Pentax 17 

110+ Degrees but we must have all black and a beanie to let others know we shoot film before they even see the camera.

This was a huge undertaking by Pentax with zero promise of financial return. I do question the decision to make it a half-frame, but we’ve gotta give credit where credit is due-the only major manufacturer beside Leica currently developing new film cameras. I just pre-ordered and hope everyone else will see this is an investment in preserving analog photography, and hopefully moving toward a new Pentax medium format body

It’s heavily worth noting that Pentax ran multiple public surveys that were Japan exclusive that helped decide the early direction of the project. It’s likely the youth community in Japan is more open to half frame. I’ll be buying this under the pretext of future cameras coming from Pentax.

OI OI, Budget Ryan Gosling back at it

Jason: "it's hot as gooch sweat" Also Jason: *wears all black in death valley*

The king of Film Yappers

my favorite self deprecating millennial youtuber

This is the most unhinged grainydays we've seen so far

I am so glad they started to build new cameras. I wont buy one as I have enough cameras but I am glad new cameras exist.

You're not a Walmart Ryan Gosling, you're a Costco Calvin Harris

Love this. I'm going to pick one up just for the support for Pentax

i need more of these random ass mid day video drops

Resolution is tied to display size and viewing distance. Half frame is as big as the Super 35 movie format which is already a bit bigger than the gauge used for most movie up until the late 80s. You just need to expose and especially scan well, than the resolution of half frame is more than enough for casual to semi serious work. Depending on the film stock used you’ll get between 8 and 2 megapixels of really resolution out of half frame. Two doesn’t sound like a lot but if you what you’re pushing against is grain, instead of pixels it’s pretty good. And 2K is what was used as the standard in theaters for 15 years basically. Just don’t expect to print any very big prints without seeing some grain

Thank you Pentax for making this camera. That said, it feels like you designed a camera for a market that doesn't really exist at the $499 price point. I wish you would have built a camera for a market that we know 100% exists. The people that kept film alive are the enthusiasts. They are cheap and easy to market to... just give them free cameras on RU-vid. All you have to do is look at the used cameras that are selling in the $300 - $400 range and then build a clone and charge a significant premium. I'm thinking Olympus Mju II for example. Either way, I hope you keep making new film cameras so thank you.

Way to go Pentax. My first camera was a Pentax ME Super. Bummer that it's only 1/2 frame. I'll stick with my oldies.

Well it’s kind of a bad press for the Darkroom cause the scans are not that great actually.. I’m really surprised with the bad quality of the scans given by Pentax themselves too. Half frame is nothing new and not that complex to scan, it’s actually a big medium compared to super8 and 16mm film. At some point they should have wet printed negatives from the P17 and THEN scanned the prints, giving us a better look at what the HD coating can do with a triplet lens. Well too bad, I’ll have to buy one and do these tests myself ✨🍿

I get wanting it to be made for the die hards, but as a proof of concept that film can survive and wanting to recoup costs it does make sense. I’m hoping this sells well enough that they move forward with more cameras

According to an article it says it'll cost a cool $500. I understand the R&D cost for making the first new film camera in a long time was probably astronomical, but $500 for a half frame camera with its fair share of compromises is certainly something. There's plenty of good quality 35mm point and shoot cameras you can buy in that price range, with the obvious lingering "issue" being that they're used and likely 20-30 years old. I'm part of the new generation of film photographers, currently my only camera is an Olympus point and shoot from 2001 that a family member bought and used to take like 8 pictures before throwing it in a shoe box, and it's OK. Soon I'll be on the look out for my next camera to upgrade too, and I highly doubt it'll be the Pentax 17, at least not for $500

Jason in full form in this video lol. 😂

Your excitement is always exhilarating.

I love it when I wear my snuggy beanie when its 112F

Wake up babe, new Grainydays camera review

I just really wished they had made it square format on 35mm. That would be an almost unique offering. But totally agree need to support this and applaud loudly. 🎉

So pumped about this camera, I love how it handles and the results really impressed me

I enjoyed your video and the shots that you showed. Pentax do have plans to make more enthusiast orientated cameras in the future. Their stated goal was to launch a basic compact camera first and as they re-learn how to go about making a film camera, to then launch a basic SLR followed by an advanced SLR. This comes across as a sensible approach - walk before you can run. In that vein, this is actually a lot better than I thought it would be. It fills a niche for street photography that I think will have more advanced users interested as well as novices. The zone focusing seems to have been implemented well and it just seems a lot better than I initially thought that it would be. When the funds open up, I fully intend to buy one.

F yea! Lets make film the standard again🔥🔥🔥

You’re right. I think this camera is for people who want to get into film photography more, with double the amount of exposures it’s better due to the price of film spike. I find this camera to be up my alley when I get back into film

One little thing, that shutter sounds awesome

HIGH ENERGY MONDAY! I totally feel the energy of the monster guiness on this lovely monday.

