New Pentax 17 Film Camera is Totally Unexpected! 

Hi Kai, l don't comment very often but thought I'd just say it's a total pleasure seeing you and Lok still doing videos together after all these years, I followed DRTV for years until you guys left, (it wasn't the same after) I'm so happy you are both doing so well with your new RU-vid Channel, you guys still deliver unique hilarious content that no other reviewers do, please keep up the amazing work 👍😂😁

I was indifferent at first; cool, new film camera, that’s nice, not for me though. Then he ends with it costing ~$715 US. You could buy a pretty nice used film camera for that price!

ok what's up with the armie hammer sculpture

Personally i think half-frame makes perfect sense for the first beginner, casual film camera. Get more shots out of a film and indeed the image orientation is familiar for many youth who use smartphone to both take photos and to look up at photos as well. I think there is clear synergy there, not sure why so many (older?) people are critical about it. Anyways, id expect the next pentax film camera is going to be something more or less similar, but with full 35mm, we'll see how the comments go up at that time.. Its just such shame comments are full of very anti-pentax commentors - who dont use any pentax, probably never owned any pentax and will not buy anything pentax ...yet somehow are very loud to criticize pentax doesnt either release anything and then when they do its always wrong. ...really dont know whats the point. Is it some kind of weird brand loyalty to some other brand and makes them feel better about "their chosen brand"? Really dont know. Really curious to see when they will release new SLR, id have bunch of lenses ready, but probably for now going to stick to dslr and stowing away money for the new K1iii when it comes out ;)

I’m happy this camera exists! I don’t need it, not going to buy it, but the more new film cameras, the longer I get to shoot film.

Props to anyone bringing a new film camera to shops

“building greener pastures when the old ones are still crumbling” that’s deep

While I realize this camera is almost exclusively designed for new shooters, and I'm sad I don't have room for this in my arsenal, I'm glad it exists! This is unabashedly designed for social media shooters with a VERY low bar for entry, but why not? That camera didn't exist before.. I hope this gets them into the game!

Pentax had make 110, 35mm, 645, 6x7 film cameras. But it is Pentax’s first half frame film camera

It's a great entry back in to film. Excited to to see the next camera they make

Jaded gear-heads complaining about young people being enchanted by charm instead of precision is always funny! Let people enjoy things!

They should make another film GR call it a GR1X with a 40mm lens

Why is it that every youtuber thats reviewd this camera today has complained about the portrait orientation and said its because of social media? Have none of you ever seen a half frame camera before ? Theyre all in portrait orientation. Even h/f cameras from the 1930s

I think it’s neat.

I think it’s a pretty cool camera

10:51 That idea of using the next half frame in context is really nice.

Take that Jarod. Banger after banger in this video Kai.

Those that are complaining about the half frame size forget that this is close to Super 35mm format used by Hollywood and those images were expanded to fill a movie theater.

One of the funniest videos from you two in recent history. Had me howling at parts. Cameras alright too

its nice to see a major company trying to do something different and new. But you can't please everyone I guess.

I never thought I'd see the phrase 'new film camera' in 2024. And it's a half frame like my old Olympus Pen

What a toxic bunch in the comments.

One thing I’ve always enjoyed about Kai is his ability to pick a subject or location that he can then use to draw analogies between it and the camera he’s reviewing

I hate this camera already. Ah well, hopefully influ-cancers will stop buying the X100V/VI and jump on to this😂

Leica user snobbery alert!

For that money you could get an original Olympus Pen FT half frame and two or three lenses. Through the lens viewfinder, metal body, real focusing, aperture control, and genuine retro design!!!

Reasons why DSLR's will NEVER die. I been told people long time ago talking about film will go away.. no it won't Not when vintage is fully in to stay and tons of people love a good vintage camera. Not to mention everybody mom to cats are photographers now. Film has made it's way back. Heck I just purchased a Minolta SRT101 and Found some film I can get. I purposely want expired film. So glad to see this because it gives our younger newer generation to see what we've already seen and experience why our era rules LOL. No seriously they enjoy vintage items and this s amazing. i don't know why but I miss the DRTV channel long time ago

This video was brought to you by the Woking Tourism Board.

If I recall correctly, Woking was seriously bashed up by Martian war tripods in H. G. Wells’ great anti-imperialist novel War of the Worlds, which is probably why they’ve got a chrome-plated model war tripod in the town centre. Lest we forget, eh?

