Pentax 17 First Impressions & Review - Kamerastore

[@FreezerKing]

Aren't the top and bottom plates a magnesium alloy?

[@Kamerastore]

We've since learned that, yes. It had me fooled! I'm used to handling plastic cameras with metal-feeling treatments and that's what it reminds me of. I did poorly in chemistry class at school. 😅 Thanks for watching! - Connor

[@richardnovak7772]

@@Kamerastore Perhaps you should add a text overlay correction to your video review where you stated the incorrect information. Many people will watch your video but not read the comments.

[@larrymccormick3226]

Yes they are . He should have read the manual and taken notes before giving a tutorial, but that happens a lot on YT !

[@thinkpadx60]

If we really want to see camera makers roll out new models we have to show them there is a market for them. Glad to see this release and I just placed my order. Hope that they sell enough to make a full frame version with manual features in the next phase. I am tired by Leica being the only choice to get a brand new film camera or the second hand market. We spend a lot on film and processing, we deserve access to new

[@CMCSenior]

Interesting in that Pentax decided to bring out a film camera and even more so to make it a 1/2 frame 35mm. With the seemingly continued interest in film cameras, I hope the other manufacturers also bring out more film products. You presented a very nice overview of this camera… thank you for doing so.

[@Kamerastore]

Thank you! Would love to do more of these longer form "hands on" videos. -Tuomas

[@photomaster1]

Thank you for this, love the fact that new cameras are coming out. Film is the thing...

[@highlander200107]

While this camera is not exactly to my liking, I know the next step depends on the success of this one, so I am choosing to preorder one because of that, I want them to secede and build the next two, I hope others also see that need to support Pentax, in order to get the fully mechanical one at the end

[@Kamerastore]

Appreciated. This is definitely start of something amazing. I am sure other companies are looking closely how the market reacts to this. Maybe we see something coming from other manufactures also. -Tuomas

[@linjicakonikon7666]

No!! Do not reward a company that doesn't "get it". This was a big fail. Better to buy an old mechanical camera than a $500 ugly piece of plastic.

[@highlander200107]

@@linjicakonikon7666 you fail to understand the bigger picture! And I am not going to argue about my opinion about it. Have a good day.

[@Larpy1933]

Thanks. I like your style in reviewing this little varmit. The outdoor sessions on your videos always interest me because I like seeing Finland - being curious about your country. That camera is a lot cuter than I expected. I cut my teeth 50 years ago using a Mercury II half-frame camera with Kodachrome. I’m in Victoria, BC. Ten time zones from Finland!

[@Kamerastore]

Thanks for watching all the way from Canada! - Connor

[@Aleksilausti]

Very nice overview of the camera. Thanks Connor!

[@Kamerastore]

Thanks for watching! (-: - Connor

[@ragnarmani]

Great review on that camera! Although it does not peak my interest by being a half frame camera it still is great to see a big step up from the cheaper reusable Kodak/Lomo cameras. The advancing lever, mode button and exposure compensation are a nice touch and some of those I wasn't expecting.

[@onkelRoar]

The strap Pentax sendt you in the box do you use to messure distanse when you are in "flower" mode ;) Its realy helpful to take sharp photos ;)

[@gergnotsloh]

Now lets all hope Pentax starts making film. Saturate that market !

[@Kamerastore]

Now THAT would be a shock! But I bet that there are some machines left over in Japan from someone slowing down/stopping film production.. cough cough, Fuji, cough cough.. Thanks for watching (-: - Connor

[@gergnotsloh]

@@Kamerastore Oh man how I wish Fuji would start churning that film out again.

[@petepictures]

I think film processors are need it even more, but extra film would e welcomed too.

[@gergnotsloh]

@@petepictures More film will just mean it will be less expensive. I don't really shoot color and process my own black and white. I'm lucky enough to have access to a college photo lab with 20 or so Besseler enlargers though.

[@richardnovak7772]

Excellent review, thanks!