Good point about the potential audience. The camera has more features than I was expecting (like exposure compensation) which is a nice surprise for enthusiasts but other choices (like zone focus) may be too much for beginner film shooters, and yet they want to introduce film to a new generation.

This seems like the perfect camera for slides. The exposure meter will take care of the narrow latitude and the half frame of the too-sharp expensive film!

This camera is a bit weird and expensive… but actually looks really good and is promising for the future. I hope it does well so they can also release a better a SLR. Personally I would prefer it without autofocus to keep the classic feel and reduce the cost. K-mount would be good. 👍

Good to see you are alive and well, Jason!

Honestly not the experience I was expecting out of this Pentax project but like he said, excited to see what's coming down the line now that the first move has been made. I'd love for this camera to find it's audience so that other companies see its worth it (another contax tvs anyone???)

For macro photography a good tip is to use the Strap to measure, it's exactly 25 cm away from the film play at full length.

I think half frame is a really cool format! It's good for holidays or travelling when you might wanna photograph lots and not worry about how many shots are left. OFC it's not as sharp, but if you cared about that the most, then just switch back to digital 🤷🏻

Some great points made here that I agree with. It's cool they put time into it but half frame is such a weird route to take. Great video as usual!

I was astounded! There was my 1st Pro camera! Oympus Pen-S! Yup! I loved it! 1/2 frame is bigger than the numbers! Negatives fit paper sized way better than full frame!Add extra depth of field. Vertical format as and is great. Resembles phone images today, in my time, magazine page format! I addded a tiny flash that used AG-! bulbs.I cut film out of camera, if reqd! Bravo Pentax!

the fckn RIZZ

Been waiting for this episode!!!!

Jason, a great video I think what Pentax has done is great, kudos to them We need to support this work and hope this will lead to something new Preordered one and still waiting for the Mint camera also Awesome

I love half frame format, I shot a lot on FED micron (Soviet equivalent of Olympus pen ee) and I got rare Soviet medical half frame SLR with M42 lenses, so much fun! Half frame in the goat, especially with film prices.

I'm a half-frame diehard, I think it's an obvious choice given that as you point out film ain't so cheap these days. Also with the zone focusing I think it's easier for a beginner to grasp and fudge rather than full control, plus if they put in autofocus I bet this would be like $100 more expensive or something. Frankly I would've been happy enough with fixed focus.

This is exciting news but good to see Pentax hasn't lost their knack for making fugly cameras.

I see alot of people complaining about the halfframe format and it not yielding enough resolution. The advantage of this camera is that it is relatively more affordable to shoot slide film (2 times the amount frames, 1 time developing costs). Should be sufficient to make decent prints. Also the lens seems to holds up quite well. Also on half frame the dof is so big that it's quite hard to misfocus actually, 3 zones of focus would probably have been enough.

The most energetic I’ve seen him in a video yet. And it’s in the 112 degree heat.

I don't think this camera is for me, but it has me excited for the SLR version. Looks promising.

Really hot camera but as you said it should really have autofocus for beginners. The half-frame is awesome, 72 shots and all Instagram ready portrait format.

I don't know any beginners getting into photography at this price point. $500 is insane.

Damn, so they finally fenced off Arne’s. Never thought I’d see the day 🤣

Thanks for your review. Its worth noting that while the camera may not be titanium, which would admittedly be cool, the top and bottom are magnesium, which isn't half bad. As you mentioned, this camera isn't aimed at the experienced film photographer, its for people who perhaps are just getting into film photography, and making the transition from their cell phones. Pentax has suggested that if this camera is a success in the market it may produce a full-featured film SLR. Since Pentax is proving willing to take risks for niche markets - the monochrome Pentax K3 III is another example - we can only hope the company finds enough support to move ahead with that.

Oh my gosh!!! You mean....IT IS HERE?!?!?! OHHHHHHHH myyyyyy gosh......I am salivating.....let's see.....❤

Not found your channel before today. The 17 brought me here and I like what I found. Now I am a subscriber. Should be a fun ride.

At the 9:06 mark of this video I farted while watching this video and you immediately said "smells like shit over here" and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Thought you should know.

so cool to see some more new film cameras

Very cool to see some progress in this field.

Not for me, but really excited for folks getting into film, or even getting into street photography. This camera is perfect to learn from and is a good mix of auto and manual controls to make anyone take a great photo. Pentax did a great job with the design, but more so creating a hit list of what to have on the camera for the market they are targeting. I really hope this takes off and gets more people involved with film. Stoked to see images from these out there.

