Nah, I want to see Jordan rent an Arri 35 and a thousand-foot magazine and shoot a serious production with it. The frame size would be exactly the same as this Pentax 17, so I'm sure the Pentax marketing department would be happy to foot the bill for the rental, crew, film stock, and processing expenses to really showcase what 17x24mm can do!
@@jlwilliams Ooooh,..... Idea,... add electronic winder and a timer or remote release, it's the new "Film" crash cam!! Well, Pentax's are built to survive anything...
@@PiDsPagePrototypes I remember reading once that a rental shop had set up some Bell & Howell 70DRs for being thrown off cliffs for POV shots... the camera usually survived, but anything it happened to hit usually didn't! At least the Pentax would hurt less when it hit...
@@jlwilliamshe was using a film video camera there. You can see it in the overall feel for the video with the colour balance how he captured sun stars in B roll and in the waterfall.
I just watched almost all the other reviews on the Pentax 17 and I have to say this is by far the best and most informative one on the camera. Chris, you absolutely killed it with the sample photos.
Smart move by Pentax to introduce the 17 initially with half-frame, zone-focusing system and relatively small apperture for wider DoF. Film photography is quite expensive nowadays and by these arrangements it would attract wider range of audience from beginners to hobbyists to enthusiasts. When the sales has reached the target, I wouldn't be surprised to a more advanced camera from this series and it would lead the competitors to follow suit.
@@HullioGQYou can purchase a rechargeable cr2 battery. If they put a proprietary rechargeable battery then it would be harder to replace when it die 10-20yrs from now.
@@JackShen-vq6gvyeah - higher than my first Nikon slr cost. It is a niche camera and will not be produced in 50,000 model run. Still have some zone focus cameras - under $200 when used. My Voigtlander Bessa L with the 25mm Skopar, full frame metering, same kind of focusing - still may be equal or better. And in early 2000s money was still less - new.
I'm trying to decipher what you are trying to say here. Your old camera was less than 500 brand new 20 years ago? Okay what was the exact price? And adjusted for inflation?
Yeah, the photo samples are amazing -- they look every bit as crummy as the results I got from shooting 400-speed color neg film in my half-frame Olympus Pen FT back in the day, except that the Olympus had a better lens, an accurate viewfinder, and allowed manual exposure settings. We all learned the hard way back then that the only way to get non-miserable results with half-frame was to use the slowest, finest-grained film you could get -- Kodachrome 25 wasn't too bad. But of course Ricoh wants you to know that the Pentax 17 isn't about image quality, it's about FUN... "fun" being the modern synonym for "taking pictures you don't care about and will delete immediately after posting them on your Instagram"...
This camera gets my approval. Pentax may be slow with getting a product to market but you can see how much thought went to it. I feel they succeeded making a film camera for 2024. Also, I love how Pentax/Ricoh makes cameras on their own terms, with almost no influence on what other manufacturers are doing.
I couldn’t agree more! Let’s hope this camera becomes a financial success. If it does... good things are on the horizon! Also for professional film photographers. For now, there are lots of professional SLRs in good working condition around, but if Pentax manages to innovate on designs from the early 2000s, I’m sure pros will get interested. Let’s hope that’s enough for Pentax, since pro-level cameras are a tiny niche of an already not-so-big market.
@@PetaPixel that would have been ridiculously cool lol. maybe for their next film camera release? they're working on like 3 or 4 other models going up in range
@@PetaPixelthat would have been hilarious. How much would it cost to shoot and scan probably 30+ minutes of super 8 footage? Im thinking it has to be at least a $1000 in film, dev, and scan costs alone 😂😳
@@mengshun It's been decades since we moved on, a few new film cameras would be great, next to literally hundreds of digital cameras shouldn't be an issue for you.
True film photography fans need to buy this if they ever want new film cameras to pop out. If this fails, then chances are no company would attempt to do this again in the foreseeable future. C'mon guys, lets support Pentax!
Pentax isn't a charity. If they want to sell film cameras they can and should make the right camera for the market. This might have a market, but I sure ain't in it!
@@walliswizard fair enough but if this doesn't succeed then there won't be another camera that we all want. Hoping that they release a 6x7 at some point or even just a 645. Heck, I would be happy with a new LX but all of these won't come to fruition if the Pentax 17 does not succeed.
Agree! From a meeting with Ricoh staff before the launch of Pentax 17, the sales figure of this camera will definitely affect the investment decison on develop more brand new film camera models.
I was hoping for a better spec but you have to congratulate Pentax for delving back into film photography. I started my photography hobby with film many moons ago. I had plenty of different film cameras over the years before digital came into the game. Now I'm back using film cameras and loving it all over again. The only down side is the price of some of these films but if you shop around you can get a decent deal. On that note I can wholeheartedly recommend here in the UK Analogue Wonderland. They have a great choice of film for 35mms and 120 mm. They cover developing, scanning and offer cloud storage to boot. And no they are not paying for this recommendation. Let's hope Pentax does well with this camera and gets more people back into film photography.
Hands down the best preview of this epic occasion - a new film camera! I've been watching the previews on this all day and it's clear you're the only one who actually read the manual. Thank you! As for the camera, it's going to be a while before I get one since you can really find some awesome film cameras for the price. But I wish Pentax success with this and hopefully there's room in the market for an even better camera in the future.
I'm thoroughly impressed by this camera. I like the form factor, grip, and viewfinder. Looks like it will be a fun camera for lovers of film both young and old.
I recently got back into film and was surprised when I got better results from "toy" film cameras than I got from SLRs in the 90s. The development process, especially the digital editing part, is the difference. You can't separate the results you got from the film, camera and lab without controlling for each. Labs today are generally top notch because they do it out of passion. Old chemicals and bad process resulted in terrible colors at many labs in the 80s and 90s. I'd love to see a video where you edit the photos yourself with something like Negative Lab Pro!
