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02-23-2018, 06:38 AM   #1
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On the fence about the K70

I'm looking to buy my first Pentax DSLR, probably a K70, but there are two issues I'm struggling with. First, on many online reviews and Youtube videos comparing the K70 to Nikon or Canon, the K70 usually falls short of the other two. Image quality with the Nikon and Canon products are ranked higher than the Pentax. Second, even though I keep reading that Pentax DSLR's are less expensive than Nikon or Canon, the K70 is actually more expensive than what I can get a Canon or Nikon for and, in kit form, I can get two lenses with them.

Any thoughts? Is the K70 just given a bad rap because it's not a Nikon or Canon? I should also mention that I'm comparing the K70 primarily with the Nikon D3400 and the Canon T6, both of which I can get for $500 to $600 locally in the two lens kit.

The other option I'm considering is a used Pentax K-5iis, which seems to be highly recommended.

02-23-2018, 07:23 AM   #2
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Pentax DSLRs are usually less expensive than Nikon/Canon -- when you compare similarly-specced cameras. The D3400 and Rebel T6 you mention won't have dual control wheels, 100%-coverage pentaprism viewfinder, weather sealing, etc. like the K-70 does -- the Rebel T6 even has fewer autofocus points.

Pentax doesn't really have a model that's as stripped down or as cheap as those two; a fairer comparison would be against the D5600 or Rebel T7i.

I can't explain the image quality comments though. In a head-to-head comparison, the K-70 looks pretty good to me. Unless maybe the complaint is about Pentax's in-camera JPEG engine. I wasn't too fond of its sharpening on my K-30, but that's a 2012 camera and I don't know how the engine has been improved since then.
02-23-2018, 07:34 AM   #3
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After reading your post I entered Nikon D3400 vs Pentax K-70 into my browser and read the first review I saw, by CameraDecision.Their verdict;


Pentax K-70 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon D3400 in all criterias except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon D3400. Otherwise, Pentax K-70 is the better camera overall.



I did not bother to read any more comparison reviews. Horses for courses, my Pentax K-5 has in body stabilisation, great for using legacy manual lenses! Neither the Canon or Nikon because of their lens based stabilisation offer this plus.


Image quality is generally provided by the lens used, Canon and Nikon might have bigger (or better) ranges of new lenses but I doubt their consumer lenses are any better or indeed their sensors are any better. You need to consider that you are buying into a system and focus on your requirements from a DSLR.
The K-5iis is probably a fair bit better than my K-5 so I can recommend that as a purchase based on my experience.
I have or have had the Canon 10D, 20D and 350D and must admit to preferring my Pentax cameras. My preference you understand. Lots of people prefer their Canons and Nikons.
02-23-2018, 07:40 AM   #4
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When I started out with DSLR's just over a year ago, I thought I would end up with either a Nikon D5600 or a Canon EOS760D, Pentax was not even a brand I considered.
But when I started doing my research the K-70 showed up, reading a lot of reviews, relating to the features such as astrotracer, image stabilization, weather sealing and pixelshift the choice for me was clear and I now have a K-70, and I'm a very happy camper.
From DPReview.com:
The Pentax K-70 takes place of the K-S2, with ergonomic improvements that make it feel like a much more serious camera, and Raw image quality that is among the best the APS-C sensor size has to offer. It may not offer the outright speed of mirrorless competition, like the Sony a6000, but the K-70 trumps both its mirrorless and its DSLR competion, like the Canon Rebel T6i and the Nikon D5500, in terms of controls and customization.
Read the review here: Shaking up the market: Pentax K-70 Review: Digital Photography Review

K-70 Vs. the T6i: Pentax K-70 vs Canon T6i Detailed Comparison
K-70 Vs. the D3400: Pentax K-70 vs Nikon D3400 Detailed Comparison
K-70 Vs. the D5600: Pentax K-70 vs Nikon D5600 Detailed Comparison

I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again - after all what's not to like?