That step ladder is the real mvp of this video

It's basically a premium holga, that gives you double the shots of a 35mm. I think gen z will love it, even if it has a learning curve. Instax also has a learning curve if you want good results.

Hopefully more manufacturers will join so that we can depend less on old caneras

The review worth watching… nice captures dawg.

Thanks for the kinda objective review. I think this camera is for people who have come to think digital has become too complicated, or too urban. There may be less guarantees using a film camera, but when it fails, where the fault lies is close at hand. Is $500 to much? How much is a concert ticket? Happy Saturday!

Halfframe is great. It ain’t a dirty word. DOUBLE the amount of shots, great film economy. Halfframe grain can be really beautiful if leaned into. Zone focus… eh… okay that’s not the most fun, but I guess it’s a freeing way to shoot, point and shoot style with a bit of control. Well done Pentax 👌🏽❤️

Stoked to see a new film camera dropping. I've got an Olympus PenD2 that takes *fire emoji* half frame shots for diptychs and even triptychs. Which I have to shoot in order to make it through a roll in less than a full calendar year. As far as resolution, 35mm movie film was printed horizontally as half-frame and we blow that up to gigantor sizes on a big screen with pretty great resolution. I've got no legitimate complaints about resolution with my Olympus. All the shots I've seen from this thing so far are grainy as hell so I'm not sure if that's an artifact of the lens design or materials (is it glass or plastic?).

Love the video and the candidness. I somewhat agree that the camera missed an opportunity and doesn't add very much to the brand. The camera also feels like it was designed based on consultant feedback and limited focus group surveys, as opposed to gut, intuition, and love for the craft

I'm glad to hear your weigh-in about the new Pentax 17. Your seal of approval has definitely made it a must-buy for me. It has been christened by grainydays. 🙂

Bless you Pentax ❤

I was thinking of getting this, but I’m gonna stick to my vintage Pentax lenses adapted to my A6000, always sick vids!

While I love my old half-frame Pen FTs the decision to go for that format in 2024 is still surprising - especially with the zone focus and some other design decisions. Not sure it will sell huge numbers, but I hope Pentax will at least break even to not scrap all future film camera products.

Love the new talking head setup with the black background. Looks great.

I was second hand sweating watching this. Heat is miserable. The camera looks fun.

you know there's bangers afoot when Jason brings a stepladder to the photoshoot

Current film enthusiast community is not big enough to justify starting serial production. I salute the effort, plus they have revived the factory floor knowledge needed for something more serious in the future.

PENTAX the Coolest Camera Company Ever ❤🎉❤

That yield photo at 14:57 is (perhaps unintentionally?) a great remake of the Pearl Jam album from 1998. Nice photo Jason.

I really like how this camera looks! Fun to see new film cameras on the market.

Big pentax fan here. There is a bunch that Pentax got right about this camera. The Manual ISO selection and the exposure Comp are perfect choices. There are two changes (3 to cater to my dreams) that would make this camera, almost as is, appeal a whole lot more to the film enthusiasts. 1. The lens as is actually uses a kind of autofocus motor that moves to the selected zone, seems expensive and odd. Replace that with an actual manual lens with a focus ring and an aperture ring. I'm fine with zone focusing, but not without being able to stop the camera down for controlled Dof. 2. for Auto, just add an "A" setting at the beginning of the ring, this is how Pentax did it on all their lenses since the A Series in the 80's. 2. The mode dial is so backwards and confusing, and a terrible choice for those who are new to photography, because it is mixing Aperture related settings, Shutter Speed related settings, and flash related settings all on one dial that is also unclear even to the most experienced photographers. Replace the mode dial with 2 simple switches: On one have Flash On, Flash off, and Flash Auto. On the other, just a two way switch between A for aperture priority, and B for bulb. If someone wants a simple experience, just put the aperture dial to "A" and the shutter switch to "A", heck, even put a notched hyperfocal "A" setting on the focus of the lens and the camera is fool proof, while giving a new shooter all the tools they need to learn the fundamentals of the camera. For a totally selfish bonus, PLEASE MAKE A SQUARE FORMAT 35mm camera! Heck now that they are doing this naming convention, call it the "Pentax 24" for the 24x24 frame size. it is a format that 1. is extremely rare, with only a couple very old cameras, so it is for sure something no one is doing and many have not seen, 2. a first for Pentax as they have never made a square format, even in medium format, 3. It has the economy bonus of the half frame without being tiring, 56 frames per roll. 4. The square format is something known and loved by Both Social Media Users, and film photographers! and 5. its a format that even well equipped 35mm film camera enthusiasts are very unlikely to have, so would be an amazing reason to get the cameras, it would be novel and different while still familiar. So, Pentax, if you are reading, just give the Pentax 24 a dark green accent for me and give it a 30mm manual focus and aperture ring f2.4 lens (also goes with the name). Thanks ;)

I’ve shot half frame for years with and Ansco Memo II. A small, automatic half frame camera is a great companion to a medium format or larger camera when traveling. Maybe my bloodline is weak but I don’t always want to drag my ETRS, Pentax 67 or Graflex out of a daytrip. That being said, for $500 I wish this camera had at least autofocus. I’ll probably still buy one to support the development of new film gear, but it seems like a lot of money for what it is.

