Questions about the k70

theofon · 07-24-2019, 06:27 PM

Hello, so recently i've been looking to make an upgrade on my gear. i started with a k100d and after almost 2 years i think its time.
I found the k70 body new at 499 euro. I dont know much about other cameras and from the reviews some are dated and others
not that informative. is it a good price for the body? is k70 a good upgrade?
A friend suggested i look into the k-3ii used but im not really good with the used marketplace.

selfnoise · 07-24-2019, 07:00 PM - **1 Like**

K70 is a massive upgrade in every way from the K100d. You'll love it. That said the marketplace here on the site is a very friendly place to buy.

The K3 is a beast but bigger and heavier so be aware.

swanlefitte · 07-24-2019, 07:12 PM - **1 Like**

I went from 100d to ks2. The k70 has even more.
4x mp, 14bit color, flip screen, wifi, live view, 2 wheels for aperture and shutter. The only downsides are no top screen and losing the extra pleasing ccd sensor colors.
And you can use the 55-300 plm lens.

**ramseybuckeye** · 07-24-2019, 07:19 PM - **1 Like**

While the K-3ii is an excellent camera, the K-70 is newer and more up to date. You'll be amazed at the amount of upgrade.

theofon · 07-24-2019, 07:35 PM

Thanks for the responses. i was looking for a k-3ii mostly because i really like having the top screen but i am not familiar with the used markeplaces and im kinda hesitant.
For the k70 im worried from some reviews i've read talking about aperture failures or something like that.

Kozlok · 07-24-2019, 08:59 PM - **1 Like**

Aperture failure is real, but not exceptionally common. Other cameras have problems from time to time too. Get the Pentax extended warranty and don’t worry.

The used market here is pretty reliable. A used K3 should also serve you wet.

stevebrot · 07-24-2019, 10:16 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by theofon

For the k70 im worried from some reviews i've read talking about aperture failures or something like that.

To the best of my knowledge, no reviews from owners on this site have mentioned aperture control issues.

Originally posted by Kozlok

Aperture failure is real, but not exceptionally common.

What they said ^ ^ ^

While issues with aperture control are not unknown, they are not particularly common either. Several months ago, there was speculation of a problem with the K-70 in that regard such that a dedicated thread for reportage seemed a good idea. I curate that thread. A retrospective search was done on here on Pentax Forums and new reports have been monitored such that I believe we have a pretty good handle on whether aperture control in general or specific concern over failure of the "aperture control block" component* might be warranted. Curating the thread has turned out to be a boring job with only five reports with confirmed problems with aperture control and of those five, one confirmed with failed aperture control block.

Steve

* The concerns about aperture control on the K-70 stem from a very common failure present on the K-30, K-50, and K-500 model cameras and to a far less extent on the K-S1 and K-S2 models. On those cameras, the failure was traced to an assembly often referred to as the aperture control block. The K-70 uses a component of similar design, hence the concern of similar risk.

cport · 07-25-2019, 01:03 AM - **1 Like**

aperture problem is no longer issue for K-70.

MrB1 · 07-25-2019, 02:04 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by theofon

Thanks for the responses. i was looking for a k-3ii mostly because i really like having the top screen ......

The K-70's articulated screen can be viewed from any angle, and it can display all the shooting parameters, or the image (i.e. live-view), or both.

Philip

Jan178 · 07-25-2019, 02:43 AM - **1 Like**

A massive upgrade. I still use my K-200d quite a lot, as well as my K-5 and the K-70 is way ahead on image quality. Sharp and bright articulated screen makes live view shooting almost too easy. Ergonomically older feels better but that´s personal of course, since those mentioned are build like tanks and i´m used to shoot with them on muscle memory. Battery life not so great, but extra batteries wont weight much if needed.
Lack of top screen is sometimes annoying but something to get used to in a while.

theofon · 07-25-2019, 05:17 AM

Originally posted by stevebrot

To the best of my knowledge, no reviews from owners on this site have mentioned aperture control issues.

