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Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70

Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46
Pentax MX-1 front
 
Pentax Optio P70 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
20
Overall
29

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 Key Specs

Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Released July 2013
Pentax P70
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 155g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Revealed March 2009
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Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Pentax MX-1 and Pentax P70, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Ultracompact and both are manufactured by Pentax. The sensor resolution of the MX-1 (12MP) and the P70 (12MP) is pretty similar but the MX-1 (1/1.7") and P70 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The MX-1 was launched 4 years after the P70 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the MX-1 scores vs the P70 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Pentax P70

 MX-1 P70 
RevealedJuly 2013March 2009More modern by 53 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax P70 over the Pentax MX-1

 P70 MX-1 

Common features in the Pentax MX-1 and Pentax P70

 MX-1 P70 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera, you have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Pentax MX-1 comes with exterior dimensions of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") having a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs) and the Pentax P70 has proportions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") having a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Compare the Pentax MX-1 and Pentax P70 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the MX-1 vs the P70.

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the MX-1 and P70 is 84 and 95 respectively.

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 top view buttons comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to see the difference between sensor sizes only by reading specifications. The image below may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the MX-1 and P70.

Plainly, each of these cameras feature the identical megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizes. The MX-1 comes with the bigger sensor which will make obtaining shallower DOF easier. The more recent MX-1 will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 sensor size comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Portrait photography factors
Pentax P70 Portrait photography factors
42
manual focus
features face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
27
has manual focus
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Street photography features
Pentax P70 Street photography features
65
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
more heavy than average (391 grams)
47
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
more heavy than competition (155g)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax MX-1 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax P70 as a Sports photography camera
43
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking focus
good battery life (290 CIPA)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
does not have phase detect AF
17
low max shutter speed (1/1,000s)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Travel photography features
Pentax P70 Travel photography features
61
good battery life (290 CIPA)
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have Timelapse function
more heavy than average (391 grams)
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
56
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
no Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition (155g)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Landscape photography info
Pentax P70 Landscape photography info
55
manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (290 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
doesn't have Timelapse function
32
has manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
manual mode not possible
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Vlogging factors
Pentax P70 Vlogging factors
33
rather wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone jack
more heavy than average (391g)
25
rather wide (28mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no microphone jack
more heavy than competition (155 grams)
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Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax P70 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax MX-1 and Pentax P70
 Pentax MX-1Pentax Optio P70
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Pentax
Model type Pentax MX-1 Pentax Optio P70
Category Small Sensor Compact Ultracompact
Released 2013-07-01 2009-03-02
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 100 64
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 28-110mm (3.9x)
Largest aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/2.8-5.0
Macro focusing range 1cm 10cm
Crop factor 4.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT LCD with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 4.60 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync -
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (15 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 391 gr (0.86 pounds) 155 gr (0.34 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 49 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 208 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photos -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-Li-106 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $400 $200