They're essentially reviving a whole supply chain with this, I hope they're able to make enough money back on this that we get a 35mm SLR soon honestly!!

I think this is a solid product for its intended audience. Lots of our customers that would fit that demographic love shooting HF for the aesthetic - aiming for ultra retro. The price is palatable, if expensive and shot for shot I guess conceptually will make its money back being HF over time. Not the 35mm slr everyone wants, but id argue most hardcore shooters want a new version of a Mamiya 7 or equivalent anyway - which would be a much bigger financial risk on a still tiny film market. Hopefully a sign of positive things to come :) It aint replacin my Olympus Pen F in a hurry though 😅

Omg you have it!!!

Agree with other comments that Pentax made the right move making this half-frame (economically better) and relatively dummy proof. The enthusiasts who want manual cameras with huge lens selections are shooting vintage SLR's or Leica's. Vintage SLR sets can be bought for a fraction of the cost of what Pentax can make them for new. This camera is not one I'll be picking up, but Pentax made the right move with this camera and kudos for releasing a 35mm camera in 2024.

You went hard with the jokes in this one my guy... I like it

Ricoh/Pentax approach is precisely what they wanted it to be. For the crazies who already like and shoot film and have been carrying this dark art long into the digital world, you're already ensnared and need no more convincing. This camera is to ensnare new kiddos, and then one day, if successful, they will make an actual decent new film camera. ...as the price of film passes what I can get for my blood and kidneys.

Fantastic video!! I was film when film wasn’t cool, and I have ordered. Use my grandfather’s old zone focus cameras frequently, so it’s no biggie. Have to support so they will make more.

Now imagine if kodak does r&d on a new film with the tiniest grain film the world has ever seen. This camera seems a lot more appealing!

i hope a bunch of people buy this so they can put out a full frame version with autofocus. a new gangster point and shoot would rule

I think it’s a great thing to get new people into film as you said. Which more people for all of this is great for longevity. Leica still has new film cameras for the enthusiast. But maybe this is a great step into a new product line.

115° and Ryan goslings out there in a wool beanie and full black outfit

I agree as a newbie in the film world I was really hoping it would be a camera I would want to use. Fixed lens would have been fine but I want the manual focus not zone focus like they put on toy cameras

At the start Pentax was also very up front about the difficulty this project posed. They hadn't built a film camera in years and they no longer had any engineers from the old film days. So this wasn't even a technology demonstrator but a can we even do this demonstrator. They were also very up front that if this didn't sell they wouldn't be able or willing to make a more traditional 35mm film camera. I wouldn't hold my breath on a 67III being in the future. A new medium format camera is about as possible as Kodak Areochrome coming back.

I get the same vibe from this as I did Harman Phoenix; loads of money spent on R&D for an all-new-from-scratch product that only a niche audience even cares about. But I'm part of that niche, so I'm excited. It seems to have some nice, thoughtful features, but like Phoenix, it seems like a good, but far-from-perfect first effort. We can only hope that something a bit more ambitious is in the pipeline.

Ok, the cameras cool and all, but can we talk about Caleb’s drip 😂

From one hobby hatmaker and user to a fellow user, that's a really steamy hat for those hot days. Would recommend a straw hat or something 🤠 im guessing it's wool, the things people use to keep warm in my parts of the world.

I agree with you on the missed audience. They could have made a $750 full frame version and sold a lot more of them.

You’re not out of touch, I think all of us would’ve been completely happy with a regular 35mm camera just the way they were sold decades ago.

“Gotta be strong, even though I am weak” my new life motto

I like the idea of half-frame for THIS camera. It's economical, and the vertical format is perfect for social media. The vast majority of people in this day and age consume content on vertical screens.

I love the fact they made a new film camera, but I hate the fact it's $800 CAD and uses the same focus mechanism as a $20 plastic Holga camera. I would however, get as many bank loans as needed to buy a 67iii lmao If I was in a position to blow $800 on what is essentially a point and shoot, I absolutely would just to support their effort but for me (for now at least), my $40 SP1000 will remain king of my ever-shrinking camera shelf.

I appreciate what they're trying to do with this camera. Having said that, there are many, cheaper options available on the used market that produce better pictures with greater ease. Apparently it's about $500 USD