It's amazing comparing an actual camera review to what all the Analog Film channels who usually judge things on "Aesthetics" and "Vibes". I've seen 2 other camera reviews of this from diehard film shooters and they gave me nothing other than "Its not medium format so it sucks." It's really cool to see an actual camera review point out all the features.
Very cool. My photography goes back to the the Sixties, so I would love to use one of these. As a Professor of Photography at the university level who has taught 35mm B&W film courses, this would work well and be fun to use. Cheers
I'm really like that this camera is what I think Pentax is good at. making something that's they always makes camera's you can love. its quirky, misses some functions but have other features that blows your mind. ha a lot of old lenses from the time I still used film, I think I started around the age of 10 with film photography and my dad collected Pentax. Now I'm 51 an have all my dad's old lenses so I decided that I need the K1 markII. and the camera is briljant, works like the old days with the older lenses. catch in focus is super with manual lenses. and on the other hand it's bulky and menu is not that great. but the way you have this over engineered. tilting screen and startracer and s many good nice things. and I think they really nailed it. it's a real Pentax even thinking of get one. I is also smaller than my MX whit 40mm pancake lens.
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. We spend a lot on film and processing, we deserve access to new cameras.
By far the best sample photos I’ve seen on this channel. The colours that naturally come from film are wonderful. Edit : okay maybe not *best* but my favourite sample photos 😂
@@shang-hsienyang1284Typically, a film scanner doesn’t have its own “colour science” like a camera does. Yes you’re right that if you photographed the negatives with say, a 5D Mk 2, everything would look brown (and then whatever brown inverts too) because the “colour science” in the 5D Mk 2 makes everything look brown. But a scanner manufacturer knows that they need to capture what the colours of the film are without imposing their own interpretation onto it. So they are made to be as neutral as possible. If you could somehow attach a lens to one and photograph a picture, you would get a boring dull picture. Certainly if the scanner manufacturer knew for sure that they were only ever going to be developing C400 pro, in the same way that a camera manufacturer knows that every shot passed to their microchips came from the precise same sensor - then you might get scanners with “colour science” built in. But the second that lab gets Kodak gold, then it will clash. This is why people who develop at home buy the expensive film scanners when you can set up a little stand and hang a digital camera with a macro lens pointed at a light box with the film on top. It’s cheap, but your camera is an atrocious tool to digitise your negatives with if the way it interprets colour clashes with the way film portrays colour.
Fantastic video! So great to see the influx of film camera interest sparking companies like Pentax making new film cameras! Lets hope this industry gets a reawakening and booms once again
Chris, Jordan, this is a very good, comprehensive review of a camera that is, as you note, falling somewhere between toy and serious. It will be interesting to see how well it sells. The vertical/portrait orientation, when holding the camera "normally," is, as I know from years ago with a folding Fujifilm 645, a pain sometimes when you want to do horizontal/landscape. But...72 images out of a roll, that's a big deal now. And the whole grain/contrast compromise one now makes when shooting film over digital is kind of cool. I shot film for many years and if I got decent shots for half the roll I was really happy. That would be 36 images now! Now what we need is a return of something like Kodachrome: obviously it can't be made again, given the chemistry, but a fine-grain reversal film....ooooh.
As an amateur analog enthousiast, this review convinced me to order this camera. I do have a few cameras ranging from a 90s Canon point-and-shooty DX thing, a Lubitel TLR, a 70s Chinon SLR that gets a lot of use, but I was interesting in something that's engaging but easy enough to bring on a trip. This seems like it will do well on my upcoming Japan trip.
I'm excited to see a new film camera on the market made by a larger company. I'm loving the images I've seen produced by this camera. Even with the limitations and price, that might be enough for me to buy one. I'm also very interested in the upcoming Rollei 35AF, but that'll be even more expensive.
The Z6 is cool, but THIS is something I'm actually excited for. Great work you guys! Hopefully Jordan gets a chance to escape his editing room for a bit
Thank god for your review, finally a clever look at this camera ✨ thank you guys ❤️ and great scans compared to the other testers and Pentax themselves
My impression here is that Pentax leaned into the intentional limitations and “featured them up” in smart ways. That image with the woman walking away and the right half in silhouette is really nice.
"...a smartphone is going to blow this away in regards to quality..." ?? Depends on your definition of quality. These are some of the most aesthetically pleasing images I've seen on this channel. In my opinion, organic scenes need an organic camera. Kudos to the printers doing the scanning. And who knows what wonders are on the negs if you do it yourself. ;-) Great video thank you.
Great to see digital photographers being reminded of how much cooler film looks and how much fun film is. Well done Pentax for the release of the new 17. Hopefully the first of many new film cameras and hopefully cameras with more full manual features to come!
Really not that expensive when you take into account the cost related to buying another +20 or +30 year old analog camera. I hope that newcomers will jump on this camera and make great pictures. Know that your photography skills curve will be much better with film because you have to pay for each shots (it gives you incentive to work on your composition). Thanks for the review!
Hand me downs make getting into analogue far cheaper, but that really depends on what you get. I discovered a bunch of Contax/Yashica cameras and lenses in deep storage which my late father had likely used in the late 70s. All I had to really do was replace the faux leather and light seals which had deteriorated and were sticky, and they were working perfectly well. It did make me consider buying a Canon EOS 3, and relying on the vast second hand EF lens market, but I ended up not bothering. I've mostly gone back to mirrorless since I've gotten a lot busier in my life, and I realised I have a number of rolls which are either not developed after over a year, or were half shot through. Most airport security doesn't understand film anyway, so travelling with it is pointless if CT scanners now in use at bigger airports are more likely to irradiate the film, ruining it. A DSLM can go through one of those machines without any of your photos being ruined.
