The Pentax 17 is a Brand New FILM CAMERA!

After two years in development, Pentax has finally released a brand-new half-frame 35mm film camera: the Pentax 17! Chris and Jordan went down to PetaPixel Editor-in-Chief’s hometown of Portland to shoot a couple rolls of film and see what the Pentax 17 is capable of.

0:00 - Intro
1:27 - Format and lens
2:09 - Sample images
3:24 - Design and controls
4:44 - Flash
5:11 - Exposure modes
7:36 - Viewfinder
9:11 - Focusing
11:08 - Close-up
11:41 - Long exposures
13:58 - Merch!!!
14:45 - The results
18:27 - Who is it for?

#pentax17 #pentax

[TungstenOvergaard]

You haven’t talked about video features :/

[BigJohnnyMoe]

I want to see Jordan do a 72 shot, 3 second stop-animation, and comment on the video capabilities.

[Manoloelgomo]

I just watched almost all the other reviews on the Pentax 17 and I have to say this is by far the best and most informative one on the camera. Chris, you absolutely killed it with the sample photos.

[ShutterKnack]

True film photography fans need to buy this if they ever want new film cameras to pop out. If this fails, then chances are no company would attempt to do this again in the foreseeable future. C'mon guys, lets support Pentax!

[barryabdul]

Smart move by Pentax to introduce the 17 initially with half-frame, zone-focusing system and relatively small apperture for wider DoF. Film photography is quite expensive nowadays and by these arrangements it would attract wider range of audience from beginners to hobbyists to enthusiasts. When the sales has reached the target, I wouldn't be surprised to a more advanced camera from this series and it would lead the competitors to follow suit.

[ShutterKnack]

These are the best photo samples I have seen in a long time!

[alhOOOO]

Beautiful black and white images of the waterfall

[backslashio]

Its nice for people who want a film camera that isn't a disposable and doesn't want to buy used. Pentax is heading in the right direction for hobbyists

[Jeff_St_John]

Long Live Pentax! Did Jordan even considering bringing out that K-01 again to film the episode? Missed opportunity. 😀 Thanks gentlemen!

[GeraldGarcia]

This camera gets my approval. Pentax may be slow with getting a product to market but you can see how much thought went to it. I feel they succeeded making a film camera for 2024. Also, I love how Pentax/Ricoh makes cameras on their own terms, with almost no influence on what other manufacturers are doing.

[Skux]

Half frame is a great choice, it's way better value and vertical orientation makes sense for social media, and there's still enough resolution for its intended casual use.

Zone focus is a bit of a head scratcher though, Pentax says they want to appeal to a new generation but zone focus is not beginner friendly and can ruin a shot if you forget to set it.

[filmstockreel]

Can't believe its actually here. Great for the community!

[curtis.strange]

Finally we have proof that Chris is a great photographer! ;)

[Democratiser]

Just watched the Nikon Z6III and Pentax 17 reviews back to back. It is a reminder that cameras have advanced a long, long way in the last 20 years.

[TheFulcrum]

I was hoping for a better spec but you have to congratulate Pentax for delving back into film photography.
I started my photography hobby with film many moons ago. I had plenty of different film cameras over the years before digital came into the game.
Now I'm back using film cameras and loving it all over again.
The only down side is the price of some of these films but if you shop around you can get a decent deal.
On that note I can wholeheartedly recommend here in the UK Analogue Wonderland. They have a great choice of film for 35mms and 120 mm.
They cover developing, scanning and offer cloud storage to boot. And no they are not paying for this recommendation.
Let's hope Pentax does well with this camera and gets more people back into film photography.

[saramdipm]

I recently got back into film and was surprised when I got better results from "toy" film cameras than I got from SLRs in the 90s. The development process, especially the digital editing part, is the difference. You can't separate the results you got from the film, camera and lab without controlling for each. Labs today are generally top notch because they do it out of passion. Old chemicals and bad process resulted in terrible colors at many labs in the 80s and 90s. I'd love to see a video where you edit the photos yourself with something like Negative Lab Pro!

[PaulSafford]

Hands down the best preview of this epic occasion - a new film camera! I've been watching the previews on this all day and it's clear you're the only one who actually read the manual. Thank you! As for the camera, it's going to be a while before I get one since you can really find some awesome film cameras for the price. But I wish Pentax success with this and hopefully there's room in the market for an even better camera in the future.

[dbkfrogkaty]

I'm thoroughly impressed by this camera. I like the form factor, grip, and viewfinder. Looks like it will be a fun camera for lovers of film both young and old.

[erichramone]

Chris! Your photography never looked better! Thank you very much. Love your show

[erichramone]

Wow I wanted to hate this camera due to its lack of features, but wow those images came out amazing 🤩. Very cool Chris