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PENTAX 17 Film Camera Review

The PENTAX 17 is a 2024 compact film camera featuring vertical half-frame shooting, a fixed 25mm f/3.5 lens with zone focusing and is the first release from Pentax's Film Project. John Riley reviews this modern day take on film photography and provides sample photos along with his verdict.

Posted: 18/01/2025 - 08:12

Handling
Features
Performance
Verdict
Specification

It seems a lot of heart and passion has gone into Pentax's Film Camera project. The last new Pentax film SLR was the *ist of 2003, some 21 years ago, and part of the new mission was to keep the ability to produce film cameras alive and well. This could relate to the increasing risk of loss of expertise and perhaps loss of ability to source the appropriate parts. Whatever obstacles arose, here we have the PENTAX 17, a half frame compact 35mm film camera with a fixed lens and zone focusing. The format is a portrait, vertical frame that delivers 72 shots from a 36 exposure film, thus improving the value for money aspect in an era where film stocks are now relatively expensive. With a format the same as a naturally held iPhone or Android phone there is the intent to make the camera more accessible to the younger users of smartphones and tablets as well as bringing back the love of the look of film for more traditional photographers. All this means a few modifications to our testing routine, so let's see how we do and whether the results produce something distinct and original that only the medium of film can offer.

PENTAX 17 Features

First a tour of the camera, starting with the initial impression of a very light camera, not exactly compact as a small digital camera might be, but more of the size of the legendary Olympus Trip compact film camera, which will be familiar to many who ever used film. In some ways the premise is the same, a simple to use camera with a sharp lens and zone focusing. However, the PENTAX 17 is half frame, so a 36-exposure film will yield 72 images. At 290g, the camera is light, but the construction quality is excellent, with its reassuring Magnesium alloy top and bottom plates to give rigidity. Dimensions are 127mm x 78mm x 52mm, compact enough to easily slip into a jacket pocket.

The top plate holds all the controls, pride of place being the central viewfinder which proudly says on the top "Craftsmanship by Pentax" along with the original Asahi Optical Co symbol. This nod to its heritage is a part of the pride of that craftsmanship and duly noted no doubt by those who are familiar with it. There is also the statement "Film camera" in case we are looking in vain for the monitor, and the film plane marker that we measure distances from.

To the left of the top plate we have the film rewind crank, as after a roll is shot the 35mm film needs to be rewound into the cassette. The release button for this is on the baseplate, after which we can manually wind the film back. When the tension is gone, a couple more safety turns and then the back is safe to open by pulling up the crank. Round the crank there is the ISO setting dial, locked unless released by a small button. Here the film speed is entered and of course that is fixed by the type of film chosen. Range is ISO 50 to ISO 3200. There are still many types of film available at a variety of speeds. Dedicated film users will know that it is also possible to uprate and downrate films to different ISO values if the development is suitably adjusted. This is a huge area of craftsmanship in itself. The small dial is for exposure compensation, used in the usual way.

On the right of the top plate is the mode dial, with two distinct areas. The usual setting will probably be P, where programmed exposure will keep the shutter speed to 1/30s or faster. The aperture is not controllable. There is obviously no shake reduction here, so we need to keep the camera as still as possible when pressing the shutter button. A heavier camera would make that easier. The c symbol sets the longer exposures down to 4 seconds, and for this a tripod is needed. The Bokeh setting selects the widest aperture for the lens and is the only aperture control we have. Finally in this section the B setting keeps the shutter open for as long as the shutter release is kept depressed. The Auto setting is a Pan Focus where the focus is fixed. The flash area has settings for Daylight Synch and Slow Speed Synch.

The shutter release is soft and smooth, which does help in keeping the camera still. The on/off switch is around the button, the best place indeed. Here Pentax maybe just miss one trick from the film era. The on/off index is a red dot, but in the film days it would be a red shutter cocked indicator. Red would be shutter cocked, here not so. The wind on lever is a joy to use, just as it was with, say, an ME Super. As smooth as silk and just beautiful. Pentax have lost none of that particular feel. There is a 130 degree stroke to wind on the film and if it is part of a sequence of shots there is a handy stand off angle of 35 degrees so the lever does not need to be fully parked after every shot. Finally, the film counter is beneath a small window and counts up to 72 shots. It is moderately difficult to read unless the light is bright.

The back of the camera has a socket for the Cable Switch CS-205 for remote release. It also has a slot to take the end of a film carton as a reminder as to what type of film is loaded.

The viewfinder is an Albada bright line finder that gives a yellow outline to approximately indicate the field of view. There is a second small set of lines that indicate the close up framing, but of course this is all much less precise than the digital viewfinders we are used to. This will be a matter of practice so we can improve our framing as we use the camera more and know what to expect.