[@Floppyrom]

I would love to get the Pro version of this...give it an F2.8 lens, at least 1/500s exposure, auto focus and full manual control

[@MinoltaCamera]

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

[@gera13sa]

Half the price of one of the best full frame manual SLR’s with interchangeable K mount lenses and actually usable range of shutter speeds

[@mortezaherati]

They are not in the same range! It’s really a toy camera, not more.

[@DrCowinabox]

​@@gera13sait's not a very good comparison. The k1000, to my knowledge, is more of a revision to the spotmatic, which was over 2,000 w/ a lens adjusted for inflation when it came out in 1964. So closer to 1/4 of the price. Losing a stop and change of shutter speed on a camera that is supposed to be more "fun" than technical masterpiece is fine. You don't need a fast shutter speed on such a short lens meant for casual snaps. The price makes sense and will go down as they recoup the cost of r&d

[@rlaclaos0619]

@@mortezaheratiyou have such a extremely high standard of toy.

[@mortezaherati]

@@rlaclaos0619 I am collector and seller, so I have enough knowledge and experience to understand the market! If it wasn’t half frame it could be very good option for film photography snapshots ( as all point and shot cameras) but this product is just a joke!!

[@The_Hero_Is_Back]

I bought my Olympus Mju-II (aka Stylus Epic) back in 2001, I think. Price then was around ninety pounds. The Mju has autofocus but fewer controls than the 17 and also was full frame. If the 17 had existed then, it might have been more of a modernised Olympus Trip 35 (also full frame). 25 years later, prices will have risen, so the price now isn't unreasonable but it's more, proportionally, than I feel I paid for the Mju. At the time, the Mju seemed surprisingly expensive - you could buy compact cameras with zooms for less. I don't want/need a film camera, but good luck, Pentax.

[@PaulSafford]

Great review with alot of good points. I hope they have great success. I won't be able to justify the price for now but hope enough people can. BTW, "God Rays" are also known as Crepuscular rays :)

[@samki_foto]

Thanks for the informative video. Make more. I kind of understand why Pentax went for half frame format. Its one of the few formats left general audience is familiar with. Also we have seen the rise of digicams and instant cameras. Half frame uses standard 35mm film so nothing has to be done on supply side. Same film can be used with both 35mm and half frame formats. 549€ is bit deep price though. You can get 5+ digicams with that price. Surely used but thats part of the charm of digicam scene. 199€ would have been a killer price point for those frustrated over the film prices and those looking for alternatives for digicams.

[@Lawman212]

How is the Petapixel video of this camera the exact same length? 20:22

[@Kamerastore]

Great minds think alike. (-; - Connor

[@atomicpuppet]

The motor that moves for focusing reminds me of the Ricoh GRIII.

[@Kamerastore]

A bit, yeah! Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if it borrowed a motor from another of Ricoh Pentax's digital compacts. It would make a lot of sense and help them keep the price of this down. Thanks for watching! - Connor

[@surferuk35]

If you try to use in low-light with the flash it's virtually unusable. The flash-ready light is so bright you can't see anything in the viewfinder so returned mine as I do a lot of low-light photography. Also struggled t see the frame lines in certain lighting conditions. Pentax definitely need to look at the brightness of the LEDs next to the viewfinder as this has not been an issue with some of my previous similar cameras.

[@petepictures]

Maybe they should have made it Pentax A110 mount, to at least have a 5 lens option?

[@timfable]

Was waiting for it earlier this year. But not sure I am ready to pay 500+ for this one. Was hoping for more like 250. Found Olympus Pen EE3 in a good condition at flea market for practically nothing earlier this year, will prob stick with it for now.

