744 images. 11 rolls of film. 8 film stocks. 1 great camera
Chris Feola
Author, Perfecting Equilibrium: For a brief, shining moment Web1 democratized data. Then Web2 came along and made George Orwell look like an optimist. Now Web3 is Perfecting John Nash’s Information Equilibrium.
Perfecting Equilibrium Volume Three, Issue 17
I'll be back in the high life again
All the doors I closed one time will open up again
All the eyes that watched me once will smile and take me in
Editor’s Note: This review first appeared September 5 on Pentax Forums. On Pentax Forums a First Impressions review is a hands-on account of using the camera, while an In-Depth review incorporates lens resolution and other scientific testing.
The Sunday Reader, Sept 8, 2024
This June, Pentax announced its first new film camera in decades, and began shipping the Pentax 17 half-frame 35mm camera a few weeks later. The camera has been such a hit that Pentax has struggled to meet the demand for, with backorders world-wide. The 17 already has a Top Seller badge at B&H.
The camera is named for the 17mm width of a half-frame of 35mm film, following in the Pentax tradition of naming cameras after their format, such as the 67, 645 and Auto 110. It features a newly-developed 25mm F3.5 lens, which is the equivalent to a 37mm lens?on full-frame 35mm. The lens, which uses three elements in three groups, is based on the optical design of the Pentax Espio Mini while using the angle of view and focal length of the Ricoh Auto Half camera. Pentax improved on these classic designs by treating the lens with its modern HD (High Definition) coating to optimize the clarity and sharpness of the half-frame photos.
Ricoh Imagining Americas was kind enough to lend us a Pentax 17 review unit for a few weeks, during which we shot 744 images using 11 rolls of 35mm film of 8 types. Half-frame cameras double the exposure per roll, so you get 72 shots on a 36-exposure roll of film. Here’s what we learned: this camera is shockingly good at what it does.
Just want the bottom line? Here it is: When it came time to return the review unit I bought my own Pentax 17.
Image Quality
Image quality is the bottom line with any photography equipment, so let’s start there.
The Pentax 17 takes stunning photos. Feed it good film and lots of light, and you’ll get more image quality than should be possible for a half-frame compact camera.
Lens
Us old film guys used to tell newbies, "the camera is a box that holds the film; put your money into glass". Pentax did a great job on the camera body, but the lens on this camera is the star. The 25mm F3.5 three elements in three groups optic is based on the design of the lens of the PENTAX Espio Mini compact film camera, while using the angle of view and focal length of the Ricoh Auto Half camera. Pentax added its modern HD (High Definition) coating to optimize the clarity and sharpness of the half-frame photos. This lens offers the slightly wide 61-degree angle of view that’s roughly equivalent to a 37mm lens on a full-frame camera.
The combination of classic optical design with modern coatings yields a lens that wrings image quality out of a variety of film stocks: the vivid palette of Ektachrome…
To the sharp detail of Panther Air:
and the smooth grayscale of Ilford HP5
All in all a stunning optic. If they make a K-Mount version I’ll buy it.
Viewfinder and Focus
The viewfinder is excellent and everything you want on a camera: clear and bright and uncluttered!
There are two sets of frame lines: the larger shows the normal image, while a smaller set is for macro work. The zone focus icons appear clearly at the bottom of the viewfinder. At first I was disappointed that the viewfinder showed the icons rather than the numeric focusing distance, but after a few days I was familiar with the icons, and, frankly, they work better. The flower macro icon is simply cleaner and clearer than “0.82.”
The right side of the viewfinder shows two indicator lamps: the orange Flash Indicator Lamp is on top; the blue Warning Indicator Lamp is below. When you turn the camera on both lamps alternately blink quickly if the battery is too low to operate; the blue lamp blinking quickly on its own means you’ve left the lens cap on!
Keeping your finger at half-press on the shutter yields lots more information:
The Flash Indicator Lamp does its duty when you’re using the flash:
Construction and Handling
The?Pentax 17 feels great in the hand, solid and well-balanced. I was a bit surprised when I unboxed the camera to find it such a solid piece of kit after all the early reviews arguing that the camera felt too light, too flimsy and certainly wasn’t premium. All I can say to those folks is try something besides Nikon Fs, Pentax 67s and cast-iron Zenits. For someone like me who spent years shooting Pentax film cameras, the 290 gram (without battery or film) Pentax 17 fits right in. That’s a bit more than the Pentax Espio 80, which tipped the scales at 236g, and the 198g Ricoh GR Digital. And it’s a bit less than my first camera, the 460g Pentax ME. My MX, which weighs in at 495g, is a tank; on a wrist strap you could use it as a mace if you ever get caught in one of those medieval war recreations.
The 17 is not a tank; it is comfortably solid. There’s no twist or flex anywhere in this camera; the film door opens and closes solidly, the film advance lever is maybe the best I’ve ever used, and every dial and button is smooth and tight. This is an excellent machine.
