Customer Reviews

Pentax X70 12MP CCD Digital Camera with 24x Optical Triple Shake Reduction Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had read about the X70 prior to the camera's introduction at the beginning of April, but details about the camera were sparse as they usually are when a new camera is about to be introduced, but from what I had seen up to that point, it was a camera I was definitely interested in. It was Pentax's first foray into the megazoom point and shoot field of compact cameras, so I had to find out what it was all about. I ordered it from Amazon on April 2nd, and by April 10, I had it in my hot little hands.

First impression: It was smaller than I expected and a heck of lot lighter compared to other large zoom cameras I've held. Pentax apparently decided to use a lightweight lithium-ion battery instead of AA batteries to cut down on the size and weight of the camera. This has its good and bad points. The lithium-ion battery that it comes with is IMHO underpowered (925mAH) and good for only about 150-175 shots before needing to be recharged, so carrying extra batteries is a must if you plan on doing a lot of shooting. AA batteries would have been more advantageous in this situation because of their availability and cost. Pentax charges $53 for a replacement battery which in my opinion is outrageous for what you get. Fortunately, generic replacement D-Li92 batteries are available from overseas manufacturers for about $7 which are just as good if not better than the OEM model. Pentax should have taken a similar approach to Kodak's Z980 with their vertical battery grip accessory to add more power for the camera.

Ok... enough with the battery soapbox... The features that the camera has are impressive. Pentax, for the first time, includes a dedicated autofocus assist lamp located just to the left of the camera grip and to the right of the lens. The lamp is very bright and can be useful in the dark 10-15 feet away, but can be accidentally blocked by your hand if not careful. The 24x zoom is HUGE in performance and the image stabilization goes a long way in capturing clear shots. It features the usual range of P/A/T/M controls as well a the Pentax green button mode which basically acts like a hyper program which sets your correct exposure and speed no matter what mode you are in, even manual mode. The scene modes are numerous and features such things as flower, portrait, half portrait, sunset, night, etc.... most of which are standard on many other cameras. This camera also features auto exposure bracketing with a range of -/+2EV which is now becoming the norm for the latest batch of new cameras. This will allow a good exposure range for taking HDR photos (3 shots taken at -2EV, 0, +2EV), and processed with an external HDR software processor such as Photomatix.

It also has burst mode shooting, but there are trade offs... You can shoot at 4fps, 6.3fps, and 11 fps. At 4fps, you can shoot up to 7 shots, but the recorded pixels is set at 5MP, and JPEG quality is at 3 stars. At 6.3fps, you can also shoot up to 7 shots, 5MP, but JPEG quality drops to 2 stars. At 11fps, you can shoot up to 21 shots, 5MP, at a quality of 1 star.

Movie mode leaves a little to be desired though. You can use the entire 24x zoom range, but not while you are recording. Only digital zoom is available during shooting, so if you zoom in while recording, you will lose clarity much like you see on those reality cop shows where you view the dash cam, and they zoom in to see detail but it is blocky. The camera features HD recording (720p), but is only at 15fps. At 480i, it's at 30fps. Most likely the reason for the lack of optical zoom while recording has got to be the motor noise that would be audible with the in-camera microphone.

Ok, let's talk about image quality.... in three words, it's damn good. You have 12MP and the lens produces some very good if not excellent shots. High ISO is decent and usable up to ISO 800. ISO 1600 is marginal as to be expected from the small sensor size. Surprisingly, ISO 3200 is better than ISO 1600 IMHO, and ISO 6400 is also available in a pinch. However, at ISO 3200-6400, your recorded pixel size is set at 5MP to improve dynamic range.

All in all, despite some concerns I have about the camera, it appears that it was an excellent choice and one that I will use on a continuing basis to supplement my Pentax DSLRs that I own. There are times where I don't wish to lug around a heavy camera and lens, so carrying a camera like the X70 can be advantageous and still get good quality photos.

I have owned the Pentax ist-DS, the k100d, the k10d and currently I have the k20d. my current array of lenses are: Pentax 10-17, Pentax 18-250 and Sigma 50-500. My camera bag weighs 26 pounds at airport checkin. This pentax X70 weighs 13 ounces...do you see where I'm going with this? I have had innumerable "photo-friendly" days where I just didn't shoot because of the very thought of lugging my 26lb camera gear. My current assortment is >$4000 while the Pentax X70 is $352...do the math!

This X70 can go from 26mm wide to 624mm super-tele with a fairly quiet motor. Basic photo rules 101 state an almost mandatory need for tripod when shooting long lens, this camera is no exception. It is really light and any attempt to handhold at extreme tele will show some shake despite the Pentax shake reduction.

I have taken it out and did some comparison shooting, side-by-side with my Pentax K20D. I used the same tripod, same subjects, same lighting, etc...I made sure the ISO, aperatures and shutter speeds were exactly the same too. In both cameras, I set the white balance to daylight and all the other adjustments reset to defaults. I shot nearly 100 exposures on a Sandisk 16GB Extreme III Class 6 SDHC and then I went to my Sony Vaio VGN-AW270Y/Q PC for review. The results were impressive, with one caveat: I noticed the AF on the Pentax X70 was not as responsive as the K20D. Image quality at 100% (actual size) had miniscule degradation without any tweaking in Photoshop.

