Pentax K-70 Weather-Sealed DSLR Camera with 18-135mm Lens (Black)

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Hello, I have been a photographer for 50+ years working with a lot of different subjects and gear, on and off as a part-time pro. Today, I mostly shoot landscapes, cityscapes, flowers, birds (a little), and do fine art studies and some tabletop in my home little studio. I make my own prints with a 17" inkjet photo printer. I mainly work in Raw + jpeg, Av mode, the lowest possible ISO setting, +- 1f/stop bracketing, AF-S. When shooting dynamic subjects (i.e.: birds), I use the TAv mode, max ISO3200. I prefer framing with the pentaprism but use the articulated LCD monitor for high/low angle shooting. I dont do video with my cameras. The K70 is my 4th Pentax APS-C model. I received it a week ago and tested it with the following personal conclusions. Summary of the Pentax K70 key features: a very compact (for its class) and solid weatherized body with external controls for all common camera settings; a new 24Mp (Sony?) sensor with phase detection AF; 1/6000sec max shutter speed; max ISO102,400; 14bit color depth; class leading pentaprism; fully articulated LCD monitor; state of the art in-camera IS; a feature set way above its price with some unique capabilities (such as pixel shift high res). Body: The K70 is a small camera that is a pleasure to hold. It fits well in my medium-size, male hands, and feels reassuringly solid. The outside controls are well placed and let me quickly access all my major camera settings (aperture, compensation, ISO, drive, and test pic). Weatherization is a must for me since I like to shoot in all weather conditions. To the best of my knowledge, the body is polycarbonate on a metal chassis but Pentax and weatherization ensure that it is built with good materials and tight tolerances. Viewing: The large pentaprism is of superior quality. Up to certain distance I can see the subject coming into focus. The LCD monitor is bright and clear and its full articulation let me work even when my eye cannot reach the pentaprism (I often shoot plants and some landscapes close to the ground). I like that I am able to close it against the body when not using it. Sensor: 24Mp is more than enough for me (I get excellent 24x36" prints out of my 16Mp Olympus M43 OMD cameras). The high res pixel shift mode does enhance resolution and color accuracy, and reduces noise. I used it in my studio and with outdoor semi-static subjects where I could combine it with a single shot to replace moving parts showing artifacts. Its new Motion Correction function saves processing time with some dynamic subjects. Since I shoot Raw and process in the Photoshops 16bit Pro Photo color space, the camera 14bit color depth is very appreciated. Saving Raw in the dng format simplifies storage. Exposure: I find it to be quite reliable in most conditions (and exposure bracketing takes care of most of the exceptions). While I like to set it myself by consulting the histogram (test pic) and applying the corrections I want, when there is no time for fussing around its good to be able to trust the camera. The K70 max shutter speed is a fast 1/6000sec, typical of more expensive cameras. There are Auto, PASM, Sv (Sensitivity/ISO priority), TAv (Shutter and Aperture priority), HDR, and other 13 custom modes, and 9 digital filters too. The Interval Timer, Multiple Exposure and especially (for me) Interval Composite (bright) modes are particularly interesting and deserve further exploration (google them). Int Comp Bright shoots a number of pics and combines them into one using the brightest pixels available (fireworks anyone?). AF: New to Pentax, the K70 has on-chip phase-detect autofocus pixels for a hybrid AF system that should speed up AF in Live View and video. In its review of the camera, photographyblog states that AF in LV is now significantly faster. AF-S, my main mode, is very fast and accurate. I am not a good judge of AF-C and tracking because my action photography is limited. I have fun and good success shooting shore birds and the guests at my feeders in AF-S and AF-C (depending on the action). Nevertheless, I would like to point out that the effectiveness of a camera AF also depends on technique. Like many pros, I always use center spot focusing and recomposing. The center AF sensor is the most sensitive and I always know exactly where my focus plane is. In dark conditions, I focus on an area on the plane of the subject that has contrast and/or detail and recompose. I can do this very quickly. With moving subjects, being