@@eventhori3onHave you checked prices recently? Unless you’re prepared to put up with broken, gross or mouldy gear, prices in the last year or so have sky rocketed!
Rubbish! You can pick up Canon AE-1s and some nice FD lenses all for under £100... And let's be real here..! If you are just starting in film photography (which this camera is aimed squarely at and even chris alluded too)and you don't even know if you would like film photography then get out and get a dusty old SLR with a lens for peanuts and have a go! This product is for stupid people living on nostalgia just like everything nowadays! On the other side people who are very experienced in film photography wont buy this because it has limited manual control and is toy like for $500-600! No....this is stupid .. but it will sell well as there are a lot of stupid people about unfortunately!?!? Pentax are relying on it 😊@@PippetWhippet
One of the most intelligent reviews I've seen of pretty much anything. Have recently gotten mine in part to support the initiative, in part to give me a camera I'm more likely to pick up day to day and always have with me
I hope the Pentax 17 will be so successful that Pentax will work on something like a Pentax 36 in future with K Mount or at least a full functional fast fixed lens. #filmisnotdead
Love it! Long time (35+ years) Pentaxian here, both film and digital. When I jumped into the digital wagon in early 2000s I said "Just like Black and White did not die when color arrived, film photography will not die". Time proved me right.
A little bit surprised at the price but it’s definitely cool. I think they’ve done a great job with it. I agree with basically all the design choices they made. I hope people buy it. And young people can afford it. I don’t want it to just be nostalgic older men buying it.
Yes, but not so much cult for its ability - imo collectors will be interested and its other success will be driven by the kind of influencers, call it film chique, but without the technology. If you look at it is nothing special, relatively limited, arguably an overpriced toy camera and for a toy camera it is over engineered. IMO it resides in no man’s land. It is not a capable film compact, it is not a capable manual, it is not a capable SLR, it is not a rangefinder. It is both more difficult and dumbed down at the same time. So it needs to trendy chique hot sauce to be a niche marketing success. IMO for many the cool factor will wear down quickly. Design wise imo it is also all over, neither fowl or fish. The more I look at it, the more I think of it as a poor option for a film camera.
This is somehow a perfect replacement for disposable film cameras! It's mostly automatic, has this travel and fun vibe. And you get to shoot up to 72 pictures with it!
The angel on my shoulder: "$500 is pretty steep for a toy camera." The devil on the other shoulder: "You idiot, we don't get paid to take pictures - all our cameras are toy cameras. Besides, you loved the storytelling of two half-frame shots on one print when you had an Olympus Pen EE2." The angel: "Yeah, but we absolutely hated buying film and paying for processing, plus we were always worried about missing shots with limited controls, limited film, and no review." The devil: "Skill issue. Just sell your a5100 and make this your 'throw in the bag' camera instead. And put development costs on my tab!" The angel: "You know I always end up paying that"
Well, Brother Beard it’s a nice camera that is not for me-I enjoyed the review-because you and Jordan are great at reviewing, informative and fun-thanks.
Absolutely love this, considering getting one out of support in the hopes that they continue this trend. I'd love to see the shutter speed and focus modes improved though, but I love Half-Frame cameras.
I think it would be nice t-shirts with the main stamp on the back and a small petapixel logo at the left on the chest. looks like a fun camera, and your reviews always rocks, thanks. Personally i'm longing for K-1III, if ever...
Good review as usual. Hey Jordan, how often does Chris drop a camera? The way his hands move while talking and holding a camera keep me watching for him to lose his grip. Be honest now, how often? And how about posting some video of a drop in a bloopers reel? Cheers 👍
Thanks for the sample images and the explanations about its limits at longer shutter speeds, only at f/3.5 . So far it remains an alternative to the similarly priced Alfie TYCH half frame camera that is geared towards a true manual M experience and longer controlled shutter speeds at f/8. The Alfie can go below ISO 50 and use special film such as ADOX CMS 20 or Rollei RPX25. However, I like them both and will definitely buy the Pentax 17, also to support the next film camera that Pentax will release, hopefully a manual mode full frame SLR.
Looks decent! I never been much into film, but I messed around with a $60 retrospekt camera recently and it was pretty fun. So something like this would as well with more versatility, but the price doesn make it a tough sell. Especially with Chris mentioning build quirks here.
Looks a super piece of kit, and I'm tempted, however £500 GB is a significant outlay and it will be interesting to see how long it is that the £500 price tag sticks around for... One to watch for the lovers of film. Right back to my Mamiya 645J to have my film fix for the day :)
I feel like you guys put a lot more effort into the sample photos, trying to be more creative. Also, since the film already has a "processed" look from the factory, the photos look more finished, less like test shots.
2:27 I knew this would happen after seeing the type of fiom it takes. Took my brain a couple seconds to process seeing a horizontal image from a vertically oriented camera.
Wow. I didn't know what I was expecting from this launch but Pentax knocked it out the park with the 17! It's a sexy little thing that looks like a lot of fun to use, and your results were excellent. I'm not a big fan of half frame but something tells me this is gonna fly off the shelves. I hope it does and I hope it sets a new benchmark for fun film cameras. Meanwhile, I'm waiting to see what the Rollei 35AF can offer, being a big fan of the original.
You had me until $500! It's about $400 too much. If it had AF, or at least RF Manual, a wider max aperture and proper controls, then i'd say take my money. Either that or someone needs to remake the olympus mju ii.
I get you, in principle. But for $100 you can't buy a brand new film camera that gives you decent results and features. I mean, you can get new film cameras for under $100, but it's the crappy Lomography Lomourette and so on. You can get a disposable camera for $27 or less. No, thanks. I don't ever want to associate film with crappy lo-fi results.
