Canon EOS 70D vs Pentax K-50 — Which Is Better?

The Canon EOS 70D and the Pentax K-50 are DSLRs released in 2013, each with its own native lens system: Canon EF-S on the 70D and Pentax KAF on the K-50. That mount choice shapes your whole lens path, because neither body accepts the other brand's glass.

The K-50 is the smaller and lighter body of the two, measuring 130 x 97 x 71 mm and 650 g, against 139 x 104 x 79 mm and 755 g for the 70D.

The 70D is the stronger choice for heavy cropping and fast action. Its 20.2 megapixel sensor gives more pixels to each frame than the K-50's 16.28, leaving more room to crop a distant subject. Its 7 fps burst also tops the K-50's 6 fps, and 19 autofocus points against 11 gives you more positions for the focus point. A 1/8000 second top shutter allows a shorter exposure than the K-50's 1/6000 in bright light.

The K-50 answers with in-body stabilisation, so every K-mount lens you attach gains shake reduction, while the 70D depends on stabilised lenses. Its native ISO ceiling also reaches 51200 against 12800 on the 70D, a wider setting range for very dim scenes. Both use APS-C CMOS sensors and optical pentaprism viewfinders.

The K-50 is the better choice for timelapse because it offers built-in interval shooting, which the 70D lacks. Full HD is the maximum resolution on both cameras and 30 fps is each one's maximum frame rate, so neither body gives you 4K or slow motion from a fast frame rate. The 70D records MOV files and the K-50 records MPEG-4, a difference that can matter for your editing software.

The 70D's rear screen is the more useful shooting tool. It articulates for low and overhead angles, responds to touch for quick focus placement, and shows 1,040,000 dots against 921,000 on the K-50's fixed panel. The 70D also offers Wi-Fi for sending images straight to a phone, which the K-50 omits.

Both offer weather sealing, a built-in flash, live view and a 3-inch LCD screen. Neither offers GPS.

Both cameras take SD, SDHC and SDXC cards in a single slot, and neither charges over USB. The 70D's LP-E6 battery is rated for 920 shots, against 410 shots for the K-50's D-LI109, so the 70D carries the higher rating by a wide margin.