Pentax turned more than a few heads—mine included—when it announced that it was developing a brand new film camera back in late 2022, as part of what parent company Ricoh Imaging called the Pentax Film Project. I'll admit to holding some healthy skepticism about the project bearing real fruit, but about a year and a half later, I'm happy to be proven wrong. The camera born from the project, the Pentax 17, is the real deal. I've had a chance to use it, and to learn about the story behind its development and the challenges behind engineering a film camera from the ground up in the 21st century. Read on for more on how the camera came to be, and what it's like to use.
Analog Photography Is Having a Moment
Everything is cyclical and it looks like film photography is popular once again. I won't say it's back; analog photography never disappeared, but it has fallen out of favor with the mainstream. The last decade has been all about digital. Smartphones came into their own as the de facto standard pocket camera for the masses, and shutterbugs have seen huge jumps in autofocus accuracy, lens design, and video features as a result of the move away from SLRs and toward mirrorless interchangeable lens systems.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)But younger creators have discovered film and generated enough buzz for camera makers to take notice. I can't speak to the reasons; I'm no social scientist, but as someone who took a keen interest in film cameras in my youth, I can make some guesses. Smartphones can do a lot with computational processing, from low light to blurred backgrounds, but are perhaps too easy to use and don't lend themselves to happy accidents.
There's also the desire to learn. I spoke to Eric Russell at Colourworks Photographic Services, a film processing lab in Wilmington, Delaware, about this filmic youth movement. He's seen a significant number of Gen Z photogs come in for film processing. He describes their skill levels as varied; some are knowledgeable while others ask for basic help loading and unloading film from their cameras. Russell calls out a universal trend among them: an interest in lesser-known film stocks, especially cinema film repurposed for photography.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)Weird films and old cameras are indicative of a backlash against digital perfection. One doesn't pick up a roll of CineStill or LomoChrome Turquoise if an accurate representation of reality is desired. Twentysomethings know how to use phones for imaging—they came of age together, after all—and a film camera is something entirely different. One can argue that moving from a phone to a mirrorless camera isn't much of a change as you're simply swapping out one digital device for another. But film? It's a different medium. Everyone's creative path is unique, of course.
Re-enter Pentax, a camera maker that lives off the beaten path. It's already eschewed the mirrorless revolution. Sure, it dabbled in mirrorless with the tiny Q series camera system and the infamous Marc Newson yellow K-01, but its current line is all about optical viewfinder SLRs. Pentax is not the only big-name camera maker that'd dare make a film camera—Leica recently brought the 80s-era M6 TTL back into production, and obscure brands like Lomography and Reto Project (maker of the Kodak Ektar H35) are players in the toy camera space. But it's fair to say that Pentax is the only one to make a film camera like the 17, one that's small but exquisitely engineered to suit not only up-and-comers but also to satisfy the gripes of old fogies who hold a real love for the classic film cameras that thrived in the 70s and 80s.
Pentax 17: A Half Frame 35mm Compact
Many cameras are developed in secrecy, with details under lock and key up until the point of announcement. It's an atmosphere that makes for a healthy amount of speculation on photo blogs and internet forums. Pentax stirred the pot significantly by pre-announcing the product far in advance, but there's some method to the company's apparent madness in hyping its film camera so early: the marketing campaign doubled as a market research project.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)Ricoh Imaging Americas president Ken Curry cited online interest (a YouTube campaign netted more than 300,000 views) and well-attended film photography exhibitions in Tokyo and Taiwan as reasons the Pentax 17 came to fruition. The exhibitions drew large numbers of creators in their 20s and 30s, and Ricoh tells us that it's targeting the 18 to 40 demographic for the camera. I have no doubt that's enticing to execs concerned with growth and longevity. Professional digital photo equipment is expensive, which skews those demographics toward older, established creators.