We have been asking for this for few years. I'm glad to see. Just wish it wasn't half frame. Commit fully! I understand the reasoning but also believe they could target a more enthusiast crowd if they made if ff and worked to make it the best ff film camera in 2024 for under 1k with swappable lenses rather than half frame for about 500. Not sure which novices would spend 500 for this kinda of performance. But hoping it does well! At least I have been hoping for a film camera with modern features. Hopefully they don't plan a yearly cycle, it doesn't need that. But to keep the tech alive I hope each brand has a new film camera every decade or so. They have the IP, just use it haha. I know it's not that simple but it would be nice to see.
Yes, and we all have bought 35mm SLRs for good prices. In fact, a Barnack Leica with a lens can cost less than US$500. No problem. But this is a new camera with the advantages that you get with a new product. I would easily prefer the Pentax 17 over any Instax camera, just FWIW.
@@Biosynchro In my opinion this camera is not offering any advantages which worth US$500. If it was $200 then I would take it more seriously. I think this product scratches the itch for grainy "vibes" photography.
350th? the Pen F can go down to 1sec/bulb up to 500th AND you can swap lenses given it was an SLR. you can also pick up a mint one for 200 bucks. though this looks fun and simple to use and folks dont realize how hard it is to shoot through 72 images on a roll in one day lol
72 images in one day is a lot. But we are also many who shoot analogue that don't always have to finish a roll in a day all the time. I think its good for people that likes to capture moments from time.to time who might buy one roll a month or something.
Personally speaking, 72 exposures is not a lot for me. I might shoot that many frames on one subject in ten minutes. Even if I take into account the fact that shooting film does naturally reduce your frame count. That's just me, of course, and YMMV.
![[Limbus Company - Teaser] Season5 - Oblivion](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8anKuEeZLeI/mqdefault.jpg)
You haven’t talked about video features :/
It can shoot 6.7k 50fps raw open gate in pro res
Perfect for vloggers
Lmao
😂
@@maxhobbs5512 On par with Panasonic S9 😅
I want to see Jordan do a 72 shot, 3 second stop-animation, and comment on the video capabilities.
I’m down for that too!
Nah, I want to see Jordan rent an Arri 35 and a thousand-foot magazine and shoot a serious production with it. The frame size would be exactly the same as this Pentax 17, so I'm sure the Pentax marketing department would be happy to foot the bill for the rental, crew, film stock, and processing expenses to really showcase what 17x24mm can do!
@@jlwilliams Ooooh,..... Idea,... add electronic winder and a timer or remote release, it's the new "Film" crash cam!!
Well, Pentax's are built to survive anything...
@@PiDsPagePrototypes I remember reading once that a rental shop had set up some Bell & Howell 70DRs for being thrown off cliffs for POV shots... the camera usually survived, but anything it happened to hit usually didn't! At least the Pentax would hurt less when it hit...
@@jlwilliamshe was using a film video camera there. You can see it in the overall feel for the video with the colour balance how he captured sun stars in B roll and in the waterfall.
I just watched almost all the other reviews on the Pentax 17 and I have to say this is by far the best and most informative one on the camera. Chris, you absolutely killed it with the sample photos.
Thank you very much!
You said it. Exactly right. Where were those scans done?
@@Larpy1933 Chris said in the video they got them from The Darkroom, a film lab in California.
Finally we have proof that Chris is a great photographer! ;)
I guess, thank you?
@@niccollsvideo not to discredit the iconic puddle series of course! Many imitators, no duplicators
I'm not so sure about that. But I do remember one photo of a puddle taken with the Leica Q2 Monochrome... pure "art"
these were by far the best photos I've seen Chris take
True. Not gonna lie all this photos chris taken feels true Art!
Beautiful black and white images of the waterfall
Smart move by Pentax to introduce the 17 initially with half-frame, zone-focusing system and relatively small apperture for wider DoF. Film photography is quite expensive nowadays and by these arrangements it would attract wider range of audience from beginners to hobbyists to enthusiasts. When the sales has reached the target, I wouldn't be surprised to a more advanced camera from this series and it would lead the competitors to follow suit.
I hope someone makes a full manual mod.
Yeah, except the camera is $500 (!!!)
chatgpt ahh comment
Why would Pentax make a more advanced camera, if they can sell a half frame plasticky limited camera for €549?
A half-frame camera, aka a film four-third ... long live the format😂
Can't believe its actually here. Great for the community!
With a disposable battery in 2024?? Why didn't they opt for a recharge battery. They're fairly cheap now!
500usd?
@@HullioGQYou can purchase a rechargeable cr2 battery. If they put a proprietary rechargeable battery then it would be harder to replace when it die 10-20yrs from now.
@@JackShen-vq6gvyeah - higher than my first Nikon slr cost.
It is a niche camera and will not be produced in 50,000 model run.
Still have some zone focus cameras - under $200 when used.
My Voigtlander Bessa L with the 25mm Skopar, full frame metering, same kind of focusing - still may be equal or better. And in early 2000s money was still less - new.
I'm trying to decipher what you are trying to say here. Your old camera was less than 500 brand new 20 years ago? Okay what was the exact price? And adjusted for inflation?
These are the best photo samples I have seen in a long time!
You can tell Chris really enjoyed testing this thing haha
exactly what I thought when I saw the pictures. damn!
@@BrownieX001 Remember, weed is legal in Portland...
Yeah, the photo samples are amazing -- they look every bit as crummy as the results I got from shooting 400-speed color neg film in my half-frame Olympus Pen FT back in the day, except that the Olympus had a better lens, an accurate viewfinder, and allowed manual exposure settings. We all learned the hard way back then that the only way to get non-miserable results with half-frame was to use the slowest, finest-grained film you could get -- Kodachrome 25 wasn't too bad. But of course Ricoh wants you to know that the Pentax 17 isn't about image quality, it's about FUN... "fun" being the modern synonym for "taking pictures you don't care about and will delete immediately after posting them on your Instagram"...
