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

[xkaes]

I guess you've had more bad experiences than I.

 

[titrisol]

I'm happy it even exists, just a year ago this was a pipedream

The zone focusing is underwhelming, and like someone said reminds me of the red Minolta HiMatic that my sister hd in the 80s, when compared to all the controls on the top.

I'll buy one for Xmas

 

[Cholentpot]

I guess you've had more bad experiences than I.

Live and learn. I've learned not to trust electronic compact stuff. Just doesn't hold up for me.

 

[xkaes]

I'll buy one for Xmas

I'm sure, at some point, someone will run a "results comparison" with the Kodak H35 -- which sells at 10% of the price. That won't be me, but I'd like to see the results.

 

[brian steinberger]

At first glance I wasn’t interested but after watching YouTube videos about the 17 until midnight last night I am interested for some reason. Maybe to support the cause you could say, or maybe to just have fun with a NEW film camera which I haven’t bought since 1997!, or maybe to give to my daughter or someone getting started with film. I echo those who say any new camera is great for the community even if this particular one is not for you.

I may buy this, or I may hold out for the next one. The thing I really like about this half frame besides the amount of photos per roll is the vertical viewfinder. To many this may seem strange but I’ve been using a Bronica RF645 for almost 20 years so I feel this camera could be like a half frame RF645. I just wish it had a coupled rangefinder!

 

[xkaes]

Rangefinders in half-frame are unusual. That's for sure. For Pentax's sake, I hope enough people with deep pockets are interested. I have my doubts, but it helps to keep "film photography" in the spotlight.

 

[Arthurwg]

Contax T2s and Hasselblads both sell for about 1000 EUR.

As I already have all the Hasselblad I could possibly need, I say bring back the Contax T2. One of my favorite photo books," Cafe Lemhitz", by Anders Petersen, was shot with a T2. I did have a Contax TVS that worked perfectly and made beautiful pictures until it quit.

 

[blee1996]

Even if you don't like the camera design, or the price point, I still recommend you to watch the original launch video by the Takeo Suzuki (TKO) chief designer of Pentax 17. There are marketing stuff for sure, but to me it is quite heart-to-heart about helping more people to try out film photography. And he talks about lots of compromises he has to make.

I have been a product designer in recent years as well, and fully understand all the costs associated with R&D, tooling, and global logistics for a brand new product. This Pentax 17 will be a small volume run, thus the initial cost will be quite high. I don't think Pentax is making fat margins here. Only over time, when volume increases or parts can be reused for other camera models, will we be able to see a material reduction in selling price.

In any case, to get the Pentax 17 actually made is similar to get a horse carriage make by Tesla in 2024. Let's hope they will be successful financially to enable them to build better horse carriage for the other target audiences.

 

[Disconnekt]

Well, Ricoh announced a supply shortage due to the amount of preorders they've gotten, delivery's of preorders may take longer than expected (og announcement: https://news.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/rim_info/2024/20240619_040044.html)

 

[mshchem]

Well, I bailed out. Canceled my order with B&H. Originally they were saying it would ship today, the 19th, now it's turned into backorder etc. I suspect that this is going to be quite successful. I have so much stuff I need to chill out for now.

 

[titrisol]

If anyone is interested, and in anticipation of the onslaught
I remixed a 35mm slide holder into a 17x24mm holder for this camera

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

www.thingiverse.com

you have print the piece twice and glue them together with the film in between

 

[BHuij]

I'm sure, at some point, someone will run a "results comparison" with the Kodak H35 -- which sells at 10% of the price. That won't be me, but I'd like to see the results.

As someone who has been shooting my H35 for a couple of years or so, and is also lusting after the Pentax 17 (though I will likely not buy one, certainly not new)... I'd be interested to see this too. Despite the relatively simple triplet lens on the 17, I'm certain it will blow the roughly circular chunk of plastic the H35 uses for a lens out of the water

I sincerely hope that the 17 does well in sales; well enough that they release more full-featured versions in the future. I for one would probably be willing to pay for one that looked the same (size, form factor), but allowed full frame shooting, included an upgraded lens (perhaps a modest 28-50 or similar zoom range even?) with autofocus, and manual controls.

I realize I've basically described the Rollei 35AF by Mint... and yes, I do kinda want that camera too... just hard to justify the cost when I already have so many great cameras in working order that do the same thing at least as well.

 

[Cholentpot]

Well, Ricoh announced a supply shortage due to the amount of preorders they've gotten, delivery's of preorders may take longer than expected (og announcement: https://news.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/rim_info/2024/20240619_040044.html)

Yes! This is good news! hey know if they go Fujifilms way and keep the supply juuuust slightly limited the camera becomes the thing to have. Status, 'Oh yeah I snagged one because I knew a guy at Pentax'

As someone who has been shooting my H35 for a couple of years or so, and is also lusting after the Pentax 17 (though I will likely not buy one, certainly not new)... I'd be interested to see this too. Despite the relatively simple triplet lens on the 17, I'm certain it will blow the roughly circular chunk of plastic the H35 uses for a lens out of the water

I sincerely hope that the 17 does well in sales; well enough that they release more full-featured versions in the future. I for one would probably be willing to pay for one that looked the same (size, form factor), but allowed full frame shooting, included an upgraded lens (perhaps a modest 28-50 or similar zoom range even?) with autofocus, and manual controls.