About that lever: I must say I was bemused by The Film Project’s focus on the film advance lever. I’ve used dozens of film cameras, and never thought about the advance lever unless it stunk. I just assumed the Pentax engineers had fallen in love with their creation, as engineers are inclined to do. (Note: I’m a software engineer by day; engineers are my people. I too have fallen in love with my work and blathered on and on and on about it until people began avoiding conversations with me.)
Boy was I wrong.
After a busy day designing Distributed Data Management Systems – don’t ask, it’s too boring to discuss – I like the refinement of good machinery. I’ve only owned manual transmission automobiles; I wear mechanical watches.
Now add the Pentax 17 film advance to that list. The throw is…well, perfect! About a quarter turn to fully advance the film and cock the shutter. The advance lever fit perfectly over the thumb on my giant hand; press the shutter, flick your thumb to the right, and you’re ready with a fresh frame queued up and the shutter cocked, faster than an old school film winder.
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And the sound! The little purr that comes out of the 17 when you wind it. You’ll crank off shots just to hear that purr.
Forum members asked that I check on another criticism they’d heard online about the Pentax 17, namely that there’s an uncomfortable lag between pressing the shutter button and image capture. Now I’m no sports photographer, but I did shoot lots of high-speed toddlers and squirrels, and the 17 never missed. But I think I know where this criticism comes from: whenever I’m shooting I keep the shutter button half-pressed. In the 17 that keeps the viewfinder lights on; pressing the button produces an instant “snick” sound of the shutter. If you’re not doing the half-press thing, the camera can take a split second to “wake” before starting the viewfinder lights and then taking the image. Just keep your finger on the shutter when you’re shooting, and you’ll be fine.
Likewise apparently some people complained that you can lose the lens cap. Here’s the advice of an old film pro:
Film, Loading and Rewinding
Ricoh Imagining Americas was kind enough to lend us a Pentax 17 review unit for a few weeks, during which we shot 744 images using 11 rolls of 35mm film of 8 types:
Ricoh Imaging Americas sent one roll of HP5 and the Kodak Ultramax with the cameras; thanks guys! These are the same two rolls included in the Pentax 17 bundle that comes with the camera, the two rolls of film, and the extended warranty.
I bought the rest of the film from?Don’s Photo Equipment in Dallas, and?Legacy Photo Labs in Fort Worth. At Don’s you’ll find owner Todd Puckett perched on a stool in front of The Great Wall of Film dispensing advice on the wild variety of emulsions he has available. With all the new emulsions and repackaging going on – I can think of a half-dozen film names off the top of my head that are all actually Ektachrome 100 – Todd is the guy who will steer you to the right emulsion.
Don’s is a drop-off point for Legacy’s film processing, but I was in a hurry because of the limited time I had the review unit and just drove my film there, where I found another excellent selection of film, and absolutely excellent processing and scanning. And helpful! They turned rolls around fast knowing I was on a deadline with the camera.
For black and white, I’ve always liked the gritty, grainy look of Tri-X and spent years shooting two or more rolls a day. But for me the 17 did much better with HP5 for black-and-white. The tones were smoother, the grain was tighter; it just worked better for me with this camera and lens.
On the color side there is no contest for me: The Pentax 17 and Ektachrome 100 are a perfect pair, producing color and smooth tones that make you want to get a spoon and eat them. Now this is partly because of the type of photography I do; I think if I specialized in portraiture I would choose the Portra 400, which did a great job for me photographing family. (Not sharing pics of the grandkids; sorry.) But for the urban and rural landscapes I photograph the Ektachrome is the clear winner.
Panther Air film also produced excellent results in the Pentax 17, with a more natural, less dramatic palette than the Ektachrome. Air has also grabbed a permanent spot in my bag.
The Flic Film Aurora 800 was the first color roll I shot outdoors in the Texas summer sun. After this I kept the Pentax 17 set to minus one-third stop on the exposure dial, and got better results. I should probably shoot another roll of this film set that way, but I probably won’t. The color palette is a bit on the nostalgic side, and I much prefer the punch of Ektachrome 100. Which I did shoot at -1/3 stop, by the by. I got good results with the Wolfen, but once again the nostalgic color palette is a little less interesting to my eye. I’d certainly use it if I wanted that effect! It’s good film.
Film handling on this camera is a dream. I’ve run thousands of rolls through Pentax cameras, so maybe I’m just an old hand at it, but loading the 17 couldn’t be easier. Pull up the rewind lever to pop the back; insert the film cassette with just enough film extending to reach the other side; tuck it down and make sure the sprocket holes are on the gears; close the back and start winding. When the roll is done the film advance lever will stop; just pop the little button on the bottom, flip the rewind handle out, and wind until you feel and hear the film pull off the front spool. Easy peasy.
The film rewind lever is based on the one in the LX, and just like both my LXs my giant hands mange to flip it back closed at least twice every rewind because it’s too tiny for my bear mitts. On the other hand, I’ve never figured out a way to make it bigger without causing other problems, so I’ll live with it and keep growling when it inevitably happens.
Why half frame?