Like the previous reviewer, I did not play with the video camera mode yet so no comments about that function, sorry!

In conclusion: I will probably sell my pentax K20D outfit on eBay and make $3000-$4000 above & beyond the cost of the Pentax X70. I am 48 years old and I have no desire to hoist a 25lb camera bag each time I go for a hike in the woods, in fact..with a 13oz camera I am likely to hike more often and shoot more frequently!

I ordered this mostly for the zoom capabilities and am not disappointed! I can now zoom in on Parrots feeding in my back yard and have to be careful not to zoom in too close!
The colors are life-like and bright. This camera has so many neat features such as smile and face detect. I also took a couple of shots of our dog running (with camera hand-held) and they came out surprisingly well.
I took a few video clips with this on the highest quality setting and it looks decent but still not as good as a dedicated video camera (but getting closer!)

Pros
Superb zoom capability
Vivid life like colors
Decent video quality.
Camera is very light & lots of nice features to help novices like me take great photos!

Cons
The battery is tiny, supposedly it will hold charge for 170 photos (50 of those flash) or 70 minutes of video. (I 'll do an update on this.)
No raw image capability
No flash hot shoe (though the on-board flash is very good)


The best thing any camera can do is take great photos and this does that very well. It has plenty of nice features and looks well made.

The pentax x70 is a good little camera, if you are a beginner or want a
camera that has a descent super zoom. The first thing I notice when I took it out of the box was, it is very light weight. The functions took some getting use too after a few days of shooting with it. Overall this camera perform quiet well for what I use it for, which is taking distant pictures of wildlife and taking using the macro mode, which I will give it 5 stars.

If you are using this camera for night shoots, the best setting is the manual mode. This camera works very well, even in digital zoom, one of the best if not the best for the 24x zoom. I tried the other brands at the local electronic store, and this one came out on top for the super zoom. The color is pretty much right on, very good color. I posted several pictures here on the Amazon web page to look at.

There are a few issues that I have with this camea. First the camera is a little pricy, but if you get the shot you want it doesn't matter. Another issue is a very small view finder, but I am glad the camera has one. The camera is not made for sports, in burst mode I could only get the first picture to come out clear. This is the shorttest battery life that came with a camera that I have used. You may get about 120 pictures if you are not using the flash and expensive, around $50 for the battery, if you can find one. Speaking of the flash it is one of the best for a point and shoot. The red eye elemination 5 stars. I have taken at least a 200 pictures with the flash and no red eye so far.

Conclusion: This is a good little camera, picture quality 4.5 stars, 4.0 stars ISO good up to 400 which is far better than the other ones in its class. 800 iso usable, don't use it any higher . If you are a DSLR user like I am, do not compare it to one because, this is a point and shoot camera in every since of the word. I would recommend this camera. Happy picture taking.

I purchased this camera after reading reviews and looking at several other cameras. I have taken a little over 300 pictures along with a few minutes of video just to see what it would do in the video setting. You can't use the optical zoom while shooting video, but you can use the digital zoom. If you want a good video camera, then you should invest in one that is for that even though this one is pretty good as a backup.
I am very pleased with the camera so far. Very good color and most of the pictures are sharp, although I did have a few that were softer for some reason. I have made some adjustments to the camera since then, but have not taken any pictures since the adjustments. Lots of great features and of course the 24x zoom is one reason I bought it. I am just a hobbyist but have an Olympus C765 that took great pictures but had a shorter zoom and fewer megapixels.
I found the menu to be easy to use and the owner's manual is easy to understand. I have referred to it on several occasions due to the many features of the camera. I do highly recommend spare batteries since it goes through them pretty quickly. You have to take into consideration the large LCD screen, powerful zoom, flash, etc. that all eat up battery life. I also recommend a good LCD screen protector. I found a nice glass one for under $10 made for the Pentax screen. So, all in all, this camera has most everything I wanted in a digital camera without all those lenses to lug around. The video was pretty good for not being a regular video camera.
Pros- Great zoom, excellent color, good picture quality, lightweight and small size, good menu layout, good flash, focus assist light, loads of features.
Cons- Low battery life, no lens thread for filters, touchy zoom lever.

OK. First off - I am far from a professional photographer. I have a Canon Digital Rebel and various other P&S cameras. This is my first Pentax.

My initial impression when I took it out of the box was how light weight it was. This is a good thing for me but I'm sure some people may think it is too flimsy.

The zoom is great - like others suggest you must use a tripod if getting out to the maximum zoom range. The photos are at least as good as my Canon DSLR. I definitely see myself using this camera much more than the Canon due to the size and weight.

Overall I am happy with the purchase. I'll start playing with the video capture this weekend.