[@Kamerastore]

The PENs are great cameras! Finding a working one is a pretty rare treat these days, too! I have a PEN D3 and really enjoy it. Hopefully, Pentax is able to drum up enough business with this model to justify making more and more film cameras. That should (in theory) help them keep the relative costs down. The prices of R&D, tooling, training, etc. for something that hasn't been done in 20+ years can be shockingly expensive. Thanks for watching! - Connor

[@timfable]

@@Kamerastoreabsolutely, and it is great they actually do what they do. And I wish this camera to be a success as I think it is trying to explore very correct niche. Which is at the end good for all of us.

[@WesleyVerhoevePhotography]

just not a realistic price. remember, the pentax k1000 cost the equivalent of $1000 at the time

[@timfable]

@@WesleyVerhoevePhotographythe main reason things fail is that not enough people buy them. Price is what market is ready to pay, not what it cost producer to make. Often manufacturers sell product at a loss for a different gains: brand, market share, tech deployment etc. I genuinely hope there are enough customers that will be ready to pay that much.

[@sdcorrey]

and this is a brand new camera that won’t require CLA or light seals for a very long time

[@petepictures]

Glad about Pentax, but I expected more, especially for the money it's selling for.

[@ItsjustJust516]

Name of the slr on the right

[@Kamerastore]

It is (or was) a Leicaflex SL2! - Connor

[@sigmargorbad7071]

Ok let's pretend we didn't notice the smashed Leicaflex on the right and this has not disturbed our whole concentration during the video

[@Kamerastore]

Haha! Apparently truck drove over it. :D -Tuomas

[@cammackey]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@Kamerastore]

Thanks Cam! Would love to see your work done with this. -Tuomas

[@jonjanson8021]

I need a shutter speed dial, an aperture ring, and an ISO dial, a flash sync port and manual focus. I don't need auto modes or built in flash. It looks like they've tried to simplify the camera by making it more complicated, I like everything else, but the user interface is no good for me. It's a pity because I really wanted to like the camera, but I don't.

[@SatumangoTheGreat]

It has an ISO dial actually. It's how you tell the camera what film you put in it. And an exposure compensation dial. So that part is pretty OK in my opinion.

[@jonjanson8021]

@@SatumangoTheGreat I'll buy one when they have an all manual version.

[@SatumangoTheGreat]

@@jonjanson8021 fair enough, of course.

[@thomassonntag8237]

Top and bottom is magnesium , not plastic . But if eberybody says it’s plastic, I guess the next Pentax will be completely made of plastic.

[@flyingo]

I know the target audience is young social media fans who want to learn analog film photography, but the lack of aperture or shutter speed settings are a disservice to that leaning process, in my opinion. At $500 it’s also about twice as costly as it should have been. I’m happy that Pentax has created a new product for film photography, but young photographers will be better served buying a $150 K1000 and learning photographic fundament the right way.

[@cinematic_monkey]

Zone focus. Come on.

[@jonlouis2582]

Looking hot as always.

[@Kamerastore]

Thanks Jon. I needed that this morning. (-: - Connor

[@Blackmind0]

Pentax ?????? Why?????? why half-frame??? :-( i was waiting so hard for a new 35mm cam with manual settings, no auto....

[@Kamerastore]

One of the biggest complaints people have is the cost of film, so half-frame was meant to address that. I think the results show more than adequate image quality even with a smaller negative. Thanks for watching! (-: - Connor

[@DanTraa]

They literally emphasize that it's gonna be half frame in every video. Why the shock?

[@ShutterKnack]

Haha dude were you hiding in a cave?

[@Blackmind0]

@@ShutterKnack Girls, here for all of you: this camera is laughable. How much does it cost? It's just too expensive for what it can do. I have been photographing analogue for 40 years and digital for 20 years. I know enough analogue cameras and have 14 currently, 35mm and medium format. On average, there are always 350 films stored in my fridge. I also have an old Olympus Pen. So I know what half-frame is. All KZbinrs celebrate this camera, as if someone had reinvented the wheel. Where do you all live. ? If film is too expensive for me, then I don't just shoot around, but use the best possible camera for my pictures. Before I buy it for € 550,-- !! I'm looking for a Nikon FM3 again - I found one, like new, for 499,--

[@ShutterKnack]

@@Blackmind0 thanks for writing the essay gramps. So you are a hoarder and a bragger. We got it.

