Pentax 17 Unveiled: Fotoclub BKK's Experience with World's Newest Film Camera

Fotoclub BKK has always wanted to be more than just a film lab. We're all about building a stronger film and photography community in Bangkok. So, we were super excited when Pentax Thailand gave us the chance to be the first to try out the new Pentax film camera.

Honestly, we haven't seen a brand-new film camera in over 20 years, so this was a big deal for us. With the massive success of the legendary Pentax 67, the Pentax 17 could follow in its footsteps.

Note: Pentax did provide the camera for this review, but they didn't see any of my comments beforehand. Everything here is purely my opinion and first impressions.

First Impressions and Testing

1st Roll | Kodak Double X | Indoor Shooting

Perfect Exposure: Right from the first scan, I could tell this camera was smart! I tried really hard to trick the meter system, but it nailed the exposure every time. I was more than happy with the results. Since we haven’t got much information about this camera at this time, I can tell you that Pentax is serious about this project and has done great R&D for sure.

Economical: Pentax made a great choice going with the half-frame format. 72 images per roll is a lot! I had a hard time finishing a roll. During this 3-hour behind-the-scenes rehearsal art project, I kept shooting without worrying about running out of film. If you're a serious film shooter, 72 images are more than enough for a session, a day trip, or even a short holiday. Great call, Pentax!

2nd Roll | Kodak Portra 160 | Street Portraits

(Note: The images from this roll will look grainier than normal as I forgot to set the ISO; it was shot at ISO 400 and pushed 1 stop in developing)

Easy Loading: Even though it's manual loading, every time I put new film in, it went in smoothly. Maybe it's because it's new, or maybe it's just Pentax magic, but it was hassle-free and a big plus in my opinion.

Custom Control: I had a blast playing with the controls on the Pentax 17. For pros, it offers almost all the flexibility you need - flash control, slow shutter speeds, fast apertures, focusing points, and exposure compensation. For regular users, it’s way better than point-and-shoot or compact film cameras.

3rd Roll | Kodak Ultramax | Street Photography

Fantastic Optics: The HD Pentax 1:3.5 25mm lens is awesome, with amazing detail and color rendering. It’s more than enough for the half-frame format. Just make sure you pick the right distance, as it uses zone focusing.

Consistency: After three rolls, it's clear - the Pentax 17 consistently delivers perfect exposure and fantastic optics. The details are sharp, the colors are nice, and it’s economical as I had plenty of shots left to keep shooting without interruption.

Not So Good - Downsides

For sure, nothing's perfect! Here are a few downsides I found so far.

Flash Recycle Time: The flash recycle time is a bit slow for my style of shooting. I often felt like I was waiting over 15 seconds or even up to a minute for the next shot to be ready, which got frustrating at times.

Mode P Slow Shutter Speed: Out of 210 images from three rolls, three turned out completely dark. I was shooting in P Mode (without flash) in very low light conditions. It seems that in P Mode, the shutter speed can go up to a certain point, then you might need to switch to B Mode.

Distance Scale Focusing: Even though I usually use zone focusing with my other cameras, sometimes when I want to make sure my picture is really sharp, I second-guess the distance between me and my subject. It’s tricky to judge if it’s 1.2 or 1.7 meters, and this caused some images to be not sharp enough. This may be troublesome for newbies too.

Tips and Tricks

The more you understand the camera, the better pictures you’ll get. Here are some important tricks I found:

In this digital era, most cameras give you feedback, settings, issues, and status through screens. However, this camera communicates with you via two lights: Orange and Blue, blinking like Morse code. It took me about half a roll to decode what they mean:

• Both blinking: Forgot to advance the film.
• Blue blinking: Slow shutter speed in use.
• Orange blinking: Flash is charging and not ready to shoot.
• Orange lit: Flash is ready.
• Nothing blinking and cannot fire: The camera is off (seems silly, but this happened to me the most!).

Final Thoughts

From time to time, I pick up a half-frame camera to unleash my creativity. I find that for my serious photography projects, the half-frame format is always one of my choices.

Also, it's brand new and comes with an official warranty. The Pentax 17 is the only one like it on the market.

In conclusion, the Pentax 17 is a fantastic addition to the world of film photography. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a casual shooter, this film camera offers reliability, functionality, and style. Pentax has truly outdone themselves, and we're thrilled to have been the first to experience it at Fotoclub BKK. For those in Bangkok, Thailand looking for film developing and scan services, Fotoclub BKK is your go-to place.

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7 Reasons to own on Pentax17 !!

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