I realize I've basically described the Rollei 35AF by Mint... and yes, I do kinda want that camera too... just hard to justify the cost when I already have so many great cameras in working order that do the same thing at least as well.

No to zoom lens. No nope nada. We want fast prime. Make the lens a 2.8 and people will fall over themselves. Zoom lens on a point and shoot unless it's constant 2.8 across the whole focal is no good. No one wants a 3.5-9.0 zoom on a point and shoot. Go look at the used market. The point and shoots with zoom lenses sell for nothing. The fixed focals are priced premium

 

[xkaes]

I realize I've basically described the Rollei 35AF

WOW. I was unaware of the Rollei 35AF. I'm sure it will be a hit -- as the Pentax 17 apparently is. I had a Rollei 35 SE for a while -- until I discovered the Petri 35 Color.

https://cameraquest.com/petri35.htm

 

[BHuij]

No to zoom lens. No nope nada. We want fast prime. Make the lens a 2.8 and people will fall over themselves. Zoom lens on a point and shoot unless it's constant 2.8 across the whole focal is no good. No one wants a 3.5-9.0 zoom on a point and shoot.

Agree to disagree. I believe Pentax is capable of producing an extremely high quality constant f/2.8 28-50mm (to clarify, I also wouldn't be interested in having an Espio 3.5-6.3 lens on there).

Only speaking for myself. A great zoom with modest focal range would be infinitely more useful to me on a camera like this than a fixed 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, or what have you. It's my #1 hangup with the Mint/Rollei - 35mm just isn't a focal length I shoot very often. With that zoom range, this could be the absolute go-to "take it on a backpacking trip" camera for me.

 

[4season]

Am currently "thinking about" this one. It's a lot pricier than I anticipated, but it's also fancier than the plastic block I had envisioned. Exposure compensation wheel, manual ISO settings and variety of exposure modes are definite pluses, and so is click-y focus w/distance indicator visible in viewfinder.

I dunno that I'd be up to servicing a Konica Recorder unless I could score a decent example cheaply. There's always an element of risk involved in buying as-is vintage cameras.

 

[Dali]

As I already have all the Hasselblad I could possibly need, I say bring back the Contax T2. One of my favorite photo books," Cafe Lemhitz", by Anders Petersen, was shot with a T2. I did have a Contax TVS that worked perfectly and made beautiful pictures until it quit.

Cafe Lemhitz shots were done in the ´60, way before the Contax T2 camera was released.

 

[Cholentpot]

Agree to disagree. I believe Pentax is capable of producing an extremely high quality constant f/2.8 28-50mm (to clarify, I also wouldn't be interested in having an Espio 3.5-6.3 lens on there).

Only speaking for myself. A great zoom with modest focal range would be infinitely more useful to me on a camera like this than a fixed 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, or what have you. It's my #1 hangup with the Mint/Rollei - 35mm just isn't a focal length I shoot very often. With that zoom range, this could be the absolute go-to "take it on a backpacking trip" camera for me.

35mm focal is love. 35mm is life. There is but one focal to rule them all and it is 35mm.

 

[aw614]

No to zoom lens. No nope nada. We want fast prime. Make the lens a 2.8 and people will fall over themselves. Zoom lens on a point and shoot unless it's constant 2.8 across the whole focal is no good. No one wants a 3.5-9.0 zoom on a point and shoot. Go look at the used market. The point and shoots with zoom lenses sell for nothing. The fixed focals are priced premium

Unless its an Olympus stylus zoom, somehow those things sell for 50-100 dollars even with light leaks...but a compact dual lens type zoom I'd do, but a 38-140, no thanks.

 

[halfaman]

After seeing what it has to offer, I decided to buy a Lomo LC-Wide. Much smaller & more versatile with half-frame (25mm), square, and full-frame (17mm) exposures, plus multi-exposure capability -- at HALF the price!!!

Price of new Lomo LC-Wide at Lomography shop is 400 € (399 for total accuracy). Pentax 17 is priced today at 550 € (549 really).

 

[Agulliver]

well, it seems the Pentax 17 has achieved enough pre-orders to take Pentax by surprise. That is certainly good news.

 

[brbo]

I believe Pentax is capable of producing an extremely high quality constant f/2.8 28-50mm (to clarify, I also wouldn't be interested in having an Espio 3.5-6.3 lens on there).

Maybe. But they've never done it before (in a compact camera size form) and neither has any other manufacturer, afaik. Obviously, not a trivial task. Can Pentax afford R&D to make such a lens that will sell in quantities several magnitudes less than in the past?

 

[Dustin McAmera]

This is the half-frame camera you can buy me for Christmas (if you really love me):

Nikon S3M Half-Frame chrome * | A00801

The rarest, most unique and collectable of all Nikon cameras, 18x24mm half-frame exposures (film counter to 72), from the first batch (production started with number 6600001), only 195 cameras were made! The body is in mint condition and working order, w…

www.leitz-auction.com

 

[Leikkor]

I would have jumped at it had it be square format, with a nice viewfinder and ca 50 exposures per roll.

 

[brbo]

I would have jumped at it had it be square format, with a nice viewfinder and ca 50 exposures per roll.

Me too. And I already have the Robot Royal 24 with a couple of lenses that I paid about the same money for (in addition to Minolta Rapid 24 that I basically got for shipping costs).

At the same time, I understand that square would be a nightmare for most people that rely on minilabs to get their film developed and scaned.