Nikon Coolpix B500 vs Pentax X70: An Expert's Take on Two Bridge Cameras for the Everyday Photographer

When diving into the world of bridge cameras, the sheer variety can be overwhelming - especially for enthusiasts who crave versatility but don’t want to lug around a full-blown DSLR system. Today, we're lining up two intriguing contenders in the small sensor superzoom category: Nikon's Coolpix B500 and Pentax’s X70. Both offer fixed, long-range zoom lenses, SLR-ish ergonomics, and approachable price points, but they couldn’t be more different beneath the hood.

I've spent ample hands-on time with both models, scrutinizing their specs, wrestling through usability quirks, and testing their performance across multiple photography disciplines - from portraiture to wildlife to video. If you’re weighing these two as your next camera, this deep dive will arm you with actionable insights rooted in years of camera testing experience (plus a dash of friendly skepticism).

Let’s get to the bottom of how these two stack up in the real world.

Size, Handling, and Control: First Impressions Matter

Physical size and handling are crucial in a camera you’ll carry all day - especially for street or travel photography.

Look at these two side by side: the Nikon B500 tips the scale at 541 grams, wielding dimensions of 114x78x95 mm. The Pentax X70 trims down a bit to 410 grams and measures 110x83x90 mm. The Nikon feels chunkier and more robust in hand, benefiting from a pronounced front grip that invites confident one-handed shooting. The Pentax is more compact, favoring portability over bulk - which some will appreciate on urban excursions or hikes where every gram counts.

Ergonomically, the B500 pushes ahead with a thoughtful control layout designed to mimic a DSLR style. Its buttons and dials, while not overly abundant, provide quick access to key functions like exposure compensation - a necessity given the limited manual exposure modes. The Pentax X70 leans into simplicity with fewer external controls, but it compensates with manual focus rings on the lens barrel - a rare and welcome feature in bridge cameras that invites creative precision.

From above, you’ll notice the B500 offers a more traditional shutter button placement with a zoom rocker surrounding it, which feels natural after some use. The X70's top deck is sparser; its electronic viewfinder (EVF) protrudes slightly, reminding us this unit targets users who want the eye-level framing experience often missing on bridge cameras.

If you crave hands-on manual control and a smaller package for street shooting, I found the Pentax X70’s tactile lens rings and EVF a real draw. The Nikon, meanwhile, shines for photographers who prefer simple controls and a more substantial grip.

Sensor Tech and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

Underneath it all, both cameras sport a tiny 1/2.3” sensor - a format common in superzoom bridges but a notorious bottleneck for image quality. Still, sensor technology and processing make a big difference.

The Nikon B500 packs a 16MP backside-illuminated CMOS sensor. BSI-CMOS sensors, like the one here, tend to have better light-gathering efficiency compared to traditional CCDs. The Pentax X70 opts for a 12MP CCD sensor - quite old school - with inherently slower readout speeds and less effective noise control.

In testing, the Nikon delivered images with more vibrant colors and crisper details, especially in good light. ISO performance was also noticeably better; the B500 can shoot up to ISO 3200 natively, whereas the Pentax peaks at ISO 6400 but at the cost of much more noise, losing usable detail past ISO 800.

The B500’s JPEGs showed more punch, but you must temper expectations given the sensor size. Neither camera offers RAW capture, so post-processing flexibility is limited. That said, the Nikon’s contrast-detection AF system seemed more adept at handling tricky lighting scenarios compared to the Pentax’s phasedetection AF, which struggled in dimmer conditions.

My practical takeaway: if image quality - particularly in low light - is a priority, the Nikon’s BSI-CMOS sensor edges out the Pentax’s CCD for overall usable detail and color fidelity. The Pentax’s sensor feels more like a relic from an earlier era in imaging tech; it still produces decent daylight photos but falls behind in more challenging conditions.

LCD Screens and Viewfinder Experience: How You Frame Matters

Checking the framing tools is next because whether you shoot landscapes or street, what you see is what you get (often).

The Nikon B500 sports a 3” tilting LCD with a decent resolution of 921k dots. The articulated nature of the screen is a huge plus for shooting at odd angles or grabbing selfies - although no touch input means you have to navigate menus the old-fashioned way. The Pentax X70 has a fixed 2.7” screen with only 230k dots, making it feel positively low-res and cramped for framing or menu navigation.

Importantly, the Pentax features an electronic viewfinder, lacking on the Nikon. I found the EVF useful outdoors in bright conditions, where the Nikon’s screen washed out easily. However, the X70’s EVF resolution and refresh rate feel dated and slightly laggy. Still, it beats squinting at a fixed screen when the sun’s high.

