Pentax 17 full review + sample images!
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- Pentax just announced their first film camera in 17 years and we've had the pleasure of shooting with the Pentax 17 for the past 2 months, putting 7+ rolls through it! This zone focus, half frame camera produces much better image quality than we expected and we show a lot of the results in this video but to see the full res images, be sure to check out our Pentax 17 blog below!
pentax-17-a-brand-new-half-frame-film-camera
#film #pentax17 #filmphotography #halfframefilm #thedarkroomlab #filmlab #filmprocessing
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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.
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!
Yeah, hopefully this leads to to a true 35mm film camera. Would love to see a K mount SLR!
35mm K-mount fully manual SLR . . . 👀😍😍😍.
@@TheDarkroomLab so you agree this us Not A True 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.
Totally agree!
I doubt it. Who wants half frame 35mm??
@@bongoloonyI bought one and it’s great. I had this same concern but I quickly realized I had been so accustomed to using my iPhone for pictures that this came naturally. The zone focus had me very concerned too but just like he said in the video, you get used to it within half a roll of 36.
"people will buy this (toy) for nostalgic reasons"
There, you said it; they won't buy it for reasons of photography.
Honestly, the character of the lens is pretty special! Holy moly!
I agree - I was very surprised by the results and will continue to shoot with it!
I think I might have to pick one of these up…
Amazed at the quality, might get it for street photography due to the half frame allowing me to shoot more.
get a penti instead
@@zabtej1645 I bought a Ricoh GRIIIX 😂
That's not aog, it's aoco; Asahi Optical Co.
Great work Ricoh for keeping the Pentax name alive. Y
My goodness, I own this camera and was about to release a video review because every other review out there was so ignorant of the purpose and practicality of it. There are even people that don't own the camera and went on "reviewing" about it.
Yours is the first video i came across that is on point on what this camera actually is.
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.
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.
Someone needs to make a half frame medium format camera!
I’m an experienced photographer- since 1950. I want one.
why
@@KaptainKerl exactly, for no reason.
Announced Monday, heard about it and ordered it Tuesday. UPS to deliver Wednesday. 💪 Pentax
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.
People criticize zone focusing but my favorite camera in my collection is a Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/16.
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.
thank you, everybody's getting one for christmas
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.
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.
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 😍
Glad you liked the review and yes, they put a lot of passion into this camera and I hope it leads more film cameras. Would be cool to see a k mount camera!!
So cool! We have to support so others will be coming.
CR2 batteries I don't like very much. They die in winter and are expensive.
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.
Yes! Exactly my thought. It might be exactly what I expected or wanted, but I think it's important to support this kond of initiative!
Positivity, thanks for sharing!
It’s good 👍
Looks fantastic ! Great review ... thank you
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.
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.
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)
Ah - I missed the part about the handstrap length being the macro distance. Great move!
dont like it aesthetically, i think it looks cheap and nasty.
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.
you could get 4 AE1's instead lol
Five hundred dollars is crazy
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.
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.)
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 !
Preordered yesterday. Anyone know the release date? Google is useless on that front.
Ricoh is shipping the kits with film and warrantee right now from their site, so I'd think that retail cameras-only will be here pretty soon.
everyone complains about the half frame picture quality but weren’t movies originally filmed using the same amount of film per frame?
Originally, yes. When sound on film came in the width was reduced somewhat to give room for the soundtrack. This gave an almost Square image, so the height was also reduced to restore close to the original aspect ratio. This was the Academy format. From the 1950s the height was further reduced to give a wider ratio. CinemaScope increased the height again, but gave the image a 2:1 squeeze to produce a still wider image on the screen. So unless you’re looking at a silent film, or a few special formats, a film shot on 35 mm will have a somewhat smaller frame area than this camera uses. However, remember that a cinema screen is viewed from a much greater distance than a still photographic print. A 5x7 inch print from this camera should have similar quality to a 10x8 Nick one from a full frame one.
It doesn’t look like a bad camera, and I don’t have a problem with it being half frame, but for what it is I think the price is too high. If I want a small lightweight camera I think I’d rather use my little Nikon FG with a pancake lens.
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.
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.
Expensive but a work of art. I love it.
cheap plastic garbage
it does seem like 5 bennies is a good chunk, but considering it's a brand new film camera, the *ist ended production in 2006, and if I had to guess probably cost about the same in '06 money, it's NOT that horrid a price.
i'm just waiting to see where I can get the US special one (with 2 extra warranty years, and a couple rolls of film) before I pre-order mine from B&H.
I mean, at least it’s not $6000 like the Leica MP
@@johnhufnagel Ricoh is selling the kit on their site, with immediate availability. That's where I ordered mine 🙂
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!
What a great review and showcase of this camera! I want one (now)! :) Great job to Pentax designers, engineers and everyone who worked on this!
I started shooting in the 1970s, and I think this camera sounds great. I'm getting one. Thanks for the great review.
That b/w shot of the guy with the umbrella is FANTASTIC. My goodness. I can't wait for mine now.
wow this is amazing! I wish they would soon start their sales in India :)
I now agree with your view that this camera could well suit experienced film photographers as much as newcomers. Those street shots were first class. The meter and lens combo really seem well matched. And enough features to allow someone to grow into the hobby from get go, or for an experienced photographer to enjoy the simplification and just focus on the image (see what I did there). Well done Pentax. And, thank you for a great review.