People seem to forget that Fujifilm makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year selling Instax cameras and film. This could be a huge hit if Pentax can convince people that this is better value over the long term.

People keep banging on about the price, if any *new*, non-second hand camera you've reviewed on this channel has cost less?

Pentax 17, 17mm frame size of a 35mm frames. Bill Cunnigham also snapped with a half frame camera.

Why so much sarcasm and silly laughing 😮? Is it necessary to ridicule the effort of others? What have you created?

kinda wish they'd bring back the Q with new tech inside it might actually be awesome

I like this camera. I love weird old film cameras and that continues the trend. However, I wish we could've seen what a very modern film camera would look like. I would love to see more of a premium design and more digital features.

Woking, real England indeed. Happy for Pentax that created the camera, hopefully it opens the gate for other brands to learn from Pentax 17 mistakes and created something better?

Half frame is great, the portrait orientation viewfinder is genius! Where is our K-mount?

Is half frame film size and APSC sensor size same ???

If I were MPB or KEH I would have offered to sponsor this review. 😂

Pentax have already informed the world that this camera is already in high demand, pre orders are already behind. Apparently WEX Photo have some 17's in stock. And in spite of you guys making fun of the 17, I think Pentax have a winner here.

500 pounds?! Just get an old Olympus Pen instead.

This was a fun review and maybe says something about the experience of using this camera. What a shame you didn't RTFM! Still, the results speak for themselves. The strobe shot of Lok in particular was excellent. The film camera market needs new products like this. Yes, there's a ton of cheap, good, vintage HF cameras already available, but Pentax should be commended for going out on a limb and breathing some life into film photography. I hope this camera does well and opens the gates for more. Next, Mint's Rollei!

Why? Just why? You can get way better camera’s for 50 in a 2nd hand shop. Only then 35 mm

We must thank Pentax for reminding us why we buy modern, digital cameras after all. Puts me mind of pre 1990's east european cameras.

❤ Olympus Pen camera body style ? 😮

You can buy an Olympus pen or pen f for between $100-$300

Just buy the Kodak Ektar H35 for 40 bucks

Unique camera and unique review. Thanks for this. I hope it does well in the market

That's just phone camera but using film

Half frame is a very good idea… saves a ton of money. This is going to be a niche either way.

ah.. digitalRev vibes.. wunderbar!

personally like pineapple pizza. There, naysayers.

So $2000 for a X100VI is fine, $1200 for a RX100VIII is perfect, even when you can find many new and used previous models. But $500 for a brand new film camera is "too expensive" because I can buy a 50 years old smelly camera of a death smoker grandpa from a russian ebay scammer... yeah right

What year is this?!?... - Sorry, i didn't expected to see a NEW film camera in the open. But, hey, the more the merrier.

i feel like 18-25 y/o tiktok photographers are gonna go bananas for this one

Hopefully the other big guys like canon and nikon have their attention turned to this. Bringing film back is important

Shot a 35mm half frame long ago. Had a spring wound mechanism to advance the film.

For $849AUD this thing is a complete non starter. I got a much smaller and nicer canon prima mini for $50. I'd have to shoot a lot of film to make up the saving for half frame. No autofocus too what a joke.

This is certainly a camera!

I'll stick with my OM-1

When are we getting a new GR1 film camera?

My initial thought was, it seems like an exercise for a fledgling company & not something I would expect Pentax to put their name on. Also looks like the platypus of cameras. That said, it is a good staring point for further development. Still holding off to see if they make an SLR & what they do with it. Regards! Edit: Wait! That's it!!!! It's the Pentax Platypus 17!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣

$100 cheaper and I would buy it in a heartbeat. Love their thought process behind it

Pentax should've just pulled one out of the archive and upgraded it for film in today. For $500 you'd expect a bit more but, it feels like more of a camera for "influencers".

That's a lovely 500 pound 149 pound camera. No, just no. At that price it should have been way more serious. At this price, you're better off just buying ten olympus pens and use them until either you, or the cameras break.

In USSR was AGAT-18k - the same shit...

for £500, this camera is absolutely awful. you can pick up a superior film camera on e-bay for £25.

They way the zone-focusing with a motor was designed it makes me wonder if they are planning on making an auto focus version in the future. Cus if they were planning on that on adding it in the future, the motorized zone focusing in this camera, makes more sense.