able to anticipate the action helps a lot. For example, an osprey carrying fish or sticks for a new nest tends to approach (at least for a while) from the same direction and hover above the nest for a couple of seconds. One can get some great pics by being aware of this, positioning him/herself for the proper angle and light direction, and pre-focusing (the camera 6 fps continuous shooting is respectable). Also to be remembered is that IS compensates for camera shake but not for subject motion for which one has to use the proper shutter speed. For all these reasons, the K70 "only" 11 focusing points are not an issue to me. When working in the studio in Live View, the ability to move the spot focus point around is great. I often use focus bracketing (and stacking in Photoshop). The combination of a good macro lens, high res and focus staking gives amazing results approaching higher pixel count FF cameras levels (remember that IS has to be off when working on a tripod). BTW, the new cable release is very welcome together with the AC adapter. IS: The in-camera 4.5f/stop image stabilization is top of the line and also allows for pixel shift high res and AA filter simulation. Together with the camera low noise at high ISO, it lets me work without a tripod in most conditions, something that with age I have come to love. My default button and dial settings: mode dial: "Av" (TAv if action); front dial: "F/stop"; rear dial: "ISO"; Fx1: "test pic"; Fx2: "choose spot AF point" in LV; AF AE-L: "lock exposure". Conclusion: In action, I find the K70 to be very comfortable and fun to use. It is highly competent (it does a lot of things quickly and with no fuss) with a combination of IQ, construction quality, ergonomics, feature set and price that comes very close to my ideal camera. It is not tiresome to work with, I can see what Im doing very well, quickly change major settings, shoot from any position, and not worry if the weather gets dusty, wet or cold. The boundary between advanced amateur and pro cameras is quite fuzzy. For my kind of photography, the K70 is easily capable of pro level performance. An all metal, pro shutter K3II would last longer but so far I have never had a camera that gave up on me because of old age. Also, for serious work one typically travels with 2 bodies (for redundancy and to minimize lens changing in tough conditions) which in the case of the K70 would cost a reasonable $1,300 (probably $1,200 by the end of the year). The rest of ones budget can be wisely used to buy great lenses of which there is no shortage. 08/12/16 addendum A final note that could be helpful to some. I love to shoot in horrible (wonderful) weather including rain, wind, snow, ice, and sub-zero temps, often doing some slippery scrambling to get into position. For max portability, in these conditions I use Oly EM10II and EM5II cameras with slower, minuscule but good quality Oly and Pana lenses. In my experience, the K70 is overall superior to the EM10II (excluding size) at a comparable price, at least because of its weatherization, pixel shift technology and pixel count. The EM5II is my top camera which surpasses the K70 in some important areas such as size, the large and clear EVF, AF, IS, more external controls, continuous shooting and some really usable creative stuff like Live Composite. Alas, it is also about $450 more expensive (= a good lens). Working with all 3 cameras is very satisfying but I noticed something curious. While the small size of the Olys is very convenient, I prefer the way the Pentax sits in my hands and I can operate it. It feels like the perfect fit. Moral: always try a new camera in your own hands before buying. 08/13/16 addendum: a note about pixel shift high resolution (PSHR) PSHR is offered by recent Pentax and Olympus camera models. It has been received with various degrees of favor because its limited to still subjects (not true). In real life, it produces levels of detail, color accuracy, lower noise and expanded DR comparable to top of the line FF cameras when used with still studio subjects and outdoor subjects with limited movement. The latter is done either by using the new Pentax K1 and K70 Motion Correction feature and/or stacking and masking a normal res frame to replace high res parts in motion showing artifacts. I have tried it with both my Olympus E-M5 mark II and the Pentax K70 with similar IQ results. The Oly can output a 40Mp jpeg and a 64Mp ORF Raw, with limitations about f/stop and max ISO. The Pentax can output a 24Mp PEF/DNG Raw and a jpeg with no exposure limitations. When everything is said and done, I do not care about the jpeg outputs and prefer the practicality of the Pentax 24Mp Raw which, saved in dng, can be opened directly by any Raw converter and has a more than high enough pixel count. Next month, Olympus should unveil its E-M1 mark II with even more advanced PSHR features. 