02-23-2018, 08:01 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by mikecnorthwest Quote
I'm looking to buy my first Pentax DSLR, probably a K70, but there are two issues I'm struggling with. First, on many online reviews and Youtube videos comparing the K70 to Nikon or Canon, the K70 usually falls short of the other two. Image quality with the Nikon and Canon products are ranked higher than the Pentax. Second, even though I keep reading that Pentax DSLR's are less expensive than Nikon or Canon, the K70 is actually more expensive than what I can get a Canon or Nikon for and, in kit form, I can get two lenses with them.

Any thoughts? Is the K70 just given a bad rap because it's not a Nikon or Canon? I should also mention that I'm comparing the K70 primarily with the Nikon D3400 and the Canon T6, both of which I can get for $500 to $600 locally in the two lens kit.

The other option I'm considering is a used Pentax K-5iis, which seems to be highly recommended.
The K-70 compares very favorably (Per Camera Decision Pentax K-70 vs Canon 80D Detailed Comparison ) with the Canon 80D and Nikon D7200 for $400 - $500 less. The only place where Canon and Nikon have an overwhelming advantage over Pentax is third party support and video. Otherwise Pentax typically offers better value dollar for dollar than Canon or Nikon for still photography. If you plan to do a lot of video Pentax should not be your first choice.
02-23-2018, 08:27 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by steve_k Quote
The K-70 compares very favorably (Per Camera Decision Pentax K-70 vs Canon 80D Detailed Comparison ) with the Canon 80D and Nikon D7200 for $400 - $500 less. The only place where Canon and Nikon have an overwhelming advantage over Pentax is third party support and video. Otherwise Pentax typically offers better value dollar for dollar than Canon or Nikon for still photography. If you plan to do a lot of video Pentax should not be your first choice.
I found the Camera Decision website after I started this thread and it's probably the most informative website I've found so far. I do not do much video so that is not really a consideration for me. I do mostly some lightweight street, railroad, and outdoor/landscape photography.

---------- Post added 02-23-18 at 09:31 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by DrawsACircle Quote
When I started out with DSLR's just over a year ago, I thought I would end up with either a Nikon D5600 or a Canon EOS760D, Pentax was not even a brand I considered.
But when I started doing my research the K-70 showed up, reading a lot of reviews, relating to the features such as astrotracer, image stabilization, weather sealing and pixelshift the choice for me was clear and I now have a K-70, and I'm a very happy camper.
From DPReview.com:
The Pentax K-70 takes place of the K-S2, with ergonomic improvements that make it feel like a much more serious camera, and Raw image quality that is among the best the APS-C sensor size has to offer. It may not offer the outright speed of mirrorless competition, like the Sony a6000, but the K-70 trumps both its mirrorless and its DSLR competion, like the Canon Rebel T6i and the Nikon D5500, in terms of controls and customization.
Read the review here: Shaking up the market: Pentax K-70 Review: Digital Photography Review

K-70 Vs. the T6i: Pentax K-70 vs Canon T6i Detailed Comparison
K-70 Vs. the D3400: Pentax K-70 vs Nikon D3400 Detailed Comparison
K-70 Vs. the D5600: Pentax K-70 vs Nikon D5600 Detailed Comparison

I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again - after all what's not to like?
Very helpful response, thank you. I'm borrowing a friend's K-50 for the weekend so hopefully that experience will help me make up my mind. I know it's not exactly comparable but I have great affinity for my two Pentax K1000's which is why I first joined this forum and why I'm considering a Pentax for my DSLR upgrade (I currently use a Nikon D3100).
02-23-2018, 08:53 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by mikecnorthwest Quote
I found the Camera Decision website after I started this thread and it's probably the most informative website I've found so far. I do not do much video so that is not really a consideration for me. I do mostly some lightweight street, railroad, and outdoor/landscape photography.

---------- Post added 02-23-18 at 09:31 AM ----------



Very helpful response, thank you. I'm borrowing a friend's K-50 for the weekend so hopefully that experience will help me make up my mind. I know it's not exactly comparable but I have great affinity for my two Pentax K1000's which is why I first joined this forum and why I'm considering a Pentax for my DSLR upgrade (I currently use a Nikon D3100).
If you like the K-50 you'll end up loving the K-70, because the latter has much better image quality, better AF, and more user-friendly menus.