Moving to the front of the camera, there is a small built in flash and of course the lens. The lens is the HD Pentax Lens HF 25mm f/3.5 Traditional, comprising 3 elements in 3 groups. Based on previous Pentax designs and no doubt derived originally from the Zeiss Triotar configuration there is no reason why a 3 element lens on half frame cannot produce crisp, sharp images with high contrast. Having fewer elements does have its advantages. The "35mm equivalent" is 37mm, so this lens is a wide standard lens. This helps with increased depth of field so the zone focusing should work well. There are several zones provided and these are indicated in the viewfinder as well as on the lens rim. The bottom of the lens rim shows the zones in feet and metres so distances can be measured if required. The closest focus distance can also be measured by using the wrist strap provided, which gives a fairly precise measurement of the correct distance.

The right end of the camera has a coin operated screw that when released reveals the battery compartment. One CR2 Lithium battery is needed and this should last  for up to 10x36 exposure (72 shots) films, where 50% of the shots include flash use. Without using the flash this could be considerably more. We have moved on from the film days, where a silver oxide battery might be only used for the exposure meter in a camera and could last a year or more. Care is needed not to lose the closing screw, as it is not fixed into the access door.

The exposure sensor is situated in the lens rim. There is also the 40.5mm filter thread, and as we do not have electronic digital filters then it is back to using glass screw in filters. Obvious ones are the Skylight for reducing the blue in distant scenes, 81A (Cloudy) for warming the image and of course Yellow, Green, Orange and Red filters for use with black and white film. Infra-red film cannot be used, so presumably the camera is not impervious to IR light.

Key Features

  • Half frame 35mm film camera, 24mm x 17mm format
  • Behind the lens shutter 4s - 1/350s
  • Film speeds ISO 50-3200
  • Manual single stroke film advance 130 degree stroke, 35 degree stand off angle
  • Albada bright frame viewfinder with close up markings
  • HD Pentax 25mm f/3.5 lens (35mm equivalent 37mm)
  • 3 elements in 3 groups
  • Closest focus 0.25m, 0.13x magnification
  • Filter thread 40.5mm
  • Zone focusing
  • CR2 3V battery (not compatible with rechargeables)
  • Battery life 10 x 36exp film with 50% flash use
  • Built in flash
  • 127mm x 78mm x 52mm
  • 290g

PENTAX 17 Handling

For some this will be new territory, for others a trip down memory lane as we bring back those old skills from their hibernation. This may well be true of Pentax's engineers as well, as some were brought out of retirement to help train the younger engineers in the finer details of making a new film camera.

Opening up the camera back, it is a familiar sight and the precision and fine design are all still there. Loading the film is simple enough, but for beginners no doubt a bit of a learning curve. The essentials are make sure the film is flat, is in the correct position on the take up spool and securely pressed into place. After the back is closed a few shutter releases plus strokes of the wind on lever will move the counter up to the first frame. A double check that the rewind crank is also rotating when the film is wound on will show that the film transport is correctly engaged.

Remembering old film skills may well be a part of the pleasure of re-discovery, and it starts with the smell of new, fresh film as it's opened.  

After we have stopped looking for the back monitor that is not there things will begin to settle down. Switch on, set the distance to the required zone, select the mode dial setting (Probably P for the first shots) and then wind on and start to take pictures. Then there is no image review....but the feeling that this is necessary will pass.

After that, it is a matter of practice, practice, practice, shooting lots of images. Some photographers learn by making notes, but that's a difficult thing to keep up with. Useful though if we can do it. There are limited ways that the photographer can control the camera settings. For example, there is no way to set the aperture apart from using the BOKEH setting that sets open aperture. It is therefor essential to read the instruction manual carefully to be aware of the options and how they can be utilised. This will mean downloading the manual, which is a shame because users are unlikely enough to read the instructions even if they are in the box, never mind having to find and download the file.

PENTAX 17 Performance

Lens Performance – The 3 element lens fitted has excellent flare resistance. Unfortunately the way the camera works precludes setting specific apertures with the exception of the BOKEH setting delivering open aperture of f/3.5. So at open aperture, some limited tests are possible, but only via scans, so it's all a bit removed from direct measurements. Barrel distortion measures at -0.07% which is excellent. CA measures at 0.54 pixels, which is also excellent and this is borne out visually. Sharpness is spoilt by the grain of the film and does not measure properly, but visually can look good when the focus is spot on. The grain of film makes the concept of "sharpness" slightly different to the crisp digital edges we are used to but that is part of the rationale of using a film camera.

ISO Performance – ISO performance now depends on the film rather than the camera. Slower films will give finer grain and faster films will have coarser grain. In the case of black and white film the nature of this grain will also change depending upon the development. Films can be developed for finer or coarser grain and a more subdued or a crisper grain structure. This is well known with those who had or have a darkroom, and is a huge world for newer film photographers to explore for the first time should the bug bite. Frankly the ISO 200 Fuji print film is a bit disappointing in this respect, with grain looking more like the noise levels of a good digital camera at around ISO 12800.  

