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Pentax K-70 vs Zeiss ZX1

The Pentax K-70 and the Zeiss ZX1 are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively, in June 2016 and September 2018. The K-70 is a DSLR, while the ZX1 is a fixed lens compact. The cameras are based on an APS-C (K-70) and a full frame (ZX1) sensor. The Pentax has a resolution of 24 megapixels, whereas the Zeiss provides 37.4 MP.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications
Pentax K-70
versus
Zeiss ZX1
Pentax K-70   Zeiss ZX1
Digital single lens reflex Fixed lens compact camera
Pentax K mount lenses 35mm f/2.8
24 MP – APS-C sensor 37.4 MP – Full Frame sensor
1080/60i Video 4K/30p Video
ISO 100-102,400 ISO 80-51,200
Optical viewfinder Electronic viewfinder (6221k dots)
3.0" LCD – 921k dots 4.3" LCD – 2765k dots
Swivel screen (not touch-sensitive) Fixed touchscreen
6 shutter flaps per second 3 shutter flaps per second
In-body stabilizationno shake reduction
Weathersealed bodynot weather sealed
410 shots per battery charge250 shots per battery charge
126 x 93 x 74 mm, 688 g 142 x 93 x 46 mm, 800 g
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Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Pentax K-70 and the Zeiss ZX1? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

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Body comparison

The physical size and weight of the Pentax K-70 and the Zeiss ZX1 are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The K-70 can be obtained in two different colors (black, silver), while the ZX1 is only available in black.

Size Pentax K-70 vs Zeiss ZX1
Compare K-70 versus ZX1 top
Comparison K-70 or ZX1 rear

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Zeiss ZX1 is notably larger (13 percent) than the Pentax K-70. It is worth mentioning in this context that the K-70 is splash and dust resistant, while the ZX1 does not feature any corresponding weather-sealing.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete and possibly misleading, as the ZX1 has a lens built in, whereas the K-70 is an interchangeable lens camera that requires a separate lens. Attaching the latter will add extra weight and bulk to the setup.

Concerning battery life, the K-70 gets 410 shots out of its Pentax D-LI109 battery, while the ZX1 can take 250 images on a single charge of its Zeiss DD-PS1A power pack.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, you can navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from a broad list of cameras there.

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Body Specifications
  empty Camera
Model
Camera
Width
Camera
Height
Camera
Depth
Camera
Weight
Battery
Life
Weather
Sealing
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price (USD)
Street
Price
1.
 
Pentax K-70 126 mm 93 mm 74 mm 688 g 410 Y Jun 2016 649ebay.com
2.
 
Zeiss ZX1 142 mm 93 mm 46 mm 800 g 250 n Sep 2018 5,999ebay.com
3.
 
Leica M10 139 mm 80 mm 39 mm 660 g 210 Y Jan 2017 6,595ebay.com
4.
 
Leica Q Typ 116 130 mm 80 mm 93 mm 640 g 300 n Jun 2015 4,249ebay.com
5.
 
Leica Q2 130 mm 80 mm 92 mm 718 g 370 Y Mar 2019 4,995 amazon.com
6.
 
Panasonic FZ1000 137 mm 99 mm 131 mm 831 g 360 n Jun 2014 899ebay.com
7.
 
Pentax K-3 131 mm 100 mm 77 mm 800 g 560 Y Oct 2013 1,299ebay.com
8.
 
Pentax K-3 II 131 mm 100 mm 77 mm 800 g 720 Y Apr 2015 1,099ebay.com
9.
 
Pentax K-3 III 135 mm 104 mm 74 mm 820 g 800 Y Mar 2021 1,999 amazon.com
10.
 
Pentax K-5 131 mm 97 mm 73 mm 760 g 740 Y Sep 2010 1,099ebay.com
11.
 
Pentax K-50 130 mm 97 mm 71 mm 650 g 410 Y Jun 2013 599ebay.com
12.
 
Pentax K-500 130 mm 97 mm 71 mm 646 g 710 n Jun 2013 549ebay.com
13.
 