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02-23-2018, 09:18 AM   #8
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I started with a K-50 and recently purchased a K-70. Very happy with my decision.
02-23-2018, 09:19 AM   #9
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I bought the K-70 roughly 1.5 years ago, but I am not so sure if I would buy a K-70/Pentax-camera in 2018 if you are new.

It all depends on what you wanna do with the camera.

K-70 is still great and back in 2016 it was easily a better choice for me when comparing it to a similar body of Nikon for example. I had to spend hundreds of dollars/euros more to get a Nikon-body of the same quality. And since I liked astrophotography and was more into landscapes than sports/wildlife, it was easily the best choice if you didn't wanna spend a fortune on the body.

Right now however, the KP isn't a whole lot more expensive than a K-70 while its quite a bit better IQ wise. I would go KP or skip Pentax to be honest.

It's nice they keep their developing fullframe with the K-1 mark II, but no word yet on the K-3 III and not like Ricoh has been very active in bringing out new aps-c lenses. Not even sure a new flagship body is even coming at all. Right now, if you want something better as a K-3/K-70-owner but you dont wanna go for the K-1 or KP, then ye, there aren't really any options. Especially if you care for flagship model features such a dual card slots, bigger battery, more durable body, higher fps, etc.
02-23-2018, 10:51 AM   #10
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Personally, I often prefer the image quality/colour of Pentax images over Nikons or Canons.

However, camera comparison shoot-outs often ignore, or aren't aware of, an interesting advantage Pentaxes have over Nikons or Canons: you can't shoot with an image stabilized 50mm 1.4 from Canon or Nikon these days (or other similar primes not offered with VR or IS). Pentax will even do it with a 50mm 1.4 Super Takumar that was made long before stabilization was thought of!
02-23-2018, 01:37 PM   #11
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My first DSLR was a second hand Canon 20D with which I was very happy until I had two Canon lens failures in quick succession, both from suspected ribbon-cable fatigue breaks.I already had a couple of Pentax primes I'd been using occasionally via adapters. I had a chance to borrow a K-S2 (very similar to the K-70) and was very impressed. Had the K-70 been available 12 months sooner, I probably would have opted for it instead. I am very happy with the K-S2, but higher res, pixel-shift and better high ISO would have been nice to have. I don't mind having no touch screen (I'd also tried a Canon 70D; preferred buttons and dials to touch screen controls; YMMV).The build quality and solidity of these Pentax is more like my old 20 the Canon "Rebel" series, which have much too plasticky and insubstantial handling by comparison. About the only things I would knock the K-S2 for not having are a wired cable release (don't have a cell phone) and no flash PC socket; both of these would come in handy for some of the shooting I do. The K-70 mic port doubles as a remote socket, so one of these points is thus remedied in this model.

The ability to use legacy glass is a huge advantage of the Pentax system that is worth quite a bit on its own.
02-23-2018, 06:27 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Thagomizer Quote

The ability to use legacy glass is a huge advantage of the Pentax system that is worth quite a bit on its own.
Would I be able to use my Pentax manual lenses from my K1000's?
02-23-2018, 08:50 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by mikecnorthwest Quote
Would I be able to use my Pentax manual lenses from my K1000's?
Yes.
02-23-2018, 08:50 PM   #14
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Yes indeed. Check this out: How to use/meter Manual & M42 Lenses on all Pentax DSLRs (K-1, K-3, K-5, K-30, etc) - PentaxForums.com

"A" series lenses offer the advantage of aperture control from the camera body and automatic metering without having to resort to the Green Button at apertures other than wide open. This added convenience can be handy in tricky or changing light situations. "A" lenses also support P-TTL flash operation.

Last edited by Thagomizer; 02-23-2018 at 08:56 PM. Reason: A lens advatages
02-23-2018, 09:51 PM   #15
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Reading all the posts in the M lens thread did push me into a state of LBA, I now have the M28 f2.8, M100 f4 macro and the M200 f4 (mostly used for astrophotography) in my bag together with the K-70 and it's tempting to buy some more
The M Club! - PentaxForums.com
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