London - Pentax 17, Kodak Gold 200
Over the summer I picked up a Pentax 17, a new half-frame film camera. It has been an absolute delight to use.
Coming from (D)SLR cameras, the first thing that struck me was how quiet the camera is. I’m so used to the clunk of the mirror moving when taking a shot that the silence of the Pentax 17 was disconcerting. For a while I thought it was broken.
Some first impressions:
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I love the default portrait format that comes with shooting half frame. This was one of my biggest worries with the camera. In reality it has just felt natural.
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Loading the film is really easy (in comparison with my Pentax MX). I’ve not had any issue with getting the camera to take up the end of the film first time.
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Focus zones are a nice simplification, but took some getting used to. I tend to assume that things are closer than they are.
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I haven’t used exposure adjustments much. I wanted to get a feel for how the camera exposed images before pushing things a little.
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I’ve predominantly shot on ‘P’ or ‘Bokeh’ with no flash.
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The ability to get 72 images out of a roll of film is incredible. I’d love to print some contact sheets using these negatives.
If there was one downside, it’s that the controls are really easy to knock as you hold the camera. I’ve never had to worry about camera setting changing unexpectedly, but with the Pentax 17 it is very easy to accidentaly jog the focus zone and the shooting mode.
All in all the Pentax 17 is a delightful little point and shoot. It is just about pocketable in a large jacket pocket and I find I’m carrying it with me far more as a result. I’m looking forward to using it as my primary camera on an upcoming trip to Shanghai.
You can see more of my images shot on the Pentax 17 on Flickr: billgloveruk.
Note: images of family are only visible to Flickr contacts.