I was intrigued when Pentax announced the new camera would be half frame for several reasons. I’ve never owned a half frame, for one. But more importantly it is fairly different shooting experience than any camera I own. I like to get the 2UP scans – basically, the entire 35mm film frame is scanned showing both half-frame images, producing a diptych. So I’ve been pairing shots when I shoot, which is the first really new way to photograph I’ve run across in decades.
And there are practical benefits. For the same film cost and a small bump in processing and scanning, you’re getting double the number of images. That makes 1,000 images on the Pentax 17 cheaper on a per-shot basis than the Ricoh GR III or the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo. (article link)
Buttons and Dials
One of the very dumb Feola sayings I am fond of has caught on with kids and colleagues: Never teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time. And it annoys the pig.
The Pentax 17 is an easy-to-use compact camera. It is not up for the meticulous hand-tuned shooting of an LX or a K-3 III Monochrome.
Remember that, and everyone will be happy.
I loaded up the 17 with HP5 as soon as I got it, went out and shot the whole roll, then reloaded with Kodak Ultramax. I shot a roll of color and a roll of black and white day one, then drove them to the lab and got the fastest processing so I’d have a baseline for testing the camera. The HP5 came out fine. But by the time I went through 48 shots and reloaded, the Texas temperature had cracked triple digits and I really didn’t want to be outside shooting. So I had a brilliant idea; I found a place inside where I could do macro flower shots. Hand-held. In BOKEH mode. With a camera I’d had 24 hours.
This was a very bad plan, and I blew two-thirds of the roll out of focus. Apparently, I am not very good at estimating 0.82 feet. And by not very good, I mean I’m terrible at it.
So I stopped trying to use the 17 like my Monochrome, turned the shooting mode dial to AUTO, and just enjoyed the camera.
Indoors. Outdoors. Shots at infinity, and close-up macro work. High noon and night and twilight. And the 17 came through. I started averaging 60 plus in focus, well exposed shots out of 72 on a roll.
AUTO sets the camera to auto exposure including flash, and pan focus. P is autoexposure, no flash and you set the zone focus. The other modes are BOKEH, Slow-speed shutter and Bulb; then Daylight and Slow-speed sync mirror P and Slow-speed shutter, but with the flash on. I’ll work more on these other modes, but in the short time I had the review unit I was more intent on seeing how the camera interacted with different film stocks.
Performance
The Pentax 17 is as fast and easy to use as any film camera I’ve ever shot, including the LX and MX. Flick the power switch to ON, press the shutter button half-way, and your off! And I had zero problems with the 17’s dials while shooting dozens and dozens of images daily; everything stayed exactly the way I set it despite my giant hands.
Built-in Flash
As a photojournalist I was trained in a technique we called “Available Flash.” Basically, it was available light photography for the environment with the addition of a small, under-powered flash to freeze and illuminate human subjects. The small, off-center flash on the Pentax 17 is just perfect for this technique. It has just enough power to freeze and illuminate subjects without overpowering and washing out the surrounding environment. And because it isn’t right over the lens there’s a lot less difficulty with red eye. I’m generally not much of a flash guy, but I really like the one on the Pentax 17.
Price and availability
The Pentax 17, the first camera from the Pentax film project, retails for?$499.95?in the US and is available now from the Ricoh Imaging website and retailers such as?B&H Photo. In Canada and the UK, the camera is priced at $679 CAD and ￡499, respectively.??€549?is the price in the rest of Europe.
The 17 is also available in a US $599.95?special package?directly from Ricoh that includes an two-year warranty extension (3 years total), a roll of color film, a roll of black & white film, and includes processing and scanning for both rolls.
Tip:?by ordering the camera from our partner retailers, you can support the forum and receive a free account upgrade.??Here's how!
Conclusion
A few words here about my relationship with Pentax in the interest of full disclosure. I started shooting professionally in 1979 with a newsroom ME, then bought an ME Super, which I still have, and eventually worked as a photojournalist across Asia and North America with a pair of matched LXs loaded with Tri-X, and an MX with Ektachrome. I have everything Pentax from Auto 110s and Qs to 6x7. (Except the 645, for some reason.) I daily drive a K-3 III Monochrome. But I don’t think I’m a fanboy. I’ve been using an Olympus Pen-F for color work alongside the Monochrome; I use a Panasonic Lumix G100 for vlogging. And for full-frame I have a Sony a7rII although, frankly, we just don’t get along. I share this so you know the background I brought to the 17.
After pushing 744 shots through a Pentax 17 in three weeks I can heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to get started with film, who wants an excellent camera that fits in your (largish) pocket, or who wants a fixed-lens compact for street photography or everyday carry.
But a good rubric for review equipment is how you feel when you have to pack it up and send it back. So, was I sad when I took the review 17 out of my camera bag and packed it to return to the good folks at Ricoh Imaging Americas? No. Because that made room in my camera bag for my own 17, which I bought half-way through testing the review unit. It’s nestled now in my daily driver photo bag, loaded with Ektachrome for color work, next to my K-3 III Monochrome.
So that’s my TL/DR review: After shooting with the?Pentax 17 for two weeks the kind folks at Ricoh Imaging Americas let me know they were sending a return label to send it back, so I went to the store and bought my own 17.
For me, it’s time for film!