Pentax 17 - Expensive or not? 

Thank you very much!

Thank you very much. I hope to have one to test soon. Pentax deserves our support on this project, they are good visionaries!

Some youtuber got a sample camera, opened the box and shouted the bottom plate was plastic before checking ... 😢

@@mipmipmipmipmip I noticed that too and I wondered how Pentax chose their testers! A couple of them said the film loading was electronic...

I agree 100%. They did a very good job to modernize the point of approach to film photography.

Thanks. I agree with you. Too many people are comparing with used camera prices. It's not the same.

Thank you. It's pretty interesting compari inflation in different countries for different years. The pond was very stable for a long time... Getting in EU Italian currency with the EU change collapsed... Dollar was pretty stable until few years ago... But yes the ME Super would be probably north of $550 now. I hope the 17 will go well so will be just the first step for Pentax in the second age of the analog world.

Glad to hear the camera feel solid. Thanks for sharing your experience with it. I like the project and I hope Pentax will continue to produce film cameras!

too many people continue to confront the price of the 17 with old used cameras forgetting the price when they were new. " Pretty sure in 30 years will be possible to buy a used 17 for $40...

@@LuigiBarbano Yeah, that is wrong compare to my opinion and looking to those old camera’s now days even good old Olympus XA will run for over 150 euro. They probably forgetting it is a new camera.

I hope competition will start soon, it'll mean more companies believe in film photography.

Why? A used camera can be less reliable, is sure more complex to use and a good used camera with a good lens can have a cost similar to this one. It's a matter of choice. I learned to drive on a very old Fiat 500 and learned how to reattach the gas tube that was pissing on the hot escape pipe at my expenses... and I loved that, but a lot of people preferred to lear on a new reliable car. It's just a matter of choice and personal preferences and for people liking new and simpler stuffs this camera is a very nice option with a fair price.

​@LuigiBarbano Exactly. I own the advanced Yashica Samurai half-frame camera. It's broken, attempting to repair not worth it.

@@mipmipmipmipmip yep.... and one in mint conditions is not that cheap to buy.

Hello to you. I agree 100%! The t-shirt was produced by Photomax, a shop in Italy specialized in Pentax. I can ask him if he has some to sell.

@@LuigiBarbano Please do, I would appreciate that!

@@GODSPEEDseven Wrote him, waiting for an answer :)

@@GODSPEEDseven size?

Agrred!

Thank you. Wait or not... is the Pentaxians most asked question :)

There are still a lot of old and full frame pentax K in good condition. I got recently beautiful and fully functional K2 for only 40$. Wow. I am very hapy with it

@@Xitrun I'm happy with my 20 years old Honda... doesn't mean has the same value of a new one... I will hate a new one with all the electronic and internet crap in it but some people love those things and cannot drive an old car. Value s personal and $500 for the 17 is not a bad value at all.

Top and bottom are magnesium alloy. I didn't had it in my hands so I cannot talk about the robustness. Yes, yu can got a plastic camera for $40 used. But how is the lens? How long will it last? The zone focus was a choice to attract smartphone people... we will see if it works. Looking at the sales right now it's working pretty well.

I’m sorry. Those appear to be digital cameras so is an empty comparison. Having recently helped a friend through a new mirrorless purchase, I’ve looked at these in some detail and these are all boring, dime a dozen cameras with nothing interesting or inspiring about them. But as far as the real comparison, I haven’t seen any new film cameras from Canon, Sony or Nikon. All I see from them over recent years is more and more boring digital cameras with no soul. More automation of advanced functions, faster/better AF, more pixels. Boring stuff that’s not interesting to look at any more and doesn’t inspire or make you a better photographer.

​@@shred3005 First "boring, dime a dozen cameras with nothing interesting or inspiring" is your opinion and, although I agree with it to some extent, it isn't a fact for many people. But that was never my point about the question "Pentax 17 -Expensive or not?" Second, they are digital cameras and that should make them more expensive since a sensor costs a lot more than a hole.

@@luispnrf sorry, I should’ve said I find those cameras boring and not even worth taking pause over as they are just evolutions of previous volume models. Same old thing but a bit newer. The reason why they are dirt cheap is they are mass market entry level cameras.. The R&D was paid for by trickle-down from more expensive cameras in the range and just simply updates in evolution of older cameras. Even if they have a new body or a new sensor these things are ultra cheap in the volumes that they are made in. Last year Canon made 1.5 million Mirrorless cameras and Sony 1.2 million.. They are purchased by people who just want cheap efficient digital camera without having to think too much. Like buying a refrigerator or washing machine or an entry level car to get around in. They are not the sort of people who would even think that film exists any more. Let alone have any thought about buying something like a Pentax 17, of which I understand the initial manufacturing run was in the thousands. 1.5 million compared to thousands? It’s a low volume niche product in a limited market. On the other hand, sensors in those entry level APS-C are cheap courtesy of the being bottom of the range with hundreds of thousands (millions?) of them cut from wafers every year. But it is comparing apples with oranges. While, both a Canon R100 and a Pentax 17 both record photos, that’s where the similarity ends. I suggest that the market for both are very different people looking for very different experiences.

@@luispnrfCanon has a strategy of selling entry-level cameras at little or no profit (Pentax can't afford that) in order to lock new users into its system and they certainly succeeded with me. Now I have EOS R with several expensive lenses... mostly collecting dust. Now that's expensive, to sink a significant sum of money into something that is rarely used. Instead, analog cameras amuse me and I use them regularly. I agree that the value is a bit lower, but with this camera Pentax (Ricoh) has to cover the costs of R&D and to provide funds for the development of the following models. It's 400$ for camera and 100$ donation for development, at least as I see it. And as far as I'm concerned, that's perfectly fine :)