I fall a little bit outside of Ricoh's targeted age range for potential Pentax 17 buyers, but I can see where a youth market grab informed the camera's basic design. It's by no means a cheap camera—its $499.95 price is on the high end versus other film cameras. Even so, it's not out of line versus newer film cameras that aren't as technically capable (the Lomo LC-A+ costs around $300) or vintage 35mm compacts (the '80s era Olympus X-A is around $370 in excellent condition). Ricoh is no doubt aware. It tells us that the Pentax 17 is meant to appeal to photogs who want a small film cam that's a step up from toy cameras and who want to avoid potential maintenance and reliability issues that come with decades-old used equipment. To that end, the 17 includes a one-year manufacturer's warranty, which can be extended to three years of coverage at additional cost. (We don't yet have pricing on the extended warranty.)
Social media is also cited as a driving force behind youth interest in film. Analog photos get the likes and views on Instagram and TikTok. Those platforms informed the Pentax 17's half-frame format. The camera works with 135 (35mm) film cartridges, but instead of snapping a wide 24x36mm image—what we call full-frame format in digital—its lens exposes a little less than half of that for a tall 24x17mm negative. The format is vertical by default—a plus for sharing photos on social media apps—and makes the camera more affordable to feed film. A 36-exposure roll of Kodak Ektar 100 goes for $13.49 these days, a figure that does not include processing and scanning costs, and gets 72 pictures on a half-frame camera.
Exquisitely Engineered: Construction and Controls
As for quality versus toy cameras, there's no real comparison. The Pentax 17 is a well-engineered camera. Not only is it a little larger than you'd expect from a half-frame camera, at about 3.1 by 5.0 by 2.0 inches (HWD) it's roughly the same size as the digital Fujifilm X100VI compact, but it's also somewhat dense at 10.2 ounces without a CR2 battery or roll of film loaded. The top and bottom plates are magnesium, a light but sturdy material that will stand the test of time. The metal exterior is finished with a pale golden tone, inspired by the finish from the LX Titan, and makes for a good-looking camera.
Quality construction goes beyond skin deep. The Pentax 17's optical viewfinder is among the best I've seen in a camera of this type. It shows a clear, bright image that I'd compare favorably with the view through a Leica M rangefinder. The 17's OVF isn't as large to the eye, but it's just as vibrant. There's not much clutter inside, either: just a pair of frame lines that approximate the lens view for distant and close-up subjects and a cutout window that shows where you've got the lens focused.
The lens is a 25mm F3.5 prime; it provides an angle of view that's roughly equivalent to a 37mm full-frame lens. Pentax borrowed its basic optical design from the full-frame Espio Mini but recalculated the 3-element/3-group formula for the shorter focal length and smaller image circle required for half-frame photography. The resulting photos are crisp and show excellent detail. Flare is handled well, too; the glass lens works better against a backlight than many film cameras. The glass elements play a huge role in that aspect of performance, as do lens coatings—the 17's lens has the same HD anti-glare finish you find in lenses for the Pentax digital SLR system, and has an anti-smudge fluorine (Pentax SP) coating.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)The camera omits true manual exposure control—you can't set the lens aperture or shutter speed, for instance. It's built around a few different Program exposure modes and includes an ambient light meter positioned next to the lens, though under the area covered by 40.5mm creative filters. I didn't try filters, but on a technical level most will work fine. Ricoh's technical solution manager, Dan Savoie, says the only restriction is with neutral density filters. He finds that the 17 works fine with a 1- or 2-stop ND filter, but options with more excessive light-cutting power may cause erratic meter readings.
On-body controls are scaled back to match the semi-automatic operation but still provide room for creative exposures. Film speed is set manually. The camera supports metering from ISO 50 through 3200, and a nearby EV dial (-2 to +2 EV in third stops) allows you to under or overexpose.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)As for exposure modes, the camera supports Program with or without a flash—the former is indicated by a white P on the Mode Dial, the latter by yellow—for automatic aperture (f/3.5-16) and shutter duration (4 seconds to 1/350-second) to suit the light and selected film speed. In addition to Program, the camera has a full Automatic mode, a Bokeh mode that keeps the aperture as wide as possible, and low-light modes that work with or without a flash. Finally, there's a Bulb (B) setting that keeps the shutter open for as long as you hold the button down, this is handy for long-exposure photography (think star trails and light streaks from cars driving down city streets at night). The camera includes a 2.5mm connector on the rear plate that works with wired shutter releases to help reduce camera shake when using the Bulb setting.
