Pentax 17 full review + sample images! 

Congratulations to Pentax! It is amazing that a new film camera is hitting the shelves once again. I will absolutely be rooting for it's success while waiting for a full frame to (hopefully) come!

By far my favorite review on this camera. While other channels review the actual specs of the camera, this review understands that film is the other part of the equation. It feels more genuine and authentic to explore different films and techniques. A more casual approach to photography and sometimes we need that. It's meant to be fun and share memories, rather than a full time job each time picking up a camera.

People will buy this for nostalgic reasons of starting with Pentax, or with the hopes that this will push out a more wanted camera to the market. Either way, this seems like a win for the community.

Honestly, the character of the lens is pretty special! Holy moly!

That b/w shot of the guy with the umbrella is FANTASTIC. My goodness. I can't wait for mine now.

Great work Ricoh for keeping the Pentax name alive. Y

Amazed at the quality, might get it for street photography due to the half frame allowing me to shoot more.

I am seriously tempted by this. It seems great for street photography and I can see a lot of experienced photographers being more interested in this than they may initially have expected to be. Pentax have not reinvented the wheel, but very cleverly brought great existing ingedients together in a way that makes a compelling choice.To be honest, I was excited for Pentax to be making film cameras again, but did think that it would be the SLR's that would grab my attention and that this first faray would not interest me. I was wrong - I really want this.

I’m an experienced photographer- since 1950. I want one.

So cool! We have to support so others will be coming.

Announced Monday, heard about it and ordered it Tuesday. UPS to deliver Wednesday. 💪 Pentax

Glad film is coming back! I’ve been using my first SLR (Canon AE-1) for a few weeks and I fell in love with the process. Pentax 17 is a super cool camera but I’ll hold off cause I like the higher quality of the full frame.

That's not aog, it's aoco; Asahi Optical Co.

This is the cooles thing ever!! As a real pentax fan this is like Christmas and Eastern combined 😍 Thanks for the review, it's obvious how much work they put into this 😍

I gotta say, I'm kind of warming up to this camera more and more. Plus we can't complain that no more film cameras get made if we don't give this one a chance.

Best video so far on the new Pentax 17. Thank you!

This is the most exciting review of the Pentax 17 I've seen so far and it goes to show that if you take pictures with passion and love for the subject, this camera can really go a loong way. The photos in the video are really really good and show a wide variety of situations in which a hand-sized camera can really be an advantage, you can get away with so much but the quality seems to be there as well. I'm waiting for the scans of my first roll and I'm really excited to see the result. I shoot most of my work on medium format but I love having a small companion to have fun with, and what I look for in this small companion isn't the quality of my medium format cameras, but something just decent enough that if I feel like using the photographs, I can. I never carry my Mamiya 7 with me on the daily, unless I have something specific in mind or a project, so the opportunity to think differently with a small camera is great in that sense. I wouldn't ask someone in the street if I could take their portrait if I only had my iPhone on me for example (#millenials) but with the Pentax 17, I feel like I could. And it could be the beginning of a project that I might later pursue with another one of my cameras. It leaves the door open. So, to me it's not a serious camera, but it still allows to take photography seriously and seize the opportunities. I would love to know if Pentax will be able to repair the Pentax 17 if needed ? Hope they have the whole line figured out. Anyways, thanks for the video !

Great, great picture! Thank you for this review.

Looks fantastic ! Great review ... thank you

thank you, everybody's getting one for christmas

Expensive but a work of art. I love it.

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.

People criticize zone focusing but my favorite camera in my collection is a Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/16.

Excellent video. Your run through and photos are top notch! I’ve got one ordered.

The best review of this camera. Thx

A lot of great ideas in this cam ! I was afraid of the lack of autofocus, but what they implemented is very clever, with these focus logos appearing in the viewfinder, the real distances marked in cm and inches at the bottom of the lens, and the handstrap length which correspond to the macro distance ! I hope it will sell well, so they can make other new film cameras (35mm and medium format)

VERY good pictures!

It really brings it home seeing those waterfront photos, especially after spending the day yesterday in Holland and South Haven. Thank you for the down to earth review and rundown on this special camera.

