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Pentax: Two new compact film cameras planned - Pentax 17 announced June 2024

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Looking forward to getting one in my hands, especially for those times I'm not in "photographic" mode, such as motorcycle trips with friends and traveling with the better half. I think it will be perfect mostly for candid or impromptu shots of people that I currently use my M2 for. Less worry about an expensive camera.
 
ab844dc711c00762a8465efb74c242c7.jpg
 
Axelwik said:
Looking forward to getting one in my hands, especially for those times I'm not in "photographic" mode, such as motorcycle trips with friends and traveling with the better half. I think it will be perfect mostly for candid or impromptu shots of people that I currently use my M2 for. Less worry about an expensive camera.
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No need to wait. There are plenty of new, half-frames with similar features right now.
 
xkaes said:
No need to wait. There are plenty of new, half-frames with similar features right now.
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No, there are no new half frame cameras with a focusing three element lens, auto exposure, lever wind, large viewfinder and sturdy construction.

You're just irritated they didn't make it as small as possible.
 
I'm not irritated at all -- well, maybe a little when someone assumes I am.

I just think the Pentax 17's chances would be better if it were smaller. Makes little sense to me to use a smaller format and not make the camera smaller -- unless it has features that require it.

But, as I mentioned earlier, maybe Pentax figures the potential buyers will think they are getting more if the camera is bigger.

It makes no difference to me, but I'm glad whenever any new film camera -- especially small formats -- shows up. I won't be buying it anyway -- not because I lack Captain Kangaroo pockets, but because I already have small half-frame cameras.

It's somewhat ironic that Pentax is the only major camera maker that never produced a half-frame camera -- before now. That's what put Olympus "on the map". And even Nikon tried it.

 
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Agulliver said:
Could you please point us in their direction?
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Use the link I provide above in post #280.

And:

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Photrio's first Kodak Ektar H35 review!

Behold the mighty Kodak Ektar H35 half frame camera! 72 shots from a 36 exposure roll for all you misers, spend thrifts and artists... Taking one for the team I just bought this sage green version, well, because how many other sage green cameras are for sale? I'm not going to compare it to my...
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Kodak Ektar H35 half frame camera review part deux!

So I finally developed that roll of Arista 100 that I had shot through it. I was waiting until I had a bunch of rolls to develop cuz I was busy looking busy etc. As the H35 has a set exposure of f9 @ 1/100, ISO 100 film is really the ideal for outdoor/daylight use. Interestingly this can be...
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This thread is bringing back warm nostalgic feelings of when I first popped my nose onto APUG.

'Can I do this?'

"Why would you do that? Are you stupid or something? I don't see the point"

'Because I want to try it and it might be fun'

"Fun? Enjoyment? I don't know these things, I need to get back to studying my negatives under a microscope to see if I got the right ppms that were promised to me by Kodak whom I hate with every fiber of my soul"
 
And when those goalposts keep being moved by the guy owning them....

I guess the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, as they say.....we shall see if the Pentax 17 meets with success from the audience it is aimed at. And if it sells in sufficient numbers to justify Pentax continuing with the next film camera.

I still think a lot of the dissatisfaction is "This camera is not what *I* want and I am disappointed"....which completely misses the point.
 
BTW, I own a little Agfa Silette built in the 50s that has an awesome 45mm f3.5 triplet lens that is sharp as a tack. The fact that it is a simple triplet lens doesn't seem to harm its' image quality at all. I have no doubt that 70 years later Pentax can build a triplet that is at least as good for their new camera.
 
I have an Agfa Super Silette from approximately 1955 and while it is currently awaiting repair....it's a lovely camera and it's relatively simple lens produced very pleasing photos in both colour and B&W. I've used indoors and out, in varying lighting conditions with different speed of films. A nice camera indeed.

The Kodak branded half frame camera has a fixed f9 aperture and one shutter speed with a very simple fixed focus lens and a thumbwheel film advance. Nevertheless, people have had fun with it and some decent photos have been obtained.