Pentax KP 132 mm 101 mm 76 mm 703 g 390 Y Jan 2017 1,099ebay.com
14.
 
Pentax K-S1 121 mm 93 mm 70 mm 558 g 410 n Aug 2014 749ebay.com
15.
 
Pentax K-S2 123 mm 91 mm 73 mm 678 g 410 Y Feb 2015 749ebay.com
16.
 
Sony A68 143 mm 104 mm 81 mm 610 g 540 n Nov 2015 699ebay.com
17.
 
Sony RX1R II 113 mm 65 mm 72 mm 507 g 220 n Oct 2015 3,299ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

Any camera decision will naturally be influenced heavily by the price. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Pentax K-70 features an APS-C sensor and the Zeiss ZX1 a full frame sensor. The sensor area in the ZX1 is 135 percent bigger. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 1.5 and 1.0. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Pentax K-70 and Zeiss ZX1 sensor measures

With 37.4MP, the ZX1 offers a higher resolution than the K-70 (24MP), but the ZX1 nevertheless has larger individual pixels (pixel pitch of 4.81μm versus 3.91μm for the K-70) due to its larger sensor. Moreover, the ZX1 is a much more recent model (by 2 years and 3 months) than the K-70, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that further enhance the light gathering capacity of its pixel-units. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that the K-70 has no anti-alias filter installed, so that it can capture all the detail its sensor resolves.

The resolution advantage of the Zeiss ZX1 implies greater flexibility for cropping images or the possibility to print larger pictures. The maximum print size of the ZX1 for good quality output (200 dots per inch) amounts to 37.4 x 25 inches or 95.1 x 63.4 cm, for very good quality (250 dpi) 30 x 20 inches or 76.1 x 50.7 cm, and for excellent quality (300 dpi) 25 x 16.6 inches or 63.4 x 42.3 cm. The corresponding values for the Pentax K-70 are 30 x 20 inches or 76.2 x 50.8 cm for good quality, 24 x 16 inches or 61 x 40.6 cm for very good quality, and 20 x 13.3 inches or 50.8 x 33.9 cm for excellent quality prints.

The K-70 has on-sensor phase detect pixels, which results in fast and reliable autofocus acquisition even during live view operation.

Unlike the ZX1, the K-70 has the capacity to capture high quality composite images by combining multiple shots after shifting its sensor by miniscule distances. This multi-shot, pixel-shift mode is most suitable for photography of stationary objects (landscapes, studio scenes).

The Pentax K-70 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 102400. The corresponding ISO settings for the Zeiss ZX1 are ISO 80 to ISO 51200 (no boost).

Technology-wise, both cameras are equipped with CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensors. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

K-70 versus ZX1 MP

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

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Sensor Characteristics
  empty Camera
Model
Sensor
Class
Resolution
(MP)
Horiz.
Pixels
Vert.
Pixels
Video
Format
DXO
Portrait
DXO
Landscape
DXO
Sports
DXO
Overall
1.
 
Pentax K-70 APS-C 24.0 6000 40001080/60i23.813.1163980
2.
 
Zeiss ZX1 Full Frame 37.4 7488 49924K/30p25.214.1275994
3.
 
Leica M10 Full Frame 23.8 5952 3992none24.413.2213386
4.
 
Leica Q Typ 116 Full Frame 24.0 6000 40001080/60p24.312.7222185
5.
 
Leica Q2 Full Frame 46.7 8368 55844K/30p26.413.5249196
6.
 
Panasonic FZ1000 1-inch 20.0 5472 36484K/30p22.111.751764
7.
 
Pentax K-3 APS-C 24.1 6016 40001080/60i23.713.4121680
8.
 
Pentax K-3 II APS-C 24.1 6016 40001080/60i23.613.6110680
9.
 
Pentax K-3 III APS-C 25.6 6192 41284K/30p24.213.7208385
10.
 
Pentax K-5 APS-C 16.1 4928 32641080/25p23.714.1116282
11.
 
Pentax K-50 APS-C 16.1 4928 32641080/30p23.713.0112079
12.
 
