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06-08-2016, 10:07 PM   #1
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Initial thoughts about the Pentax K-70

The Pentax K-70 has just been announced, and it has already started promising that it's gonna be a much better and practical tool for video. It will be having Hybrid AF with on sensor phase detect sensors which will help the camera get fast focusing in live view and video. plus there is a new 50-300 round the corner to complement it with better auto focus (a little disappointed seeing it is a bit slower than the current 50-300 HD WR).

This K-70 looks almost identical to the K-S2 and in many ways it it. Articulating screen, wifi etc, similar weight and battery life.

but from inside it has a lot of similarities with the K-3 & K-3 II too.
It's gonna get the 24mp sensor (probably even better than the one in K-3 II since it's gonna have a higher max ISO), pixel shift resolution, 4.5 stops of Image stabilisation 3 user modes, customizable info menu.

It's good to see that the wifi button has been made customizable, it really was stupid to waste one full button on wifi and restrict it from doing anything else.

from the pics it seems that the video mode is still with the on off switch, which is disappointing. With such promising video capabilities it needs a dedicated switch & also you can mistakenly switch it in video when don't intend to (should have made into a live view switch with the live view button replaced with video, or moved to a ).

We cannot really ask Pentax to include the GPS for astrotracer since then the K-3 II's existence will start seeming insignificant.

I'd say the K-S2 was 80% complete (due to lack of good video/Live view) budget APS-C DSLR & this K-70 is 90% complete thanks to better Live view & video and more customizability.

It would have been nice if this offering from Pentax had the touch screen built into the screen, now that it is a better performer in live view & video, but it's still fine.

overall I'd say this could be a revolutionary & groundbreaking camera for Pentax & Ricoh thanks to it's promise in the field of video.

I have seen the K-3II and K-1 come by but wasnt interested due to the price or lack of articulating screen & wifi. This is the first time after K-S2 that a Pentax camera has really caught my attention thanks to it's price (because I expect it to drop to near K-S2). Although

The Pentax K-70 is again a product which suggests that brand PENTAX is in good hands of RICOH.

06-08-2016, 10:21 PM - 1 Like   #2
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Putting 14-bit RAW into even the lowest model is a good move. It's clear that the entry-level DSLR is being redefined.

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06-08-2016, 10:37 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by dcshooter Quote
Higher max ISO doesn't necessarily mean better. It doesn't even necessarily mean that it's a different sensor.

It just means that the gain can be cranked up higher, and really, pretty much all DSLRs perform poorly once you start hitting the ridiculous ISO numbers near the top of the range. The question is, how do the two sensors compare at similar aperture numbers. Not saying it won't outperform the K-3ii, just that you shouldn't read too much into a higher max ISO value.
I agree, higher max ISO may not always mean better noise performance, but in many cases it means. So there is a possibility. See how the Nikon D5500 differs from D5300, there are a few tweaks here & there which made them have 25000 sensitivity as standard, it's not very significant difference but there definitely is.

I hope it outperforms the K-3 II since many K-S2 owners have said the K-S2 performs a little better at hight ISO than K-3/K-3 II
06-08-2016, 10:38 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Putting 14-bit RAW into even the lowest model is a good move. It's clear that the entry-level DSLR is being redefined.
This ^ ^ ^

It appears that Ricoh is more and more saying "why not" to high value features.


Steve

06-08-2016, 10:50 PM - 1 Like   #5
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Has real SR returned after going missing for all these years?
06-08-2016, 11:02 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Putting 14-bit RAW into even the lowest model is a good move. It's clear that the entry-level DSLR is being redefined.
Question #1: for someone already having a pentax dslr, the K70 selling point over existing cameras would be for video use. How about the battery life in video mode, and is it possible to use a grip if the battery life is too less for video?

Question #2: what's the standard silent AF lens to mount on it for video making?
06-08-2016, 11:40 PM - 2 Likes   #7
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I hope the continuous AF also works with screw drive lenses. Sure it will be noisier... so what. External audio.

They put a lot of effort into video this time... I thought Pentax is a stills brand? What disappoints me is that they are more consumer oriented features, unless the camera features customization options (how the AF ramps up and down), and features a touchscreen to pick the focusing point. You may want to focus on the background for a couple of seconds, then slowly focus on the foreground. Or follow someone or something moving around, maybe towards the camera. For all these things you need control.

And god I hope SR is finally back.

I'm mildly optimistic, because while it becomes clear that Pentax cares about video, and always did (at least that's what I think), they just didn't fully get it (adding pro features and then needlessly messing up in another area).

06-08-2016, 11:56 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by biz-engineer Quote
Question #1: for someone already having a pentax dslr, the K70 selling point over existing cameras would be for video use. How about the battery life in video mode, and is it possible to use a grip if the battery life is too less for video?
Perhaps, but maybe not- it also boasts an improvement in image quality over all previous non-flagship bodies, and it has more features.

QuoteOriginally posted by biz-engineer Quote
Question #2: what's the standard silent AF lens to mount on it for video making?
QuoteOriginally posted by kadajawi Quote
I hope the continuous AF also works with screw drive lenses. Sure it will be noisier... so what. External audio.
It does not, continuous video AF requires PLM. My guess would be that we'll see a PLM version of the 18-50mm in due time. Until then, there's the new 55-300mm.

Since the K-70 has hybrid AF, though, on-demand AF-S in video should work much better than it did before, though.

QuoteOriginally posted by kadajawi Quote
What disappoints me is that they are more consumer oriented features
Well, this is a consumer-oriented camera (entry-level, or whatever you want to call it). For hardcore users I'm sure we'll see an updated version of the K-3 with these improvements and more. That's certainly been the trend recently, at least.

