Camera Talk

I was looking at the announced Pentax 17, it looks like a seriously automated half frame, scale focus. It is on preorder at places like B&H. What do you make of it?

I hope that it will come with something to easily scan half frame negs.

The scale focusing with pictograms reminds me of the cameras of the 70s/80s which we used to think as dumb
I'll buy one but dont expect much

I've been looking into the camera some more, it is an interesting beast
https://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english ... /pentax17/

The 25mm lens should be a mild-wideangle (37mm equivalent in 35mm) which should give a decent DoF
Even though its just a triplet, the 1st samples I have seen are very nice

Hope Ricoh/Pentax sell a lot of these

I hope these sell well and the success encourages Pentax to release some more models. It's always hard to tell from the online tests, but it seems to be a fairly capable and enjoyable camera to use.

Personally I wouldn't buy one, I'd more likely get an old Pen or similar if I wanted 35mm half frame. But I could be tempted by a square, 24mm x 24mm option! In the meantime, I'll continue with my (even smaller) Minox 35GT.

It'll be interesting to see what the upcoming Rollei 35 from MiNT is like.

Looks like someone we know already got the camera...

Thanks! I thought I would give it a try. It's the first new film camera in a decade or so.

Generally, a well made camera with a bit more plastic than I would like. The lens is a triplet, and I'll mention that in my followup video. It's an unusual mix of digital and traditional features. There are two LEDs to the right of the viewfinder, and you have to learn what the flashing sequence is telling you. Ugh!

The stubby film advance works very well. It's reasonably easy to use. The ISO dial locks, so that's good. The mode dial sometimes gets pushed off of its setting, so you always have to check that.

The focusing ring is thin, but it's usable although not if you attach a lens shade. Loading film is an odd mix between point and shoot and manual. The takeup spool is a sticky-ish rubberized cylinder that grabs the film. It was easy to load a fresh roll of film. There is no need to isnert the leader into a slot in the takeup spool, so that's nice.

I'm still on the first roll, because it takes a long time to go through 72 frames.

I like that you can see the little pictograms in the viewfinder, but I still find myself checking the distance scale under the lens. I haven't committed to memory the distance represented by each pictogram. There's only so much room in my head to remember things.

The framelines are visible in most light, although I find myself sometimes thinking whether I need to use those inner ones. I know they are there for macro, but it does make me think that I maybe I should frame loosely, particularly near the top edge, when shooting at the medium distances of 5-15 feet.

I think the 25mm lens will still have the same characteristics of a 25mm lens when it comes to depth of field. Here is the depth of field scale that Ricoh (Pentax) provided.[attachment=1]Depth of field chart.png[/attachment

Nice introduction to the little camera. Waiting for your test results! And yes, a 72 exposure roll takes time to get finished.

I am curious to see if you can scan two complete half-frames from this camera within a single full frame, as provided in a standard neg carrier for 35mm scanning. The Achilles heel of half frame is, IMHO, getting a suitable scanner carrier (any tips are most welcome!)

I think the 25mm lens still has the same characteristics of a 25mm lens when it comes to depth of field

Yes, it has. After all, the lens is not sure of what it has behind, therefore it focuses or unfocuses equally well for full and half frame. I’d bet that the DOF in that table is meant for full aperture, though.

I used to scan all of my 35mm on an Epson flatbed. I also have an older HP Photosmart S20. It allows you to readjust the frames. Once I complete the roll and get it processed, I'll answer that question.

Regarding that depth-of-field chart, I immediately wondered if that was at a particular aperture, and I agree with you that it probably is full aperture (f/3.5).

I think my Mercury II's just went up in value.

PF