The Pentax 17 has an f3.5 lens with manual focussing in zones indicated by feet on the focus ring, and as far as we know the aperture and shutter speed are automatically set but are variable. It has a full ratchet winding lever which should be more long lived than the thumbwheel and the whole thing looks even from the pre-production prototype to be much more solidly made than the "Kodak" which is a cheap plastic toy camera. It ought to be capable of much more flexible use, in a wider range of lighting conditions and allow more creative input from the user with the manual focus.

I am unaware of anything else comparable on the market.
 
The triplet is a very capable and pleasant lens type. Consider the Leitz Elmar 5cm f/3.5. This is the lens that made the Leica legend, and it is still very nice to use.
 
bfilm said:
The triplet is a very capable and pleasant lens type. Consider the Leitz Elmar 5cm f/3.5. This is the lens that made the Leica legend, and it is still very nice to use.
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The 50mm Elmar is not a triplet. 4 elements, like a Tessar. You might have confused it with the 90mm Elmar. Leica's lens naming conventions are usually based on f-stop, not lens design.
 
Pioneer said:
Perhaps I missed something, which is always possible, but I don't think that is a half frame camera.
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It's both, half frame and full frame.

Yes, it's not the best made camera ever, but I wouldn't call it a toy camera.
 
Axelwik said:
The 50mm Elmar is not a triplet. 4 elements, like a Tessar. You might have confused it with the 90mm Elmar. Leica's lens naming conventions are usually based on f-stop, not lens design.
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The Leitz 5cm Elmar f/3.5 is considered to be derived from the Cooke Triplet. The Elmar is four elements in three groups. Often referred to by Erwin Puts and others as a "4 element triplet".
 
brbo said:
It's both, half frame and full frame.
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There are lots of cameras with the Lomo name. One of these qualifies as a submini camera because it creates half-frame images on 35mm film -- the Lomo LC-Wide. It's about the size and shape of the Lomo LC-M, and it should because that is what it was based on. And the LC-M was based on the Cosina CX -- which was designed after the Olympus XA. What sets the Lomo LC-W apart is a unique set of features and functions that can be used together to create amazing results from single half-frame images to multiple exposure panoramas. First, is the format flexibility. This can be set to half-frame (18x24mm), square (24x24mm) or full-frame (24x36mm). This can be changed mid-roll for interesting effects. Next, is the ability to take multiple exposures. A separate lever cocks the shutter without moving the film to add all sorts of special effects. The camera has a 17mm f4.5 lens which converts to about a 25mm in half-frame. The f-stop does not adjust but the lens can be zoned focused -- FAR or NEAR -- getting down a about 15 inches with the DOF. The shutter is automatically set -- according to the ISO and light -- from 1/500 down to several seconds, and requires three L44/A76 batteries. The LC-W has a tripod socket and cable release connection as well as a hot shoe. One or two LEDs in the viewfinder indicate exposure OK or LONG (use tripod or flash).

Since it's a LOMO, some would call it a toy, but those people would call the Pentax 17 a toy as well.

And then there is the Kodak H35, Escura SNAP, and several others from SUPERHEADZ, DIANAs, etc. "Toys", in some people's minds, but many do things that the "non-toys" can't do.

dianamini.jpg
 
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bfilm said:
The Leitz 5cm Elmar f/3.5 is considered to be derived from the Cooke Triplet. The Elmar is four elements in three groups. Often referred to by Erwin Puts and others as a "4 element triplet".
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leitz_triplets_1.png
leitz_triplets_2.png
 
I know aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder, and looks don't take the picture.... but that's a pretty fugly camera. Looks like a weird mix of bad early 1980s and early 1990s camera design queues. When people talk of "retro film cameras" I don't believe those are the era they're talking about ;-)

Given it's likely to be considered as much a fashion accessory amongst its target market as much a creative and/or memory capturing tool, it could stand to be about 500% more prettier. A minimalist slab of satin aluminium and leatherette, that uses SR44 batteries...
 
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pbromaghin said:
There was a 20 year-old guy in my Jr College darkroom class last fall who was an art major concentrating in photography. He had done darkroom in high school and so was pretty advanced and wildly adventurous in the darkroom. He checked out the department's Mamiya C330 but never even took it out of the office after deciding during the familiarization process that fully manual was just too difficult.
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C330 has automatic shutter so no fully manual 😉
 
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