[@NOVAA-z1h]

As I recall, the main drawback of film cameras was that if they malfunctioned, the film would be wasted. So what makes people drawn back to using film cameras today?

[@T-Alb]

After the tenth second I was no longer able to listen. What the hell happened to the Leicaflex on the right edge of the frame? Horrible!

[@Kamerastore]

We can't be 100% sure since it came to us like that, but it sure looks as if a truck drove over it or something along those lines! Unfortunately, not even our world-class mechanics (who can definitely fix a Leicaflex or two (-; ) can bring this one back to life. It certainly is visually striking, eh?! Hopefully you can get through the rest of the video at a later date! - Connor

[@T-Alb]

@@Kamerastore Thanks for the answer. I was able to pull myself together again, turned the Standard and the SL away from the monitor and watched to the end. ;-)

[@johnryan5781]

So Pentax partnered with Lomography. I would have thought Asahi Pentax would have given us a camera that benefited from all of their experience in film photography.

[@Kamerastore]

Lomography had nothing to do with this camera and in the review you'll see that this camera is a major step up from any of their offerings in terms of quality and features. Thanks for watching! - Connor

[@linjicakonikon7666]

Pentax misfired. Instead of finding a way to reproduce a classic manual film camera, they went for a plastic, ugly camera that gets in the way of learning photography. Half the appeal of film is the process and ergonomics of taking the photo as well as the look of the camera. Pentax missed on all counts.🙄👎

[@Lupsipupsi]

a bit disappointing. It’s a point and shoot toy camera. Glad I recently got a MZ-S in excellent condition. With a budget of 549 EUR you can definitely get much better cameras in your store.

[@Kamerastore]

It's far from a toy camera! Look at the competition, like the Kodak H35 or many of Lomography's new cameras. The Pentax really stands out. I think it's a pretty huge win that any manufacturer thinks it's viable to make a new film camera in 2024. It means our community is valuable and has something to say! ..I bet that MZ-S is really nice, though. (-: Thanks for watching! - Connor

[@Nicoxxii]

Calling it toy camera demonstrates how much u dont know about photography, i suggest to study a bit

[@ShutterKnack]

MZ-S with a broken plastic mirror pinion coming up! Who's gonna repair it? 550 E down the drain..

[@Lupsipupsi]

@@Nicoxxii you are right - I have to learn the P program on my cameras. I ignored that P(ro) function so far ;-)

[@Lupsipupsi]

@@ShutterKnack It's a 5er Pentax not Asahi - the really good stuff you can't get on every corner

[@belivmi]

Whyyy NOT AF like the super successful MJU ?? This plastic zone focus machine is a joke. Why/??? If they’ve put the af like so many cheap camera from the 90s it would make a bit more sense to spend more than half thousand euro on this, and probably I would have

[@simplyanalogue544]

$500 for a point and shoot no thanks

[@nunoteixeiradesign]

I will give it 6 months to Pentax realize the huge mistake of making this toy camera.

[@Kamerastore]

They've sold out at almost every major retailer and have had to open up extra levels of preorders. (-: The future looks bright for Pentax's film camera division! - Connor

[@chivachava3899]

Nobody builds a good film camera anymore. Your better off taking a chance buying a old film camera that is 30 or 40 years old, at least you get a range of f-stops and shutter speeds. You can get lenses and other accessories. It's too expensive.

[@tarishmahajan1]

$500+ is far too much for what it is! And come on Pentax, plastic, really?! I rather wait for the Rollei 35AF

[@DanTraa]

Tbf, MINT's cameras are also pretty expensive. And that Rollei 35AF would also be 600-800

[@JoeHeisler]

The Pentax info says that the silver top and bottom plates are actually magnesium but the rest appears to be plastic