[mikesbike]

I'd be one to disagree with the new lens theory.
Pixel shift, the moveable back screen, and the accelerator chip all make the K-70 and K-P a serious upgrade to a K-30 (or even a K-3 for those attributes.) . And if you're not a big action shooter, preferable to a K-3 and more than likely the K-3 replacement.

The other big advantage and the one I take advantage of most, would be the crop room. With the limited number of focus points (all concentrated in the centre) being able to crop from 24 to as much as 12 MP can be a huge composition advantage for your finished prints.

An upgrade from 16 to 24 MP will make every lens you own better, unless you own the cheapest of the cheap older 3rd party glass.

As for APS-c vs 24 MP FF, my opinion would be you'd be wasting your money. If you're used to the 18-135 on APS-c there is no comparable lens on FF without grossly adding to the weight of your kit, or putting up with poor IQ. When I bought my K-1 i went through months of angst over just this issue. If you're used to an 18-135 (or even a 16-85) on APS-c, a K-1 is a rather serious downgrade in terms of walk around flexibility.

It's pretty tough to argue you'll need FF for most of your images, though there may be a small minority of images that would take advantage of the larger format.
Full frame or APS-c, you be the judge. - PentaxForums.com

I very much agree with Norm here. IQ is improved in either the K-70 or the KP, as well as a major step forward in low light/higher ISO shooting. The KP is a better built, more durable body made along professional standards- no SCENE modes. Its screen does not reverse for selfies, but its pullout design (vs. swing-out) makes for less width in either up high or down low shooting positions. It has a number of advancements, such as a superior 5-axis SR for better clarity in hand-held shots, a more advanced metering system for more accurate exposures, and a far more advanced set of controls.

I have and use a K-S2 (very much like a K-70 in build design), and for some years the K-5 IIs, both of which I like very much, yet my favorite overall is my newer KP. I've never had a grip problem with it, since I support the camera from underneath and operate the lens with my left hand, while mainly using my right hand to operate controls. I switch grips in the interest of handling when not shooting. The availability of the optional battery grip offers far more battery life for lengthy event shooting and convenient vertical holding with duplicate controls, as well as more gripping surface for handling with large lenses. Weight with the battery grip added is about the same as a K-3 II without a battery grip. At the other end of lenses, its slim design works very well with compact high quality prime lenses like the Limited series, along with its quality construction. The DA 18-135mm lens is very well suited as a zoom lens, being of compact design.

Of course, in the K-70 you do get a lot of advancement for the cost.

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Last edited by mikesbike; 07-29-2019 at 10:53 AM.

[normhead]

I very much agree with Norm here. IQ is improved in either the K-70 or the KP, as well as a major step forward in low light/higher ISO shooting. The KP is a better built, more durable body made along professional standards- no SCENE modes. Its screen does not reverse for selfies, but its pullout design (vs. swing-out) makes for less width in either up high or down low shooting positions. It has a number of advancements, such as a superior 5-axis SR for better clarity in hand-held shots, a more advanced metering system for more accurate exposures, and a far more advanced set of controls.

I have and use a K-S2 (very much like a K-70 in build design), and for some years the K-5 IIs, both of which I like very much, yet my favorite overall is my newer KP. I've never had a grip problem with it, since I support the camera from underneath and operate the lens with my left hand, while mainly using my right hand to operate controls. I switch grips in the interest of handling when not shooting. The availability of the optional battery grip offers far more battery life for lengthy event shooting and convenient vertical holding with duplicate controls, as well as more gripping surface for handling with large lenses. Weight with the battery grip added is about the same as a K-3 II without a battery grip. At the other end of lenses, its slim design works very well with compact high quality prime lenses like the Limited series, along with its quality construction. The DA 18-135mm lens is very well suited as a zoom lens, being of compact design.

Of course, in the K-70 you do get a lot of advancement for the cost.

I always take the comments of experienced users over what I think should be. I don't own either camera, K-70 or K-P, but there's lots of evidence from people who own both and have owned other bodies in the past to support the idea that they really are quite bit better then their predecessors.

[ramseybuckeye]

I had a K-30 and a K-50 which were very similar, I decided to upgrade and chose the KP over the K-70. The upgrade is enormous. There are so many things, look at the comparisons. You would be good with the K-70 also.

Sorry my earlier response was cut short a bit as I had to abruptly leave. The two things that I love most with the KP are the low light shooting and the tilting screen which I use way more than I ever thought (tripod use). There are a lot of little improvements that become so natural that you don’t notice them, and even though I have had it for a year, I’m still discovering things. Just recently I’ve tried out HDR shooting and found that it works pretty well and delivers in raw. Honestly I didn’t care for the grip at first, but adapted very quickly. I wish it had wireless remote capability, but I don’t really miss that either. Autofocus is definitely improved, all of the lenses are a little faster. I have say that I also bought the 55-300 PLM shortly after because of the fast autofocus, and that lens seems to have been made specifically for the KP, it is such a good combination.

When I chose the KP over the K-70 , I knew a K-70 would also serve me well, but a deal came along and sealed my decision, a couple of months earlier than planned. My fifth new Pentax camera, and by far the best for its time.

[galaxytab]

The most annoying thing about K30 is its struggle to autofocus in low light.