Pentax17 Fixed-Focal length compact film camera designed to capture half-size photographs

Well done Pentax for your brilliant half frame film camera for 2024. A lot of hidden tech packed into this camera to deliver on every frame. You want to carry, and snap everywhere, so refreshing to turn the clock back without any of the challenges of a previous era!

I’d been prevaricating for ages about whether to purchase the Pentax 17. I use film cameras of all formats up to 4x5 and also have an Olympus PenEE. But the thought of a brand new camera with warranty was alluring ….. Amazon pay in 5 sealed the deal.Banner regretted a moment with the camera and made some beautiful darkroom prints .

I own a lot of film cameras and they are showing their age. It was a pleasure to open the box and see a brand new film camera. A film camera that I didn't have to check if the light seals needed replacing or the lens had fungus or the meter didn't work etc.I am going to enjoy using this camera, I think it is well made and easy to use. I'm in no doubt that the images it produces will be good. I believe it's been aimed at beginners, I have used various cameras for over 50 years and did not hesitate in purchasing the Pentax. Expensive, I suppose so, but you're getting a brand new film camera from a major manufacturer and a warranty.

I've shot 3 rolls so far with this camera and I'm loving it!Yes, it's half-frame but that's part of its charm. It also means you get a lot more photos out of each roll of film.When you look through the viewfinder you see a portrait view. So if you want to shoot landscape you have to turn the camera 90 degrees.I haven't used the flash yet, so can't comment, but it is there for me to use at some point.Overall, very happy with this camera and I'm looking forward to shooting many more rolls of film.

It's taken me a while to try this out but it was such a great experience.The camera takes 'half size' photos so each photo effectively gives you two. holding the camera in a 'normal' position gives you a portrait orientated photo.For me the most fun was in loading the film and then sending it off to get developed. I was pleased with the end results. The truth is I could have got better results with my digital camera but I just really enjoyed the process of using a film camera as it give me a pang of retro nostalgia.The 37mm equiv focal length is a nice natural-feeling focal length and the camera feels nice in the hand. It felt lighter than i was expecting as it has less electric gubbins than what I'm used to.I found that using this I spent more time composing images and felt much more excited about the results. It won't replace my 'regular' camera but this is something I'll use for novelty use every-so-often just to enjoy the experience of handling a film camera.I wouldn't recommend this for someone who wants to dabble in film as it's quite an investment. But if you long for the days of film and know you'll regularly use it then this is a really nice piece of hardware.

A great fun point and shoot camera that you can get hands on with and change the settings if you want. Small and light enough to bring anywhere.

I really wanted to like this camera but it has a major flaw. As I wear glasses I found the frame lines difficult to see, especially under certain light conditions. Also, I found it unusable for what I do most, i.e. low-light street photography. The flash-ready light to the right of the viewfinder is so bright that you can't actually see anything through the finder. I've not encountered this issue with similar cameras in the past so Pentax really need to look at the design and maybe dial-down the brightness. Sadly returning it as, for me, it is not suitable and I also think not worth the price. If you use only in daylight its probably OK, but if you use it at night with the flash then I'd look elsewhere.

I wanted to take a film camera with me on holiday alongside a digital camera to capture my children's first trip abroad. I had been burned buying a second hand 35mm Pentax Spotmatic SLR film camera (light leaks, despite claims of a full refurb) and was looking for something reliable.Enter the Pentax 17, a brand new, high quality film camera with warranty from a major manufacturer!Like many I was skeptical about the half frame format but I can confirm that concerns about quality were totally unfounded, producing well exposed, detailed and sharp photographs. Also, with this format you really feel like you get loads of shots from a roll, encouraging experimentation.I will admit my first reaction on opening the box was that the camera didn't feel like great build quality for the money. However having spent time with it I love the light weight, ergonomics and retro style.The zone focusing might take a bit of time to master but there is an Auto mode (with or without flash) which effectively makes the camera a point and shoot and produces excellent results without faffing with settings.I like how the default orientation is portrait: it's something different and encourages you to frame scenes differently to how you might usually do so.So far I have used Kodak Gold and Fuji 200 and they've all come out looking great.Overall I'm very happy with this camera and I can highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get into analog photography, either film-shooting newbies or seasoned veterans looking for a fun, effective and BRAND NEW film camera!