A month passed since the release of Pentax 17, the camera has reached many hands, and more than a few rolls of film have already been shot and developed, so let’s run over the things we learned in the meantime!
The basics
Pentax 17 is a brand new, developed-from-scratch film camera. It has a non-removable lens and takes vertically oriented half-frame photos on standard 35mm film. Film advance is fully mechanical, the wind lever is designed to look the same as the one found on Pentax 110 cameras. Its build is plastic, but both the top and the bottom plates are magnesium.
The lens optical formula, 3 elements in 3 groups, is based on the Pentax Espio Mini (UC-1 in the U.S.) compact camera from 1994. According to the Pentax team, it is tweaked to look more similar to the Ricoh Auto Half camera. It needed to be adjusted for a half-frame size, so instead of a 32mm focal length, it is a 25mm lens now – equivalent to a 37mm field-of-view. All lens elements are fully multi-coated with the latest Pentax HD coatings. There’s a 40.5mm filter thread that covers a metering cell, so using filters shouldn’t be a problem. Focusing is done manually, using six zones – from “macro” to landscape distances. For those wanting to have more precise zones, there are six distance markings in meters and feet. While focusing is done manually, there’s no autofocus, lens elements are moved electronically, and the camera uses focus-by-wire. It might sound strange and completely unnecessary, but apparently, there is a method to the madness — when the camera is in a fully automatic mode, it will keep the focus at a hyperfocal distance.
With its different automatic modes, the camera is fully dependent on the battery — it uses one CR2 battery. Using a readily available and common battery instead of an internal, USB-charged battery might look like a strange choice, but to me, that looks like a future-proofing move — camera life and usability are not limited by its battery.
Despite all the electronics, the camera doesn’t recognize DX-coded film, so setting the correct sensitivity is a crucial step, and that step can be easily neglected and forgotten even by seasoned film photographers. While not adding a DX reader, it makes some sense — this way, anyone can easily use non-DX coded film or reloaded film in incorrect canisters, and the DX reader would just add another layer of confusion. Personally, I wouldn’t mind that feature added in future versions, with clearly marked “A” (automatic) position on the ISO dial.
There are a few cool features to know about — the camera uses a standard Pentax CS-205 cable switch for long bulb exposures or remote shutter operation. The switch can be uses on almost all Pentax DSLR cameras, and there are more or less advanced 3rd party alternatives. There’s additional strap lug on the bottom end of the camera, so the strap can be attached in the horizontal position, with the camera hanging from the side. That feature was previously available on Pentax LX and 67.
There’s the name, as well — 17 is meant to be a nod to the 67, the legendary medium format film SLR, it even uses the same font.
And finally, there’s the price. 550€ for a compact camera without autofocus is a serious amount of money. On the other hand, this is a brand-new camera, built in 2024, readily available, with a printed manual, and guaranteed serviceability for at least the next 7 years.
The drama
Pentax 17 caused a lot of drama on the social media. Many dismissed it as a completely unnecessary toy, some dismissed its half-frame format, and some dismissed its features — the lens, lack of autofocus, lack of fully manual mode, and choice of battery, to name a few. Everything was problematic to someone. Many angry posts were written about the price, how 550€ buys many better cameras, with interchangeable lenses, or even multiple compact cameras.
There was even a shortage of cameras, for at least a week, due to an unexpectedly high number of preorders, causing another wave of angry reactions.
But finally, the cameras started reaching shelves, reviewers managed to finish the first rolls, develop and scan their photos, and judging by the reactions, the camera looks like it’s a success.
The impression
Disclaimer: I’m yet to use the camera, all the experience written here is based on what I’ve seen on the ‘net.
People are reporting the build quality is perfectly fine, the camera is small and light enough for everyday use. Worries about the lack of resolution because the half-frame size also turned out as a completely overblown issue — the lens is very sharp, completely devoid of all vignetting, with excellent contrast. Judging by the full-size scans, the lens is as good as it gets and looks better than many well-regarded vintage full-frame lenses. Unusual mode dial takes some time to get used to, but so far it looks like the learning phase is short and painless.
Focusing is not as straightforward, though. First-time zone focus users are reporting having difficulties with choosing the right zone, but apparently, this confusion quickly wears out with some experience. Close focusing is more hit-and-miss, shortest distances are not as easy to focus due to shallow depth of field — as it was expected. I’ve yet to find a single complaint about the battery or “missing” manual mode.
What remains is the price. 550€ (or the equivalent in US$) is a lot of money for a film camera. Understandably, it takes a lot to develop s completely new film camera from scratch and for a somewhat limited market, but the criticism based on the price is probably the only one valid — it is not a easily affordable camera. Its price is not unreasonable, though — inflation-adjusted prices for almost all other similar cameras is very similar, or even higher. But this new lens outperforms all vintage (and not so vintage) competition, and the guaranteed repairability of a brand new device makes it worth.
For those wanting new but cheaper compact camera, alternatives do exist — Kodak Ektar H35N and Lomo LC-Wide both can take half-frame photos, while offering options not available on Pentax 17, like multiple frame sizes and wider lens in the Lomo or built-in star filter in the Kodak. And both are available for less — LC-Wide for 400€, H35N for 66€.
Viability of those alternatives is a strictly personal choice.