The Pentax 17 is comfortable to operate, and if you've used a film camera before, intuitive too. Focus is manual, and since there's no through-the-lens view or rangefinder mechanism, it's set purely by zone. It covers six distance zones—macro (0.82 feet), food (1.7 feet), single subject (4 feet), two subjects (5.6 feet), group shots (10 feet), and landscape (infinity). Distance markers are on the front of the lens only and listed in both imperial and metric units, while the top of the lens shows icons to indicate each zone. As mentioned, these icons are viewable through the finder, so you can set focus while you've got the camera to your eye. One small note—if you use the camera in its Automatic mode there's no need to set focus as the lens stops down far enough to get everything beyond 3.3 feet (1 meter) into clear view in that setting.
I found the 17 to be quite comfortable to use handheld. It has a rounded handgrip that helps a lot and doubles as the battery compartment. A single CR2 cell powers the camera and provides enough runtime for about 10 rolls of film (720 exposures). You'll want to make sure to use a disposable Lithium CR2 as NiMH rechargeable are not compatible. The camera relies on battery power to work, so it's a good idea to keep a spare handy as CR2 cells aren't universally available—you'll easily find them in photo shops and hardware stores but may not have as much luck at the corner drugstore, mini-mart, or supermarket.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)Likewise, it's simple to set the focus zone: just twist the control ring around the lens and you're set. The only caution here is finger placement—you'll want to move your hand away from the lens before taking a shot, or else you'll risk getting a finger in the frame. Thankfully I was warned about this before going out to use the camera for photos—I only managed to get my finger into one out of about 120 frames. Ricoh's Savoie has been testing the camera ahead of its launch and mentioned that his initial shots were full of fingers. He also cautions against leaving the lens cap on—it's easy to do since the viewfinder is separate. If you do leave the cap on, the camera flashes a blue light in the finder to warn you that it's not getting any light to the meter.
Finally, it's worth talking about the film advance lever. It's part of the camera that you'll use a ton and a control surface that's often sacrificed in toy cameras. The Pentax 17 borrows its lever from an old model. The lever is cast from the same mold as the advance from the Pentax Auto 110 and provides good tactile feedback when advancing the film. You can feel a little bit of tension as you advance, giving you confidence that film is properly loaded and feeding through the camera. It's far more comfortable to use than tiny geared advance dials found on many compacts (such as the aforementioned Kodak Ektar H35 and Lomo LC-A+). Curiously, the 17 omits a multiple-exposure option, it's a one-image-per-exposure camera.
In all, it's easy to see where attention to detail played a part in the design. The Pentax 17 avoids the slipshod tolerances of toy cameras on the whole. Ricoh told us that the project brought a retired engineer, Mr. Kitazawa, back into the office to head the project, not only for his expertise but to train the next generation of product designers on what it's like to build a mechanical camera. It shows. The Pentax 17 may be a brand-new camera, but in many ways, it's a time machine that takes you back to the 80s and 90s. Heck, it even has a cutout window on the rear film door so you can slot in the cardboard end of a film box as a helpful reminder of what film is presently loaded.
Hands On: Manhattan Street Photography With the Pentax 17
I can crow about the good, subtle design touches and engineering that went into the Pentax 17 all day, but what's it like to actually use the thing? I had the opportunity to use it briefly for some street photography in Manhattan just ahead of its public unveiling. I'll emphasize "brief": I got about 90 minutes with it and decided to take an aggressive approach to capture. If I saw something, I snapped the shutter, and I got through two rolls of film (about 120 shots) in that time—a personal record for me with a film camera.
I find the Pentax 17 to be a nearly ideal camera for this type of photography—out in the world, catching moments as they happen and trying to find interesting nooks and crannies of the metropolis to commit to celluloid. The fixed optical finder is a benefit. It provides an uninterrupted view of action, and since it never blacks out, you know exactly what bit of action you've caught in the moment. It's also possible to grab a quick shot from the hip: the moderately wide view of the lens and zone focus system are beneficial for those types of snaps.