White Balance - Now dependent on the film type and also on any coloured filters used in front of the lens. For colour, typically a Skylight filter will reduce the blue in distant mountain shots. An 81A (Cloudy) filter will warm an image, especially useful for portraits. In black and white, yellow, orange and red filters will deepen blue skies and bring out clouds in an increasingly dramatic way. Green filters will lighten foliage and can be flattering for portraits. The PENTAX 17 is not compatible with IR film though, so presumably the body is not totally opaque to IR light.

Digital Filters – On the face of it, digital filters are not possible, or are they? Given that the digital filters of digital cameras sometimes mimic film techniques, then with some lateral thinking there are some very interesting techniques to explore. These are film related rather than digital sensor related, but would include cross processing of colour films in the wrong chemistry, sepia and other colours of toning of black and white prints, bleach bypass where the bleaching step is left out of colour processing....these are some of the techniques that digital filters emulate.

Value for Money

This is a tough one, as although there are dozens of very low cost film cameras around at less than £100, many less than £50, there are not many aspiring to high quality lenses and construction. So, not including a mass of plastic cameras, we are left with:

  • PENTAX 17, £449
  • Leica M6 body, £4990
  • Leica MP 0.72 body, £5080

The alternative is of course the second hand market, and there are plenty of superb film cameras from the past. These are, however, now getting a bit long in the tooth and light seals may well have deteriorated, shutters may be slow, electronics may be about to expire. Cameras need to be used, and even really good looking examples can end up not worth the price. However, a good example could give excellent service.

In summary, if we want a new film camera then the PENTAX 17 is standing pretty much alone, and is actually decent value considering its quality and attention to detail.

PENTAX 17 Verdict

We have determined so far that the camera is well designed and manufactured and offers something very different to either the run of monochrome or colour digital cameras. Looking at the results, it is a mixed bag, but to be fair the weather conditions have also been very unfriendly and rather extreme. Even when brightly lit by sun the results have been over warm and very contrasty.

The exciting bits are still there, the anticipation waiting for the prints and/or scans to arrive, not knowing whether or not there is a good or indifferent result. I had my doubts about the accuracy of the framing, but the sample photos have been left totally untouched and the outcome is much better than I anticipated. Even the close up shots can be compensated for quite reliably. Fair enough, it's not as precise as a digital EVF/pentaprism or monitor but surprisingly consistent.

What is missed? The instant result of course, the ability to review shots as we go, the ability to change ISO from frame to frame if necessary, all the conveniences of digital. Who will it appeal to? Anyone who wants to explore traditional film photography, but with a new camera rather than a second hand one. Shooting this review, in less than ideal circumstances, only scratched the surface and there are all the other films on the market to try, all the film based techniques, in fact the whole craft of analogue photography. I am not convinced that smartphone users will flock to the PENTAX 17, and the idea that the vertical half frame format will help them is in my opinion a bit spurious. We can all turn a phone or a camera from portrait to landscape easily enough.

My highlight has to be the tactile feel of the camera operation. Lovely controls, and an exquisitely smooth wind on action, just like an ME Super.

PENTAX 17 Pros

  • First new film camera for two decades
  • Well made
  • Half frame mitigates film costs
  • Handles well
  • Light and compact
  • Opens up huge film technique opportunities
  • Vertical format may suit smartphone users
  • Reasonable price

PENTAX 17 Cons

  • No weather sealing
  • No shake reduction
  • No digital aids such as image review
  • Limited user control
     

Features: 4/5
Handling: 4/5
Performance: 3.5/5
Value: 4/5
Overall Verdict: 4/5

Specifications: PENTAX 17
Availability
DiscontinuedNo
Year announced2024
Construction
WaterproofNo
Dimensions
Depth52mm
Height78mm
Weight290g
Width127mm
Exposure Control
AE lockNo
Bulb modeYes
Exp modesAperture-Priority, Program
Exposure Comp+/-2
ISO sensitivity50 - 3200
MeteringPartial
Shutter speeds longest4sec
Shutter speeds shortest1/350sec
Flash
Flash modesAuto
Hot ShoeNo
Focusing
Focusing modesManual
Infinity ModeYes
Lens
Close Focus250mm
Focal Length25mm
Max Aperturef/3.5
Viewfinder
Depth of field previewNo

John Riley

My specialised interest in Pentax started from the first moment I looked through the viewfinder of my first Spotmatic, the SP1000. That gorgeous clarity, sharply defined within a pure black frame is my definitive way to view the world and make images. Pentax is a superb example of a range of manufactured tools that is both the path to creativity and also a gem of engineering elegance and excellence in its own right.

Biography Profile John Riley Photography

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