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Pentax K-70

 
Pentax K-70 front
 
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 102400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 688g - 126 x 93 x 74mm
  • Revealed June 2016
  • Refreshed by Pentax KF
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Lenses
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
62
Imaging
67
Features
81
Overall
72

Pentax K-70 summary

Pentax K-70 is Pentax's Entry-Level DSLR digital camera originally launched on June of 2016. The camera includes a 24MP, CMOS APS-C size sensor with a max resolution of 6000 x 4000.

Pentax introduced the more recent Pentax KF (Read Full Comparison) to update this model.

The K-70 is scored #9 out of 80 in Entry-Level DSLR cameras & overall #142 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. You should use our Advanced camera search to get camera ratings based on your customized criteria.

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The following is a chart of specific factors used in the rating system.

Pentax K-70 history

The Pentax K-70 has a history of related digital cameras. Down below, you can find all previous and brand new models as well as key specs.

ModelVisualizeResolutionSensor SizeMax fpsReleased
Pentax-KF front thumbnailPentax KF
K-70 vs KF
24MPAPS-C6.0 fps2022
Pentax-K-70 front thumbnailPentax K-7024MPAPS-C6.0 fps2016
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
Pentax-K-S2 front thumbnailPentax K-S2
K-70 vs K-S2
20MPAPS-C5.4 fps2015
Pentax-K-500 front thumbnailPentax K-500
K-70 vs K-500
16MPAPS-C6.0 fps2013
Pentax-K-50 front thumbnailPentax K-50
K-70 vs K-50
16MPAPS-C6.0 fps2013
Pentax-K-r front thumbnailPentax K-r
K-70 vs K-r
12MPAPS-C6.0 fps2011
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Pentax-K-x front thumbnailPentax K-x
K-70 vs K-x
12MPAPS-C5.0 fps2009

Pentax K-70 Pros and Cons

Here is a selection of pros and cons of the Pentax K-70 based on aspects that are normally considered essential in a digital camera.

built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution screen (921 thousand dot)
has built in flash
has external mic port
has HDMI port
has manual focus
has phase detect auto focus
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
no anti-alias filter
pretty good screen size (3")
screen articulates
selfie friendly display
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
supports RAW formats
supports tracking autofocus
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
very good ISO range (102,400)
very good minimum ISO (100)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
weather proofing
does not have headphone port
heavier than others in class (688g)
not so great battery pack (410 shots)
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
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Pentax K-70 Sensor specs

The Pentax K-70 features the PRIME MII processor chip. The sensor measurement on the Pentax K-70 is 23.5mm x 15.6mm (APS-C). The 367 mm² sensor can capture 6000 x 4000 pixels using aspect ratios of 3:2. The camera features Image Stabilization (Sensor based). Optical stabilization is superior than digital stabilization since the latter can cause cropping.

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The CMOS sensor has 24 megapixels and features a standard ISO range of 100 to 102400. RAW files are supported so the user has more margin for error.

Pentax opted to omit the anti-alias filter inside the Pentax K-70. This will result in more sharp photographs but could create moire under some conditions.

The image below shows the K-70's sensor size when compared to other popular sizes. The K-70 sensor has a crop factor of 1.5 and is highlighted in green.

Pentax K-70 sensor size Photography Glossary

To get an understanding of different aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Pentax K-70 dimensions

Pentax K-70 weighs in at 1.52 lb (688 gr / 24.27 ounces) & has outer proportions of 126mm x 93mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.9"). The weight of typical Entry-Level DSLR camera is 540 gr and the Pentax K-70 is more heavy as compared with other rivals.

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The following is a photo of the Pentax K-70 besides a soft drink to help you to get a sense of its size.

Pentax K-70 dimensions scale

The top view directly below will highlight the button design on the K-70.

Pentax K-70 topview buttons dials

Pentax K-70 Lens details

The K-70 works with the Pentax KAF2 mount and has 17 lenses available on the market. Here is a few of the lenses we have in our collection that will work with the K-70.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight
Venus-Laowa-105mm-F2-Smooth-Trans-Focus-Pentax-KAF2 lensVenus Laowa 105mm F2 Smooth Trans Focus105mmf/2745g
Samsung-D-Xenon-10-17mm-F3.5-4.5-Fisheye lensSamsung D-Xenon 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 Fisheye10-17mmf/3.5-4.5 320g
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Pentax-smc-DA-50-135mm-F2.8-ED-IF-SDM lensPentax smc DA 50-135mm F2.8 ED IF SDM50-135mmf/2.8 685g
Samsung-D-Xenon-100mm-F2.8-macro lensSamsung D-Xenon 100mm F2.8 macro100mmf/2.8 345g
Samsung-D-Xenon-35mm-F2-AL lensSamsung D-Xenon 35mm F2 AL35mmf/2.0 195g
Pentax-smc-DA-16-50mm-F2.8-ED-AL-IF-SDM lensPentax smc DA 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL IF SDM16-50mmf/2.8 565g
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Venus-Laowa-25mm-F2.8-2.5-5X-Ultra-Macro-Pentax-KAF2 lensVenus Laowa 25mm F2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro25mmf/2.8400g
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Pentax K-70 Connectivity

The K-70 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • Wireless Yes
  • HDMI Yes
  • GPS Yes

Digital cameras that come with NFC and Bluetooth support can easily be controlled wirelessly via smartphones. You can copy files and at times change camera settings without connecting physically with the camera.

Some apps also enable a Liveview and hit the shutter if you are not near the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI port, it could be hooked up to an external screen. Many cameras will allow you to recharge the battery pack with the USB port.