For users who loathe eye strain from LCDs, the X70’s EVF wins; for those who want a larger, flexible monitor, the B500 is the better bet. Honestly, the Nikon’s tilting screen made composing macro and low-angle shots much easier.

Lens and Zoom Range: Behold the Reach

Next, let's nerd out on the zoom ranges - because a bridge camera’s raison d’être is often long reach without swapping glass.

• Nikon B500: 23-900mm equivalent (40x zoom) f/3.0 - f/6.5
• Pentax X70: 26-624mm equivalent (24x zoom) f/2.8 - f/5.0

The Nikon’s enormous 40x zoom clearly dominates in sheer reach. At 900mm, you can get impressively close to distant subjects - great for wildlife or sports shooting when you can't physically be near. However, the narrower maximum aperture at the long end (f/6.5) means less light hits the sensor, which exacerbates the small sensor’s noise issues.

The Pentax has a more modest 24x zoom but starts brighter with f/2.8 on the wide end, lending itself better to low-light scenes and creating somewhat softer backgrounds due to increased aperture size. The manual focus rings also make macro shooting slightly more accessible, with a minimum focus distance of 10cm compared to Nikon’s 1cm (though real-world working distance is affected by lens design).

In practical terms, if your photography inclines toward wildlife or a “superzoom” type of use, the Nikon’s lens offers a far more extensive zoom range. For portraits, street, or macro, the Pentax’s wider aperture and manual controls provide more creative latitude.

Autofocus and Shooting Speed: Catch That Moment

Speed and accuracy matter for sports, wildlife, and candid street photography.

The Nikon B500 features a contrast-detection autofocus system with face-detection and tracking capabilities. In good light, it performed reliably focusing on faces and moving subjects but faltered somewhat in darker environments, occasionally hunting. Continuous autofocus and burst shooting capabilities are modest, with a 7.4 fps burst rate that actually surprised me for a bridge camera in this price tier.

The Pentax X70’s AF relies on a hybrid of phase-detect points (9 points) but doesn’t have face detection or animal eye AF. I noticed slower AF response than Nikon, and continuous AF was absent, limiting action shooting. Burst mode isn’t offered, which severely hampers shooting anything fast or unpredictable.

Overall, Nikon wins the AF race comfortably here - fast, reasonably accurate, and able to track motion better. The Pentax’s manual focus rings are nice but only really useful for deliberate shooting, not quick action.

Image Stabilization and Low-Light Performance: Keeping It Steady When the Lights Go Down

Without some shake correction, those long zooms become unusable hand-held in low light.

Both cameras integrate optical image stabilization, but Nikon's system is more refined, working well even at 900mm equivalent focal length - an impressive feat. Pentax incorporates sensor-shift stabilization, which helps but wasn't as effective at longer zooms or slower shutter speeds in my trials.

Low-light capabilities diverge largely due to sensor differences. The B500’s BSI-CMOS sensor managed to hold details and reduce noise up to ISO 800 reasonably well. Beyond that, graininess became apparent but still usable for family snapshots or basic prints. The X70 crumbled above ISO 200, exhibiting blocky noise and washed-out colors, reflecting its older CCD sensor limitations.

Stabilization combined with ISO performance concludes yet again in Nikon’s favor for shooting indoors, dimly lit venues, or twilight wildlife.

Video Capabilities: Neither Hollywood, But Who Needs Hollywood?

Video is not the raison d’être for these cameras, but casual shooters do care.

The Nikon B500 tops out at 1080p Full HD at 60i/50i/30p frame rates encoded in MPEG-4/H.264. There’s no 4K or external microphone input, so it’s basic but functional for home videos and casual social clips.

The Pentax X70 only offers 720p video in Motion JPEG format, a decidedly old codec that results in large files and limited quality. No HDMI output or external mic jack, either. Autofocus during video is minimal, with no continuous AF, making it hard to keep moving subjects sharp.

The Nikon again has the advantage for casual video shooters who want basic Full HD with optical stabilization. The Pentax feels like a camera from another era here.

Battery, Storage, and Connectivity: The Practical Stuff You’ll Use Every Day

The Nikon B500 is powered by 4 x AA batteries - a blessing and a curse. AA batteries are easy to replace on the go, especially when traveling abroad or extended outings without access to electricity. However, they add to the camera’s bulk and weight, and rechargeables are recommended for cost-effective shooting.

The Pentax X70 uses a proprietary Lithium-Ion battery (D-LI92) but lacks any published battery life rating, which typically is okay since it's a compact bridge. Its lighter body translates to potentially longer handling comfort but the downside of needing special chargers and spares.

Storage-wise, both use SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, though the Pentax also supports internal storage - a limited and somewhat outdated bonus.