08/31/16 addendum Added pic # 7, a visual comparison of the Pentax K70 with a basic, bright lens set vs the Oly em5 II with equivalent, good IQ but darker lenses for max portability. 02/22/17 addendum Still my favorite camera and the price is down to $600. I am adding photo #8 of the sunset in one of towns parks. This was a test of in-camera HDR set to HDR3, +-3 f/stops, max jpeg size and quality, all jpeg settings at their minimum or OFF, and a little fine tuning in PS. The result is much better than I expected and viable for large size prints. Attached pics - Pic 1: high res test, NORMAL RES, D FA 50mm f/2.8 macro, 0.5sec at F11, ISO100 - Pic 2: high res test, HIGH RES, D FA 50mm f/2.8 macro, 0.5sec at f/11, ISO100. - Pic 3: detailed landscape, DA* 16-50mm f/2.8, 1/80sec at f/11, ISO100 - Pic 4: snowy egret, DA 55-300mm f/4-5.6 at 300mm, TAv f/5.6 1/1000sec, ISO3200. Poor light and background but shows AF-C in action - Pic 5: night heron, DA 55-300mm f/4-5.6 at 300mm, TAv f/8 1/1000sec, ISO1600. Shows AF-S (no typo) in action - Pic 6: NY Botanical Garden water lily with reflection of the conservatory, DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 at 117mm eq, 1/640sec at f/11, ISO1600 - Pic 7: Pentax K70 and Oly E-M5 II 3 lens sets, size comparison - Pic 8: beach sunset, DA*16-50mm f/2.8, f/11, ISO800, HDR3 +-3 f/stops

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Ive held off reviewing this camera for several months, so I would have a real feel for what I was talking about. This is a feature rich camera for its price, which is why I chose it. I shoot a lot of high school sports under the most horrible of lighting conditions, so very little of my work is done under ideal conditions and it should be noted that this will significantly influence my comments. I shoot only RAW, and cant really speak to JPEG performance. High ISO performance it pretty respectable. Not outstanding, but respectable. I get away with an awful lot of high ISO stuff that would be seriously unusable with older cameras. I mostly use spot focus for sports, but I have noticed that when using 12 or 5 point focusing the camera invariably guesses wrong on what is my intended subject. Lots of other cameras do better in this regard. I use back button focus almost exclusively and frankly the AF/AE-L button is in a very awkward location for my hand There is a nice thumb rest on the back of the camera which frequently obstructs me from reaching the AF button due to a raised ridge. Fumbling for the button has caused me to miss shots and even inadvertently hit the function wheel and accidently set the camera to 10 second timer mode. Not a good thing when you are shooting sports. The strap that ships with the camera is a non starter. Actually painful around my neck. As I tend to hang the camera around my neck during breaks, the first thing I did was buy a third party strap. Auto focus is lightning fast with Pentaxs 55 - 300 PLM lens and respectably fast with my other Pentax lenses and Sigma and Tamron lenses I own. Auto white balance is always pretty close, though I do use a grey card for most environments. The required corrections are usually pretty minor. And now for my biggest complaint. When shooting in continuous mode the file numbers are not always in the proper sequence and the capture time doesnt record fractions of a second and therefore the shots are frequently out of sequence. That is a royal pain for someone who shoots sports or anything else where sequence matters. Got to test the weather resistance of the camera shooting a football game in continuous rain a couple of days ago. No problems at all. Battery performance in inexcusably poor. Those issues aside, I get decent to really good images in horrible conditions and am pretty happy with the camera overall. The review emphasizes the negatives, because if youre looking at buying this camera those are things you need to know. Im using the camera with a variety of lenses. I have the Pentax 55-300 PLM WR, the Pentax 55-300 WR, the Pentax 50mm f/1.8, an old Pentax 35-80 that I got really cheap, A Sigma 10-20 f/3.5, a Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 and a Sigma 70-300 with macro. I also have a Tamron 70-300 with macro that is just horrible. Dont buy that.