Pentax K-500 APS-C 16.1 4928 32641080/30p23.713.1108779
13.
 
Pentax KP APS-C 24.1 6016 40001080/60i23.913.2169981
14.
 
Pentax K-S1 APS-C 20.0 5472 36481080/30p23.513.0106178
15.
 
Pentax K-S2 APS-C 20.0 5472 36481080/30p23.612.9151479
16.
 
Sony A68 APS-C 24.0 6000 40001080/60i24.113.570179
17.
 
Sony RX1R II Full Frame 42.2 7952 53041080/60p25.813.9320497
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. Both cameras under consideration are equipped with sensors that have a sufficiently high read-out speed for moving images, but the ZX1 provides a better video resolution than the K-70. It can shoot movie footage at 4K/30p, while the Pentax is limited to 1080/60i.

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Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the ZX1 has an electronic viewfinder (6221k dots), while the K-70 has an optical one. Both systems have their advantages, with the electronic viewfinder making it possible to project supplementary shooting information into the framing view, whereas the optical viewfinder offers lag-free viewing and a very clear framing image. The viewfinders of both cameras offer the same field of view (100%), but the viewfinder of the ZX1 has a higher magnification than the one of the K-70 (0.74x vs 0.63x), so that the size of the image transmitted appears closer to the size seen with the naked human eye. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Pentax K-70, the Zeiss ZX1, and comparable cameras.

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Core Features
  empty Camera
Model
Viewfinder
(Type or
000 dots)
Control
Panel
(yes/no)
LCD
Specifications
(inch/000 dots)
LCD
Attach-
ment
Touch
Screen
(yes/no)
Max
Shutter
Speed *
Max
Shutter
Flaps *
Built-in
Flash
(yes/no)
Built-in
Image
Stab
1.
 
Pentax K-70optical n3.0 / 921 swivel n 1/6000s 6.0/s Y Y
2.
 
Zeiss ZX16221 n4.3 / 2765 fixed Y 1/1000s 3.0/s n n
3.
 
Leica M10optical n3.0 / 1037 fixed n 1/4000s 5.0/s n n
4.
 
Leica Q Typ 1163680 n3.0 / 1040 fixed Y 1/2000s 10.0/s n Y
5.
 
Leica Q23680 n3.0 / 1040 fixed Y 1/2000s 10.0/s n Y
6.
 
Panasonic FZ10002359 n3.0 / 921 swivel n 1/4000s 12.0/s Y Y
7.
 
Pentax K-3optical Y3.2 / 1037 fixed n 1/8000s 8.3/s Y Y
8.
 
Pentax K-3 IIoptical Y3.2 / 1037 fixed n 1/8000s 8.3/s n Y
9.
 
Pentax K-3 IIIoptical Y3.2 / 1620 fixed Y 1/8000s 12.0/s n Y
10.
 
Pentax K-5optical Y3.0 / 921 fixed n 1/8000s 7.0/s Y Y
11.
 
Pentax K-50optical n3.0 / 921 fixed n 1/6000s 6.0/s Y Y
12.
 
Pentax K-500optical n3.0 / 921 fixed n 1/6000s 6.0/s Y Y
13.
 
Pentax KPoptical n3.0 / 921 tilting n 1/6000s 7.0/s Y Y
14.
 
Pentax K-S1optical n3.0 / 921 fixed n 1/6000s 5.4/s Y Y
15.
 
Pentax K-S2optical n3.0 / 921 swivel n 1/6000s 5.4/s Y Y
16.
 
Sony A681440 Y2.7 / 460 tilting n 1/4000s 8.0/s Y Y
17.
 
Sony RX1R II2360 n3.0 / 1229 tilting n 1/4000s 5.0/s n n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One difference between the cameras concerns the presence of an on-board flash. The K-70 has one, while the ZX1 does not. While the built-in flash of the K-70 is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light.

The K-70 has an articulated LCD that can be turned to be front-facing. This characteristic will be appreciated by vloggers and photographers who are interested in snapping selfies. In contrast, the ZX1 does not have a selfie-screen.