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Pentax K-70 Video details

The max video quality on the Pentax K-70 is 1920 x 1080 and you can record in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 1080p quality will provide a decent balance in video quality and file size but 1080p is not going to give you any room to crop. Even though the body offers a mic socket, it is missing a headphone socket so you will not be able to keep an eye on your sound levels.

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Pentax K-70 Weather Sealing

Pentax K-70 provides weather proofing making it a fantastic selection for use in tough places. This can be especially useful when you are unsure about the conditions you may encounter in outdoor photography.

Pentax K-70 Screen and Viewfinder

The Pentax K-70 includes a 3 inch fully articulated display having a resolution of 921 thousand dots.

The screen is selfie friendly to take self portraits and group shots if needed. Please note that the display screen has no touch support.

Pentax K-70 screen and viewfinder Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The ViewFinder specs for Pentax K-70 are as follows:

  • ViewFinder Optical (pentaprism)
  • ViewFinder Coverage 100%
  • ViewFinder Magnification 0.63x

Viewfinders can be pretty helpful in bright outdoor conditions which might make the camera screen washed out and difficult to see.

Pentax K-70 Shutter details

Pentax K-70 can shoot continuously at 6.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/6000 sec.

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Pentax K-70 Flash and Hot shoe details

Pentax K-70 features both inbuilt flash as well as external flash support.

Pentax K-70 Autofocusing details

Pentax K-70 features both Phase Detect Auto Focus as well as Contrast Based Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot faster & exact as compared with Contrast Based focusing. The camera includes Face detection making it handy for taking portraits of people.

The AF system includes 11 focus points to select from. It also comes with Tracking Auto Focus for moving things. Pentax K-70 supports manual focusing if needed in low light occasions or you need to have more accurate focusing control.

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Pentax K-70 Battery life

The battery pack for the Pentax K-70 is built to last for 410 shots with respect to the CIPA requirements making it lower when compared with it's rivals. The usual Entry-Level DSLR camera battery life is 589. Pentax K-x has got the maximum (1900) battery life in this range of cameras.

Following is a list of Entry-Level DSLR cameras which have the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth
Photography Glossary
Canon-EOS-Rebel-SL3 front thumbnailCanon SL3
K-70 vs SL3
1070 yesnoyes

Pentax K-70 for varying styles of photography

The following diagram shows a rundown of the Pentax K-70 for varying styles of photography. To view more, go to the specific paragraph below.

Portrait photography with Pentax K-70

The Pentax K-70 has a rating of 80 which is very high, meaning that it is a fantastic pick for portraits. Photographing portraits favors heavily to sensor size, support for RAW files along with the capability to use external flash.

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focusing manually
decent MP (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats

Street photography with Pentax K-70

Getting a nice rating of 71, the Pentax K-70 is a good fit to use in street photography. A very good street photography camera provides a fine balance of picture quality and portability.

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fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
great ISO range (102,400)
more heavy than average in class (688g)

Pentax K-70 as a Sports photography camera

A very good sports photography score of 72 suggests the Pentax K-70 is a good fit for taking photos of sports. A camera needs fantastic focusing and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

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high shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
low battery power (410 shots)

Pentax K-70 Travel photography factors

Portability is really important when getting a camera for travel. On the whole, the Pentax K-70 gets a nice 64 as a travelling camera which is a very decent pick to take with you on your holidays.

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weather sealing
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
bad battery power (410 per charge)
more heavy than others in class (688g)

Pentax K-70 Landscape photography features

When you are planning to buy a camera for landscape pictures, the biggest aspect will be image quality. The Pentax K-70 with it's brilliant score of 78 for a landscape camera is a fantastic fit amongst its rivals.

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focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
no anti aliasing filter
good high ISO (102,400)
exports RAW files
weather proof
not so great battery power (410 per charge)

Pentax K-70 Vlogging details

A vlogging camera preferably should have a moving display, microphone port and ideally IBIS. Taking everything into account, the Pentax K-70 is a respectable pick for vlogging as it receives a above average rating of 71.

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screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external mic port
heavier than competition in class (688g)

Pentax K-70 Alternatives

If you need alternatives to the K-70, here is a number of the highest placed cameras that fall into the category of Entry-Level DSLR.

The diagram just below shows you an overview of the K-70 compared to it's top scored competitors shown previously.

There are more cameras you may look into as alternatives. To go through a extensive comparison, click the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Manufacturer
Pentax
Model type
Pentax K-70
Category
Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed
2016-06-08
Body design
Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Powered by
PRIME MII
Sensor size
APS-C
Sensor dimensions
23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area
366.6mm²
Sensor resolution
24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
3:2
Highest Possible resolution
6000 x 4000
RAW files
Maximum native ISO
102400
Lowest native ISO
100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points
11
Cross type focus points
9
Lens
Lens mount type
Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses
151
Crop factor
1.5
Screen
Screen type
Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal
3"
Screen resolution
921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage
100%
Viewfinder magnification
0.63x
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating
not tested
DXO Color Depth rating
not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating
not tested
DXO Low light rating
not tested
Features
Min shutter speed
30s
Max shutter speed
1/6000s
Continuous shutter speed
6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation
Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance
12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes
Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions
1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Maximum video resolution
1920x1080
Video data format
MPEG-4, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless
Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
688 grams (1.52 lb)
Physical dimensions
126 x 93 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.9")
Other
Battery life
410 pictures
Battery form
Battery Pack
Self timer
Yes (2 or 12 secs, continuous)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage
SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I compatible)
Storage slots
Single
Cost at release
$649