What they said ^ ^ ^

While issues with aperture control are not unknown, they are not particularly common either. Several months ago, there was speculation of a problem with the K-70 in that regard such that a dedicated thread for reportage seemed a good idea. I curate that thread. A retrospective search was done on here on Pentax Forums and new reports have been monitored such that I believe we have a pretty good handle on whether aperture control in general or specific concern over failure of the "aperture control block" component* might be warranted. Curating the thread has turned out to be a boring job with only five reports with confirmed problems with aperture control and of those five, one confirmed with failed aperture control block.

Steve

* The concerns about aperture control on the K-70 stem from a very common failure present on the K-30, K-50, and K-500 model cameras and to a far less extent on the K-S1 and K-S2 models. On those cameras, the failure was traced to an assembly often referred to as the aperture control block. The K-70 uses a component of similar design, hence the concern of similar risk.

Thanks for the info. The store offers also a 2 year warranty so i guess even if something like this happens im covered.

Originally posted by MrB1

The K-70's articulated screen can be viewed from any angle, and it can display all the shooting parameters, or the image (i.e. live-view), or both.

Philip

Yes i know, i just really like the top screen in the k100d because its so simple and straightforward.

Originally posted by Jan178

A massive upgrade. I still use my K-200d quite a lot, as well as my K-5 and the K-70 is way ahead on image quality. Sharp and bright articulated screen makes live view shooting almost too easy. Ergonomically older feels better but that´s personal of course, since those mentioned are build like tanks and i´m used to shoot with them on muscle memory. Battery life not so great, but extra batteries wont weight much if needed.
Lack of top screen is sometimes annoying but something to get used to in a while.

I kinda want to pass the k100d to my little cousin because he is taking a liking in photography so im probably not gonna keep the k100d around.
About the ergonomics i held the k70 and it feels comfortable. Battery life isnt good with my k100 also so im okay with that and i will miss the top screen.

Greg1956 · 07-25-2019, 05:35 AM - **1 Like**

I updated a year ago to a K70.
Big step, all the great Pentax features of the K200, but better low light performance, bracketing, individual lens focussing, pixel shift, articulating screen.........
I have not seen much difference in colour rendering between the two either.

It's a camera that you can grow into as it has so many features.

I'm not disappointed with mine and at the time the other option was the KP.

Buy and enjoy.

Greg

theofon · 07-25-2019, 05:54 AM

Originally posted by Greg1956

I updated a year ago to a K70.
Big step, all the great Pentax features of the K200, but better low light performance, bracketing, individual lens focussing, pixel shift, articulating screen.........
I have not seen much difference in colour rendering between the two either.

It's a camera that you can grow into as it has so many features.

I'm not disappointed with mine and at the time the other option was the KP.

Buy and enjoy.

Greg

thanks. The kp is also on sale but its 300 euro more than the k70 which is way out of what i can afford right now.

Greg1956 · 07-25-2019, 06:21 AM - **1 Like**

That was my thoughts about the KP, what you gain here, you lose there.

And the cost difference was about $A400.

For me it was balancing features vs cost. And the K70 is a very good balance of novice and expert features whilst supposedly being an 'Entry' model camera.

BTW I found that I could get about 300+ photos from my 4xEneloops in the K200 and 200+ on the K70. But I never take that many photos in 1 day, so no issue with battery life. That said I did buy a spare, just in case.

1 thing I have really appreciated with K70 is live view focussing with my old manual lenses, my eyes can't do them justice on the k200. And the magic green button to get the exposure right. Bring those wonderful old lenses back to life!!!

Guess my wife will be using the k200 with af lenses and I'll use the manuals on the K70.

Greg

**UncleVanya** · 07-25-2019, 06:23 AM - **1 Like**

I went from the k100d super to a k50 and then ultimately a k3. The k50 lack of top lcd didn't turn out to be a major issue and I love the top lcd on my k3 but I had no problems going from the k100d super to the k50.

