Pentax goes analogue with its new 17mm film camera

Pentax has just established its commitment to film with the release of the Pentax 17 camera.

While film is still very much in use, and not going anywhere anytime soon, there hasn’t been any serious new entries from the big players in the current list of Japanese digital camera manufacturers. Rooted in film cameras, it has been decades since names like Canon, Nikon, and Fujifilm pushed the film format.

Pentax is changing that notion with the release of the Pentax 17 by designer Takeo Suzuki (TKO). Looking like a cross between a SLR and a rangefinder (minus the pentaprism), the Pentax 17 loads 35mm film, but as the name suggests, takes half-sized shots at 17mm x 24mm. It’s not mentioned if the half-sized photograph format was intentional but each photo feels just like a smartphone image in vertical orientation, which is somewhat ironic. This format doubles the output from a single 36 exp roll to 72 images.

The Pentax 17 is fitted with an internal flash, a 25 mm F3.5 lens (equivalent to 37mm in 35mm format), an Albada bright-frame viewfinder, and a built-in handgrip that doubles as the CR2 battery compartment. This is a pretty exciting project for analogue lovers as it gives them a chance to own a new camera that’s old-tech, but also tweaked with modern details. Its half-sized photos are also a genius way to address the extra cost per shot that the film medium commands.

The Pentax 17 releases this month for $500 USD.