Ricoh has unveiled the Pentax K-70 – price tag £599.99 / $650 body only – featuring a new Hybrid AF system, ISO 102,400 and an all-weather construction
Like many Pentax DSLR, the Pentax K-70 boasts a weather-sealed body construction and promises performance at temperatures down to -10°C. Key among its features is a new Hybrid AF system, Pentax’s first, which the company claims “harmonises” the advantages of the camera’s phase and contrast detection AF systems to ensure better speed and accuracy of autofocus when using Live View.
The Pentax K-70’s AF system features 11 sensors, including nine cross-type sensors in the middle, which can focus on your subject at a minimum brightness level down to -3 EV. Pentax also says it has revised the timing of the AF sensor’s start-up action, enabling the autofocus system to respond faster at lower light levels. What’s more, the company says it has improved its algorithm, allowing the K-70 to track moving subjects more accurately in AF-C mode.
Tracking subjects is also aided by a new Select-area Expansion function, which automatically refocuses on a moving subject after it moves away from the initial point, with the help of the neighbouring points. The K-70 also boasts an AF Hold function that maintains the initial in-focus point even when the module loses sight of the subject.
Inside the Pentax K-70 is a 24.24-megapixel CMOS sensor that lacks an anti-aliasing filter to help ensure higher resolution images. The K-70 is powered by Pentax’s PRIME MII processing engine, and the new Pentax camera can reach a top sensitivity of ISO 102.400.
The Pentax K-70 also introduces a new Pixel Shift Resolution System – seen in some recent mirrorless cameras – that captures four images of the same scene by shifting the image sensor by a single pixel for each frame. The K-70 then merges them into a high-resolution composite.
Other key specs on the Pentax K-70 include an optical viewfinder with a nearly 100% field of view, an articulated vars-angle LCD screen, built-in Wi-Fi and built-in vibration reduction.
Other Pentax K-70 features
- 77-segment multi-pattern metering system for high-precision light metering
- DR (Dust Removal) mechanism to shake dust from the surface of the CMOS image sensor
- Timer exposure mode— a new shooting feature incorporated for the first time in a PENTAX digital SLR camera — which allows the user to extend an exposure time to as long as 20 minutes in Bulb mode, and automatically closes the shutter when the user-selected exposure time expires
- A pair of e-dials for efficient control of the PENTAX-invented hyper operating system
- Self-timer function, which even works in the Continuous AF (AF-C) mode
- Clarity control and Skin Tone correction functions
- A selection of imaging tools, such as Custom Images, Digital Filters and Scene Modes
Pentax K-70 Price & Release Date
The Pentax K-70 price tag will start £599.99 / $650 for the body only, and £799.99 / $900 for the K-70 and 18-135mm kit lens.
A Pentax K-70 release date is scheduled for early July 2016.