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Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70

Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46
Pentax MX-1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70 front
Portability
93
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35

Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 Key Specs

Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Revealed July 2013
Sony H70
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 194g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Released January 2011
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Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the MX-1 (12MP) and H70 (16MP) and the MX-1 (1/1.7") and H70 (1/2.3") possess different sensor dimensions.

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The MX-1 was revealed 2 years after the H70 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the MX-1 matches up vs the H70 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Sony H70

 MX-1 H70 
ReleasedJuly 2013January 2011More modern by 31 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony H70 over the Pentax MX-1

 H70 MX-1 

Common features in the Pentax MX-1 and Sony H70

 MX-1 H70 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display sizing
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Pentax MX-1 comes with exterior measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs) and the Sony H70 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 194 grams (0.43 lbs).

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Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the MX-1 against the H70.

Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the MX-1 and H70 is 84 and 93 respectively.

Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 top view buttons comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes merely by seeing a spec sheet. The pic underneath should provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the MX-1 and H70.

As you can see, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The MX-1 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony H70 will show extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a little more aggressively. The more recent MX-1 provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 sensor size comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Portrait photography factors
Sony H70 Portrait photography factors
42
manual focus
offers face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
30
MP count good (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Street photography info
Sony H70 Street photography info
65
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
very small sensor (1/1.7")
heavier than others in class (391g)
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Sports photography factors
Sony H70 Sports photography factors
43
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking focus
great battery pack (290 CIPA)
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
has no phase detect autofocus
36
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax MX-1
Travel photography with Sony H70
61
great battery pack (290 shots)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
no Time Lapse mode
heavier than others in class (391g)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
67
MP count good (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Landscape photography features
Sony H70 Landscape photography features
55
manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (290 per charge)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
no Time Lapse mode
43
quite wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
does not have Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Vlogging information
Sony H70 Vlogging information
33
relatively wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
no mic support
heavier than others in class (391 grams)
29
quite wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic support
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Pentax MX-1 vs Sony H70 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax MX-1 and Sony H70
 Pentax MX-1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70
General Information
Brand Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax MX-1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2013-07-01 2011-01-06
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 4.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 920k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT LCD with AR coating Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 3.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 391g (0.86 lbs) 194g (0.43 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-Li-106 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $400 $199