Pentax X70

Pentax X70 is Pentax's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera originally introduced on March of 2009. It houses a 12 MegaPixel, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a peak resolution of 4000 x 3000.

The X70 stands at #224 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & all-around #988 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. You can look at our Advanced camera filter to see camera ratings based on your customized requirements.

The following is a chart of specific criteria used in the scoring system.

The Pentax X70 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can view the full range underneath.

You can see the X70 from various angles in the gallery here.

Below is a shortlist of upsides and downsides of the Pentax X70 based on aspects which are normally seen as useful in a digital camera.

The sensor specification in the Pentax X70 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 4000 x 3000 pixels at aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera has Image Stabilization (Sensor-shift). In body stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter can cause cropping.

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The CCD sensor has 12 megapixels and delivers a standard ISO range of 50 - 6400. Sadly, RAW files are not supported so the user has less room to maneuver in post.

The image underneath illustrates the X70's sensor dimensions compared to other popular sizes. The X70 sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is displayed in green.

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To get an idea of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Pentax X70 has a weight of 0.90 lbs (410 grams / 14.46 ounces) & has outer size of 110mm x 83mm x 90mm (4.3" x 3.3" x 3.5"). The weight of general Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 grams so the Pentax X70 is very similar in comparison with other rivals.

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Down below is a image of the Pentax X70 with a softdrink to help you get a sense of its scale.

The top view just below will show you the button design on the X70.

The X70 offers a fixed lens providing a focal range of 26-624mm giving it a 24.0 x zoom which is outstanding and would allow you to zoom all the way in.

At the widest 26mm, the lens has an aperture of f2.8 which will be fairly slow and not very good for low light events and you will likely find it difficult to get good bokeh. You might also have to raise the ISO setting which results in noisy photos. On the tele end, 624mm is amazing zoom and comes with f5.0 which is very slow and you might need to utilize slower shutter speeds.

The X70 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes

Cameras that include NFC or Bluetooth compatibility can easily be used wirelessly by smartphones. You will be able to send images and sometimes alter settings without the hassle of connecting directly to the camera.

A few applications even stream a Liveview and press the shutter in case you aren't near the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI port, it could be attached to an external screen. Almost all cameras enable you to recharge the battery with the USB port.

The highest video resolution in the Pentax X70 is 1280 x 720 and you can capture in Motion JPEG file format. 720p is awful for today's standards. You really should try to get a minimum 1080p resolution for decent video. The camera doesn't include a microphone or headphone jack so you get no control over the audio. It is perhaps a better idea to have a look at a different model if you require decent audio for your videos.

Pentax X70 doesn't include weather sealing so damp conditions might damage the camera.

The Pentax X70 is equipped with a 2.7 inch fixed screen boasting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Please note that the screen has no touch support.

Photography Glossary

The View Finder details for Pentax X70 are the following:

• ViewFinder Electronic

For sunny outdoor situations which make the camera screens washed out and hard to see, viewfinders can be very helpful.

The maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 sec.

Pentax X70 has only in-built flash with no external flash ability.

Pentax X70 has both Phase Detect Autofocus as well as Contrast Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is more snappier & precise when compared with Contrast Detect focusing.

The AF system supports 9 focus points to select from. It also boasts Tracking Autofocus for moving objects. Pentax X70 boasts manual focus if needed in low light conditions or you want to have more accurate focus control.

The typical Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR comes with the highest (600) battery life in this range of cameras.

Underneath is a number of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras having the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
X70 vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
X70 vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
X70 vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
X70 vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
X70 vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following graph gives a summation of the Pentax X70 for varying styles of photography. To check out more, visit the specific paragraph underneath.

The Pentax X70 has a rating of 29 which is subpar, and means the camera is just not very good to use for portrait photos. Photographing portrait photos leans greatly towards sensor resolution, support for RAW photos together with the flexibility to utilize external lighting.

Having a reasonable rating of 46, the Pentax X70 is somewhat adequate for street photography. A decent street photography camera provides a perfect balance of picture quality and portability.

A decent sports photography score of 50 indicates the Pentax X70 is relatively suited for photographing sports. A camera needs to have great autofocus plus fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

Weight is very important in selecting a camera for travel. On the whole, the Pentax X70 gets a reasonable 52 for a travel camera which makes it somewhat suitable to purchase for your vacations.

For anybody planning to choose a camera for landscape photos, the most important aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Pentax X70 with it's subpar rating of 36 for a landscape camera is just not very good in the current market.

A vlogging camera should really posses a articulating display, microphone input and ideally IBIS. Taking everything in to account, the Pentax X70 is just not very good as a vlog camera as it delivers a subpar score of 24.

If you are trying to find replacements to the X70, below is a number of the top scored cameras which fall within the category of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The graph below gives you a bird's eye view of the X70 vs it's top rated competitors suggested previously.

Following are several cameras you might consider as alternative options. To read a thorough comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.