07-24-2019, 06:27 PM	#1
theofon New Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Greece Posts: 18	Questions about the k70 Hello, so recently i've been looking to make an upgrade on my gear. i started with a k100d and after almost 2 years i think its time. I found the k70 body new at 499 euro. I dont know much about other cameras and from the reviews some are dated and others not that informative. is it a good price for the body? is k70 a good upgrade? A friend suggested i look into the k-3ii used but im not really good with the used marketplace.

07-25-2019, 01:03 AM - 1 Like	#8
cport Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 428	... aperture problem is no longer issue for K-70.

07-25-2019, 05:35 AM - 1 Like	#12
Greg1956 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 76	K200d to K70 I updated a year ago to a K70. Big step, all the great Pentax features of the K200, but better low light performance, bracketing, individual lens focussing, pixel shift, articulating screen......... I have not seen much difference in colour rendering between the two either. It's a camera that you can grow into as it has so many features. I'm not disappointed with mine and at the time the other option was the KP. Buy and enjoy. Greg

07-25-2019, 06:21 AM - 1 Like	#14
Greg1956 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 76	Roundabouts and swings That was my thoughts about the KP, what you gain here, you lose there. And the cost difference was about $A400. For me it was balancing features vs cost. And the K70 is a very good balance of novice and expert features whilst supposedly being an 'Entry' model camera. BTW I found that I could get about 300+ photos from my 4xEneloops in the K200 and 200+ on the K70. But I never take that many photos in 1 day, so no issue with battery life. That said I did buy a spare, just in case. 1 thing I have really appreciated with K70 is live view focussing with my old manual lenses, my eyes can't do them justice on the k200. And the magic green button to get the exposure right. Bring those wonderful old lenses back to life!!! Guess my wife will be using the k200 with af lenses and I'll use the manuals on the K70. Greg

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07-24-2019, 07:00 PM - 1 Like	#2
selfnoise Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Westbrook, ME, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 288	K70 is a massive upgrade in every way from the K100d. You'll love it. That said the marketplace here on the site is a very friendly place to buy. The K3 is a beast but bigger and heavier so be aware.

07-24-2019, 07:12 PM - 1 Like	#3
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	I went from 100d to ks2. The k70 has even more. 4x mp, 14bit color, flip screen, wifi, live view, 2 wheels for aperture and shutter. The only downsides are no top screen and losing the extra pleasing ccd sensor colors. And you can use the 55-300 plm lens.

07-24-2019, 07:19 PM - 1 Like	#4
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,292	While the K-3ii is an excellent camera, the K-70 is newer and more up to date. You'll be amazed at the amount of upgrade.

07-24-2019, 07:35 PM	#5
theofon New Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Greece Posts: 18 Original Poster	Thanks for the responses. i was looking for a k-3ii mostly because i really like having the top screen but i am not familiar with the used markeplaces and im kinda hesitant. For the k70 im worried from some reviews i've read talking about aperture failures or something like that.

07-24-2019, 08:59 PM - 1 Like	#6
Kozlok Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Albuquerque Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,148	Aperture failure is real, but not exceptionally common. Other cameras have problems from time to time too. Get the Pentax extended warranty and don’t worry. The used market here is pretty reliable. A used K3 should also serve you wet.

07-24-2019, 10:16 PM - 2 Likes	#7
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by theofon For the k70 im worried from some reviews i've read talking about aperture failures or something like that. To the best of my knowledge, no reviews from owners on this site have mentioned aperture control issues. Originally posted by Kozlok Aperture failure is real, but not exceptionally common. What they said ^ ^ ^ While issues with aperture control are not unknown, they are not particularly common either. Several months ago, there was speculation of a problem with the K-70 in that regard such that a dedicated thread for reportage seemed a good idea. I curate that thread. A retrospective search was done on here on Pentax Forums and new reports have been monitored such that I believe we have a pretty good handle on whether aperture control in general or specific concern over failure of the "aperture control block" component* might be warranted. Curating the thread has turned out to be a boring job with only five reports with confirmed problems with aperture control and of those five, one confirmed with failed aperture control block. Steve * The concerns about aperture control on the K-70 stem from a very common failure present on the K-30, K-50, and K-500 model cameras and to a far less extent on the K-S1 and K-S2 models. On those cameras, the failure was traced to an assembly often referred to as the aperture control block. The K-70 uses a component of similar design, hence the concern of similar risk.