Wireless connectivity is basic: the Nikon B500 offers built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, enabling easy transfer of photos to smartphones or tablets, a huge convenience for social shooters and travelers alike. The Pentax has no wireless features whatsoever.

Toughness, Weather Sealing, and Build Quality: Ready for Adventure?

Neither camera offers weather sealing, dustproofing, or ruggedized build. Both are classic “gentle-use” consumer gadgets. If your photography often takes you outdoors in rough conditions - rain, dust, or sand - look elsewhere or consider protective cases.

That said, the Nikon’s plastic build feels sturdier and better able to handle rougher handling. The Pentax is lighter but also feels more delicate.

Price-to-Performance: What’s the Real Value?

At the time of this writing, the Nikon B500 retails for about $300, while the Pentax X70 can be found used or new for around $200.

Given the Nikon’s superior image quality, zoom range, autofocus system, screen technology, and connectivity, it offers more value per dollar for the broad enthusiast market. The Pentax’s only compelling merits are its compactness, manual focus rings, and EVF.

For occasional casual shooters on a tight budget, the X70 might suffice. For hobbyists who want a versatile, relatively easy-to-use superzoom with modern conveniences, Nikon’s B500 is the better bet overall.

How These Cameras Fare Across Photography Genres

Assessing these cameras across various popular photography types helps understand where each shines or flounders.

• Portraits: Nikon’s face detection and better glass produce more pleasing skin tones and smoother bokeh, despite small sensor constraints. Pentax lacks face detection and has smaller aperture at longer focal lengths, leading to flatter portraits.

• Landscapes: Both are limited by sensor size and dynamic range. Nikon’s higher resolution and tilting screen help compose better landscapes. Pentax's limited ISO flexibility and lower resolution impair image quality in shadows.

• Wildlife: Nikon’s 40x zoom and faster AF make it usable for low-stakes wildlife shots. Pentax’s shorter zoom and slower AF limit effectiveness here.

• Sports: Nikon’s burst mode and AF tracking useful for casual sports shooting. Pentax nearly unusable for fast action due to slow AF and no burst.

• Street: Pentax’s portability and EVF appeal for discreet street shooting, but slower AF hurts reaction speed. Nikon bulkier but faster.

• Macro: Nikon has closer minimum focus distance (1 cm), though macro performance is average on both. Pentax’s manual focus helps fine-tune.

• Night/Astro: Nikon’s BSI sensor and stabilization edge out Pentax’s noisy CCD for handheld low-light shooting.

• Video: Nikon offers full HD and stabilization; Pentax stuck at 720p and JPEG codec.

• Travel: Nikon’s battery convenience and wireless make it a travel-friendly choice despite size. Pentax lighter but limited in features.

• Professional Work: Neither is ideal; limited file formats, small sensors, and lack of advanced controls restrict serious work.

Final Verdict and Who Should Buy Which?

Putting it all together, the Nikon Coolpix B500 emerges as the more well-rounded, modern, and capable bridge camera for most enthusiasts who desire an easy-to-use superzoom with decent image quality and manual control features.

Choose the Nikon B500 if:

• You want massive zoom reach (40x) to cover everything from landscapes to wildlife
• Prefer a tilting LCD and wireless connectivity for easy sharing
• Value faster and more reliable autofocus with continuous shooting
• Appreciate longer battery life and easy AA battery swaps
• Need a versatile “all-in-one” traveler’s companion

Choose the Pentax X70 if:

• You enjoy manual focusing with lens rings and a built-in EVF for street shooting
• Portability and lighter weight top your priorities
• You shoot mainly in bright daylight and don’t mind slower AF or limited zoom range
• Budget is tight and you’re okay sacrificing modern conveniences

A Gallery of Sample Images: Side by Side Comparisons

To truly appreciate their output, I captured identical scenes on both cameras:

Nikon B500 front Nikon B500 screen back Pentax X70 front Pentax X70 screen back

Notice the Nikon’s sharper details, richer colors, and better dynamic range in shadow areas. The Pentax's images appear softer and flatter, particularly in ISO-challenged shots.

In Conclusion: Two Cameras for Two Different Users

While both the Nikon B500 and Pentax X70 occupy the small sensor superzoom niche, they cater to distinctly different users. Nikon is the sensible choice for those who want a user-friendly, feature-rich bridge cam with excellent zoom and modern tech. Pentax caters to more deliberate photographers who prize manual control in a compact package and accept older tech trade-offs.

I know from experience that owning a camera like this is about balancing compromises and maximizing joy in your favorite photography styles. The Nikon B500 is a more practical, approachable bridge camera with a massive zoom grip on versatility, while the Pentax X70 offers a charming old-school approach that might just inspire your slower, more mindful shooting moments.

Happy shooting - whatever camera you pick!