Maybe. But I saw little to suggest that here in Europe. It’s been easily available since the beginning, with camera stores only briefly out of stock while they evidently replenished from Ricoh.I do not know how many 17's Pentax manufactured but I've heard from a couple of retailers that they've been told that the entire first production run was effectively sold within days and that a second run has begun.
The camera was clearly optimised for large-scale production. Magnesium alloy isn’t cost-effective otherwise. I think Pentax took a chance on this being a hit and made a lot of cameras right from the beginning.This certainly demonstrates that the information one poster gave us, which was that Pentax top brass' research predicted the 17 would fail and that they wanted to bury the whole "it's time for film" project ASAP was a lie from the start.
I have one. I wouldn’t call it plasticky. There is plastic of course, but it’s high-quality stuff. Mechanics feel great.*if* it's 50,000.....that's comparatively a lot of film cameras being sold in a short period of time. I do know a couple of people who have a 17 and really enjoy them. I have not handled one myself but indications are that despite a plasticky feel it's a really well made piece of gear.
Yeah, feels like a good start. Let’s hope for a long tail.Whether this level of sales can be sustained is anyone's guess....but this has begun really well.
Hey, there's no shortage of people who will pay thousands to see Taylor Swift. She's on her way to London for FIVE sold-out performances in a mega stadium.
If you can find one at half price in EU I'd probably take a bite. I could then compare it to a number of my other HF cameras.
Or are the used ones on eBay not really cameras that people are trying to unload quickly and cheaply?
I see nobody offloading one "quickly and cheaply". Perhaps you have links to auctions that I didn't find?
I've enjoyed reading your website on all the cameras and info on them, but its getting old seeing you constantly post the same thing over and over on this thread trashing the camera.
The Pentax 17 is now showing up on EBAY -- used, of course. That's even faster than the Kodak H35.
There are a lot of people out there who buy things out of curiosity, try and play with it for some days or weeks, and sell it when it is not 100% of what they wanted or expected.
Well, will they succeed?
I've now seen a Pentax 17 in the flesh, and I'm suitably impressed.
One of the members of my Darkroom Group has purchased one - nearly $700 CDN! - and had it available for "Show and Tell" at our recent meeting.
He has lots of experience with half frame cameras - has more than one - and loves to experiment with all sorts of different pieces of photographic technology. He is also frustratingly talented with things like adapting cameras and lenses in order to use them together - including essentially building his own cameras - so he isn't someone who needs point and shoot - he just likes to use it.
One thing that he shares with the likely target demographic is that he is active on Instagram.
The observations that follow are a combination of what I observed directly, and his observations.
First, the camera really looks good - it's fit and finish are excellent.
Second, it appears to be well made, and of high quality materials.
Third, it feels good in the hand, and I expect would be nice to use.
Fourth, it apparently offers really accurate metering.
Fifth, its lens is very good.
Sixth, those pages of negatives have so many perfectly spaced images - they are a marvel to behold.
My friend was making a contact proof sheet from one roll during the darkroom portion of our meeting, which looked great. He also tried to make a print or two, but none of the Group darkroom's enlargers had really been set up well for printing from that size of negative, so that is a work in progress. The recessed lens board for the Beseler 4x5 enlarger he was trying to work with wasn't located until later.
My friend has my old Omega D6 enlarger. I'll be interested to see whether he can figure out a way to use it effectively with half frame negatives.
I bought a half frame negative carrier for my Beseler. No camera yet. It's just a matter of time.
I designed a 3d printed half frame slide (both for projection or in my case as mask for the slide-copier
Half frame slide holder by titrisol
In anticipation of the Pentax 17 camera, I remixed the 35mm slide holder for a vertical 17x24mm image** A "SLIM" version is also offered which shaves 0.15mm of the original so it doesnt get stuck in carrousel projectors as noted by an early adopter.Remix of...www.thingiverse.com
My friend was making a contact proof sheet from one roll during the darkroom portion of our meeting, which looked great. He also tried to make a print or two, but none of the Group darkroom's enlargers had really been set up well for printing from that size of negative, so that is a work in progress.
OK, NOW has anyone heard any Rumors, or comments about the SECOND camera, that was indicated in the title? the 17 could easaly be reworked by the factory as a full frame model, (different Lens elements , changed advance gears, different finder.) as the pressure plate and the Gate (what it would be called in a movie camera) are both large enough for a full frame opening.
or are they still swamped in getting out enough of the 17 model.
- how is the market reaction to the Rollei 35 AF now introduced by Mint.
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