Pentax X70

Overview

Pentax's first foray into the world of the ultra-zoom has followed the standard procedure of mimicking the look and feel of an SLR, though on a smaller scale, and weighing noticeably less.

Pentax's first ultra-zoom

Front

The grip is large enough to fill the hand quite readily, making it easy to hold. One problem is that the autofocus assist bulb is placed in a prime location for it to get covered with your fingers.
 

That AF assist bulb is easily blocked

Back

Users of Pentax SLRs will immediately feel at home with the button layout of the X70. It's a traditional four-way button set, with a control dial located handily by your thumb. The green button in the bottom right can be set to either bring you to a quick menu, or flip the camera into the 'green mode' that locks out virtually all user controls.
 

A familiar control scheme

Sides

The left side has the USB and DC ports, housed under a substantial rubber plug. You can also see the button to pop open the flash, and a series of holes that cover the speaker. Both the left and right sides have eyelets for attaching the camera strap.

The grip is nice and large

Top

The business end of the camera's controls are all tucked away on its top. You've got the mode dial, exposure compensation button, power, and the shutter control with a zoom ring surrounding it.

The zoom ring feels smooth and responsive

Bottom

Underneath the X70 is a tripod mount, and the door to the battery and memory card compartment. The tripod mount is camera-centered, though we would have preferred it to be lens-centered, because if you're using a tripod while zoomed in at the maximum 24x, having your center of rotation based around the lens makes framing slightly easier.

Shift the tripod mount about an inch to the left, and we'd be happy