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I have been shooting for 30 years now as a hardcore enthusiast who sells my photos online. In that entire time, its been Canon everything for me and I never strayed given my familiarity and satisfaction with that brand. I upgraded from a 60D to a 80D in Mar and was quite disappointed to see picture quality not much better than my trusted 60D. Sure, the 80D has touchscreen, faster focus, etc. but picture quality (what we all really care about in the end) left me wanting to say the least. Then the K70 comes out and my wife ordered it as an upgrade to her K30. I did all the research for the K70 and was actually excited to see how it did against my 80D with the 24-105 L lens (total over $2k vs. <$1k for Pentax with Kit lens). In a word.... WOW!!! I shot around 50 pictures in different lighting conditions using both cameras and there was not one that came our better on the Canon. I could not believe so tried it again using a different lens and still the same. The K70 images are just so much sharper and better that I am actually giving up on Canon. I ordered the K70+kit lens and am very very happy with my decision. I think Canon has rested on their laurels way too long and have lost it. Lost me as a customer anyway after 30+ years.

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I purchased the K70 more or less knowing what I would be getting myself into. I have over 15 Pentax lenses, even lenses from 1980 that can be used with this camera mount, and at this point, it would not make sense for me to switch brands, because my glass collection is extensive. With that being said, I dont want to come off sounding like a brand ambassador, which although I love Pentax, my last camera was a K50, and I experienced the dead aperture block, which Pentax is surely aware of, but had no interest in helping me fix it, even though it only had 1800 shutter count on it, I still feel a little salty about that. With that being said, I always tell people to make the comparison with features that fit your needs......Being a hotly contested market for the 650 dollar price range, you cant really go wrong with any of the major manufacturers. However there are a lot of features that I feel always push me towards Pentax, that the other manufacturers do not offer such as weatherproofing............ that def helps from a durability standpoint. Not having to worry about weather really sets this camera apart from every other competitor in this price range. No other manufacturer offers weather sealing at this price point.........Period. The next REALLY important feature that you have to use to compare, is the fact that the body of the camera has image stabilization BUILT IN! I cannot overstate how important that one feature alone is.......It allows you to use film era lenses, and manual lenses, without the need to buy EXPENSIVE lenses with Image Stabilization built into them. Ergonomics..................... Idk what it is, but whenever I go into Best Buy, I hold a Can, or Nikon and they just feel like a big chunk of plastic, but not of the solid variety. Very hollow is my best feeling of those two brands. In my opinion they could afford to make the body smaller or more compact. The K70 has no such issues. It is a very solid body that is well crafted, and feels substantial in the hands, not hollow feeling. All of the buttons and dials are within a quick reach to access all of the functions that need to be used on a daily basis. A lot of thought goes into the ergonomics of Pentax cameras, and you can tell once your holding it, that this is a great feeling camera in the hands. The menus have been uplifted, and simplified over previous bodies, making it very easy to understand. Another feature that cannot be overlooked, is the two dial system......one in front of the shutter for F stops, and another behind the shutter for other functions, as it is customizable. Too many new cameras only have one dial, which really doesnt help when you need to reach certain functions.....with the K70, you can reach them without looking. Nice little touches, like night mode, which makes the screen red, so its easy on the eyes, is really nice. As far as image quality goes, I have not looked at other brands, however I can tell you by reactions of my photography from other people.........the usual reaction is........ WOW. The pictures REALLY pop and have intense detail........doesnt matter what the subject is, the pictures always come out pleasant, and have excellent colors and saturation. The move to an articulating screen which was new on the KS2 ( previous model) is a nice touch. I always thought to myself......Why would I use a tilting screen? But since I have it on this camera, I have been using it ALOT! It really is a god send, when you are trying to take pictures in awkward positions........The focus in live view has also been improved extensively from older Pentax models, and there is no delay when taking pictures anymore......it just WORKS! Another unique feature, is a mode in camera called Pixel Shift, where when taking the picture, the sensor moves to the right and to the left snapping off 3 frames, only increasing the quality of the image ( with a tripod of course) I thought it to be gimmiky when reading about it, but wow, it really works well! And then there is the penta prism that is used for the optical viewfinder. Yes, you may think its a pretty small deal, but when you look through the K70s view finder, compared the other brands mentioned before, I feel like their viewfinders are DARK. Not terrible, but not clear like the Pentax Penta Prism is. Its bright, clear, and provides a 95% view of what you are taking a picture of.....where other brands are a lower %.....making it unpredictable, of what is going to fit in the frame when the picture is processed. The last advantage over other brands, is the shutter speed. 1/6000 shutter speed really does make a difference. You will see that other brands possess a 1/4000 max shutter speed, which in 2017 is unacceptable.....especially when you need to freeze the action, the shutter speed really makes a difference! Now the Bad. Not all bad news, but there are things that must be pointed out that I didnt cover in the Pros, because they deserve to be in the Cons section. Movie mode. MEH, is the best description of movie mode. Its there, and it has video autofocusing, but the movie mode is not very well hashed out. When moving the camera around, the movie becomes jittery, and wobbles.........but when you stop it goes back into focus.......but in all honesty, people do not buy Pentax for Video mode. It is something that has plagued Pentax from the very first camera body that made use of video....they are woefully behind, but it doesnt really bother me...... I buy Pentax for its still imaging prowess......if you want a video camera, buy a video camera! Next is WiFI Yes, it has Wifi, however its a little difficult to pair with your device, and a little hard to get it to work properly. On top of that the pictures take over a minute to arrive at your phone or device.....IMO they need to improve upon this. Its great in a pinch, when you want to send it to your phone, but it is in no way as seamless as it couldve been........You can use your phone to control almost all of the features, which is definitely a nice feature, but is a little slow.......... The last thing, and I dont like to bring this up, because it does not hinder my photography ability whatsoever, but it could be a problem for people that rely on autofocus, that do not use manual settings. It only has 11 focus points. Is it fast? I think it is. I never EVER have an issue with it. It usually decides on the focus pretty darn fast, and decisively, which is great. Its just that other manufacturers cameras in this segment have 18-35 focus points. Not a con for me, but may be for others. I feel as though it does not have a lot of focus points, it still is really good with the 11 it has. So in the end, would I recommend the K70? Absolutely 100% You simply cannot go wrong with owning this camera.......Its 24 MP sensor is crazy good......it takes wonderful pictures, and really has a wow factor with the colors and saturation that it renders, as long as the camera is shooting in RAW mode. (Which is 14 Bit BTW!) JPEGs are good, but the RAW pictures are incredibly detailed. If you have even a little photography skill, this camera will do wonders for you. I have owned over 10 Pentax cameras, and every one of them has been great for me over the years, except for the K50! I had a film era K1000 body, and even then, I thought it took more pleasing pictures than the Minoltas, and Canons that I have owned in the film era, and even after a 30 year journey of photography personally, Pentax still offers that value that stands out from the other brands.

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I dont have the luxury of time. I cant wait on "perfect" lighting or weather conditions. Travel and vacation usually means I have to live with the weather I get, rain, snow, clouds, or sun. I needed a camera that can handle it all and thats just what I got in the Pentax K-70. To start with, I find that the K-70 gives me the biggest bang for the buck of any DSLR. Its loaded! For $649 (body only) the K-70 offers a 24 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, in-camera image stabilization that is also used to simulate anti-alias filtering that can be adjusted or turned off, a fully articulated LCD screen (no touch), an ISO range that is a mind boggling 100 - 102400, auto focus fine tuning, a pentaprism viewfinder with 100% coverage, and Wi-Fi. Its a comfortable camera in hand and easy to operate right out of the box. It has the best ergonomics of any DSLR I have held. There are two customizable control dails at my finger tips that I use to control apature and shutter speed while shooting manual but you can set them up to control a multitude of settings on the fly - and the settings can be saved. It has a fast shutter speed (1/6000 sec), and a fast burst rate at six frames per second while shooting in RAW format. Image quality is outstanding especially in RAW format and takes excellent low light (low noise) photos. On top of all that its weather and dust sealed, which is a must for me. Not that everthing is perfect with the K-70. If letting your DSLR handle video capture is a desire of yours, then the K-70 might not be your best option. Not that it cant do video, but it, apparently, is not a priority in ANY Pentax DSLR. Autofocus in video mode can have a hard time keeping up with a moving subject. Also, there is no dedicated button for video. The On/Off switch also serves as the video switch. Autofocus in DSLR mode seems slow as well, but that may be a more of a problem with the kit lens and not the camera. As I prefer to shoot landscapes, Ive not had much of a problem with the autofocus. The K-70 is also a bit heavy compared to other DLSRs, and especially mirrorless cameras, but it is a tough camera that you dont have to keep covered up and protected on a hike. A recent trip to Shenandoah National Park had the camera out in the rain, getting bumped and smacked about by a few low hanging branches from trees and bushes with no ill effect. I just use a weathersealed lens and keep the lens cap and hood on for protection.

