Pentax K-70 Hands On


fengwei

New Member
Aug 25, 2004
14,462
12
0
Queenstown
www.pbase.com
Hi All,

It's been a long while since my last hands on review. I guess there are too many excuses as most guys w/ schooling kids.

Anyway, I got chance to get hold of a new Pentax K70 a couple of weeks ago. But didn't get chance to use it until yesterday. I opened the box, put the battery in charger, then took the following photos just to show how beautiful this little camera looks:

K70_1_zps6nmhzfaq.jpg


K70_3_zpsfy3pga2k.jpg


K70_2_zpsceqfbw5h.jpg


K70_4_zpssthzjqpl.jpg


K70_7_zpskdbfnqxd.jpg
 

Last edited:
It is really tiny compared with the full frame K1 which I've got used to hold in the past a few months, and the feeling is great when held in hand due to the deep grip and compact size. The following photos won't do justice on its size I think, you have to hold one to feel:

K70_K1_1_zpswykqs2h8.jpg


K70_K1_2_zpsncaesrir.jpg


K70_K1_3_zpswsz1zbd5.jpg


K70_K1_4_zpsblho1ynt.jpg
 

Last edited:
There are plenty of reviews for this little cameras out there. Here are a few good ones for your reading pleasure:

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/pentax-k-70-review-29813
https://www.dpreview.com/products/pentax/slrs/pentax_k70
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/pentax_k70_review/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/pentax-k70/pentax-k70A.HTM

Most if not all reviews gave this camera a 4 star and above ratings.
 

Last edited:
I won't repeat what already have been said in those reviews. I just wanna say this little camera is one of the best Pentax APSC cameras I've ever used, and I've had pretty much all Pentax dSLR cameras. It's small, light, feels fantastic in hand thanks to the deep hand grip. It is very well made, doesn't have those cheap plastic feel. It is very easy to use, I only took it out yesterday from the box, never read the manual, mounted with an FA50 lens and went out for the Pentax outing:

K70_5_zpsxbzqeor0.jpg


K70_6_zpsayggkdhn.jpg


From K1 to K70, the change in size and weight is quite huge. Sometimes I wonder why we bother getting such a big and heavy camera like K1 while a small and compact camera like K70 is perfectly fine and more than enough for most of enthusiasm users like us.
 

Last edited:
Many of us have been taking photos with our phone cameras more and more, we seldom bring out dSLR cameras nowadays, mostly due to the size and weight. But there is no way a phone camera can take photos as good as a dSLR camera when you've known your cameras well enough and know what you are doing. Thanks to the WiFi capability of this little K70, you still can take some fantastic photos and share with your friends and family.

Some small and compact dSLR cameras on the market are just made for users like us who don't want to carry too much load while still are able to take some great photos when we went to. Compared with the other entry level compact dSLR cameras, K70 has the advantage of:

* Weather Resistant (great for our Singapore weather all traveling around)
* Built-in Anti-shake by Sensor-shift /w rotational compensation CIPA 4.5 stops
* Pixel Shift Resolution - increase resolution w/o increase sensor size and cost
* CMOS sensor coated with Pentax Super Protect (SP)
* Electronic Compass and AstroTracer
* No AA Filter. SR Emulate AA. + Advanced HDR
* Diffraction Compensatn (for landscape /w small F.stops)
* Pro Shutter Mechanism of up to 200K releases (most other cameras only have a shutter life of 100k or less)
* CTE (Color Temp. Enhance) for Scenic Shoot.
* Star Stream 4K Interval Movie Record - great for recording high resolution videos
* Interval Composite Photography
* In-body RAW Development
* Skin Tone Adjustment Technology
* Night Vision RED LIGHT LCD Display (Night Photography)
* Automatic Horizon Correction (Using SR Mechanism)
* Outdoor View Setting (Day & Night Icon Selections)
* Hybrid AF in LIVE VIEW (Contrast + Phase Detect)

Just the first two features alone will make this one a great buy if you are looking for a small and compact dSLR camera, the rest just make the purchase a no-brainer.
 

Last edited:
Okay, enough talk. Here are a few quick photos I took yesterday while I was on the way to the Pentax monthly outing and on my way back home. Sorry I couldn't stay longer this time.

All photos are quick snaps w/ default settings in JPG w/ little adjustment, most taken w/ the FA50, one of two were taken w the FA77.

IMGP0003_s_zpsbpqgagjm.jpg


IMGP0006_s_zpsiyddz9dw.jpg


IMGP0012_s_zpsxyuf7giu.jpg


IMGP0018_s_zpspyfnqvyr.jpg


IMGP0035_s_zpscsffeqpy.jpg
 

Last edited:
And here are few from my favorite spot in Chinatown:

IMGP0087s_zpsmgryjlrs.jpg


IMGP0089_s_zpsdu24jxdw.jpg


IMGP0093_s_zpsgmlnw0xm.jpg


IMGP0096_s_zpsp0n06acf.jpg


IMGP0099_s_zpsw0flowdu.jpg
 

Last edited:
This is just from a couple of hours actual use and some handling at home. Sorry it's a bit short. If you have any question about this little camera, please ask here or through PM. I'd be glad to share what I feel and know about this camera.

Thanks for viewing and happy shooting.
 

Thanks for the review, looks really a beautiful little camera. Nice photos as well, as always, from you.
 

Nice review!

And yes, it is smaller than K1. The feel and build seem better when i hold it during the outing. :)
 

Great review Fengwei..... how does the camera perform in low light/high iso and with other lenses?
 

Just read it....is a very short and simple review but it is really good enough. Very informative and photos speak a thousand words. I feel the only weak side is, it seems not magnesium alloy body (not so important for me) that's all....great little camera. Might consider getting it. Thx fw
 

I compared it to my small K-01 camera,

from base to base, it is about the same size, small and compact but with a real grip. and a flip screen.

live view focus is as good as I feel on K-1, can be used as a mirror-less camera with optional optical viewfinder.:)
far better live view experience with constant aperture preview and exposure preview with multiple focus area indicator.
while k-01 only has face detection and center area focus indicator.

button arrangement is same as all pentax;

K01_K70_size_compare_zpskzt8hqsk.png


while, if pentax can use the bigger D-LI90 battery in it, or ability with charging through usb with portable battery bank, that would make it perfect,
of course, you can get multiple backup batteries to get longer shots but with D-Li90 battery makes it the true little k3ii, and I always love the big D-Li90 in the small K-01 body, always give tons of shots for a few weeks before need a charge
 

Last edited:
Thanks for the review, Feng Wei! As always, Pentax produces a feature packed, great IQ, entry level DSLR at a competitive price (taking US prices as a reference).
 

Thanks guys for your feedback and comments :)


Great review Fengwei..... how does the camera perform in low light/high iso and with other lenses?

It works great w/ FA77 which I also tried, as expected I guess :D

I haven't tested its low light high ISO capability yet. Will do tomorrow night when my son is performing during the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. Will post some photos if I get some keepers.

From the review at DPReview, the high ISO performance of K70 is as good as the well regarded Fujifilm X-Pro2 and Sony A6300 but the other two cost a lot more than K70. I think all three cameras use the same Sony CMOS sensor (w/ similar resolutions and performance).