The PENTAX 17! People are MAD. They shouldn't be.

[@theangrymarmot8336]

I ordered mine the day it came out - I knew it would be the perfect pocket camera (and it is.) All the dingleberries non-stop hating on it can't see past their own sense of entitlement to understand what it is, and how it is a great camera despite it not being what "they" want. I am three rolls into mine (developing the 3rd roll today actually) and I have really enjoyed using it. The price isn't bad at all - it is a quality, partially metal camera with modern film coatings and optics. Fantastic video / explanation and you are completely right on with all your points.

[@HansRosemond]

Thanks so much! I think it’s important to recognize that everyone has different likes and dislikes and no camera is going to be everyone’s cup of tea. That said, I think this is a great start and a fine job by Pentax.

[@gavinjenkins899]

It's not that it's a bad camera. It's that it's a strictly worse camera in every way than a $100 Canon Demi EE17 for example.

[@theangrymarmot8336]

​@@gavinjenkins899 It isn't "strictly worse" than a 60 year old camera that the vast majority *will* need service/work to function correctly. The EE17 also uses out of production batteries - so you get to deal with the possibility of mercury outgassing and the issues that causes. I love old gear - I own/maintain quite a bit of it and repair/service it myself due to the fact of finding repair shops is a serious pain in the butt. However, ignoring the minefield of issues that decades old gear has in some rose-tinted debate against a new film camera is a half-truth. Old gear *does* have issues and is a dice roll. By the time you spend $100 dollars on a 1960s camera, then have it CLA's, and the light seals done, and whatever else you need - you aren't far off the price of the 17. That is the reality if you properly maintain your gear and keep it in full functionality. At least with the 17 you are getting brand new, warrantied, and modern optics/coatings for a reasonable price.

[@gavinjenkins899]

Demi will take LR44 coin cells totally fine, as will 95% of old cameras with no issue. They cost about $0.10 and last like a year. Batteries are a massive weak spot of the Pentax, especially since it uses battery power to electronically focus even though it doesn't have autofocus, for no reason.

[@gavinjenkins899]

@@theangrymarmot8336 Ebay has a 30 day warranty. You can easily confirm it's fully working in 30 days and return including all shipping if it isn't. The likelihood that it will break between day 31 and 1 year (when pentax's warranty runs out) is virtually nil. I have bought 25 cameras on ebay, and one ever broke after the 30 days. It might have been over a year later though which still wouldn't count here.

[@vioviolee]

I'm a new user of the Pentax 17 - and loved your honest review. I'm not a professional photographer and I'm having so much fun with it. It does what it needs allowing me to capture moments during travelling and still have some control in my focus. I'm excited to see what they bring down the line.

[@davidhaddad76]

I appreciated the candid and slightly different approach to this review.

[@sc0ttmagoon]

Great comments, Hans. I agree. I think so much of the criticism of new products like this comes from an “it’s not for me” perspective. Everything isn’t for everybody. And this seems squarely in line with what the younger generation that is discovering film would want. I hope they sell a ton of them.

[@user-de6xc6rj4c]

Glad to see you, Hans. Missed your great reviews

[@fotogordon]

For me this is the best review I have seen. I completely agree with the story of the eternal search for the perfect image. I used to sent my holiday photos to a photo agency, which then sold them for me to magazines and for books. iWhen traveling I regularly returned to a place because I saw that the light would be much better within half an hour or so. Much to the dismay of my wife who expected me to just enjoy the moment with her. The Pentax 17 reminds me of my first new camera. A Fujica half and years later I have often thought back with a slight nostalgia to the simplicity of photography. In my quest for the perfect image, I ‘ve never really done zone focusing. I didn't dare, because the chance of mistakes was too great. Now I have to. Great!

[@HansRosemond]

Funny that a camera can fit you even more because of its limitations.

[@scottallen4131]

Excellent presentation and pacing Hans!

[@HansRosemond]

Thanks Scott!

[@alfredbarten4901]

Well said. I always doubted half frame, but Pentax roused my curiosity. So I invested in several vintage half frame cameras to see if I like the format. I like it for the reasons you say. Soon I'll get the 17, though I'm in no hurry. I'm wary of low serial numbers. Your pictures are terrific. Since I rarely print larger than 5x7, I'm not worried about comparisons with full frame and medium format (I have both).

[@Enevan1968]

I wanted to buy a half frame camera and thanks to Pentax i have one. Yes I could have bought a second hand one... but why? It's new, it's under warranty and it's Pentax!

[@pjmverbruggen]

Full agreement!

[@ano1962]

Before digital I was a student and I couldn’t afford to buy a brand new film camera and still can’t but at least I got hope again lol

[@soulstart89]

Hans it’s so good to see you back. I relate with you letting go with a simple limited camera. Even though the Pentax isn’t for me I hope this sparks more evolution.

[@HansRosemond]

It’s good to be back! I missed it.

[@brugj03]

Evolution into what??? Half frame digital........

[@soulstart89]

@@brugj03 a evolution of analog photography. My mamiya rz67, and Nikon Apollo f are old. The Apollo is older than my parents and the mamiya Rz older than myself. The evolution is In tools. Digital is digital.

