Pentax 17 - 35mm Film Camera - with fast TRACKED shipping

I'm new to analogue photography as always had digital, but I've always lo ed the old school film simulations, as I'm of a certain age ! Lol 😆
I took this on a 2 day trip to get some time with the Pentax 17 .
When I got back the results from Analogue wonderland lab, I was really quite pleased with the results. The film was kodak colour plus , it was old school colour and lots of film grain which added to the over all look.
I need to get to grips with the zone focus and compensation daily, but when you get it right I loved the results.
Having a built in flash so much easier than carrying around a separate unit.
It's light weight, pocket able, great little analogue camera fun...although the modern cameras are fun, I think this camera does have its place in the analogue world. It's new considering most analogue cameras are 30 to 40 years old.
Well done Pentax

I purchased this camera with high hopes but for some inexplainable reason I just can’t get on with it. The problem is me, not the camera which is well built and does everything you ask of it. The main problem (for me) is that it a half frame camera and I am an impatient photographer. I put in a film cartridge and I waste half the shots trying to finish the film. Nothing wrong with the camera which works beautifully- the problem is the photographer (me)!!

This review will be a bit long. If it's TL;DR then the summary is that I love the Pentax 17 and would recommend it to anyone, perhaps not as their only film camera, but as a 'go anywhere' point and shoot that isn't 20+ years old it's brilliant and has rejuvenated my interest in photography.

Long version. I've had film cameras for, well, getting on for 50 years, 110, 126, 135 and 120. I shot a lot of Kodachrome before Kodak stopped processing it in 2009, but since then I've not really done a lot of analogue photography and I've missed it. I have a nearly mint Nikon FM2n which I bought new when my daughter was a baby, and a dozen old-ish rolls of HP5, FP4 and Foma in the freezer, so did I really need to spend £500 on a Pentax 17 to reawaken my interest in 'proper' photography? What if I decided to stick with digital after all?

Well, as it turns out, I did need to buy this. It reminds me of the first camera I actually owned, a Kodak Instamatic 177X which I got for Christmas 1977 or '78. I had forgotten how I felt about photography back then - as a child it was all to do with the excitement of being able to make an image, any image, of anything I wanted. I didn't reflect for a single second on the limitations of the technology, I just used it. Fixed focus with two choices of exposure setting, the 177X relied on the wide exposure latitude of colour negative film (and a bit of luck perhaps) to get decent photos out of it. And at the time I neither knew nor cared about any of that.

Compared with an Instamatic, the Pentax 17 offers a wide range of controls - 6 focus settings, a range of exposure modes, and an exposure compensation dial. The lens has decent HD glass in it and the focal length is perfect for a general purpose 'walking about' camera. I was particularly drawn by the advantages of half-frame, which not only doubles the number of images you get from a film, but it means that the grain on each individual photo is emphasised and gives an even more low-res 1970s feel to it. Could I replicate that with a modern digital camera and Lightroom? Of course, but who cares, that's missing the point.

There's a learning curve to any camera, and I'm just starting to get a feel for the 17 after putting just one film through it. There are some things to watch out for - it's easy to inadvertently move the exposure mode dial when winding the film on. Likewise the exposure compensation dial turns easily, and I need to remember to check that and the focus zone setting before every shot. I also need to remember to take the lens cap off, notwithstanding the warning light you get in the viewfinder.

But ultimately this thing is a lot of fun, not a huge amount of money, is actually very usable and it produces images that are a world away from modern digital 'perfection' (whatever that means) and remind me of what made me love photography in the first place. I'll include a few sample images - you'll note some imperfections (sharpness and focus are subjective after all), but I'm happy with them and the results will get better after a few more rolls.

I bought one of these after using a Rollei 35S for years. The Pentax is nice and light, while being really solidly constructed. It has fewer controls than the Rollei, but is a far better option for point & shoot photography ‘on the move’, street photography etc. Has reignited my love for film….

Wasn't too sure at first, but after having used this since it's release day, I can safely say it's very enjoyable. Having an under / over exposure dial is fantastic, and not something that many point and shoots outside of the Contax T2 can offer.