I can definitely see its value as a street photography tool. We should support Pentax so that it can continue to produce new file cameras.

Thanks to Pentax and yes I have already pre-ordered one! Pentax please give us a 645N and a MZ series camera, a MZ-S would be stunning,. It is important that these new cameras have the original mount so it can use those older and wonderful lenses. If they do it right then they could even have digital inserts to work with those cameras and lenses.

Someone needs to make a half frame medium format camera!

The best Pentax 17 review I?ve seen until now.....and let me say that lens is amazing....looking at the final results. Again, thanks for the complete and awesome review. -Luca

sick review brother, I'm tempted to grab one!!

I am a huge Pentax fan!! My first 35mm cam was the ME Super back when they came out I was a teenager...I love it and still use it....I also love my Pentax Q and I realllllyyyyy want this new one!!! Thanks for the great review and your images showing all the various films you used were all great!

Super fun review!

This camera looks great. Seems like Ricoh/Pentax have something special - a product that might get popular/viral which has ZERO similar competitors. I just started shooting film for the first time with the cheapo Kodak Ektar camera.. and this Pentax is the one i really want. For me it would be convenient to buy as i dont need to learn about older camera models in order to buy a decent camera. I'm gonna try to order one.

Great review! (Fantastic pics!) Excellent tip about just counting clicks from a default focus setting, that makes it quick and intuitive. I'm so excited to see this finally hit the market, I've been following the project from the beginning (see my interviews of TKO and the team on Petapixel and DP Reviw), and like you love TKO's passion. Design- and feature-wise, I think he knocked it out of the park, I find it one of the most visually appealing cameras in a long while. I don't think I've been this jazzed about a new camera release in the last 20 years. - And that's saying a lot, given that I ran Imaging Resource for all that time. I've never bought a point & shoot in my life, but couldn't get the credit card out of my wallet fast enough to order one of these. (I hope you guys are set up to handle the *flood* of processing you're going to get from this 🙂Congrats on the relationship with Ricoh US, it looks like they found a good partner. Whatever deal you did with them, it was super-smart; you're going to capture the processing business for the next generation of film shooters.)

Great review, you got some great images.

I got a 90s point and shoot with auto focus that always takes too long for real snapshots. Especially for street photography zone focus is way better than autofocus. It's also better than manual focus which would really throw some people off.

I started shooting in the 1970s, and I think this camera sounds great. I'm getting one. Thanks for the great review.

Sooooo nice.... it's so niceeeeee

Best review of this camera, so far. I would buy except for 3 reasons: 1. My advanced age. 2. Cost of film and processing. 3. I love my Nikon FM 2n. Always had a great time with my Pentax Auto 110, now defunct. Go Pentax.

Wow! I hope they sell a ton of these. I want one.

I've watched several reviews of this camera, and this is the best one. The pictures are also the highest quality ones. Hopefully, you didn't spend extra time on the scans to make them better than typical!

Took tons of photos with my 35mm film cameras (including a Ricoh Auto Half) since 1977 up to the time I went mostly digital. This looks like an exciting camera to get.

Most detailed review so far. Other reviews mentioned that the top and bottom part is plastic, so it turns out it isn't. Which could mislead some of the viewers and potential buyers of this camera.

wow this is amazing! I wish they would soon start their sales in India :)

Great review! Just a quick question - how about the exposure and focusing lag? And once you have set the distance, does in go back to a neutral position or is it set until changed?

Going to get one of these, myself. I like the half frame format (own a Canon Demi) and a new camera, especially a film one, is something to really look forward to. Now, if Nikon only brought back the F3 and F6!!!😝

Thanks for the review! And congratulations on your new camera! I am also waiting for my Pentax 17. Will you please let me know what remote cable you are using for this camera? I am going to buy one for my Pentax 17 as well. Thanks !

I'm super excited for this camera release. We need more film cameras to be manufactured. I love my vintage ones, but those can be tricky to buy (there are some shady sellers out there) and repair, depending on parts and such. I'll admit, the price makes me a little hesitant, but I also understand this isn't a design they had laying around with machinery ready to make it. My internal debate is do I just go for it, or do I wait to see how much the price drops after it's been around a while?

