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.
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.
Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70.
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D3500 and Pentax K-70.
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
Thickness Comparison
DSLR Cameras
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.
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.
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 and Pentax K-70 have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
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
Pentax K-70 for Portrait Photography
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
Pentax K-70 for Street Photography
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
Pentax K-70 for Sports Photography
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
Pentax K-70 for Daily Photography
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
Pentax K-70 for Landscape Photography
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
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 308 lenses for Nikon D3500's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 151 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. 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 106 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.
| Lens Type |
# of Nikon D3500 Lenses |
# of Pentax K-70 Lenses |
| Standard Zoom |
33 |
22 |
| Standard Prime |
21 |
20 |
| Wideangle Zoom |
33 |
12 |
| Wideangle Prime |
48 |
24 |
| Telephoto Zoom |
53 |
21 |
| Telephoto Prime |
44 |
12 |
| SuperZoom |
30 |
15 |
| Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
8 |
3 |
| Macro Prime |
26 |
14 |
| Perspective Control Prime |
11 |
8 |
| Telephoto Mirror Prime |
1 |
n/a |
| TOTAL |
308 |
151 |
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 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 D3500 and Pentax K-70 scores compare:
Nikon D3500
Ranked
#30 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked
#209 out of 1192 in all Cameras
Pentax K-70
Ranked
#2 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked
#65 out of 1192 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.
| 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 |
308 |
151 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fixed type |
Fully Articulated |
| Size |
3 |
3" |
| Resolution |
921k dots |
921k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Optical (pentamirror) |
Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
95% |
100% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
0.56 |
0.63 |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/4000s |
1/6000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| 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 |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| 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 |
|
|
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |