Pentax 17 35mm Camera - Trev Lee - Film Photography Podcast 325 (video)

Ricoh Imaging just announced the new PENTAX 17 compact film camera available now at filmphotograph... and other select photo retailers.
Trev Lee from ‪@TheDarkroomLab‬ shares his experience shooting with the camera.
PENTAX 17 is a half-frame camera, capturing two 17mm x 24mm pictures within in a single 35mm- format (36mm x 24mm) film frame. It produces vertical-format pictures, with similar ratios to those captured by smartphones.

[@MinoltaCamera]

Don't listen to the rats, they're just haters. They compare a piece of plastic junk like a Lomo, or an Olympus that's been rotting away in some grandpa's attic for 60 years, to a brand new premium compact camera, with a Program mode, a sharp prime lens, an exposure compensation dial, a magnesium alloy top and bottom, a film advance lever and rewind knob. All for only $500. There are no good new digital or film cameras for $500, and none with all the features this one has, in a compact body that fits in your pocket...

[@ArfurrCrown]

Well my Pentax MX from 1975 is still going strong and I’d love one of these and bin my iPhone crap camera

[@erichartke4331]

​@@ArfurrCrownI would love a brand new MX, a small and capable mechanical SLR but with a modern meter. I suspect the SLR will be electronically dependent, because that's easier with today's technology I am afraid to say.

[@randallstewart1224]

There is one thing you can be sure of for the 17. A 3-element 25mm lens is never going to meet even the most corrupted definition of "sharp". Further, most the auto-exposure modes of the camera lock the aperture either wide open or fully closed down, i.e., the two worst aperture setting if you value image quality. I'll predict that once all the social media groveling over the Pentax 17 dies down, the utility and image quality of the camera will limit it to people wanting to get cheap, low res film scans to post on social media.

[@erichartke4331]

@@randallstewart1224 it is in fact sharp , surprisingly so.

[@fistfulloflenses]

I Still use film ,and use a darkroom occasionally,Hope it takes of , and encourages them to produce an slr ,so we can use our legacy lenses , maybe a dream?

[@MinoltaCamera]

Do you know how much a K1000 cost when it was launched? $1000 adjusted to inflation. This is half the price.

[@davidottman9501]

Fantastic news that there's a new film camera on the market! Even better that it's not a crowd-funded, 3D-printed toy. No, this is the real deal. This might be my strongest reason to seriously consider one. It also looks like a good machine from what you've said here. Good work Pentax, for stepping up to the huge task of designing, manufacturing and marketing a new product. Good work also to FPP for carrying them, your success is bringing more success!

[@jgnnarvaez]

Get one; you won't be disappointed.

[@gabvideo]

An equivalent half frame camera (Olympus/canon) from 1966 cost approx £30 in the uk, about £470 in today’s money. Phots taken with my Olympus Pen FtN made great 10x8 prints back in the day.

[@b.2221]

This camera 📷 is sheer Pentax ingenuity.

[@nwmi23]

I wasn't interested in the camera when I initially heard the rumors however, I immediately placed an order once it was officially unveiled.

[@michaelacookePDX]

I'm really looking forward to reviews from actual retail customers. All of these KZbin reviews are from people who have a vested interest in not criticizing Pentax. There is a glaring lack of value in this camera at the $500 retail price.

[@sdcorrey]

Brand new and won’t need a CLA or light seals for many many years. Price seems fair for a new film camera.

[@HologramJones]

"AOG" logo is "AOCo", Pentax's original name, Asahi Optical Company

[@techietypex]

A point and shoot 35 for the 21st century! There was a surge of half frame cameras in the mid 1960s. The films of the day were considerably more grainy than they are now. Of course, film was considerably less expensive than today. I think a modern high quality half frame makes a lot of sense for many people. It would be nice if there was a manual metering version with f-stops and shutter speeds, but that may just be something only old farts like me would want. This camera will probably introduce many to film photography. Kudos to Pentax/Richo, or is it Richo/Pentax?

[@mRahman92]

Wow, I never expected them to come out a brand new manual control camera. People who don't know, pretty much everyone really, won't be intimidated or antagonistic towards you for using it!

[@fenixlolnope361]

Ugh I wish they would’ve built in a rangefinder. I still want it though. My canon Demi is getting old

[@edwardzborowski5879]

I would LOVE for 12 exposure rolls to come back!

[@ryejack]

I've been watching videos on this camera. Like a lot of people have mentioned, the price feels a bit high at first. I would point out, a somewhat similar camera is the Lomo LC-Wide 35, which runs $399, so only a hundred less. My experience with Lomography cameras is the build quality leaves a lot to be desired. From what I've seen, the Pentax 17 has much better build quality, particularly when it comes to the lens, and is worth that extra little bit.

[@BrandonNedwek]

I already ordered mine!

[@kevin-parratt-artist]

I would love a half-frame camera that can be focused.

[@jonlouis2582]

I surely hope enough folks purchase one to make it worth it to Ricoh/Pentax. It looks pretty cool to me!

[@manonmars2009]

I see it advertised for $499.95. It is coming out later this month - June.

[@oblivion_007]

A cheap toy film camera for $500 in 2024..wtf was pentax thinking... Even in film days a good compact camera was just under 200 dollar

[@OmaMspDenSan]

Great overview, Mr. Lee. You touched on all the important bits about controlling exposure. Seems like it will be fine for all neg films.

[@Ces1um]

An interesting camera with a few extra bells and whistles. Seems priced correctly when compared to purchasing a new lomo lca wide (half frame, same focal length, fewer zones) but lacks the macro or program modes. Although the lca wide can also do full frame and square crop in camera. I think I will hold off though and see the quality of the photos that come out of it. 35mm is pretty low res and to cut half of that away…. You’re almost(but not quite) into 110 territory.

[@MisterTombstone]

Dude? How are you splitting the resolution? 2 half frames is the same as 1 35mm frame. You aren’t splitting the resolution between the two images.

[@erichartke4331]

It is possible to scan individual half frames.

[@MisterTombstone]

@@erichartke4331 I know that but the resolution is the same.

[@erichartke4331]

@@MisterTombstone I just increased the resolution when scanning the individual frames.

[@MisterTombstone]

@@erichartke4331 it you aren’t splitting resolution if you scan both half frame images.

[@joshuagaude6084]

13:47 Not ideal, but you could fashion a homemade self-timer that goes into the remote shutter port. Chances are that all the remote is doing is closing a circuit.

[@SagePatrynXX]

only lacking the DX coding. :(

[@SagePatrynXX]

the only thing missing. other than that looks like a 1990's point and shoot. Like my Minolta

[@photography_jsk]

Wonder if that was purposeful, to let users shoot film at speeds other than box speed.

[@vangstr]

Half frame is a cool thing. But I cannot stand 72 frames. 36 is my limit.

[@FilmPhotographyProject]

#BringBack12ExposureRolls :)

[@nickademuss42]

roll your own, its cheap and easy to do with a daylight loader.

[@wonsVAA]

This critique is so odd to me. How is it any different from shooting 36, then loading your camera with a new roll?

[@pedlpower]

Yes. I've started buying film in 24 exp. It seems like I can never finish 36 in one outing. Half-frame? Really?🙄

[@potrzebiehuck]

It's not AOG, it's AOCo; Asahi Optical Co.

[@nickademuss42]

Very glad to see any new film camera, kind of shocked its a half frame for that price.

[@pedlpower]

Half-frame? That's a deal breaker for me. Are they marketing to the Japanese tourist demographic?

[@MisterTombstone]

Then this camera is not for you.

[@DethronerX]

Would love a new film camera that has LCD, whether built in or to be connected to it externally. The way I always wanted cameras to go into the future would be hybrid, where you can take both film and digital photos. Digital mostly for reference, especially to send to the developers to see what they are processing and for the photographer (for video especially) to do rough edits before actual footage arrives, making the edit faster and to get your first rough cut faster.

[@joshuagaude6084]

Or to add on to that, a camera that records exposure and lens information to a micro-SD card or connects to your phone via blue tooth to record that and location information that you can then reference later when you get your negatives back from the lab. And maybe companion software that can update the EXIF data for digital copies of the photos with this recorded information in a big batch.

[@DethronerX]

@@joshuagaude6084 metadata is so important 👏🏼

[@DethronerX]

@@joshuagaude6084 by the way, doesn't film always carry some data, as printed on the edges? If so, what information is there?

[@joshuagaude6084]

@@DethronerX I think that encoded data on the edge is just information about the stock. Correct me if I'm wrong. But it would be cool if a standard was introduced where space was reserved on the edge beside the frame to encode exposure metadata. Imagine a system that exposed the area between sprocket holes to encode data much like the Dolby Digital soundtrack on a movie print. Then have computer software that can decode the data from scanned images.

[@DethronerX]

@@joshuagaude6084 hell yeah that would be badass indeed. Just that with digital, film people stopped evolving the medium, but they can always do that now. Especially in social media times when manufacturers actually read our comments faster. The new Super8 camera by Kodak probably has built in Luts to match the stock, for the LCD, so that's awesome. It's how film medium will be easily liked by the new users. But as soon as prices come, even for cheap plastic, it becomes the reason for regular people to back off

[@stephenroberts6140]

Half frame and zone focus are a terrible choice. I'm sure they will sell at first but this is a total fail to me

[@guillermoperezsantos]

kinda yes

[@DixonLu]

Since this camera was not designed for experienced film shooters, those who buy them just to support Pentax means there will be a lot of them sitting around. It won't take long for the younger crowd to find film to be inconvenient for posting on IG, and/or they move onto the next fad (e.g., using CCD based P&S instead). Is there another way to support Pentax without creating future e-waste?

[@MisterTombstone]

Then this camera is not for you.

[@erichartke4331]

I am an experienced photographer and I am loving the camera. Zone focus and half are actually a good combo.

[@stephenroberts6140]

@@erichartke4331 If you want low resolution and you don't mind guessing focus have fun. ill wait for the mint rollie.

[@nunoteixeiradesign]

The camera is extremely unattractive, probably the most hideous of the decade. Some people will buy it (not many) and try to sell it when they get the images back from the lab. The only reason half-frame was a logical idea in the past was to save money on film; they had no alternative. But now, with digital options available, this camera is a poor idea in terms of image quality. What a disgrace. If you want a half-frame camera, buy an Olympus Pen F (film camera), at least you'll have something beautiful to show!