The reported shutter speed information refers to the use of the mechanical shutter. Yet, some cameras only have an electronic shutter, while others have an electronic shutter in addition to a mechanical one. In fact, the ZX1 is one of those camera that have an additional electronic shutter, which makes completely silent shooting possible. However, this mode is less suitable for photographing moving objects (risk of rolling shutter) or shooting under artificial light sources (risk of flickering).

The Pentax K-70 has an intervalometer built-in. This enables the photographer to capture time lapse sequences, such as flower blooming, a sunset or moon rise, without purchasing an external camera trigger and related software.

The K-70 writes its imaging data to SDXC cards, while the ZX1 uses an internal SSD.

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Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Pentax K-70 and Zeiss ZX1 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

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Input-Output Connections
  empty Camera
Model
Hotshoe
Port
Internal
Mic / Speaker
Microphone
Port
Headphone
Port
HDMI
Port
USB
Port
WiFi
Support
NFC
Support
Bluetooth
Support
1.
 
Pentax K-70Ystereo / monoY-mini2.0Y--
2.
 
Zeiss ZX1Ystereo / mono---3.1YYY
3.
 
Leica M10Y- / -----Y--
4.
 
Leica Q Typ 116Ystereo / mono--micro2.0YY-
5.
 
Leica Q2Ystereo / mono----Y-Y
6.
 
Panasonic FZ1000Ystereo / monoY-micro2.0YY-
7.
 
Pentax K-3Ymono / monoYYmini3.0---
8.
 
Pentax K-3 IIYmono / monoYYmini3.0---
9.
 
Pentax K-3 IIIYstereo / monoYYmicro3.2Y-Y
10.
 
Pentax K-5Ystereo / monoY-mini2.0---
11.
 
Pentax K-50Ymono / mono--micro2.0---
12.
 
Pentax K-500Ymono / mono---2.0---
13.
 
Pentax KPYstereo / monoY--2.0Y--
14.
 
Pentax K-S1Ystereo / mono--micro2.0---
15.
 
Pentax K-S2Ymono / monoY-micro2.0YY-
16.
 
Sony A68Ystereo / monoY-micro2.0---
17.
 
Sony RX1R IIYstereo / monoY-micro2.0YY-

It is notable that the K-70 has a microphone port, which is missing on the ZX1. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Both the K-70 and the ZX1 have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on ebay. Neither of the two has a direct successor, so they represent the end of the respective camera lines from Pentax and Zeiss. Further information on the features and operation of the K-70 and ZX1 can be found, respectively, in the Pentax K-70 Manual (free pdf) or the online Zeiss ZX1 Manual.

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Review summary

So what is the bottom line? Is there a clear favorite between the Pentax K-70 and the Zeiss ZX1? Which camera is better? Below is a summary of the relative strengths of each of the two contestants.

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Reasons to prefer the Pentax K-70:

  • Maximized detail: Lacks an anti-alias filter to exploit the sensor's full resolution potential.
  • High quality composites: Can combine several shots after pixel-shifting its sensor.
  • Better live-view autofocus: Features on-sensor phase-detection for more confident autofocus.
  • Better sound: Can connect to an external microphone for higher quality sound recording.
  • Brighter framing: Features an optical viewfinder for clear, lag-free composition.
  • More flexible LCD: Has a swivel screen for odd-angle shots in portrait or landscape orientation.
  • More selfie-friendly: Has an articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing.
  • Faster shutter: Has higher mechanical shutter speed (1/6000s vs 1/1000s) to freeze action.
  • Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (6 vs 3 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
  • Easier time-lapse photography: Has an intervalometer built-in for low frequency shooting.
  • More flexible: Can take a variety of interchangeable lenses, including specialty optics.
  • More compact: Is smaller (126x93mm vs 142x93mm) and thus needs less room in the bag.
  • Longer lasting: Can take more shots (410 versus 250) on a single battery charge.
  • Better sealing: Is weather sealed to enable shooting in dusty or wet environments.
  • Sharper images: Has hand-shake reducing image stabilization built-in.
  • Easier fill-in: Is equipped with a small onboard flash to brighten deep shadow areas.
  • More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in June 2016).

