How Pentax's new camera is misunderstood.

Today I'm taking a closer look at the new Pentax 17 film camera and sharing my thoughts and experiences.

#Pentax17 #filmphotography #pentax

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Chapters:
00:00 - 00:25 - Introduction
00:25 - 01:29 - The first weeks
01:29 - 04:50 - The design and features
04:50 - 06:39 - What I like
06:39 - 07:23 - What I‘m unsure of
07:23 - 08:46 - What I dislike
08:46 - 10:05 - Much love!
10:05 - 13:04- The photos and the lens
13:04 - 15:33 - The price
15:33 - 18:40 - Final thoughts

Sources for my look into prices of the past:

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The two lenses for the camera:

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For my German friends, here are the links for .de

My main video camera:
The two lenses for the camera:

My favourite digital camera for photography:
The two lenses I use with it:

Other gear I use to make my videos:

(all links are affiliate links)

[teocrawford]

So here are my thoughts on the Pentax 17. What do you think of it? I hope you enjoyed the video! :)


Wishing you a lovely weekend! <3
Teo

[mc]

I pre-ordered this camera on the first day it was released and received it about two weeks later. I’m really enjoying this camera. It has a point-and-shoot feel and is very lightweight, making it easy to carry around. I haven't developed the pictures yet, as I've only taken 68 shots so far. Given how expensive film can be, I’ve always wanted to use a half-frame camera. This has been a very happy purchase for me.

[jessepinkmangaming]

id be head over heels if pentax made a new rangefinder style camera

[SlimShady-nvmq]

As a brazilian, it's always a joy to hear our bossa nova being played in your videos, Teo!

[cindywho]

Regarding the price, this is new technology, not just recycled tech from the 60s-80s. Research and development is costly.

[chrisbliss]

Everybody is complaining about the price, but is buying new iphones every two years for 1000€ without any complaints. 😂

[jonglass]

Thank you for comparing the 17's price to film cameras from the 80s and 90s. I compared it to a point and shoot from the mid 80s (about $150-$200, was what my memory told me), and even that was nearer $400 or $500 today. IMO, the 17 is a bargain, in reality! I I am still shooting my first roll on my own copy, but think that I will like it. It certainly gives me confidence that my ancient film cameras don't (they all date from the 50s through to the 70s). I was also suspicious of the half-frame, but one benefit I am discovering is that since I'm getting 48 shots on this roll, I feel more freedom to just shoot, vs when I shoot full frame, or medium format, where I want every photo to "count". I'll see how sharp the images are when I finally develop the film, and go to enlarge the images in the dark room, but the sample images I've seen online have given me hope--we'll see. :-)

[OutlawSquirtle]

Couldn't agree more with what you were saying about the camera. I wished it was made with more rugged materials and the fact it wasn't a full frame camera was a bit of a deal breaker for myself. I feel like it would have been a near perfect camera for beginners and even experienced people in the hobby/craft to be able to have a more everyday casual yet more sophisticated camera.

[gregwardecke]

Teo, thanks for the thoughtful review. I appreciate your assessment of what it is and not trashing what it is not. I am disappointed some influencers felt the need to be negative. Pentax stepped up and made a new top to bottom film camera in 2024. 2024!! Let’s celebrate what we have. Oh, thanks for the price comparison. Good information.

[lucasbordiao]

Hey Teo, I'm very happy to hear Brazilian music in your video, greetings from Brazil.

[christopherward]

Development and production costs for something designed from scratch will be high. It’s a very successful design.

[UndinesOcean]

Lovely shots! ❤ The zone focusing system on this camera is truly cute and self-explanatory.

[dangerforthebrain]

Actually a decent review of the camera, so many others miss features and missrepresent this product by rushing out the video during the first week of the camera being released. Top stuff man :)

[stivensbanks]

When they released this camera with so much hype over it, I thought "man, what an overrated thing they did, what is this?".
For the price of the K1000 at the time it was released, this 17 is never worth the same price.
I was excited by the hype they made on Instagram and was disappointed when I saw it. And your video says exactly what I think about it 😂
I'm happy to save my money for another camera. Maybe the next one, if they don't make another one like this 👀

[gottanikoncamera]

The Olympus XA w/ flash released at $200 though after a while you could find it at NY discounters for about $175. We have to remember that producing this first-in-a-long-time model was a big endeavor since much of the equipment to produce film cameras, and the technical know how was gone. I think $500 is a fair price.

[shoto]

Seeing the original prices for camera’s adjusted for inflation made me realize that prices for camera’s haven’t really changed. Like the inflated price for the Minolta is basically the same price for a brand new Sony A7 camera, and that honestly makes sense to me, and in fact it’s honestly amazing that prices haven’t skyrocketed more for average consumer cameras in the last 30-40 years; especially for what camera’s that are way more capable than ones back then.

[nwmi]

Phenomenal job Teo! This is the best review and selection of photos that I've seen regarding the Pentax 17. I purchased this camera as soon as it was released, and I'm still working on my first roll.

[jeffreycutts]

Great video, and an interesting camera to be sure! The perspective on price is really good, particularly because if cared for properly, cameras have a ton of longevity.

[jakubwieliczko]

It's so freaking beautiful! I'm so happy it came to existance!

[rayce]

I still don’t think it’s a fair comparison for the inflation of those cameras to this. Metal body, fully manual settings, and full frame. Comparing the price to another half frame camera in those times would make more sense. This isn’t a k1000 not even close.