Excellent review, thank you. Is there any delay when you press the shutter? Others have mentioned it in passing.

EXCELLENT REVIEW !!! - Others have reviewed this camera and frankly make it seem like a POS - BUT your review @TheDarkroomLab made feel very excited for this camera. Here's some technical "Strengths" you could elaborate on - especially for older (previous film shooters looking to come back ). ~ Newer film stocks have in some cases finer grain and better tonal capabilities. It's more a case to match the MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) of the lens + MTF of film stock + MTF of scanning modality. Worth covering actual light fall off / vignetting / image circle. . BUT probably most important would be a discussion of the hyperfocal distance being set in a smidge from infinity and stopped down. The shot of the tulip bulbs and windmill showed that. A discussion of hyperfocal distance would probably have 'Peeps" chill out a lot about focusing. . Optical layout of the lens and type of lens would also bring "Impressiveness" the table vs some of the comparative failures of retro-focal lenses. . Depending on film stock - especially BW - + use of filters that have narrower spectral transmission you could get some super sharp shots from this + GREAT contrast. . THANK YOU for communicating how solidly built the camera IS and how it was cannibalized from earlier things that PENTAX had sitting on the shelf ! . . Personally I think $500 is a bit steep for a $125 camera - but it is what it is. . I might be tempted to use it for spy-like hard copy back up of sketchy posts on the internet ;-) The aspect ratio and vertical format world very well for that. . HARD-COPY is everything especially in a world of environment destroying cloud servers. . THANK YOU AGAIN @TheDarkroomLab.

You can tell you had a lot of time with the camera and put a lot of thought into what the camera was for. Think I have too many cameras that have overlapping use cases so it's probably not for me, but the image quality on that lens does have me thinking.

Very cool and love the idea of half frame cameras, but a bit expensive for a zone focus only camera..

No problem with zone focus although I wish it had a meter/ft scale like my Minox 35 EL. And Aperture Priority over Program would have been great. But it’s such a beautifully designed camera, I’d really like to own it. Well done images, thanks.

I was really excited about this but half frame not for me... Hopefully pentax will produce a second full frame camera. Will wait on the rollei 35af from mint.

hey, its Holland Michigan!

I didn't have many hopes after that Yashica digiFilm and similar new `film` resurrection approaches, but it seems very well designed. My only con is the 3.5 lens, wish it was at least a 2.8 and a bit better quality, however the photos look quite good

@TheDarkroomLab, a small tip: voices sound better when recorded with a mono microphone. (Or you can use just one channel of the recording from your stereo mic.) That's how basically all movies and TV do it. This video is uncomfortable to listen to with headphones because you used a stereo mic. Getting a mic closer to your head will also reduce the room echo. A lavalier mic would be perfect for this type of video.

Honestly it's not a camera for me, I'm used to medium format quality and just 12 frames, 72 frames are even scary to me as it might take me years to finish a roll with my shooting style. But in any case I still want to take one, especially if the price stabilizes a little lower. Both because it's a really cool camera, and also because I'd like to support Pentax in this journey. And who knows, maybe if everything goes well we'll get a 67 III one day!

I love it. I have the itch for this camera. Who did you order that film photo keychain through?

I just trashed this camera in my review. It does not compare to the 1988 made yashica samurai X4.0 half frame 35mm SLR point & Shoot! More bang for your buck! So glad new film cams are being made but that's my 2 cents. I am getting G.A.S. hard watching your review, maybe I'll take mine down. Only had a jpeg version of the camera for my review... so maybe I didn't give it a fair shake. Thank you for opening my eyes! For now I have to call 1800-NO-TOOTS for relief from my uncontrollable G.A.S. Thank you for sharing. Subbed!

Were the pictures of the lighthouse in Holland, MI? I love it there.

Hey that was the holland lighthouse. That’s right near my house! 😂

I love the concept, but would have preferred a more classic layout : aperture ring, speed dial, microprism focusing, PASM modes. Also, the viewfinder looks like it’s been replaced with one from a different model camera.

