Pentax K-70

The Pentax K-70 is an APS-C DSLR released in 2016. It takes lenses on the KAF2 mount and captures images on a CMOS sensor.

What defines it is the pairing of weather sealing with in-body stabilisation. That combination suits outdoor and landscape photographers who work in changeable conditions or hand-hold in fading light.

It weighs 688 g in a mid-sized body, so carrying it is straightforward rather than featherlight. An optical pentaprism viewfinder and the absence of touch controls give a traditional shooting feel.

The 24 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor works with the Prime MII image processor. That resolution suits large prints and leaves room to crop while refining a composition.

Sensor-shift stabilisation is the standout. It reduces camera shake, not subject movement, so you can hand-hold at slower shutter speeds and keep more usable frames.

Autofocus uses eleven points, giving you a defined set of positions for focus placement. Framing goes through the optical pentaprism viewfinder, which provides a direct view of the scene.

Burst shooting reaches a maximum of 6 fps, a rate suited to short action sequences, and the shutter offers up to 1/6000 sec for freezing motion. Sensitivity spans ISO 100 to 102400, covering bright daylight through to very dark scenes.

Video tops out at Full HD, and that ceiling is the main thing to weigh. It is perfectly usable for family films, web clips and documentary-style shooting, but if you crop footage or deliver in 4K, this is not the camera for that.

Frame-rate support includes 60fps. That gives smooth motion for general recording and some flexibility for slow-motion work.

Live view gives you a screen-based way to frame video, while the flip screen helps when filming from low or high angles.

A built-in timelapse mode gives you an in-camera option for interval projects. Recordings are written as MPEG-4 or MOV files.

At the back is a 3-inch LCD with 921,000 dots, sharp enough for checking focus and detail. It flips out for waist-level and overhead work, and live view is available when the optical finder is awkward. There is no touch control, so settings change through physical controls.

The body is weather sealed against dust and moisture, which suits landscape and travel work in poor conditions. Sealing resists the elements rather than making the camera waterproof, so care is still sensible in heavy rain.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both built in. GPS records where each photo was taken, useful for travel and location reference.

Lighting options are flexible. A built-in flash covers quick fill light, and the camera also supports external flash units when you need more output.

Storage is a single SD slot that accepts SD, SDHC and SDXC cards with UHS-I support, so faster card interfaces are supported. Carry a spare card when you expect a long shoot.

The D-LI109 battery is rated at 410 shots. A charged spare makes sense for long shooting days.

There is no USB charging. Charge the D-LI109 before a shoot and keep a spare ready for longer days.