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06-09-2016, 12:16 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Perhaps, but maybe not- it also boasts an improvement in image quality over all previous non-flagship bodies, and it has more features.

It does not, continuous video AF requires PLM. My guess would be that we'll see a PLM version of the 18-50mm in due time. Until then, there's the new 55-300mm.

Since the K-70 has hybrid AF, though, on-demand AF-S in video should work much better than it did before, though.

Well, this is a consumer-oriented camera (entry-level, or whatever you want to call it). For hardcore users I'm sure we'll see an updated version of the K-3 with these improvements and more. That's certainly been the trend recently, at least.
Shame about the lenses. There are a ton of 18-55/18-50 versions out there... and it would be great for use with the 50 1.8 and all the limited lenses. That's where the improved AF would be really useful. Even if it is noisy.

I do want on demand AF, but it should focus slowly, so that it looks natural, as if pulled by hand. Also, being able to chose where it focus is quite handy, without having to push buttons.

An updated K-3 would be awesome of course, I don't want to miss the ergonomics of the K-5.

Any word from Pentax about the SR? Surely by now they must have heard all the feedback that say screw audio, we want SR? Unless Pentax can give us another reason, or SR, it won't look good for Pentax, simply ignoring customer feedback.
06-09-2016, 12:20 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by anu l Quote
The Pentax K-70 has just been announced, and it has already started promising that it's gonna be a much better and practical tool for video. It will be having Hybrid AF with on sensor phase detect sensors which will help the camera get fast focusing in live view and video. plus there is a new 50-300 round the corner to complement it with better auto focus (a little disappointed seeing it is a bit slower than the current 50-300 HD WR).

This K-70 looks almost identical to the K-S2 and in many ways it it. Articulating screen, wifi etc, similar weight and battery life.

but from inside it has a lot of similarities with the K-3 & K-3 II too.
It's gonna get the 24mp sensor (probably even better than the one in K-3 II since it's gonna have a higher max ISO), pixel shift resolution, 4.5 stops of Image stabilisation 3 user modes, customizable info menu.

It's good to see that the wifi button has been made customizable, it really was stupid to waste one full button on wifi and restrict it from doing anything else.

from the pics it seems that the video mode is still with the on off switch, which is disappointing. With such promising video capabilities it needs a dedicated switch & also you can mistakenly switch it in video when don't intend to (should have made into a live view switch with the live view button replaced with video, or moved to a ).

We cannot really ask Pentax to include the GPS for astrotracer since then the K-3 II's existence will start seeming insignificant.

I'd say the K-S2 was 80% complete (due to lack of good video/Live view) budget APS-C DSLR & this K-70 is 90% complete thanks to better Live view & video and more customizability.

It would have been nice if this offering from Pentax had the touch screen built into the screen, now that it is a better performer in live view & video, but it's still fine.

overall I'd say this could be a revolutionary & groundbreaking camera for Pentax & Ricoh thanks to it's promise in the field of video.

I have seen the K-3II and K-1 come by but wasnt interested due to the price or lack of articulating screen & wifi. This is the first time after K-S2 that a Pentax camera has really caught my attention thanks to it's price (because I expect it to drop to near K-S2). Although

The Pentax K-70 is again a product which suggests that brand PENTAX is in good hands of RICOH.
Currently I've only seen the K-70 kit offerings bundling the 18-135mm lens,
I would like to see a 18-50 and 55-300 (or a low end kit version of it) dual kit version being made available of the K-70. the 18-135 doesnt really cover a lot.

I wanted the K-S2 to have such a dual kit which spanned from 18mm to 300mm but that didnt happen.
06-09-2016, 12:32 AM   #11
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Surely someone somewhere can check if the menu says anything about SR.

I've seen nothing listed with the dreaded Movie SR mentioned so there is a glimmer of hope still.

Shame about AF only if you buy a new lens. If that is the case, and there is no real SR, then you might as well buy an A6000 or OMD EM10 mkii, as you are then talking a whole new camera and lens anyway.
06-09-2016, 01:11 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by richandfleur Quote
Shame about AF only if you buy a new lens. If that is the case, and there is no real SR, then you might as well buy an A6000 or OMD EM10 mkii, as you are then talking a whole new camera and lens anyway.
AF.C only. You get AF.S with any lens.

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06-09-2016, 01:18 AM   #13
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Correction to what I previously wrote:

it appears that video AF.C is possible with the 55-300mm PLM and with the DA 18-135mm that is available in a kit

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06-09-2016, 01:26 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
AF.C only. You get AF.S with any lens.
AF-S is fine as long as it focuses SLOW. I'm afraid it won't work that way... hopefully at least with the new lenses it does.

I am interested even if it needs new lenses, though I really hope that the next bodies will all feature the new AF system, and that they will have improved screw drive motors. That has to be possible somehow, no? All that is needed is a motor that can adjust the speed, those do exist, and it needs to be connected to the screw. I imagine it is the gearing that is so noisy? Otherwise surely a silent mode could be possible? Like, not absolutely, totally silent, but silent enough not to be an issue with an external recorder. I mean, often times, say if you shoot an interview, you put a mic on the subject and have a recorder somewhere (either on the subject, or with the camera via radio). Given that the in camera recording features are better these days, you could even record in camera, just with an external mic. Or with a concert you have a recorder at the mixing desk. Or you don't use on location audio at all. There are plenty of use cases where all that matters is the image, or at least the audio is recorded far enough away from the camera.
06-09-2016, 01:36 AM   #15
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What do you think about the K-70 's ability for wildlife photography?

My K-30 is small, light, weathersealed and works with my Sigma 120-400. It's perfect for strolling around in the woods, I love it! But the k-30 is so slow and the buffer is filled at once. Could the k-70 be something to replace the k-30 with?
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