@@jlwilliams says a lot then that these pictures were still great, it's a snapshot camera and the results are more than good enough for that purpose
This camera gets my approval. Pentax may be slow with getting a product to market but you can see how much thought went to it. I feel they succeeded making a film camera for 2024. Also, I love how Pentax/Ricoh makes cameras on their own terms, with almost no influence on what other manufacturers are doing.
I couldn’t agree more! Let’s hope this camera becomes a financial success. If it does... good things are on the horizon! Also for professional film photographers. For now, there are lots of professional SLRs in good working condition around, but if Pentax manages to innovate on designs from the early 2000s, I’m sure pros will get interested. Let’s hope that’s enough for Pentax, since pro-level cameras are a tiny niche of an already not-so-big market.
Long Live Pentax! Did Jordan even considering bringing out that K-01 again to film the episode? Missed opportunity. 😀 Thanks gentlemen!
I considered shooting it on Super8, but we didn’t have enough time for scans!
- Jordan
@@PetaPixel that would have been ridiculously cool lol. maybe for their next film camera release? they're working on like 3 or 4 other models going up in range
@@PetaPixel Kodak Super 8 Camera review incoming??
@@PetaPixelthat would have been hilarious. How much would it cost to shoot and scan probably 30+ minutes of super 8 footage? Im thinking it has to be at least a $1000 in film, dev, and scan costs alone 😂😳
@mipmipmipmipmip A lot of the og mirrorless cameras are dying for similar reasons :\
MORE NEW FILM CAMERAS!!!
No. Please gawd no. Let's move on.
@@mengshun It's been decades since we moved on, a few new film cameras would be great, next to literally hundreds of digital cameras shouldn't be an issue for you.
"Auto mode" can do "auto focus".
True film photography fans need to buy this if they ever want new film cameras to pop out. If this fails, then chances are no company would attempt to do this again in the foreseeable future. C'mon guys, lets support Pentax!
I agree, but I also don't really want a half frame camera. I hope it does well, this one just isn't for me.
Pentax isn't a charity. If they want to sell film cameras they can and should make the right camera for the market. This might have a market, but I sure ain't in it!
@@walliswizard fair enough but if this doesn't succeed then there won't be another camera that we all want. Hoping that they release a 6x7 at some point or even just a 645. Heck, I would be happy with a new LX but all of these won't come to fruition if the Pentax 17 does not succeed.
If it was a 645, 6x6 or 6x7 with interchangeable lenses I would buy it. This isn't the film camera I want.
Agree! From a meeting with Ricoh staff before the launch of Pentax 17, the sales figure of this camera will definitely affect the investment decison on develop more brand new film camera models.
I was hoping for a better spec but you have to congratulate Pentax for delving back into film photography.
I started my photography hobby with film many moons ago. I had plenty of different film cameras over the years before digital came into the game.
Now I'm back using film cameras and loving it all over again.
The only down side is the price of some of these films but if you shop around you can get a decent deal.
On that note I can wholeheartedly recommend here in the UK Analogue Wonderland. They have a great choice of film for 35mms and 120 mm.
They cover developing, scanning and offer cloud storage to boot. And no they are not paying for this recommendation.
Let's hope Pentax does well with this camera and gets more people back into film photography.
Hands down the best preview of this epic occasion - a new film camera! I've been watching the previews on this all day and it's clear you're the only one who actually read the manual. Thank you! As for the camera, it's going to be a while before I get one since you can really find some awesome film cameras for the price. But I wish Pentax success with this and hopefully there's room in the market for an even better camera in the future.
I'm thoroughly impressed by this camera. I like the form factor, grip, and viewfinder. Looks like it will be a fun camera for lovers of film both young and old.
I recently got back into film and was surprised when I got better results from "toy" film cameras than I got from SLRs in the 90s. The development process, especially the digital editing part, is the difference. You can't separate the results you got from the film, camera and lab without controlling for each. Labs today are generally top notch because they do it out of passion. Old chemicals and bad process resulted in terrible colors at many labs in the 80s and 90s. I'd love to see a video where you edit the photos yourself with something like Negative Lab Pro!
$500 seems just a little steep for half frame. I'm definitely thinking about it, though. Cool and bold product from Pentax.
a LITTLE steep??? LOL
Yeah $500 is asinine, especially to market this to 'young' people who are poor.
I saw the camera and thought "That's cool." Then I saw the price and said "It's not $500 worth of cool."
Niche market, $500 for a new film camera in 2024 is fine.
@@TDub777no joke, I expected it to be 170-250 usd. My jaw dropped when I heard 500
It's amazing comparing an actual camera review to what all the Analog Film channels who usually judge things on "Aesthetics" and "Vibes". I've seen 2 other camera reviews of this from diehard film shooters and they gave me nothing other than "Its not medium format so it sucks." It's really cool to see an actual camera review point out all the features.
Finally got in the background of one of these videos (on the water durning Fleet Week).
We live in crazy times. So excited this camera is here and I hope it leads to a Pentaxisance.
Love the shirt 胡子哥
Very cool. My photography goes back to the the Sixties, so I would love to use one of these. As a Professor of Photography at the university level who has taught 35mm B&W film courses, this would work well and be fun to use. Cheers
The BnW is gorgeous. I love the falls shots.
I'm really like that this camera is what I think Pentax is good at. making something that's they always makes camera's you can love. its quirky, misses some functions but have other features that blows your mind. ha a lot of old lenses from the time I still used film, I think I started around the age of 10 with film photography and my dad collected Pentax. Now I'm 51 an have all my dad's old lenses so I decided that I need the K1 markII. and the camera is briljant, works like the old days with the older lenses. catch in focus is super with manual lenses. and on the other hand it's bulky and menu is not that great. but the way you have this over engineered. tilting screen and startracer and s many good nice things. and I think they really nailed it. it's a real Pentax even thinking of get one. I is also smaller than my MX whit 40mm pancake lens.