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Arguments in favor of the Zeiss ZX1:

  • More detail: Has more megapixels (37.4 vs 24MP), which boosts linear resolution by 25%.
  • Better moiré control: Has an anti-alias filter to avoid artificial patterns to appear in images.
  • Better image quality: Is equipped with a larger and more technologically advanced sensor.
  • Richer colors: The sensor size advantage translates into images with better, more accurate colors.
  • More dynamic range: Larger sensor captures a wider spectrum of light and dark details.
  • Better low-light sensitivity: Larger sensor produces good images even in poorly lit environments.
  • Better video: Provides higher definition movie capture (4K/30p vs 1080/60i).
  • More framing info: Has an electronic viewfinder that displays shooting data.
  • Larger viewfinder image: Features a viewfinder with a higher magnification (0.74x vs 0.63x).
  • Larger screen: Has a bigger rear LCD (4.3" vs 3.0") for image review and settings control.
  • More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (2765k vs 921k dots).
  • Fewer buttons to press: Has a touchscreen to facilitate handling and shooting adjustments.
  • Less disturbing: Has an electronic shutter option for completely silent shooting.
  • Ready to shoot: Comes with an integrated lens, while the K-70 requires a separate lens.
  • Faster data transfer: Supports a more advanced USB protocol (3.1 vs 2.0).
  • Easier device pairing: Supports NFC for fast wireless image transfer over short distances.
  • Easier wireless transfer: Supports Bluetooth for image sharing without cables.
  • More prestigious: Has the Zeiss luxury appeal, which ensures a high resale value.
  • More modern: Reflects 2 years and 3 months of technical progress since the K-70 launch.

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the ZX1 emerges as the winner of the match-up (19 : 17 points). However, the pertinence of the various camera strengths will differ across photographers, so that you might want to weigh individual camera traits according to their importance for your own imaging needs before making a camera decision. A professional wedding photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a travel photog, and a person interested in cityscapes has distinct needs from a macro shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

K-70 17:19 ZX1

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Pentax K-70 and the Zeiss ZX1 place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best DSLR Camera and Best Prime Lens Compact Camera listings whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the specs-based evaluation of cameras can be instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance when actually working with the K-70 or the ZX1. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable.

Expert reviews

This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent summary-table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

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Expert Camera Reviews
  empty  Camera 
 Model 
 AP 
 score 
 CL 
 score 
 DCW 
 score 
 DPR 
 score 
 EPZ 
 score 
 PB 
 score 
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price (USD)
Street
Price
1.
 
Pentax K-704.5/5..4/579/1004.5/54.5/5 Jun 2016 649ebay.com
2.
 
Zeiss ZX13/5....83/1004/54/5 Sep 2018 5,999ebay.com
3.
 
Leica M104.5/5......4/54.5/5 Jan 2017 6,595ebay.com
4.
 
Leica Q Typ 1165/5....80/1004.5/54.5/5 Jun 2015 4,249ebay.com
5.
 
Leica Q2....4.5/584/1004.5/54/5 Mar 2019 4,995 amazon.com
6.
 
Panasonic FZ10004/5+ +..82/1004.5/54.5/5 Jun 2014 899ebay.com
7.
 
Pentax K-34/5....83/1005/55/5 Oct 2013 1,299ebay.com
8.
 
Pentax K-3 II4.5/5......5/55/5 Apr 2015 1,099ebay.com
9.
 
Pentax K-3 III4/5..3/5..4.5/5.. Mar 2021 1,999 amazon.com
10.
 
Pentax K-54/5....83/1005/54.5/5 Sep 2010 1,099ebay.com
11.
 
Pentax K-505/5......5/54.5/5 Jun 2013 599ebay.com
12.
 
Pentax K-500........4.5/54.5/5 Jun 2013 549ebay.com
13.
 
Pentax KP4/5..3/582/1005/54.5/5 Jan 2017 1,099ebay.com
14.
 
