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Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500

Portability
71
Imaging
34
Features
34
Overall
34
Pentax X70 front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 Key Specs

Pentax X70
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 50 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-624mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 410g - 110 x 83 x 90mm
  • Introduced March 2009
Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Announced March 2014
  • Replaced the Sony A3000
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Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Pentax X70 versus Sony a3500, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Pentax and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the X70 (12MP) and a3500 (20MP) and the X70 (1/2.3") and a3500 (APS-C) use different sensor sizes.

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The X70 was announced 6 years earlier than the a3500 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax X70 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the X70 grades vs the a3500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax X70 over the Sony a3500

 X70 a3500 

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Pentax X70

 a3500 X70 
AnnouncedMarch 2014March 2009Fresher by 61 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Common features in the Pentax X70 and Sony a3500

 X70 a3500 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Pentax X70 has got exterior measurements of 110mm x 83mm x 90mm (4.3" x 3.3" x 3.5") along with a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) while the Sony a3500 has measurements of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Look at the Pentax X70 versus Sony a3500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the X70 against the a3500.

Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the X70 and a3500 is 71 and 69 respectively.

Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizing merely by viewing specs. The visual below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the X70 and a3500.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The X70 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony a3500 will provide you with greater detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older X70 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 sensor size comparison

Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax X70 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Portrait photography camera
28
you can focus manually
external flash not possible
low MP (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
77
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax X70
Street photography with Sony a3500
46
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
57
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
more heavy than competition (411 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Pentax X70
Sports photography with Sony a3500
50
amazing zoom range (26-624mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking focus
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low MP (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
60
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (470 CIPA)
max fps very slow (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax X70 Travel photography features
Sony a3500 Travel photography features
52
has built in flash
quite wide (26mm)
long reach (624mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
60
better than average battery power (470 per charge)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse recording
more heavy than competition (411g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax X70 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Landscape photography camera
35
you can focus manually
quite wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse function
70
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
better than average battery power (470 per charge)
no image stabilization
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax X70 Vlogging details
Sony a3500 Vlogging details
24
quite wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic support
26
offers face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
missing external microphone socket
more heavy than competition (411g)
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Pentax X70 vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax X70 and Sony a3500
 Pentax X70Sony Alpha a3500
General Information
Brand Pentax Sony
Model Pentax X70 Sony Alpha a3500
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-03-02 2014-03-21
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - BIONZ image
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 5456 x 3632
Max native ISO 6400 16000
Lowest native ISO 50 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 26-624mm (24.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.0 -
Macro focus range 10cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.47x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate - 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.10 m 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash options - Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 410g (0.90 lb) 411g (0.91 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 83 x 90mm (4.3" x 3.3" x 3.5") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 470 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI92 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC, Internal -
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $200 $398