Half frame makes a lot of sense for an analog camera in 2024.
Depends on the user. For me, 72 frames is nightmare. Heck, even 12 frames (mostly shoot in 6x6 nowadays) may need a year to finish.
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. We spend a lot on film and processing, we deserve access to new cameras.
A new film camera review? What an awesome Monday! 🎉
By far the best sample photos I’ve seen on this channel. The colours that naturally come from film are wonderful.
Edit : okay maybe not *best* but my favourite sample photos 😂
*Colors naturally picked by the digital algorithms of the scanning software
@@shang-hsienyang1284Typically, a film scanner doesn’t have its own “colour science” like a camera does. Yes you’re right that if you photographed the negatives with say, a 5D Mk 2, everything would look brown (and then whatever brown inverts too) because the “colour science” in the 5D Mk 2 makes everything look brown. But a scanner manufacturer knows that they need to capture what the colours of the film are without imposing their own interpretation onto it. So they are made to be as neutral as possible. If you could somehow attach a lens to one and photograph a picture, you would get a boring dull picture. Certainly if the scanner manufacturer knew for sure that they were only ever going to be developing C400 pro, in the same way that a camera manufacturer knows that every shot passed to their microchips came from the precise same sensor - then you might get scanners with “colour science” built in. But the second that lab gets Kodak gold, then it will clash.
This is why people who develop at home buy the expensive film scanners when you can set up a little stand and hang a digital camera with a macro lens pointed at a light box with the film on top. It’s cheap, but your camera is an atrocious tool to digitise your negatives with if the way it interprets colour clashes with the way film portrays colour.
Looks like a little bit of irrational exuberance. :-)
@@shang-hsienyang1284 I don’t disagree but still a nice richness to it
@@VisionCommunications can you explain? :)
Fantastic video! So great to see the influx of film camera interest sparking companies like Pentax making new film cameras! Lets hope this industry gets a reawakening and booms once again
Who would have thought PetaPixel and grainydays would publish reviews for the same camera on the same day. Truly a new era has dawned ;-)
Pentax paid for the reviews to come out (yesterday) to coincide with their announcement vid
@@bob11712 I'm sure they asked for the reviews to be published as soon as possible, but they definitely did not pay for it.
Time to use the Olympus Pen FT again. Prices will rise maybe… still the most advanced half frame film camera
"You get those analog experiences!" My remembrance of this was the multiple times I didn't load the film correctly! ;-)
The first time I used a Barnack Leica, I loaded the film incorrectly and got zero exposures. C'est la vie!
Chris, Jordan, this is a very good, comprehensive review of a camera that is, as you note, falling somewhere between toy and serious. It will be interesting to see how well it sells. The vertical/portrait orientation, when holding the camera "normally," is, as I know from years ago with a folding Fujifilm 645, a pain sometimes when you want to do horizontal/landscape. But...72 images out of a roll, that's a big deal now. And the whole grain/contrast compromise one now makes when shooting film over digital is kind of cool. I shot film for many years and if I got decent shots for half the roll I was really happy. That would be 36 images now! Now what we need is a return of something like Kodachrome: obviously it can't be made again, given the chemistry, but a fine-grain reversal film....ooooh.
As an amateur analog enthousiast, this review convinced me to order this camera.
I do have a few cameras ranging from a 90s Canon point-and-shooty DX thing, a Lubitel TLR, a 70s Chinon SLR that gets a lot of use, but I was interesting in something that's engaging but easy enough to bring on a trip. This seems like it will do well on my upcoming Japan trip.
I'm excited to see a new film camera on the market made by a larger company. I'm loving the images I've seen produced by this camera. Even with the limitations and price, that might be enough for me to buy one. I'm also very interested in the upcoming Rollei 35AF, but that'll be even more expensive.
The Z6 is cool, but THIS is something I'm actually excited for. Great work you guys! Hopefully Jordan gets a chance to escape his editing room for a bit
Thank god for your review, finally a clever look at this camera ✨ thank you guys ❤️ and great scans compared to the other testers and Pentax themselves
My impression here is that Pentax leaned into the intentional limitations and “featured them up” in smart ways.
That image with the woman walking away and the right half in silhouette is really nice.
Yesssss!!!
Now Pentax 67 iii please 🙏
I’m waiting for the 67 III as well… Pentax, take my money!
I’d love a modern Pentax 67 half frame camera
@@jeffselfphotography3066 what about one that can shot 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x7?
Putting the fun back into photography, I think this is a fantastic move from Pentax and it deserves to succeed
"...a smartphone is going to blow this away in regards to quality..." ?? Depends on your definition of quality. These are some of the most aesthetically pleasing images I've seen on this channel. In my opinion, organic scenes need an organic camera. Kudos to the printers doing the scanning. And who knows what wonders are on the negs if you do it yourself. ;-) Great video thank you.
Thank you for this detailed review! I can feel the enthusiasm coming from Chris.
Great to see digital photographers being reminded of how much cooler film looks and how much fun film is. Well done Pentax for the release of the new 17. Hopefully the first of many new film cameras and hopefully cameras with more full manual features to come!
I love film, and have gotten back into it...
I also love digital, both have their strength and weaknesses...
@@GemmaHentsch 100%, I use digital for client work, testing, in low light etc etc, it's just easy and nice to have
Wow I wanted to hate this camera due to its lack of features, but wow those images came out amazing 🤩. Very cool Chris
Really not that expensive when you take into account the cost related to buying another +20 or +30 year old analog camera. I hope that newcomers will jump on this camera and make great pictures. Know that your photography skills curve will be much better with film because you have to pay for each shots (it gives you incentive to work on your composition). Thanks for the review!