I caught a bright day (the calendar says we're still in spring, but it felt more like summer). I contended with some serious haze, enough to notice when admiring some architectural marvels from a distance. I started the day with a roll of low-speed Kodak Ektar 100 and swapped over to Kodak UltraMax 400 once it was finished.
For the Ektar, I stuck with Program mode and zone focus. Even at ISO 100, the camera was likely using a relatively narrow aperture given the light, so it was not at all challenging to get properly sharp photos with the zone focus system.
Getting film developed and digitized can prove to be a challenge, especially if you don't live near a lab, or are new to using film. I took the rolls to a local lab, had them develop the negatives, and opted to scan them myself at home with a Plustek Optic Film 120 and Vuescan software. Not everyone has a dedicated film scanner at home, so I asked Eric Russell from Colourworks how his team handles half-frame scans. He told me they provide scans that show two frames per image file, as "there's no good mask for half-frame cameras," so instead, they scan it just like a full-frame 35mm. I handled my home scans the same way, as it's easy enough to crop out one image from the two-up scans, and I wanted the flexibility to show some diptychs in this story. Your local lab may do things differently.
For the ISO 400 roll, I swapped between Automatic and Program, depending on the situation. I wanted to see how sharp photos looked with the stopped-down pan focus the Auto mode uses. As for results, photos shot in Auto look sharp and capture ample depth of field.
I also found myself taking a lot of vertical compositions with the camera. I often avoid portrait shots when reviewing gear simply because they take up a lot of vertical page room in PCMag's web templates. In that regard, I found the format to be creatively freeing and enjoyed the tall 1:1.4 aspect provided by the half-frame format. It makes for a composition that's not quite as tall as from a 3:2 full-frame sensor shot vertically, one that reminds me of portrait work with a 645 medium format camera. It was more natural to use the Pentax 17 for these types of tall shots, even though nothing is stopping you from twisting the camera 90 degrees to get landscape shots with a 1.4:1 shape frame.
As for the images, I'm quite happy with what the little camera and lens can produce. The pictures show good detail and contrast—heck, I can read some signs in storefronts in images taken from the opposite side of the street—colors look good, there's no visible distortion, and the 17 handles flare quite well. The zone focus system may take a little getting used to and lends itself to some missed shots, especially if you're trying to get macros. On that point, the included wrist strap is roughly the same length as the minimum focus distance, so you can use it as a guide for near-distance images.
My first impressions of the Pentax 17 are strongly positive. I was chatting up another journalist who shares my love of classic cameras and he opined that this was "not a camera for you or me," referring to our mutual appreciation of manual controls, wide aperture lenses, and other things camera nerds like to obsess over. I don't know if he's right. I'm somewhat spoiled when it comes to gear. I've built up a decent collection of old film cameras over the years and do my best to use them when I can find the time, either for personal work or for a story, but when I grab my Pentax LX SLR, Rolleiflex Automat TLR, or Leica CL rangefinder, I tend to put myself into a different mindset: working slow, focusing and metering precisely, and trying for wide aperture and bokeh when the film and light allow for it.
There's something freeing about not having to fret about f-stops or shutter speeds at all, instead leaving my brain free to concentrate on finding a composition and knowing that I just have to get the focus close enough. Plus, the half-frame format encourages me to shoot more images to get through a roll and to take some shots I wouldn't otherwise. I'll admit, my keeper rate for my first outing with the 17 wasn't great, but I'll chalk that up to some serious rust in the street photography genre, as well as a sense of urgency to get enough images from the camera in my limited time with it. I'm looking forward to a more leisurely review period so I can try it in different environments and with some other film stocks.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)Pricing and Availability
The Pentax 17 is scheduled to be in stores and available to purchase later this month. It's priced at $499.95. We plan on following up these initial impressions with a full review, so check back soon for that. In the meantime, if you're shopping for a small camera, make sure to check out our top-rated point-and-shoot models.