Great photos you took with it! Do you edit the scans in LR?

I'm curious about how Pentax set the camera program. We all knew that: Aperture: F3.5 - F16 Shutter: 4s - 1/350s 1. When set to no flash P mode, when it is in low light, will it limit the shutter at 1/30s and warn you it is insufficient light, or it will go all the way down to 4s? 2. When set to Bokeh mode, using ISO 400 film under sunny day, will it shoot at F3.5 with 1/350s, or it will shoot at F16 with 1/350s? 3. When set to no flash Night mode, will it always prioritize shutter to 4s? or any range?

Yo tengo la Pentax 😊110 y ahora quiero está camara nueva 😅

Five hundred dollars is crazy

you should put the link of the blog in the video description

everyone complains about the half frame picture quality but weren’t movies originally filmed using the same amount of film per frame?

really cool ...and really bummer im not in situation to start putting money to film right now. Eventually no doubt..

I wish it had some more manual control but I still might pick one up. I shoot digital and haven’t shot film in a long time and maybe I can get my feet wet with this. Any film stock you recommend for this cam? I might pick up both a color and b&w stock

Funny how people don’t see Apsc sensors as not being enough yet a half frame is exactly the same: 24x17mm? Last time I checked Fujifilm X100VI and XT-5 were Apsc yet just fine. Half frame is plenty - move on.

I was waiting for this. When I learned that it's released, within a minute, it's in my Japan Amazon shopping cart. But looking at the price, I hesitate. It roughly translates into USD500. So I search on eBay what film camera and I can find quite a lot: from SLR to rangefinder to point and shoot - many of them pretty capable. So I am split: on one hand, this is a passionate thing for Pentax to produce it and as a photography lover, I should support. But on the other hand, purely from price/effectiveness, it seems there are much more choices out there that are much more capable for the same amount of money! What to do?

Great review mate. The images are also stunning but am I the only one who does not like the form factor?

I like that we have a new film camera. But I will stick with my Olympus point and shoot

Not happy that’s what they made, but it looks well built and fun to use

All these pros in other videos are so down on zone focusing. Zone focusing is what makes most of my cameras cool. I think the new Rollei ruined it by going auto focus. We who want analog everything want less automation, not more. I can get amzing photos with a digital camera, or fuck, a phone, I want the spontaneity, surprise and anticipation of something real, dynamic and fun.

That's AOCo. Not AOG. Asahi Optical Company was the original manufacturer of Pentax cameras and Takumar lenses.

I need mine noowwwwww lol

If you're a "glass half-empty" type, then it's a half-frame camera. If you're a "glass half-full" type, then it's a double-frame camera.

Preordered yesterday. Anyone know the release date? Google is useless on that front.

6:53 Buying film cameras has become “secondhand nature” to me. 😂

what film stock is 9:37 on?

Are the pictures more grainy than other old film cameras ?

Im really glad they are making a new film camera but zone focus at this price is just wild. Beginner's are not buying this...

Can’t shoot manual? Naw I’m good. I am excited as to what else is coming though.

The only issue is one has to wait twice as long before we complete the film..

Is $500 in between?

Want!

I think the design is absolutely beautiful, but I think it's going to have some usability issues. A lot of the other reviews I've seen have struggled to explain the settings on the dial, and I think that's going to be a bigger issue with new photographers. The price is also going to be prohibitive for a lot of people. If it were closer to, say, $350, I believe it would be more attractive for its intended audience.

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

Great video! Too bad you keep looking away from the lense, giving the sense that you only care about whats on frame and not the viewvers.

I legit thought this was gonna be priced at $350 tops. But $500! Hard pass.

great review! But $500 for half the resolution for this price? This is WAY to high I think! You can get better camera quality from used cameras, not mentioning old 6x9 or 6x6 cameras. Pentax can do better. However, glad to see they see a business in "shoot on film"

CR2 batteries I don't like very much. They die in winter and are expensive.

You charge $6 extra for developing half frame? What’s the point then?

One word, Marketing! Ridiculously high price, Wouldn't give a dollar for it.