What??? A 500 dollar 20-30 year old film camera! I have over a dozen! And I don't think they add up to that..? What are you on about?
Hand me downs make getting into analogue far cheaper, but that really depends on what you get. I discovered a bunch of Contax/Yashica cameras and lenses in deep storage which my late father had likely used in the late 70s.
All I had to really do was replace the faux leather and light seals which had deteriorated and were sticky, and they were working perfectly well.
It did make me consider buying a Canon EOS 3, and relying on the vast second hand EF lens market, but I ended up not bothering. I've mostly gone back to mirrorless since I've gotten a lot busier in my life, and I realised I have a number of rolls which are either not developed after over a year, or were half shot through.
Most airport security doesn't understand film anyway, so travelling with it is pointless if CT scanners now in use at bigger airports are more likely to irradiate the film, ruining it. A DSLM can go through one of those machines without any of your photos being ruined.
@@eventhori3onHave you checked prices recently? Unless you’re prepared to put up with broken, gross or mouldy gear, prices in the last year or so have sky rocketed!
Rubbish! You can pick up Canon AE-1s and some nice FD lenses all for under £100... And let's be real here..! If you are just starting in film photography (which this camera is aimed squarely at and even chris alluded too)and you don't even know if you would like film photography then get out and get a dusty old SLR with a lens for peanuts and have a go! This product is for stupid people living on nostalgia just like everything nowadays! On the other side people who are very experienced in film photography wont buy this because it has limited manual control and is toy like for $500-600! No....this is stupid .. but it will sell well as there are a lot of stupid people about unfortunately!?!? Pentax are relying on it 😊@@PippetWhippet
@@eventhori3on Well I’m only considering the best so Leica, Mamiya, Hasselblad, Konica Hexar, Rolleiflex, Pentax etc.
The focus settings remind me of the Petri Color 35 distance gauge - pretty nice design!
I'll be damned. Chris went from "throw it in the latrine" to reviewing a new film camera all within the span of a few years.
One of the most intelligent reviews I've seen of pretty much anything. Have recently gotten mine in part to support the initiative, in part to give me a camera I'm more likely to pick up day to day and always have with me
Is it weird that I’m more excited about this than basically anything since the a7s iii
I am buying one and will buy whatever their next camera is. I want to support this effort!
Very exciting. I wish it had more manual features but I love the design. It’s very smart
On the optical viewfinder, it's written AOCO. Which is "Asahi Optical Co". A real tribute to the film past!
I hope the Pentax 17 will be so successful that Pentax will work on something like a Pentax 36 in future with K Mount or at least a full functional fast fixed lens.
#filmisnotdead
As a Portland transplant I approve this video! One of my friends bumped into you near Powells actually.
Did Jordan also film this episode with it?
Love it! Long time (35+ years) Pentaxian here, both film and digital. When I jumped into the digital wagon in early 2000s I said "Just like Black and White did not die when color arrived, film photography will not die". Time proved me right.
A little bit surprised at the price but it’s definitely cool. I think they’ve done a great job with it. I agree with basically all the design choices they made. I hope people buy it. And young people can afford it. I don’t want it to just be nostalgic older men buying it.
Another Portland episode! Yay portland!!! Ah! A MAX train bell mid voice over!!! Best episode ever.
Nice little camera, probably an instant cult classic. Great pics btw!
Yes, but not so much cult for its ability - imo collectors will be interested and its other success will be driven by the kind of influencers, call it film chique, but without the technology. If you look at it is nothing special, relatively limited, arguably an overpriced toy camera and for a toy camera it is over engineered. IMO it resides in no man’s land. It is not a capable film compact, it is not a capable manual, it is not a capable SLR, it is not a rangefinder. It is both more difficult and dumbed down at the same time. So it needs to trendy chique hot sauce to be a niche marketing success. IMO for many the cool factor will wear down quickly. Design wise imo it is also all over, neither fowl or fish. The more I look at it, the more I think of it as a poor option for a film camera.
This is somehow a perfect replacement for disposable film cameras! It's mostly automatic, has this travel and fun vibe. And you get to shoot up to 72 pictures with it!
But the price is not disposable.
Ah yeah, I looked at how much it costs, it's crazy expensive
Great News!! Retro style is finally back. Fortunately, I have retained the Nikon EE2 roll camera from 41 years ago.
The angel on my shoulder: "$500 is pretty steep for a toy camera."
The devil on the other shoulder: "You idiot, we don't get paid to take pictures - all our cameras are toy cameras. Besides, you loved the storytelling of two half-frame shots on one print when you had an Olympus Pen EE2."
The angel: "Yeah, but we absolutely hated buying film and paying for processing, plus we were always worried about missing shots with limited controls, limited film, and no review."
The devil: "Skill issue. Just sell your a5100 and make this your 'throw in the bag' camera instead. And put development costs on my tab!"
The angel: "You know I always end up paying that"
Well, Brother Beard it’s a nice camera that is not for me-I enjoyed the review-because you and Jordan are great at reviewing, informative and fun-thanks.
Some stunning shots there, especially the water falls 😍
Absolutely love this, considering getting one out of support in the hopes that they continue this trend. I'd love to see the shutter speed and focus modes improved though, but I love Half-Frame cameras.
Loving the film simulation on this camera :P
I'm waiting for the full-frame version 😜
I think it would be nice t-shirts with the main stamp on the back and a small petapixel logo at the left on the chest.
looks like a fun camera, and your reviews always rocks, thanks.
Personally i'm longing for K-1III, if ever...
Pentax K1-III is under development
That zone focus implementation is really cool.
