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Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
71
Imaging
35
Features
34
Overall
34
Pentax X70 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III 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
  • Revealed March 2009
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Introduced May 2014
  • Earlier Model is Sony RX100 II
  • Successor is Sony RX100 IV
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Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Here, we will be looking at the Pentax X70 and Sony RX100 III, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Pentax and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the X70 (12MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the X70 (1/2.3") and RX100 III (1") have different sensor sizing.

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The X70 was brought out 6 years earlier than the RX100 III and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax X70 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a brief summary of how the X70 grades versus the RX100 III in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax X70 over the Sony RX100 III

 X70 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Pentax X70

 RX100 III X70 
IntroducedMay 2014March 2009More recent by 63 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1229k230kCrisper screen (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Pentax X70 and Sony RX100 III

 X70 RX100 III 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Pentax X70 features exterior dimensions of 110mm x 83mm x 90mm (4.3" x 3.3" x 3.5") with a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) and the Sony RX100 III has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Compare the Pentax X70 and Sony RX100 III in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the X70 against the RX100 III.

Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the X70 and RX100 III is 71 and 89 respectively.

Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to picture the gap between sensor measurements just by reading a spec sheet. The graphic underneath should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the X70 and RX100 III.

As you can see, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The X70 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony RX100 III will offer extra detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older X70 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Pentax X70
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 III
29
focusing manually
can't use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
64
you can focus manually
above average flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax X70
Street photography with Sony RX100 III
46
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition (290g)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax X70 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Sports photography camera
50
excellent zoom range (26-624mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking focus
supports phase detect auto focus
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
includes tracking autofocus
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Pentax X70 Travel photography advice
Sony RX100 III Travel photography advice
52
has built in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
very long reach (624mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
85
lighter than competition (290 grams)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
really wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax X70 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Landscape photography camera
36
focusing manually
reasonably wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.7")
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Time Lapse recording
73
you can focus manually
really wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax X70 Vlogging factors
Sony RX100 III Vlogging factors
24
reasonably wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic port
80
really wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (290 grams)
lack of external mic support
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Pentax X70 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax X70 and Sony RX100 III
 Pentax X70Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Sony
Model Pentax X70 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-03-02 2014-05-15
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 50 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 26-624mm (24.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Max aperture f/2.8-5.0 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus distance 10cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.10 m -
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
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 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 410 grams (0.90 pounds) 290 grams (0.64 pounds)
Physical dimensions 110 x 83 x 90mm (4.3" x 3.3" x 3.5") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 67
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.3
DXO Low light score not tested 495
Other
Battery life - 320 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI92 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at release $200 $748