What's annoying with film is the price for the film. And then you're forever depended on it. The innovation has to happen on that front. I wish there was a way to make images and then develop them at home at very low cost. Like a device where you plug the camera in and then out comes the photo on a regular piece of paper. Whoever invents this will be rich!

You have not change ! I am opening my 1 hour photo processing next week. I hope I'll be able to deal with all the films from the Pentax 17 customers !

I think there is a slightly missunderstanding about "resolution" ...... When you shoot on film, resolution is already superb..... - If you judge the resolution of the film, you have to print it. ....Otherwise you're judging ( *by digital resolution terms) , your film digital converter, or scanner device. - Film -> to Photo paper it's actually completely optical ( * and chemical ) techique, because photo is enlarged via special device with huge lens and Your factual "resolution" will be highly connected with, and dependable on : 1. film quality and ISO , 2. the lens from the printing device - to the sheet of the photo paper - film pic is projecting through it ...... 3. the lens on the camera itself And on the other side you can just do scanning your film digitaly - and converted it directly to MPix - But opticaly speaking - in older non-digital technique - you will gain in one larger print more "mpix" . - these two techniques are measurable only by printing it. So, when you say something about "half frame resolution inferiority" - you are maybe slightly talking nonsense..... As far as I know film in digital area - would been considered as 100 MP per shot , even larger. - Still , half frame - would be at 50 MPIX at least.

I give Pentax an A for effort...but my almost 50 year old Minolta SRT-202 still works fine. And 500 bucks buys a lot of CR2 batteries...and film...and a good Pilot fountain pen...and a Brooks leather seat for my bicycle , and there's still enough to fill the tank on my Prius. Just saying.

Eh, I'd rather have a KP.ii with K-3.iii internals for improved AF and a new 35mm f1.8 limited lens personally (really 27, but 35mm if built to cover FF can at least be a 35mm on K-1(ii) and a 50mm equiv on the rest). Ricoh is using the Pentax brand they bought to cash out on a fad after it's already started to pass by being reactionary. I actually like half frame a lot, but I'd never buy one of these over a Pen F with a 40mm f1.4 lens...a setup you can get for a fair bit less than one of these. They're built like tanks comparatively, have optical ttl viewfinders/metering, and are true SLR systems (I almost never swap from the 40mm f1.4 that gives around a 55-ish mm FF equivalent field of view). You do have to deal with the whole YMMV tag that comes with buying any vintage camera equipment, but my collection of Pen F's that I bought as working all work fine and the ones I bought as-is to repair work great too (helps that I repair vintage camera bodies/lenses). I will say, I've seen a lot of Pen lenses have coatings starting to fail, along with the typical 60-year-old lenses having possible fungus and other internal issues that may or may not be relatively simple to clean/fix.

Just received mine - if you watch the video where the camera is stripped into parts you will see where the money has gone for development.s Been using film and darkroom for 40 years and the camera is a joy I have to say. I think you guys sort of enjoyed it but was hard to tell most of the time - you certainly had fun

It's 2024. Of course it's unexpected - it's dumb and it's going backwards. Let's move forward and ditch nostalgia (OLD). Live in the now and live for tomorrow. There will come a time what we do and have now will be nostalgic.

That's crazy - 500 for a cheap film camera... I would rather use my Pentax SFX and (also cheap) AUTO CHINON 50mm f1.9 - total around 150 EUR. Yes - it is a full frame, so the film cost would be a double...

I've using a KODAK EKTAR H35 Half Frame for a year and I'm very happy with it and the results, just for 50€.

I had the solenoid problem they never addressed or warranty happen to my K50, malfunctioning shutter, so I'm avoiding Pentax until they fix the basics.

well suited for UK use , lesser chance will catch robber attention. They will have hard time finding the film to use ,let alone getting the picture to be developed. It will be more a test of skill to limit yourself with creativity but can build your resourcefulness.Nevertheless,very interesting & brave to take this challenge to make product of this kind of camera ,likewise for those who use it . Great real life review .Thanks

Viewfinder is strange, there are many textures, it's portrait oriented, there is a battery screw... What an absolutely strange review.

I was hoping for the pinnacle of compact film photography. Mr Pentax, try mych harder, and bring us a Fuji Natura or Ricoh GR with high max aperture... come on!!

