The brand new film camera from Pentax that has been in development since 2022 is finally here. Called the Pentax 17 and unveiled last month, it’s a half-frame, vertically oriented, fixed-lens camera that captures two 17mm x 24mm photos within a single 35mm format frame.
The Pentax 17 is the first brand new 35mm film camera designed by a major manufacturer in 19 years (excluding the re-release of the Leica M6 as it was not a new design, instant film cameras and pinhole cameras). The last major camera manufacturer to release a new film camera was Canon with the Sure Shot 130u II in 2005, and before that Nikon last released a film camera with the F6 in 2004 — final production of the camera ceased in 2020. It could you could argue that the Film Never Die Nana is a new design, but it’s heavily based on the Contax T2, so that line is a bit murky. A number of companies have released inexpensive reusable film cameras that also mimic classic disposable cameras, but they all share basically the same design and feature set. Whatever the case, it’s been a long time since there’s been a mass-produced, all-new, hand-winding 35mm film camera like the Pentax 17.
It had been so long since anyone at Pentax had attempted to build a new film camera from scratch that the company’s engineers called in retired camera designers to consult on the design and had to expand production of parts that had long since been discontinued. from production.
“Produced by the Pentax Film Camera Project, a concept first announced in December 2022, the new camera is the result of close collaboration between Ricoh Imaging and Pentax experts and junior engineers,” says Pentax. “Experts have shared their vast knowledge and decades of experience in film and imaging technology with current team members to design a film camera that allows photographers to express their originality and creativity by leaving room for manual work rather than making it fully automatic camera.”
Pentax saw the growing popularity of analog photography, but also balanced this against the rising cost of film, which is why the company chose a half-frame design for its first new film camera. With this design, photographers can get twice as many photos for the price of one roll.
The Pentax 17 is heavily inspired by the company’s heritage and includes numerous parts based on products from its history. The flash and shutter buttons are based on the Pentax KP, the front texture is based on the DA WR lenses, and the film advance lever is the same as used on the Auto 110. The lens design is based on the Espio Mini (triplet lens), the focal plane of the film is made similar to the K-40, and the body color of the Pentax 17 is from the 75th Anniversary Special Edition LX Titan. The film rewind arrows are from Pentax Spotomatic, the film rewind unit is new but mechanically identical to the Pentax LX, and the font for the “17” is the same as that used on the Pentax 67.
The Pentax 17 combines manual operation with ease of use
Pentax wanted to blend the desire for a film camera with one that made it easy to take pictures, as fully manual film cameras can be daunting for the inexperienced. It uses a zone focusing system divided into six focus zones that can be selected from a ring around the lens. Depending on the zone selected, the Pentax 17 can capture subjects in focus from as close as 25 centimeters in the macro zone to as far as infinity focus. The viewfinder uses an Albada-type frame finder to make it easy to frame a scene, compose close-up images, and provides visibility of the current focus area, so photographers don’t have to take the camera away from their eye and look at the lens to see in which zone they are in.
Speaking of the lens, Pentax opted for a newly developed 25mm f/3.5, which is equivalent to a 37mm lens in 35mm format (since it’s a half-frame camera). As mentioned, it’s based on the one found in the Espio Mini from 1994, but redesigned to support the half-frame form factor. Pentax says it’s been treated with high-definition coatings to optimize clarity and sharpness, and as a nod to the company’s history in optics, Pentax engineers based the design on the Ricoh Auto Half from 1962 (since Pentax had never before did not make a half-frame camera) including the angle of view and the focal length.
The body features a manual film winder, a manual film advance lever, and exposure compensation and ISO sensitivity adjustments, each with their own dials. Pentax also focuses on providing a camera body that uses high-quality materials: the top and bottom covers are made of solid magnesium alloy. However, it weighs 290 grams (10.2 ounces) without a charged battery or film.
The 40.5mm filter mount thread allows photographers to use a range of filters as well.
Pentax notes that the camera supports a wide range of ISO film speeds (50, 100, 125, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200) and features a classic note holder on the back cover where the end of the film pack can to be inserted to remind the photographer which item is currently in the camera. Three strap eyes allow for horizontal and vertical suspension, and the Pentax 17 is also compatible with the optional CS-205 cable switch for use in long-exposure photography in Bulb mode.
The camera relies heavily on automatic exposure settings to ensure that photos are exposed correctly. There’s no fully manual mode, for example, as Pentax aimed to appeal to photographers who are interested in film photography but don’t want to worry about wasted rolls during what can be a steep learning curve.
“The Pentax 17 automatically adjusts exposure settings based on the lighting data collected by its metering sensor,” explains Pentax. “In addition to fully automatic mode, in which all exposure settings are selected by the camera, it provides six other shooting modes, including slow-speed sync, which is very useful when shooting at dusk; and Bulb, a slow shutter speed mode that’s useful for shooting nightscapes and fireworks. The Pentax 17 also features an independent exposure compensation dial that allows the user to quickly change the exposure level to accommodate different subject types or express the user’s creative intent.
As a primarily automatic camera, the control a photographer has over it is unique, especially compared to the expectations placed on modern digital cameras. Its aperture will adjust between f/3.5 and f/16, its minimum shutter speed is four seconds, while it can trigger as fast as 1/350 second. Although there is a shutter, the flash sync speed is locked at 1/125. Some settings will force the camera to lock the aperture at f/3.5, and bulb mode allows photographers to control the shutter speed manually (with that locked aperture), but most of the time the camera makes decisions based on how far away the subject is and the readings of his light meter. The advantage here is that it’s hard to mess up an exposure, but it’s also hard to give specific instructions to the camera.
The Pentax 17 also has a built-in flash that can be programmed to fire automatically when needed, fire on command, or never fire, depending on the photographer’s needs. Below is a series of sample photos shot with the Pentax 17, courtesy of Pentax:
Prices and availability
The Pentax 17 will be available in “late June” and will retail for $499.95.