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This is mostly in comparison to my K-30, which died on me way too soon (but I really wanted an excuse to buy new camera anyway ;-) ) The 70 is a noticeable upgrade. For the price, it is very hard to beat. What 70 has the 30 doesnt, that I like: 1) Wi-Fi - It only transfers to a phone app, but it works and I like the idea I can take a high quality picture to post right away to social media instead of just using just my phone camera 2) External mic input. My daughter acts and we do a lot of self taping for auditions and rehearsals. The 30s built in mic is tinny. The ability to add an external, high quality mic makes the sound quality so much better, and easier than mixing in a separate audio channel 3) External HDMI out. Another thing that goes great with taping auditions because I can now just play back to a large monitor instead of using the small camera screen or having to remove the card and inserting in my computer 4) Picture quality. As good as ever, with even better color correctness. With the additional menu options of Clarity and Pixel Shifting, you have even more options to experiment with 5) Better video capabilities, usability. Pentax has always given low priority to video, and even though the 70 pays more attention to it, other cameras are better if video is your main concern. Still, shooting video on a DSLR, with the ability to use various lenses, is much better than using a separate, single lens video camera. I am much happier with the improvements Pentax has made with their video capabilities, including a better performing Live View function and better ability to adjust to different light levels. While they offer a continuous video auto focus function, it only works with a couple of new lenses. I can live without it, though 6) Articulating screen. Not a huge benefit, but I find myself using it more than I thought. Ive had it a month and havent used all the other, additional features. Generally speaking, it has everything the 30 did but with more variations and options. For example, the HDR options are expanded with 2 more settings and the ability to adjust exposure, and there are some additional options for setting the focal point that are interesting. Overall, the controls and menu are very familiar and I have not found anything I do not like. Though, one thing I really wish it had was an external headphone jack so I could hear the audio better. Another thing is, at first it did not seem to focus very quickly, but once I linked the exposure to the focal point (a settings option), it began focusing quickly. For those of you who own a 30, I can definitely say the 70 is a worthy step up, especially if you want to shoot video.

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The camera came ahead of schedule, in great shape, and with all parts accounted for. The price was fair for what I received, and it was a good idea to get the bundle with the 18-135mm lenses. I grew up with Pentax cameras and have always liked them, but have been dragging my feet about investing in a DSLR. I have a great manual, SLR by Pentax but find I just dont use it, because I have gotten spoiled about wanting to see my photos immediately, and know that I caught the shot I wanted, and because film is getting harder to find and develop (I dont develop my own - kudos to those of you who do), so, I kept taking mediocre pictures with my phones camera (they were good, but not in the same league as the ones I am taking now). Ive had the K-70 w/18-135mm lease for 2 weeks now and I like it more each day. I have been experimenting with the various modes, and am quite impressed. My husband bought a Canon and I almost did too, so we could share lenses (and because, there are more reviews about them), but Im happy that I stuck with Pentax, because, My photos are more focused, with better exposure, and depth of field - BY FAR! My husband has admitted to having camera envy. AND, I am able to use all my old Pentaxs lenses (as long as they are K mounts - which is great). I would definitely recommend this camera to friends that cant/wont splash out more than $1000 on a new camera. Also, I like the 18-135mm lenses in this package. It is very flexible, I find I do not have the need to carry as many lenses as I used to, and the photos are great.

