Why Pentax has released the first film camera in 20 years – and it’s not cheap

Pentax has released its first film camera in 20 years. But film is expensive to buy and develop so does it deliver the goods or is it a kitsch throwback with a premium price tag?

A Cybertruck parked outside the Tesla store in San Jose, captured on the Pentax 17.

Pentax has released its first film camera in 20 years. And the first question is why?

Film is expensive – a roll costs the best part of $20 or more, then another $25 to develop – and you don’t even get prints. Just a link to a dropbox file of negative scans.

Why would anyone bother?

Because film is a passion, and being passionate rarely makes sense. But increasingly, what is old is becoming new again – and Kodak must be cussing.

Half frame cameras have more film grain than their full frame counterparts.

Like vinyl records – and now cassettes (who would ever think they’d become trendy again) – film is having a resurgence, riding the nostalgia wave and capturing a new younger audience who never grew up with the medium.

The global film camera market was worth $US227.91m ($362.4m) in 2024 and is expected to rise to $US387.27m by the end of the decade, with a cumulative growth rate of 5.2 per cent, according to Cognitive Market Research.

This is what Pentax is seeking to capitalise on with the 17. It’s not a cheap camera, retailing at $849. But does it deliver the goods or is merely a kitsch throwback with a premium price tag?

Unboxing the Pentax 17

The Pentax 17 is an unusual design. It looks like retro cameras, with a leatherette-like grip and titanium-coloured top half, reminiscent of models from the 1980s.

But its viewfinder is in the middle of the camera instead of set on the right side. This is not a SLR, where you can view the image through the lens. This has drawbacks, namely that I took a few photos with the lens cap still on.

A positive, is its viewfinder doesn’t attract dust like old SLRs.

It has a fixed 25mm f/3.5 lens and built in flash with exposure compensation and ISO dials.

The camera is also light. It weighs 290g without a battery and film, compared with 227g for an iPhone 16 Pro Max. The 17 is pleasant to hold in the hand with the CR2 battery housed in the handgrip.

Santana Row, San Jose, California.

The format

Pentax has attempted to keep film costs low but producing a half frame camera. This means when it comes to exposures, you get double for your money. A standard 35mm frame is split in half. If you have 24 exposures on a roll, you get 48. 36 will give you 72 etc.

It has combined two of my favourite cameras that made good photography more available to the masses: the Olympus PEN-F and Olympus Trip. Then Pen-F was the first SLR half frame camera, launched in 1963 and the first to not be considered a toy. The Trip came four years later in 1967 and is a non-SLR compact camera. While it’s a full frame camera, it uses zone focusing like the Pentax 17, that is the little image of a mountain for infinity, two people for wide shots and a single person for a close up.

Zone focusing is fun, turn the focus ring to the right little picture and then you can shoot away without worrying about the precise focusing of an SLR. This does mean some images can be a little bit out of focus. But if you learn to also focus by distances, which Pentax also has printed on the focusing ring, this becomes less of a problem.

You can also see the focusing zones in the viewfinder.

Half frame cameras deliver plenty of grain and the Pentax 17 is no different.

Shooting quality

The Pentax 17’s view finder is clear and bright, with frame lines to help compose the image. For those who want to point and shoot, there is an auto setting that takes care of the shutter speed. Using auto mode will also trigger the flash if needed.

For those who want to be a bit more creative there are other modes including ‘bokeh’, which sets the camera to its maximum aperture (f/3.5) to narrow the depth of field and blur the background.

The biggest thing to be mindful of when using a half frame camera is to shoot landscape, you need to hold the camera vertically. To shoot portrait you need to hold it horizontally. This becomes obvious when you bring your eye to the viewfinder.

I enjoyed taking the camera around San Jose. Capturing images was as easy as using a smartphone.

My dog, captured in my backyard on the Pentax 17. Out of focus, yes, but I’m happy with it.

The results

I was impressed with the images the 17 produced. This is not a toy. I used a 400 ISO black and white film for my first whirl of the camera. Given it uses half the frame of a 35mm exposure, the pictures show more grain compared with a full frame camera. For a cleaner look, go ISO 100 or 50 – which will mainly restrict you to outside shooting.

I don’t mind a bit of grain and find it adds to the mood of the shot, particularly in black and white.

Who’s it for?

The Pentax 17 is a great entrée to experience film photography. It’s fun to use and can produce good quality images that have more heart (subjective, I know) than what you can capture on a smart phone.

The price seems expensive but vintage film cameras aren’t cheap. A vintage PEN-F can cost $600 or more.

What I enjoyed most about the Pentax 17 is it’s a great tool to force you to slow down – which is difficult in today’s post modern society. Using film takes time. You have to think about the shot then wait to use the roll of film – then there is the developing time – to see the results.

But as my mother says: “good things come to those who wait”.

Originally published as Why Pentax has released the first film camera in 20 years – and it’s not cheap