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Nikon J5 vs Pentax K-70

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Nikon 1 J5

21 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon 1 J5
$496.95
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Pentax K-70

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Pentax K-70
$594.89
Nikon 1 J5 vs Pentax K-70 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon 1 J5 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 21.0MP 1" sensor whereas Pentax K-70 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 24.0MP APS-C sensor.
Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious altenatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J5 and Pentax K-70 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J5 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2015-04-03
  • 21MP - 1" BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 3″ Tilting Screen
  • 20.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 1200fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 231g. 98 x 60 x 32 mm
  • Replaced Nikon 1 J4 Compare

Pentax K-70 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-06-08
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 102400
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3″ Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 6.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 688g. 126 x 93 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J5 over Pentax K-70
Touch Screen Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Number of Focus Points 171 vs 11 160 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution 1.037k dots vs 921k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Max Shutter Speed 1/16000s vs 1/6000s faster shutter speed
Continuous Shooting 20.0fps vs 6.0fps 14 fps faster
Weight 231 g vs 688 g 457 g lighter
Price $497 vs $595 $98 cheaper
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
NFC Connection Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Reasons to choose Pentax K-70 over Nikon 1 J5
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs None All the lenses are stabilized
External Flash Shoe Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder Optical vs None Better framing and control
Max Sensor Resolution 24 MP vs 21 MP 14% more pixels
Max ISO 102.400 vs 12.800 700% higher Max ISO
Battery Life 410 shots vs 250 shots 160 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Flash Coverage 12.0m vs 5.0m 7m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area 15.28µm2 vs 5.62µm2 171% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Pixel Shift High Resolution Mode Yes vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
Anti Alias Filter Simulator Yes vs No Turn on Anti Alias filter effect to minimise Moire
Support for UHS Memory Cards UHS-I vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J5 and Pentax K-70
Wireless Connection Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes Flexible shooting positions
Built-in Flash Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution 21 MP vs 24 MP Bigger prints and more details
Continuous Shooting 20.0fps vs 6.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes creative shooting
Selfie Friendly LCD Yes vs Yes Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J5 and Pentax K-70
Nikon 1 J5 vs Pentax K-70: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J5 and Pentax K-70. Nikon 1 J5 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 28mm narrower, 33mm shorter and 42mm thinner than Pentax K-70.

Nikon 1 J5 vs Pentax K-70 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J5 and Pentax K-70.
Nikon 1 J5 vs Pentax K-70 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Nikon 1 J5 vs Pentax K-70 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J5 is significantly lighter (457g ) than the Pentax K-70 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Pentax K-70 has an APS-C sized sensor and Nikon 1 J5 has a smaller 1" sensor, Nikon 1 J5's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Pentax K-70 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

J5
K-70
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

J5
K-70
Min
Average
Max
Nikon 1 J5 vs Pentax K-70: Sensor Comparison

Nikon 1 J5 has a 21.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5A processor. On the other hand, Pentax K-70 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features PRIME MII processor.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Pentax K-70 and Nikon 1 J5 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the J5 and K-70 sensor size comparison.

Nikon 1 J5 vs Pentax K-70 Sensor Size Comparison


As seen above, Pentax K-70 has a 3.2x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J5. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J5 and Pentax K-70 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J5 and Pentax K-70 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon 1 J5 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-70 for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon 1 J5 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-70 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon 1 J5 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-70 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/16000s
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 250 shots
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/6000s
9 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
Read the details

Nikon 1 J5 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-70 for Daily Photography

GOOD
231g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
688g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details

Nikon 1 J5 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-70 for Landscape Photography

GOOD
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details


Pentax K-70 vs Nikon 1 J5 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Pentax K-70 has an advantage over Nikon 1 J5 There are 144 lenses for Pentax K-70's Pentax KAF2 mount, on the other hand there are only 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J5's Nikon 1 lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Pentax K-70 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon 1 J5 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 7 lenses for Nikon 1 mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Nikon 1 J5 Lenses # of Pentax K-70 Lenses
Standard Zoom 4 22
Standard Prime 2 19
Wideangle Zoom 1 11
Wideangle Prime 2 24
Telephoto Zoom 2 20
Telephoto Prime n/a 11
SuperZoom 2 15
Wideangle Fisheye Prime n/a 3
Macro Prime n/a 12
Perspective Control Prime n/a 7
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a n/a
TOTAL 13 144
Nikon 1 J5 vs Pentax K-70: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon 1 J5 and Pentax K-70, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon 1 J5 and Pentax K-70 scores compare:

Nikon 1 J5
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #22 out of 114 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #140 out of 1131 in all Cameras
Pentax K-70
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #2 out of 73 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #42 out of 1131 in all Cameras

Pentax K-70 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon 1 J5 in all criterias except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon 1 J5. Otherwise, Pentax K-70 is the better camera overall.

Nikon 1 J5
Nikon 1 J5
$496.95

Pentax K-70
Pentax K-70
$594.89

Pentax K-70 vs Nikon 1 J5 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon 1 J5 Pentax K-70
Brand Nikon Pentax
Announced 2015-04-03 2016-06-08
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Price $496.95 $594.89
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1" APS-C
Dimensions 13.2 x 8.8 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 116.16mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 21 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 5568 x 3712 6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 12,800 ISO 102,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 171 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon 1 Pentax KAF2
Number of Available Lenses 13 144
Screen
Type Tilting Fully Articulated
Size 3″ 3″
Resolution 1,037k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.63
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/16000s 1/6000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.00 m (ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 20.0 fps 6.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 231g 688g
Dimensions 98 x 60 x 32mm 126 x 93 x 74mm
Battery Life 250 shots 410 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 65 not tested
DxO Color Depth 22.1 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 12.0 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 479 not tested
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