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Bought this for my wife, she wanted a ready at all times , outdoor friendly camera with a walk around zoom lens. I already own another Pentax DSLR with a nice assortment of prime lenses, so this was a no-brainer. Nice viewfinder, very bright. Easy to use for my wife, yet fully customizeable for a more advanced user. Quick to use, live view is good, my wife will use that feature. Great handgrip, easy to hold and secure. Weather sealed throughout, this is an an upper intermediate camera for an upper entry level price. I would suggest getting the body only and a more modest zoom or a prime lens, you will get a really good camera for even less dough, I would recommend that for a beginner to DSLRs .

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I purchased this camera mainly for astrophotography, but it takes great daytime pictures as well. I also have an Olympus Micro four thirds camera as well. This camera has much less noise than the Olympus, but it is quite a bit heavier. It is worth the trade-off when doing astrophotography. The Pentax cameras are even very low noise even with ISO 1600 3 minute shots. The Pentax is also great at picking up Hydrogen Alpha in nebulae. This has certainly allowed me to get better pictures than my Olympus. I was going to buy a dedicated astronomy camera, but it would have been more than double the price for the same size sensor and this camera can still be used for regular photography. What I like: 1. It is easy to use. 2. Low noise in low light. 3. It is amazing for astrophotography. 4. There are a large selection of lenses available at a decent price. 5. It is water resistant. 6. The 18-135 mm lens is a great all around lens and it is water resistant as well. 7. You get greater quality and features for the money when compared to Canon or Nikon equivalents. What could be improved? 1. I wish there was better computer control available. I would like to be able to use tethering during my astrophotography sessions. 2. Dual memory cards would be nice. 3. USB tethering and shooting at the same time. The camera does not take pictures while tethered, but you can take pictures with a wireless app. 4. It would be nice if the GPs were built into the camera so the Astro-tracer feature could be used without purchasing an external GPS sensor. I’m really enjoying this camera and I’m happy with the purchase. I’m really surprised Pentax does not market more towards the night photography crowd. Ive included shots that I have taken of the Double Star Cluster, Fireworks Galaxy, Helix Nebula, Pacman Nebula, and Triangulum Galaxy. All were shot on a Celstron AVX equatorial tracking mount with a Celestron 6" SCT telescope and the Pentax K-70 with a T- adapter.

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Initial Preview: Upgraded from a 5 year old Pentax K-5. Realized I was stepping down from flag ship series to high end enthusiast camera. But I was looking to using some new features, save money, and keep the K-5 for backup. On arrival I immediately upgraded Firmware to 1.10. At first glance the image quality seems similar to the K-5, but I havent gotten around to looking closely at images in comparison. Also I look forward to trying the new features. Likes: * Looks like it will work fine in place of my old K-5 for all my normal shooting. * The articulating back display * larger ISO range * more settings are saved in user settings (compared to k-5 which had some big limitations - such as could not be used with interval shooting) * fast charge - from depleted to mostly charged in an hour Miss: * larger battery capacity of K-5 (bought two Wasabi batteries since I have had good look with them in the past). Also ordering AC power supply for use in remote shooting * focus confirmation in viewfinder when doing manual focus Dislike: * WI-FI - when it works, its nice but limited. The remote control is very flaky. Have used the remote "Image Sync" app with both iPhone and Android tablet with similar results. It will hang at times. And sometimes after a long delay will report that it has lost communication with camera. Sometimes killing the "Image Sync" app and restarting it will start it working again. Other times need to switch the camera off and on again (not very convenient with remote shooting). It seems to work better for me if I switch off live view (save battery life) or use it for short intervals, set raw+ (instead of raw) or JPEG, and change focus to manual. At least get fewer hangs with this setup, and most of the time can recover by just killing the "Image Sync" app and restarting. Hope that this will be improved over time with updates to camera firmware or fixes to mobile app, but from past experience it may take a long time or may never happen. Also the app is limited. It only works in single shot mode and doesnt allow you to change shooting mode. Might be nice to have bracketing support, as well as video and interval shooting. Note: * Lightroom is not recognizing the PEF raw format, but after switching to DNG it works. Will update this as I get more used to the camera.

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