Update: OK, I've had some time to really play with this and I like it more as time goes by. The burst mode is great taking pictures of the kid's baseball games. They love being able to see their swing in incremental steps. I'm trying to get more creative with the manual settings and getting some fairly good results. I'd probably upgrade to 5 stars after using this for a while. I picked up a couple of spare generic batteries on Ebay for $10/each for backups.

Purchased originally for a trip to Africa. The light weight, super-zoom capability, and high picture quality made it an excellent choice. Went with friends who brought well over $1500 worth of new Canon SLR with multiple lenses. The X70 allowed me to react MUCH more quickly to the situation and get some truly excellent shots of game/landscape. Often, our friends with the SLR were left fumbling with lenses as animals ran away. Picture stabilization for high zoom photos worked extremely well in bright light, less so with the limitations of low light. The zoom control itself is a little twitchy but definitely gets easier to use with practice. The view finder screen made shooting in sunny conditions easy, something I have found impossible with view screen only cameras. For sticking in a backpack and hiking, it is truly excellent due to the light weight, flexibility, and high picture quality. The SLR got left behind: too heavy! Battery life, while not amazing, was very good as I was able to get at least 2 days of hard zooming use out of a battery charge. When we got home, the pictures from the SLR were of higher resolution when viewed on a big screen HDTV. The difference was small however and would not have been noticeable without the direct comparison. On a 17" computer screen, the difference is insignificant. The color of the X70 pics is excellent and equal or superior to the big SLR. The quality of prints seems more related to the printing process than the pics themselves as, on the same high quality printer, the pics cannot be distinguished from each other based on resolution/quality. Maybe sharper colors from the Pentax but small difference. When our friends printed up a picture book of the trip (where we spent about one of three weeks together), nearly half the pictures chosen were from our camera! For use around home both inside and outdoors the Pentax easily replaces my previous point and shoot digital cameras for family photos giving shots of higher quality.

On balance, I would say the X70 is an excellent choice for the traveler who wants higher picture quality and more capability from a camera without the weight and significantly higher price of an SLR. It's easy to use, takes excellent pictures of high resolution and superior color, is very deep in features/capabilities, is light and compact for travel, and represents excellent value for money. The 24X superzoom capability gives amazing results. If you're an amateur photographer with an active lifestyle and travel aspirations, I highly recommend it. It's much closer to a digital SLR than the point and shoot it really is.

Pentax X70 12MP CCD Digital Camera with 24x Optical Triple Shake Reduction Zoom and 2.7 inch LCDCanon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

I purchase the Pentax X70 to replace my Canon SX10 I had recently lost because I saw the Pentax had a 24X Zoom over the 0x for Canon. Ordered it from Amazon & quickly got it. This past Saturday I took it for test run in the field & was very disappointed. First the very light weight made it very hard to hold still for most pictures with a large amount of zoom. Since the extra zoom was my main reason for this purchase instead of replacing the Canon. I attached it to a tripod and took about 100 photos in total & reviewed them on my big screen TV. The quality of the picture was nothing compared to what I had gotten with my Canon. Most seemed very grainy and the stabilization did some good on the long shots but not as good as the Canon. I hope I can correct the pictures some what on my computer as I got some really great close ups of several birds including the very colorful Painted Bunting. In addition I did not like the operation of the zoom ---it appears as if it only wants to settle at preset lengths while trying to zoom out in short extensions. In my hands the camera felt cheap and the controls more difficult to use. I tried the seven picture quick shot & it worked great. I was happy to see a lens cover cord as I had almost lost my lens cover several times on my Canon. I was so bummed out on the quality & over all several hours of use I failed to even try the video. After my afternoon of testing I boxed it up and sent back to Amazon & ordered my Canon again-- Their is just no comparison in the two and the Canon was even a bit better on the price. Oh-- I did not real notice the difference between the 20X zoom of my Canon & the 24X of this Pentax, both max zoom's seemed to achieve almost the same result. My recommend as a true amateur is to not even consider the Pentax X70. Can't wait to get the new Canon back on board.

I was encouraged to get a good camera before our trip to Alaska. I knew I could not afford a high end camera, so I begain researching. I had a Pentax years ago and it was a great camera, so when I begain reading about the X70, I liked what I was reading. I especially liked the size and weight of the camera. I'm not a professional, but love taking pics when traveling. After much research and comparison of many cameras, I felt the X70 had the most to offer for the money. I ordered it and was not disappointed when it arrived. It takes fantastic pictures. I used it on the trip and came back with some very nice pictures. I have seen many complaints about the battery life and I have not had this problem at all. The battery lasts a very long time for me. I use it a lot to make pics of crochet items and the stitch clarity is great. I love the setting for babies also, as I have a new grandson and the pics are great. I just love everything about this camera. It is a great size for travel, not so heavy and bulky as some cameras I considered.

I am not a professional photog and cannot write about the technical aspects of this camera. But I really, really like this camera. It takes great pictures, is easy to use, is super lightweight and is an all around a great little camera. It was a big step up from my pocket digital camera that was a point and shoot with little zoom capacity. I bought it on recommendations from other users and was not steered in the wrong direction.