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.
That's AOCo. Not AOG. Asahi Optical Company was the original manufacturer of Pentax cameras and Takumar lenses.
I've been using a KODAK EKTAR H35 Half Frame for a year and I'm very happy with it and the results, just for 50€.
I wasn't sold on this camera when it came out, but the more I think about it and the more results I see, this is probably gonna be the camera that makes me come back to film. The fact that it's half frame and that the results show basically no difference to ff, it makes way more sense today with how much film and development cost.
Well done Ricoh/Pentax!
I can can clearly see the passion you have for film photography. That is one of the best reviews of the Pentax 17 I've seen. Cheers! Leave it to Pentax to think outside the box. They stick with DSLR cameras instead of going to mirrorless and now they come out with a brand new film camera. I've been a Pentax shooter for a long while now. Started with a K10D first, then decided to try my hand with film. Got an old Spotmatic SP, then an ME Super. My current camera digital camera is the K-5II. I really love it. Solid, reliable, with good feel and handling. I'm kind of in between wanting to upgrade to the K-3 III or the K-3 III Monochrome. Or do I go back to film with the 17? Hard to say at this point.
Can you drop the details of the UV filter you mentioned? Am thinking of purchasing it to pair with this camera specifically😄 thank you! Amazing review 👏🏾
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?
Nice review.Really great images from your trip, also beautiful long exposure of Grand central Station. Do you think the price is a little steep, and will it come down in time?
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.
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!
So much money for a half frame ... keep my FM2 and it's 50mm 1.4 😁
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?
I think the price will hold for quite a while: My gut says they're going to sell way more of these than they can build for many months.
Excellent video. Your run through and photos are top notch!
I’ve got one ordered.
half frame means it is the old cine/movie format, right? 35mm is just 2 movie frames combined
I think that 72 frames per roll is a winner. Makes me think more about ordering the camera.
Yo tengo la Pentax 😊110 y ahora quiero está camara nueva 😅
Great review, you got some great images.
Thank you!
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
Kodak Gold, Ilford HP5
sick review brother, I'm tempted to grab one!!
nothing like having the rewind knob of the Pentax LX
I need mine noowwwwww lol
Great, great picture! Thank you for this review.
but why does it have 5 different surfaces?
VERY good pictures!
Not happy that’s what they made, but it looks well built and fun to use
Wow! I hope they sell a ton of these. I want one.
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?
Well those oldies if theyre even mechanical the meters likely need calibration if theyre not dead, or if they're 90s point and shoots they can brick at any moment. With this camera there's support from the manufacturer still. That being said I know there are good old cameras out there but I'm buying this one to support future pentax cameras, I see it like a gofundme.
I now have two dead Olympus Pen half-frame cameras. Each have cost about $100 and lasted about a year. $500 for a quality new film camera that should last many years is not expensive. Thank you Pentax.
When shopping for a smart phone or digital camera do you also consider the used market?
Some are even new-in-box and yet most people won't go down that path. Why are film cameras
treated so differently?
@@marklion315 Damn it...I'm about to hit the "Buy" button! Christmas does come in like 6 months early!!! But you are right, most of those good quality film cameras on eBay would require a handheld light meter.
@@LeeRaymondCMeven the mechanical ones, the light meters are ticking bombs. I will save up for one to support Pentax which will give us a chance for a true 35mm K mount which I will definitely buy.
Which UV filter do you use?
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!
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
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?
With $500, I’d get a second hand Yashica T4 or Olympus Muj Epic which is much better than this one.
Sooooo nice.... it's so niceeeeee
@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.
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!
I legit thought this was gonna be priced at $350 tops. But $500! Hard pass.
Is $500 in between?
Well Leica's cost 5k and the most other cheaper currently made cameras cost $100 or less so yes it is in between that but actual on the cheaper end ;)
Thanks so much! Mine arrives tomorrow. Can’t wait. :)
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 !
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Personally I think $500 is a bit steep for a $125 camera - but it is what it is.
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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.
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HARD-COPY is everything especially in a world of environment destroying cloud servers.
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THANK YOU AGAIN @TheDarkroomLab.
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.
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 !
Were the pictures of the lighthouse in Holland, MI? I love it there.
Really outstanding review mate. I’ve watched them all, and this is my fav. Your shots are exquisite. Thanks for making this!
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
Are the pictures more grainy than other old film cameras ?
Yes, because it's half frame the grain is enlarged twice as big as full frame.
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.
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!!!😝
Excellent review, thank you. Is there any delay when you press the shutter? Others have mentioned it in passing.
love the part where you go through the historical origins of certain elements of the camera. I got mine recently and it's so refreshing to use a modern film camera. I hope we get to see a full frame equivalent one day.
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.
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.
6:53 Buying film cameras has become “secondhand nature” to me. 😂
you should put the link of the blog in the video description
I like that we have a new film camera. But I will stick with my Olympus point and shoot
really cool ...and really bummer im not in situation to start putting money to film right now. Eventually no doubt..
Very cool and love the idea of half frame cameras, but a bit expensive for a zone focus only camera..