[@TadTadd]

I love this little camera! I posted a video with darkroom prints form mine a couple of weeks back. In it I did my own brief rant about the complaints about the build and price--I held up a Nikon S3, and figured its original price in 1958 yen to be the equivalent of $3700 in 2024 money, then held up a Canon A-1, with its original price in 1978 of $3000 in 2024 money--if we wanted the build quality of those cameras, the Pentax 17 would cost $2000. It doesn't cost that, but you can still see that though most of it is plastic, the molds were very well made. I have been shooting nothing but HP5 Plus through mine so far, and the gritty pictures bring me joy. Even on days when I go out planning on shooting, say, macro with the A-1, the 17 tags along and ends up getting just as much use. For a half-frame camera, the darkroom prints look pretty darned good to me--the one print I did at 8x10 is now framed on my wall and nobody would think less of it. You said it right, we use this camera because it's FUN!

[@pembridgehouse]

Great post Hans.

[@HansRosemond]

Thank you!

[@abhinaybuiss]

The analog camera users pined for a new half decent camera for decades, and when one of the major manufacturers actually did research and launched more than a quality camera, they besmirched it primarily because of the price. Which reminded me of the reddit post about Thomas Cook customer reviews, complaining about Spain full of Spanish people and Indian cities serving mainly spicy curries! If, because of the negative publicity, this camera sales drop and the production discontinues, the very same people will buy it for thousands of dollars for being "niche and sturdy".

[@NickCheng93]

I've had lousy luck with buying compact cameras in the past (SLRs have been safer buys) so it's nice having a brand new working compact that I can take anywhere. And I got the extended warranty so it's 3 years

[@Mike_Wazowski_z]

the questioning of the price to me will never make sense. Everyone has been buying used, disintegrating cameras off Ebay for the same if not more money for years now and a REPAIRABLE NEW one comes out and everyone says its too expensive lol. Also in my opinion the half frame images from the Pentax are on par with the full frame on the Rollei. I've only seen what I've seen online but to me it looks pretty damn close which is pretty impressive on Pentax's part. I have other cameras to use if I want higher quality images I don't need a point and shoot for that.

[@michaelacookePDX]

Did you buy one after you got back? Or plan to buy one?

[@xmeda]

It is missing full manual and faster shutter at least 1/1000s. It is $750 equivallent in EU (!)

[@danielmayer9209]

So many of the arguments sound like someone talking about the comfort that digital offered over film once it was new😅 Also the argument of saving with film costs ist just bs as you have to add the camera price into it. Young people and or beginners are not keen on dropping a 500$ on a film camera which before was synonymous for them to cheap thrift store or cheap disposable items. Source: I am a young beginner film photographer. I still hope the rich kids buy out this camera so maybe something worth of its hefty pricetag get manufactured by Pentax and the other companies. More that that i hope this leads to more film products and more labs popping up in cities.

[@anta40]

When Pentax 17 news came a few weeks ago, I could foresee some folks will do unfair comparison, like Pentax 17 vs Nikon F100 + pro grade Nikkor lenses, or vs its big brother Pentax 67. It's indeed not a cheap thing, but on the other side isn't built to persuade film geeks to stop using their favourite gears. It's targeted toward younger, smartphone photographers, or some who are looking for camera for fun. Let's be honest, half frame shooters are typically not interested in making huge prints. I won't buy it, but hopefully Ricoh get sufficient fund for their next film camera project (perhaps an interchangeable-lens rangefinder :D )

[@brugj03]

Smartphone photographers will never buy this, it`s far to expensive and basically just a toy. Film sucks today, it`s very expensive, low quality and you can`t share it before you have to make crazy expensive prints with bad phone quality looks.

[@anta40]

@@brugj03 it definitely matches their profiles, though - An upgrade from typical cheap point & shoot and gives you greater DoF control - Still reasonably compact The serious ones will prefer something like Nikon F100 or EOS ELAN. Half frames are decent for smallish prints and social medias. Well they don't particularly care about prints, after all.

[@brugj03]

@@anta40 Phones simulates Dof quite nice these days. They`re just not gonna buy this, to replace anything, it might be cool for a change but the novelty will soon wear off and your stuck with it.

[@kevincooper8666]

I paid this very sum for as new never been used 90's Nikon fm2n given the choice would I have picked the Pentax dohh!

[@coolduder1001]

Who's mad? other than the price

[@voyagersquaremuzika]

Support Pentax?? And why doesn't Pentax support us analog shooters and sell that camera for some reasonable normal price? After all, there are plenty of other half-frame cameras out there for the normal price. It is obvious that Pentax like all such companies is taking advantage of this analog "hype" and imposing huge prices for films and all photography, especially analog equipment.

[@anggaros1]

What is the reasonable camera with that kind of quality do you think? You can buy Kodak H35 and be happy so why don't you?

[@limera1nx]

If you find the original price of any “other cameras” and account for inflation, they were at least $1000 in today’s money.

[@ShutterKnack]

Why don't you make one yourself for 300 USD? Let's see if you can make one for even the same price.

[@chriscard6544]

I disagree. This camera is a piece of sh.. and we all know it. But for some reasons, people loose their reason here. The trend... it is sad to see great photographers doing that unethical reviews.

[@brugj03]

I don`t........i see a piece of junk here. Pure consumerism, a useless toy.

[@chriscard6544]

@@brugj03 yes

[@raybeaumont7670]

Plenty of 1/2 frame cameras out there, especially from Olympus. Good cameras and good prices. The Pentax is just one more.

[@gavinjenkins899]

Well no it's not one more, because one of the requirements you listed was "good prices". It's a good camera at a bad price. The other ones are good cameras at good prices.

[@gsh0cked]

Reduce that price point!