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Nikon D3500 vs Pentax K-70 Comparison

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Camera to replace
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Nikon D3500

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

Nikon D3500
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Pentax K-70

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

Pentax K-70
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Nikon D3500 vs Pentax K-70 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing D3500 and K-70, two Entry-Level DSLR cameras from Nikon and Pentax. Nikon D3500 was introduced to market in August 2018 and Pentax K-70 was launched in June 2016. As you can see, K-70 is 2 years older than D3500. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D3500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2018-08-29
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 365g. 124 x 97 x 70 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D3400 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
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 6.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 688g. 126 x 93 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Nikon D3500 over Pentax K-70
Battery Life
1550 shots vs 410 shots 1140 more frames with a single charge
Weight
365 g vs 688 g 323 g lighter
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
CHECK D3500 PRICE


Reasons to choose Pentax K-70 over Nikon D3500
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.63x vs 0.56x Larger Viewfinder
Max ISO
102.400 vs 25.600 300% higher Max ISO
Viewfinder Coverage
100% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Max Mech. Shutter
1/6000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
6.0fps vs 5.0fps 1 fps faster
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 7.0m 5m longer range
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Optical Viewfinder Type
Pentaprism vs Pentamirror Pentaprism Viewfinders are brighter than Pentamirror type
Pixel Shift High-Res 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
Astrotracer Mode
Yes vs No Great for Astrophotography
CHECK K-70 PRICE

Common Strengths of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
24 MP vs 24 MP Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 921k dots High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting
5.0fps vs 6.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-I vs UHS-I Read/Write in High Speeds
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70
Nikon D3500 vs Pentax K-70: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D3500 has external dimensions of 124 x 97 x 70 mm (4.88 x 3.82 x 2.76″) and weighs 365 g (0.80 lb / 12.87 oz) (including batteries). Pentax K-70 has external dimensions of 126 x 93 x 74 mm (4.94 x 3.66 x 2.91″) and weighs 688 g (1.52 lb / 24.27 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70. Nikon D3500 is 2mm narrower and 4mm thinner than Pentax K-70 but it is also 4mm taller.

Nikon D3500 vs Pentax K-70 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70.

Nikon D3500 vs Pentax K-70 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70.
Nikon D3500 vs Pentax K-70 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D3500 is significantly lighter (323g ) 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 both Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 have the same APS-C sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D3500
K-70
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D3500
K-70
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of K-70, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to D3500.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Pentax K-70 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Nikon D3500's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to K-70.
Nikon D3500 vs Pentax K-70: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 have APS-C sized 24.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Pentax K-70 and Nikon D3500 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 D3500 and K-70 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D3500 vs Pentax K-70 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 Cameras


Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

Nikon D3500 vs Pentax K-70 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 Nikon D3500 has an advantage over Pentax K-70. There are 316 lenses for Nikon D3500's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 161 lenses for Pentax K-70's Pentax KAF2 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. K-70's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 4.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Nikon D3500 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 107 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Nikon D3500 Lenses # of Pentax K-70 Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 23
Standard Prime 22 23
Wideangle Zoom 33 12
Wideangle Prime 50 26
Telephoto Zoom 54 21
Telephoto Prime 46 15
SuperZoom 30 15
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 3
Macro Prime 26 14
Perspective Control Prime 11 8
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 316 161


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF Lens Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF
25.5 - 82.5mm 755gr 1120gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED Lens Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED
24 - 75mm 565gr 1253gr 99mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 1715gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax DA 50-135mm F2.8 ED Lens Pentax DA 50-135mm F2.8 ED
75 - 202.5mm 685gr 1373gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 35mm f1.8G Lens Nikon 35mm f1.8G
52.5mm 200gr 565gr 53mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax FA 31mm F1.8 L Lens Pentax FA 31mm F1.8 L
31mm 345gr 1033gr 69mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED Lens Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED
15 - 36mm 460gr 825gr 87mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL Lens Pentax 12-24mm F4.0 ED AL
18 - 36mm 430gr 1118gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR Lens Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR
24 - 120mm 480gr 845gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax 17-70mm F4.0 AL SDM Lens Pentax 17-70mm F4.0 AL SDM
25.5 - 105mm 485gr 1173gr 94mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR
80 - 400mm 1570gr 1935gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG HSM Lens Sigma 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG HSM
120 - 400mm 1640gr 2328gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D3500 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 D3500 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-70 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
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 D3500 for Street Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-70 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
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 D3500 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-70 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1550 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
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 D3500 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Pentax K-70 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
365g
Body Thickness 70mm
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 D3500 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-70 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
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

Nikon D3500 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 D3500 and Pentax K-70, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 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 D3500 and Pentax K-70 scores compare:

Nikon D3500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #32 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #260 out of 1243 in all Cameras
Pentax K-70
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #2 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #97 out of 1243 in all Cameras

Pentax K-70 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D3500 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon D3500
Nikon D3500
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Pentax K-70
Pentax K-70
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Pentax K-70 vs Nikon D3500 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D3500 Pentax K-70
Brand Nikon Pentax
Announced 2018-08-29 2016-06-08
Body Type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 23.5 x 15.6 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 366.60mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 24 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 6000 x 4000 6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 102,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 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 11 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Pentax KAF2
Number of Available Lenses 316 161
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 921k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.56x 0.63x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/6000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 7.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 6.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 365g 688g
Dimensions 124 x 97 x 70mm 126 x 93 x 74mm
Battery Life 1550 shots 410 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
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