PENTAX the coolest camera 📸 company ever😊
Good review as usual. Hey Jordan, how often does Chris drop a camera? The way his hands move while talking and holding a camera keep me watching for him to lose his grip. Be honest now, how often? And how about posting some video of a drop in a bloopers reel? Cheers 👍
Thanks for the sample images and the explanations about its limits at longer shutter speeds, only at f/3.5 . So far it remains an alternative to the similarly priced Alfie TYCH half frame camera that is geared towards a true manual M experience and longer controlled shutter speeds at f/8. The Alfie can go below ISO 50 and use special film such as ADOX CMS 20 or Rollei RPX25. However, I like them both and will definitely buy the Pentax 17, also to support the next film camera that Pentax will release, hopefully a manual mode full frame SLR.
Man, that’s a great review of a cool little varmit. Sweet photos, too. To say the least.
Thanks.
Great review, thanks.
Wouldn't it be great to have a meet & greet in Portland, maybe bring our favorite camera? Would love to meet the PP crew!
Waay better lens than i expected
it's pentax dude. they don't do bad lenses, never did and I'm guessing never will.
Looks decent! I never been much into film, but I messed around with a $60 retrospekt camera recently and it was pretty fun. So something like this would as well with more versatility, but the price doesn make it a tough sell. Especially with Chris mentioning build quirks here.
I like that you showed us the remote cable release which is not standard to film cameras I own. Otherwise looks like a fun, new film camera.
Very nice balanced review - thank you!
Thanks for the review. I'm now happy to stay with my Olympus XA
A classic camera! Time to dust off my XA as well. Cheers!
I used to gave an Olympus XA..that's what they should have modeled..full frame range finder with.manual f-stop
Immediate preorder from me on this one!
I’m really excited to get my hands on a new 17!
Doesn't even have a stacked sensor, yet no blackout problems with the viewfinder.
Looks a super piece of kit, and I'm tempted, however £500 GB is a significant outlay and it will be interesting to see how long it is that the £500 price tag sticks around for... One to watch for the lovers of film. Right back to my Mamiya 645J to have my film fix for the day :)
I feel like you guys put a lot more effort into the sample photos, trying to be more creative. Also, since the film already has a "processed" look from the factory, the photos look more finished, less like test shots.
First of all, excellent name.
Second of all, that's what I love about film. I feel less obliged to have to mess with it.
2:27 I knew this would happen after seeing the type of fiom it takes. Took my brain a couple seconds to process seeing a horizontal image from a vertically oriented camera.
Wow. I didn't know what I was expecting from this launch but Pentax knocked it out the park with the 17! It's a sexy little thing that looks like a lot of fun to use, and your results were excellent. I'm not a big fan of half frame but something tells me this is gonna fly off the shelves. I hope it does and I hope it sets a new benchmark for fun film cameras. Meanwhile, I'm waiting to see what the Rollei 35AF can offer, being a big fan of the original.
I like old Pentax bodies. Wouldn't it be nice if they have a version of the K-3 in this body?
You had me until $500! It's about $400 too much. If it had AF, or at least RF Manual, a wider max aperture and proper controls, then i'd say take my money.
Either that or someone needs to remake the olympus mju ii.
I get you, in principle. But for $100 you can't buy a brand new film camera that gives you decent results and features. I mean, you can get new film cameras for under $100, but it's the crappy Lomography Lomourette and so on. You can get a disposable camera for $27 or less. No, thanks. I don't ever want to associate film with crappy lo-fi results.
Already shot three films on Pentax 17, and I approve everything that's just been said in this video.
We have been asking for this for few years. I'm glad to see. Just wish it wasn't half frame. Commit fully! I understand the reasoning but also believe they could target a more enthusiast crowd if they made if ff and worked to make it the best ff film camera in 2024 for under 1k with swappable lenses rather than half frame for about 500. Not sure which novices would spend 500 for this kinda of performance. But hoping it does well!
At least I have been hoping for a film camera with modern features. Hopefully they don't plan a yearly cycle, it doesn't need that. But to keep the tech alive I hope each brand has a new film camera every decade or so. They have the IP, just use it haha.
I know it's not that simple but it would be nice to see.
Make this a success and hopefully Pentax bash out a full frame version
AFAIK Pentax is planning a series of new film cameras including a full size mechanical SLR but we'll have to see what they come up with.
Great move from Pentax ! Hope they nailed the process and can work on a SLR !
I bought a minolta.x300 for 30 euros it does the exact same thing but manual focus
You are a smart person.. well done you will do well in life! 👍🏻
Yes, and we all have bought 35mm SLRs for good prices. In fact, a Barnack Leica with a lens can cost less than US$500. No problem. But this is a new camera with the advantages that you get with a new product. I would easily prefer the Pentax 17 over any Instax camera, just FWIW.
@@Biosynchro In my opinion this camera is not offering any advantages which worth US$500. If it was $200 then I would take it more seriously.
I think this product scratches the itch for grainy "vibes" photography.
I was really waiting for you to say: and now we are going to Jordan to talk about the video specs on the Pentax 17!
That of shot 17:51 of the falls was impressive
Excellent video 😊!
350th? the Pen F can go down to 1sec/bulb up to 500th AND you can swap lenses given it was an SLR. you can also pick up a mint one for 200 bucks.
though this looks fun and simple to use and folks dont realize how hard it is to shoot through 72 images on a roll in one day lol
72 images in one day is a lot. But we are also many who shoot analogue that don't always have to finish a roll in a day all the time. I think its good for people that likes to capture moments from time.to time who might buy one roll a month or something.
Personally speaking, 72 exposures is not a lot for me. I might shoot that many frames on one subject in ten minutes. Even if I take into account the fact that shooting film does naturally reduce your frame count. That's just me, of course, and YMMV.
Just for the curious ones: 胡子哥 ( in chinese) = Beard Brother (In english)
10:00 so this camera has the F 1.7xTC/Autofocus adapter build in (a TC that gave your manual lenses autofocus to an extend)