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Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70

Portability
59
Imaging
66
Features
84
Overall
73
Pentax K-3 II front
 
Pentax Optio P70 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
20
Overall
28

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 Key Specs

Pentax K-3 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 131 x 100 x 77mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Replaced the Pentax K-3
Pentax P70
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 155g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Revealed March 2009
Photography Glossary

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 Overview

Let's look much closer at the Pentax K-3 II and Pentax P70, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact and they are both sold by Pentax. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the K-3 II (24MP) and P70 (12MP) and the K-3 II (APS-C) and P70 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizing.

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The K-3 II was manufactured 6 years later than the P70 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Pentax K-3 II being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a short overview of how the K-3 II matches up versus the P70 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax K-3 II over the Pentax P70

 K-3 II P70 
RevealedApril 2015March 2009Fresher by 75 months
Display dimensions3.2"2.7"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax P70 over the Pentax K-3 II

 P70 K-3 II 

Common features in the Pentax K-3 II and Pentax P70

 K-3 II P70 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Pentax K-3 II provides external dimensions of 131mm x 100mm x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Pentax P70 has dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Check out the Pentax K-3 II and Pentax P70 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the K-3 II versus the P70.

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the K-3 II and P70 is 59 and 95 respectively.

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizing merely by looking through specs. The graphic below should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the K-3 II and P70.

All in all, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The K-3 II due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Pentax K-3 II will result in extra detail due to its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The newer K-3 II should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Portrait photography info
Pentax P70 Portrait photography info
79
focusing manually
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
27
you can focus manually
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
low MP (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Street photography factors
Pentax P70 Street photography factors
69
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
very good ISO range (51,200)
screen does not articulate
47
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
heavier than competitors (155 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax K-3 II as a Sports photography camera
Pentax P70 as a Sports photography camera
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
comes with phase detect AF
low battery pack (720 shots)
17
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,000 seconds)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Travel photography info
Pentax P70 Travel photography info
56
weather sealing
good resolution (24 megapixels)
low battery pack (720 per charge)
does not contain selfie friendly display
56
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
heavier than competitors (155 grams)
low MP (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Landscape photography advice
Pentax P70 Landscape photography advice
78
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
good sized screen (3.2")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
has double storage slots
low battery pack (720 per charge)
32
you can focus manually
decently wide (28mm)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not available
does not have image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K-3 II Vlogging details
Pentax P70 Vlogging details
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic port
does not contain selfie friendly display
25
decently wide (28mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic port
heavier than competitors (155 grams)
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Pentax K-3 II vs Pentax P70 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-3 II and Pentax P70
 Pentax K-3 IIPentax Optio P70
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Pentax
Model Pentax K-3 II Pentax Optio P70
Class Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Revealed 2015-04-23 2009-03-02
Body design Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip Prime III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 -
Full resolution 6016 x 4000 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 51200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 64
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 27 9
Cross focus points 25 -
Lens
Lens mount Pentax KAF2 fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.0
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Amount of lenses 151 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3.2 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.64x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 8.3fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.60 m
Flash settings Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync (available with dedicated external flash) -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1280 x 720 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (15 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Optional None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 800g (1.76 lb) 155g (0.34 lb)
Physical dimensions 131 x 100 x 77mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 80 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 13.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 1106 not tested
Other
Battery life 720 shots -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model D-LI90 -
Self timer Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots Two 1
Retail pricing $829 $200