It isn’t on a regular basis the best-selling or most succesful gear that lives all by means of the memory, and if I’m to pick out one specific digicam highlight of 2024 it should be a surprising retro snapper that gave me the feels – the Pentax 17. Optimistic, it is not the proper digicam spherical, nonetheless hear me out.
The Fujifilm X100VI rightly grabbed 2024’s headlines; it’s virtually undoubtedly mainly primarily essentially the most pre-ordered digicam in memory, and 9 months later, it’s nonetheless on backorder. It’s a considerably well-liked premium compact for all the proper causes, even when it was TikTok influencers that gave the sequence the leg up. I truly, actually beloved reviewing the X100VI at its launch in Tokyo – it is a should to experience it to grasp it.
Canon’s EOS R5 Mark II moreover blew me away, and deservedly gained a five-star keep in mind and TechRadar’s Digital digicam of the Yr 2024 award – its Eye Administration AF is a preserve, as are its progressive in-camera modifying skills.
Utterly completely completely different non-public highlights have been the Nikon Z6 III full-frame all-rounder; the GoPro Hero 13 Black, with its new Lens Mods which might be the simplest means ahead for movement digicam design; the Insta360 X4, which is a super-versatile 360-degree digicam; and the DJI Mini 4K, which fashions the bar for low-cost beginner drones. Technically I was moreover nonetheless testing the terribly surroundings pleasant Sony A9 III in 2024 too, regardless that it was launched in November 2023.
All of those cameras have been non-public favorites in 2024. However, when you occur to have been to ask me what was virtually undoubtedly mainly primarily essentially the most memorable digicam of the 12 months, I would should go for that completely completely completely different charming snapper, the Pentax 17. It’s the foremost new digicam of its type from truly one in all many monumental names in film footage in a very very very long time – a half-frame compact film digicam that was a Pentax Film Enterprise labor of affection.
I wasn’t overly enamored at first, nonetheless the Pentax 17 obtained me over, and its enchantment has endured – correct proper right here is why.
A straightforward compact film digicam that’ll win you over
The Pentax 17 is just not the largest digicam I reviewed in 2024; it is not even the proper of its type, neither is it one which I notably hottest at first. However, everytime you have received spent years of reviewing the proper digicam gear there’s, as I’ve, a digicam should be one problem specific to remain all by means of the memory months after you’ve got obtained used it – and that’s the impression the Pentax 17 had on me.
Its launch was timed to perfection – a digicam in tune with what of us want within the interim, notably youthful of us (of which I am not one). For me, this was the first time I would appropriately used a film digicam in over a decade, and I’ve to return one completely completely different 10 years to the time as rapidly as I used to be remaining normally taking footage on film, as a pupil.
No matter my earlier experience with film, and an extreme quantity of widespread technical know-how with digital cameras, I benefitted from the 17 being a straightforward model with automated selections that helped to ease my means as quickly as additional into taking footage on film.
All by my time with the Pentax 17 I shot practically no frames that I wanted to discard attributable to publicity parts or questionable framing – the 17 has the entire devices which is able to help you get the shot, along with auto publicity, framing assist, and zone focusing. Merely regarding the one topic you’ll want to present consideration to is capturing the second.
Loads of of my favorite footage taken with the Pentax 17
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You moreover get double the number of footage in your money on a roll of 35mm film – two vertical half-sized footage per physique – and given the acute price of film and enchancment, that could possibly be a win in my e info.
As a digicam it feels low-cost all by means of the hand at first, and its effectivity is restricted. Nonetheless oh boy is the 17 pleasurable. It is usually easy to take care of, which isn’t a easy topic for film cameras to be, given they’re worldwide to so many individuals in 2024.
It was the digicam that freed me from on the spot image playback in 2024; the digicam that put a very extremely efficient smile on my face, and one which piqued the curiosity of household and associates virtually undoubtedly mainly primarily essentially the most.
It was the digicam that obtained me curious to attempt film in fairly a number of codecs, and I consequently had a ravishing time reviewing the Leica MP, an altogether completely utterly completely completely different experience.
I can understand why the Pentax 17 is just not universally admired – it’s fairly expensive for what it is – nonetheless I truly actually really feel Pentax has been actually good in launching this specific digicam now. It’s a film digicam for within the interim that’s easy to benefit from and produces fairly standard vertical footage which might be sharper than I anticipated. And although it feels overpriced, there aren’t a complete lot of picks at this price diploma for newbies and fanatic photographers.
Crucially, the Pentax 17 is a model new and reliable film digicam, and Pentax says the required infrastructure is in place should you run into any parts and need assistance; you presumably cannot say the identical for a reasonable 30-year-old film digicam that you simply simply merely picked up on eBay.
That’s the foremost digicam produced by the Pentax Film Enterprise, and if the 17 is one issue to go by I’m unable to anticipate the next installment – it’s rumored that there could very efficiently be completely mechanical film SLR all by means of the pipeline!