07-25-2019, 02:04 AM - 1 Like	#9
MrB1 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2013 Location: Hertfordshire, England Posts: 845	Originally posted by theofon Thanks for the responses. i was looking for a k-3ii mostly because i really like having the top screen ...... The K-70's articulated screen can be viewed from any angle, and it can display all the shooting parameters, or the image (i.e. live-view), or both. Philip

07-25-2019, 02:43 AM - 1 Like	#10
Jan178 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Rovaniemi, Finland Photos: Albums Posts: 963	A massive upgrade. I still use my K-200d quite a lot, as well as my K-5 and the K-70 is way ahead on image quality. Sharp and bright articulated screen makes live view shooting almost too easy. Ergonomically older feels better but that´s personal of course, since those mentioned are build like tanks and i´m used to shoot with them on muscle memory. Battery life not so great, but extra batteries wont weight much if needed. Lack of top screen is sometimes annoying but something to get used to in a while.

07-25-2019, 05:17 AM	#11
theofon New Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Greece Posts: 18 Original Poster	Originally posted by stevebrot To the best of my knowledge, no reviews from owners on this site have mentioned aperture control issues. What they said ^ ^ ^ While issues with aperture control are not unknown, they are not particularly common either. Several months ago, there was speculation of a problem with the K-70 in that regard such that a dedicated thread for reportage seemed a good idea. I curate that thread. A retrospective search was done on here on Pentax Forums and new reports have been monitored such that I believe we have a pretty good handle on whether aperture control in general or specific concern over failure of the "aperture control block" component* might be warranted. Curating the thread has turned out to be a boring job with only five reports with confirmed problems with aperture control and of those five, one confirmed with failed aperture control block. Steve * The concerns about aperture control on the K-70 stem from a very common failure present on the K-30, K-50, and K-500 model cameras and to a far less extent on the K-S1 and K-S2 models. On those cameras, the failure was traced to an assembly often referred to as the aperture control block. The K-70 uses a component of similar design, hence the concern of similar risk. Thanks for the info. The store offers also a 2 year warranty so i guess even if something like this happens im covered. Originally posted by MrB1 The K-70's articulated screen can be viewed from any angle, and it can display all the shooting parameters, or the image (i.e. live-view), or both. Philip Yes i know, i just really like the top screen in the k100d because its so simple and straightforward. Originally posted by Jan178 A massive upgrade. I still use my K-200d quite a lot, as well as my K-5 and the K-70 is way ahead on image quality. Sharp and bright articulated screen makes live view shooting almost too easy. Ergonomically older feels better but that´s personal of course, since those mentioned are build like tanks and i´m used to shoot with them on muscle memory. Battery life not so great, but extra batteries wont weight much if needed. Lack of top screen is sometimes annoying but something to get used to in a while. I kinda want to pass the k100d to my little cousin because he is taking a liking in photography so im probably not gonna keep the k100d around. About the ergonomics i held the k70 and it feels comfortable. Battery life isnt good with my k100 also so im okay with that and i will miss the top screen.

07-25-2019, 05:54 AM	#13
theofon New Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Greece Posts: 18 Original Poster	Originally posted by Greg1956 I updated a year ago to a K70. Big step, all the great Pentax features of the K200, but better low light performance, bracketing, individual lens focussing, pixel shift, articulating screen......... I have not seen much difference in colour rendering between the two either. It's a camera that you can grow into as it has so many features. I'm not disappointed with mine and at the time the other option was the KP. Buy and enjoy. Greg thanks. The kp is also on sale but its 300 euro more than the k70 which is way out of what i can afford right now.

07-25-2019, 06:23 AM - 1 Like	#15
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,409	I went from the k100d super to a k50 and then ultimately a k3. The k50 lack of top lcd didn't turn out to be a major issue and I love the top lcd on my k3 but I had no problems going from the k100d super to the k50.