93 mm	74 mm	688 g	410	Y	Jun 2016	EUR 699	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-M1 II	134 mm	91 mm	67 mm	574 g	440	Y	Sep 2016	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
3.		Panasonic G9	137 mm	97 mm	92 mm	658 g	400	Y	Nov 2017	EUR 1 699	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic GH5	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	725 g	410	Y	Jan 2017	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Pentax K-3	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	560	Y	Oct 2013	EUR 1 299	ebay.com
6.		Pentax K-3 II	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	720	Y	Apr 2015	EUR 999	ebay.com
7.		Pentax K-3 III	135 mm	104 mm	74 mm	820 g	800	Y	Mar 2021	EUR 1 999	amazon.com
8.		Pentax K-50	130 mm	97 mm	71 mm	650 g	410	Y	Jun 2013	EUR 649	ebay.com
9.		Pentax KP	132 mm	101 mm	76 mm	703 g	390	Y	Jan 2017	EUR 1 299	ebay.com
10.		Pentax K-S2	123 mm	91 mm	73 mm	678 g	410	Y	Feb 2015	EUR 699	ebay.com
11.		Sony A9	127 mm	96 mm	63 mm	673 g	650	Y	Apr 2017	EUR 5 299	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Pentax K-70 was launched in the US market at a price of $649. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Pentax K-70 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Pentax K-70 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Pentax K-70	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	23.8	13.1	1639	80
2.		Olympus E-M1 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.7	12.8	1312	80
3.		Panasonic G9	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.1	12.8	1138	74
4.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
5.		Pentax K-3	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.7	13.4	1216	80
6.		Pentax K-3 II	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.6	13.6	1106	80
7.		Pentax K-3 III	APS-C	25.6	6192	4128	4K/30p	24.2	13.7	2083	85
8.		Pentax K-50	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.0	1120	79
9.		Pentax KP	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.9	13.2	1699	81
10.		Pentax K-S2	APS-C	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.6	12.9	1514	79
11.		Sony A9	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.9	13.3	3517	92
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The K-70 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the K-70 can use is 1080/60i.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the K-70 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.63x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Pentax K-70 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Pentax K-70	optical	n	3.0 / 921	swivel	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Olympus E-M1 II	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	18.0/s	n	Y
3.		Panasonic G9	3680	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
4.		Panasonic GH5	3680	n	3.2 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
5.		Pentax K-3	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	Y	Y
6.		Pentax K-3 II	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	n	Y
7.		Pentax K-3 III	optical	Y	3.2 / 1620	fixed	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
8.		Pentax K-50	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Pentax KP	optical	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/6000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Pentax K-S2	optical	n	3.0 / 921	swivel	n	1/6000s	5.4/s	Y	Y
11.		Sony A9	3686	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Pentax K-70 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One convenient feature of the K-70 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Pentax K-70 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Pentax K-70	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
2.		Olympus E-M1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
3.		Panasonic G9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.0	Y	-	Y
4.		Panasonic GH5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
5.		Pentax K-3	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
6.		Pentax K-3 II	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
7.		Pentax K-3 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
8.		Pentax K-50	Y	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Pentax KP	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	-	2.0	Y	-	-
10.		Pentax K-S2	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
11.		Sony A9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y

It is notable that the K-70 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the K-70 can be found in the free online Pentax K-70 Manual or on the Pentax support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the K-70 in practical situations. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is where reviews by experts come in. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-70	4.5/5	..	4/5	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2016	EUR 699	ebay.com
2.		Olympus E-M1 II	5/5	+ +	5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
3.		Panasonic G9	..	+ +	5/5	85/100	5/5	5/5	Nov 2017	EUR 1 699	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic GH5	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2017	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Pentax K-3	4/5	..	..	83/100	5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	EUR 1 299	ebay.com
6.		Pentax K-3 II	4.5/5	..	..	..	5/5	5/5	Apr 2015	EUR 999	ebay.com
7.		Pentax K-3 III	4/5	..	3/5	..	4.5/5	..	Mar 2021	EUR 1 999	amazon.com
8.		Pentax K-50	5/5	..	..	..	5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	EUR 649	ebay.com
9.		Pentax KP	4/5	..	3/5	82/100	5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	EUR 1 299	ebay.com
10.		Pentax K-S2	4.5/5	..	..	..	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	EUR 699	ebay.com
11.		Sony A9	5/5	+ +	4.8/5	89/100	5/5	5/5	Apr 2017	EUR 5 299	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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