Funny. It's disappointing that this review - admittedly objective - felt a bit negative, overall. I don't know; it seems to be that we film shooters should celebrate the moment that a major camera maker is [finally] supporting us. I think it's possible to be honestly objective about a product and support it, at the same time. Since you guys are known influencers, the problem is that "poking fun" at something [as much as you have in this review] is often taken as gospel -- and carries a not so hidden message, 'not to buy'-- by those who may be deciding whether or not to buy (who the heck cares about the different "textures" on the camera's covering that you spent so long making fun of it?). This camera is quite enough to do excellent work in the right hands and with the right ideas in mind; even Michael Kenna has used a plastic Holga camera - nowhere as good as this Pentax - to create a whole body of work shown in books, galleries and museums. I wish Pentax the best and thank them for taking this chance on *us*. I, for one, look forward to owning a Pentax 17.

This is cool. But I'll pass. Before the pandemic I was all in for the film camera "niche " resurgence. Bought a crap load of film cameras at thrift shops and they all probably add up to less than this camera. My film camera spark is gone and now I'm just left with crap loads of film cameras and undeveloped film. Although it's fun developing my own film it is time consuming. I just don't have the time or energy anymore...let me rephrase , I have the time I just don't have the energy or money. This is why digital cameras were invented. Kudos to Ricoh tho for trying

Full frame 🎞️ is not 35 it's 36 , 35 is the width and common name for that film (135 is proper name) to be correct and not confuse the young people... I was expecting this camera to be under €300/$...

I am going to disagree with many of the comments posted. I have seen the reviews and I have gone over the specifications. I simply do not get this camera. It seems to be overpriced for what is essentially a simple zone-based camera. I look at the camera and I am not taken with the urge to have one. I do digital and I do analog photography. In fact, my medium analog camera of choice is the Pentax 645N, which I think is great (BTW, my choice of 35mm camera is the Nikon F3HP). I am surprised, like others, by the fact that Pentax did not return to its roots and release refreshed versions of such as the K1000 or the Pentax Me. These offer more capabilities than the 17 to me but then that is my opinion only. I hope that Pentax is able to prove me wrong. I would hate the Pentax name to go away.

Canon Sure Shot's are like $30.... and better. Just saying. It's also funny that it's marketed to new people in film that will probably upgrade this with an old Olympus Half-frame that's a fraction of the cost.

So if ‘Rollei’ via Mint produces an AF version of the 35 formerly zone focus pocketable film camera, which one would you choose? Hmmm, an easy decision unless you want 72 exposures.

I would still prefer an Olympus PEN EE-2 Or EE-3, with better lens and smaller, all metal camera.

Why in the world should somebody spend that kind of money on that camera, when you can choose from so many truly vintage cameras, which are better and every way and cheaper? Oh yeah, because of our youtube influenzas...idiocracy....

You could have picked a nicer day or location to shoot the review. Very depressing and gloomy 😢 Pentax 17 deserves better! It’s the first legit film camera made new for decades, other than Leica!

Reminds me of the Yashica Samurai which came out in the late 1980s and shot at half frame too but horizontally! Nothing really new under the sun.

All film photographer should buy this camera even you don't need one, This is the opportunity for all film photographer If you want a better product, buy this camera now. All the big player are watching this launch to see if there is a market or not.

All you pro-types reviewing this keep talking about wanting it to be autofocus. I think zone focus is what makes it cool. I think they ruined the new Rollei by making it auto focus. I can get a 20$ superzoom or find one for free in the attic if thats all I want.

Who wrote and edit stuff on DigitalREV? Must be really talented group of people or it was because of Hong Kong? Maybe i am just old fart at this point... 😂

I don’t think it’s anything to do with Instagram that it is in portrait. The physical nature of it dictates as the film rolls past the shutter that the only way to get it to be half frame is in portrait. As to the economics of such a design, if you can wax 500 bar on this then is the cost of shooting film really prohibitive for you?

Wow, that's an ugly brick. Looks more like a toy, than a serious camera. A really expensive toy - not gonna lie; It is 550 Euro right now.

Why that format!?! Has the APS experience not been conclusive enough? If I were to shoot film, I would go with an EOS 3, this way my lenses would all work with it...

Let's just say, I would not have been able to see that giant tripod on the street without quoting the Jeff Wayne musical. "Ullah!" indeed.

5:04 "the viewfinder could be worse" What kind of comment is that? Why don't he admit that this thingy is crap?

Kai, Lok...you guys haven't review the Lomomatic 110 yet 😂