Ricoh today launched the Pentax K-70, a rugged, compact DSLR designed for outdoor and adventure-oriented photography enthusiasts and snapshooters looking for better image quality and the flexibility of interchangeable lenses. It even has some nifty features for astrophotography.
Although it is priced as a mid-range camera, as is often the case with Pentax cameras, the K-70 is packed with features, some of which are not found in other brands at this level.
Watch our video overview here.
The Pentax K-70 has an upgraded 24.24 MP resolution APS sensor and a form factor that appears to be a continuation of the mid-range Pentax K-S2. Dustproof and weather-resistant, the camera captures 4K video, has built-in Wi-Fi, a top ISO of 102,400, a flip-out LCD monitor, and an AA Filter simulator.
Pentax K-70 Key Features
• 24MP APS-C Sensor • Pixel Shift Resolution with Motion Correction • AA Filter Simulator: Moiré reduction using “SR” unit • PRIME MII processor with newly designed accelerator unit
• 1/6000th sec top shutter speed • ISO range 100-102,400 • SAFOXX 11-point hybrid auto focus system
• RAW and JPEG
• Dustproof, water-resistant, 14 degrees F cold resistant
• 6fps
• Full 1080/60i HD video
• Built-in Wi-Fi
Sensor: High ISO and Resolution
Despite the camera’s lower price, the sensor’s specs are at the higher end of APS sensors. It can deliver big, croppable 24MP images and boasts a top ISO of 204,800. Sensor-shift Shake Reduction further helps make this camera a good choice for low-light photography. There is no anti-aliasing filter but, as with several other recent Pentaxes, this camera has an AA filter simulation using Shake Reduction and computational imaging to emulate the moire-reducing effect of an AA filter, which is an advantage when photographing patterns and clothing.
Making’ Movies
The camera can record MPEG4 AVC/H.264 (MOV) videos at up to 1920×1080/60i, and has both a built-in stereo mic and an external mic jack for sound.
Optimized for Outdoors
The Pentax K-70 is ruggedized against dust and rain (a WR-designated lens is required for fully protected operation in the rain, and one of the camera kit options includes the 18-135mm WR kit lens). It can be operated in temperatures down to 14 degrees and as high as 104 degrees F. It is compatible with O-GPS1 (GPS/AstroTracer) for photographing the heavens, and has built-in Wi-Fi for image transfer via the Image Sync app on your mobile device.
The back of the camera is almost identical to to that of the Pentax K-S2, including a 3-inch Vari-angle LCD monitor with 921k dot resolution. A five-way toggle switch adjusts ISO, drive mode, white balance and flash settings. When not in Live View mode, the LCD displays the current camera settings. In Live View, the camera uses Hybrid Autofocus and can display focus peaking.
The optical viewfinder covers 100% of the image at .95% magnification, and has a diopter. Built into the Pentaprism housing is a retractable flash with a Guide Number of 12 (ISO 100/m) that covers an angle of view of a 28mm lens. Off-camera wireless flash sync is available.
Focus is achieved via TTL phase matching, and has 11 focus points including 9 cross-type focus points in the center. Metering is TTL, with 77-segment metering to give center-weighted and spot metering options.
The camera offers numerous digital filters and custom image settings that can be applied to both stills and video. Exposure modes—in addition to the usual Program, Aperture and Shutter Priority, and Manual, there are more scene-specific modes including Moving Object, Night Scene Portrait, Sunset, Forest Scene HDR, Surf & Snow, Candlelight and Museum modes.
Advanced options
For more advanced shooters, there is multiple-exposure (combining 2-2000 shots) and interval shooting (3-second to 24-hour intervals for stills, up to 4K images for interval movies), and Star Stream, which captures the movements of stars in the night sky.
The camera is impressively customizable. Buttons can be reassigned different functions, with some 24 custom functions and 16 modes that can be individually assigned.
Image editing is available for RAW image files. White balance, clarity, skin tone, digital filters, HDR, pixel shift resolution, several corrections for chromatic and lateral distortion, basic movie editing, and capturing a JPEG still image from a movie are among the dozens of in-camera post-processing options that the Pentax K-70 offers.
The Pentax K-70 is a feature-packed little camera that will be attractive for travel and adventure photographers, astrophotographers and photographers who prefer shooting in natural light. It is available in Silver or Black, with or without a matching 28-135mm WR lens.
Pricing at Adorama:
Black, body only: $649.95
Silver, body only: $649.95
Black, with 28-135mm WR lens: $899.95
Silver, with 28-135mm WR lens: $899.95
Pentax 55-300mm f/4.5-6.4 Lens
Ricoh today also announced the Pentax DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3ED PLM WR RE telephoto zoom lens, a water-resistant lens that covers the equivalent of an 84.5-460mm lens on a 35mm-sensor camera. The 5.5x zoom lens is small, at only 89mm long, and weighs in at a light 442 grams. Autofocus has been sped up via a new PLM pulse motor; focus is quiet and an electromagnetic diaphragm make this a good choice for movies.
The lens is constructed of 14 elements in 11 groups and has 11 sealing parts to prevent water from getting into the lens. Elements include HD coating for higher light transmittance and lower reflection for bright, high-contrast images, according to Pentax. The 9-leaf aperture is rounded for better bokeh.