Pentax K-S14/5......4.5/54/5 Aug 2014 749ebay.com
15.
 
Pentax K-S24.5/5......5/54.5/5 Feb 2015 749ebay.com
16.
 
Sony A683/5......4/54/5 Nov 2015 699ebay.com
17.
 
Sony RX1R II5/5....82/100..4.5/5 Oct 2015 3,299ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

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Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? If you would like to see a different side-by-side camera review, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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    Specifications: Pentax K-70 vs Zeiss ZX1

    Below is a side-by-side comparison of the specs of the two cameras to facilitate a quick review of their differences and common features.

    Camera Specifications
    Camera Model Pentax K-70 Zeiss ZX1
    Camera Type Digital single lens reflex Fixed lens compact camera
    Camera Lens Pentax K mount lenses 35mm f/2.8
    Launch Date June 2016 September 2018
    Launch Price USD 649 USD 5,999
    Sensor Specs Pentax K-70 Zeiss ZX1
    Sensor Technology CMOS CMOS
    Sensor Format APS-C Sensor Full Frame Sensor
    Sensor Size 23.5 x 15.6 mm 36.0 x 24.0 mm
    Sensor Area 366.6 mm2 864 mm2
    Sensor Diagonal 28.2 mm 43.3 mm
    Crop Factor 1.5x 1.0x
    Sensor Resolution 24 Megapixels 37.4 Megapixels
    Image Resolution 6000 x 4000 pixels 7488 x 4992 pixels
    Pixel Pitch 3.91 μm 4.81 μm
    Pixel Density 6.55 MP/cm2 4.33 MP/cm2
    Moiré control no AA filter Anti-Alias filter
    Movie Capability 1080/60i Video 4K/30p Video
    ISO Setting 100 - 102,400 ISO 80 - 51,200 ISO
    Screen Specs Pentax K-70 Zeiss ZX1
    Viewfinder Type Optical viewfinder Electronic viewfinder
    Viewfinder Field of View 100% 100%
    Viewfinder Magnification 0.63x 0.74x
    Viewfinder Resolution 6221k dots
    LCD Framing Live View Live View
    Rear LCD Size 3.0inch 4.3inch
    LCD Resolution 921k dots 2765k dots
    LCD Attachment Swivel screen Fixed screen
    Touch Input no Touchscreen Touchscreen
    Shooting Specs Pentax K-70 Zeiss ZX1
    Focus System Phase-detect AF Contrast-detect AF
    Manual Focusing AidFocus Peakingno Peaking Feature
    Continuous Shooting 6 shutter flaps/s 3 shutter flaps/s
    Electronic Shutterno E-Shutterup to 1/8000s
    Time-Lapse PhotographyIntervalometer built-inno Intervalometer
    Image StabilizationIn-body stabilizationno handshake reduction
    Fill Flash Built-in Flash no On-Board Flash
    Storage Medium SDXC cards SSD cards
    Single or Dual Card Slots Single card slot Single SSD
    Connectivity Specs Pentax K-70 Zeiss ZX1
    External Flash Hotshoe Hotshoe
    USB Connector USB 2.0 USB 3.1
    HDMI Port mini HDMI no HDMI
    Microphone Port External MIC port no MIC socket
    Wifi Support Wifi built-in Wifi built-in
    Near-Field Communication no NFC NFC built-in
    Bluetooth Support no Bluetooth Bluetooth built-in
    Body Specs Pentax K-70 Zeiss ZX1
    Environmental SealingWeathersealed bodynot weather sealed
    Battery Type Pentax D-LI109 Zeiss DD-PS1A
    Battery Life (CIPA)410 shots per charge250 shots per charge
    Body Dimensions 126 x 93 x 74 mm
    (5.0 x 3.7 x 2.9 in)
    142 x 93 x 46 mm
    (5.6 x 3.7 x 1.8 in)
    Camera Weight 688 g (24.3 oz) 800 g (28.2 oz)
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    Check K-70 offers at
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    Check ZX1 offers at
    ebay.com

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