How many photos does the Pentax 17 take per roll?

Because it is a half-frame camera, it takes 72 exposures from a standard 36-exposure roll of 35mm film, or 48 from a 24-exposure roll — roughly double a normal camera.

Does the Pentax 17 have autofocus?

No. It uses zone focusing: you turn a ring to one of six pictogram distance settings and judge the distance by eye. Exposure, however, is automatic thanks to a built-in meter and program modes.

Pentax 17: A Brand-New Half-Frame Film Camera for 2024

Pentax did something almost nobody expected: it designed and built a brand-new film camera. The half-frame Pentax 17 is proof that new film gear can still arrive on shop shelves.

For twenty years the conversation about film cameras was entirely about the past — which discontinued classic to hunt down, which fragile electronic body to nurse along. Then in June 2024 Pentax did something almost nobody thought a major maker would attempt again: it released a brand-new film camera, designed from scratch and built new. The Pentax 17 is not a reissue or old stock; it is current production, and that alone makes it one of the most significant cameras of the decade.

Why a half-frame camera

The Pentax 17 is a half-frame camera, meaning each exposure uses half of a standard 35mm frame. A 36-exposure roll therefore yields 72 shots, and a 24-exposure roll gives 48. Because the film travels horizontally while each half-frame is vertical, the camera shoots in portrait orientation when held normally — a deliberate nod to how people frame images on their phones. The format keeps costs down and encourages a looser, more prolific way of shooting.

The lens and exposure

At the front is a fixed 25mm f/3.5 HD Pentax lens, a three-element design that gives roughly a 37mm-equivalent angle of view on the half-frame format — a natural, everyday perspective. Exposure is handled by a program automatic system with a built-in meter, and a mode dial on the top plate offers seven settings covering full auto, slow-speed sync, bulb for long exposures, and dedicated portrait and bokeh-friendly modes. There is also exposure compensation and a backlight-correction position.

Format: half-frame 35mm, 72 frames from a 36-exposure roll.
Lens: fixed 25mm f/3.5, roughly 37mm equivalent.
Focusing: zone focus with six pictogram distance settings.
Flash: built-in, with several sync modes.
Handling: manual thumb-lever advance and a rewind crank.

How you actually shoot it

The Pentax 17 is deliberately hands-on. You zone focus by turning a ring to one of six pictograms, from close-up to landscape, judging distance by eye rather than through a rangefinder or autofocus. You wind each frame with a satisfying thumb lever, and rewind with a crank at the end of the roll. This mechanical rhythm is central to the experience: the camera wants you slow down just enough to think, without demanding that you meter manually.

Who it is for

This is a camera for people entering film now, or returning to it, who want something reliable, in warranty and free of the anxiety that surrounds forty-year-old electronics. It suits street photography, travel and everyday snaps, where 72 frames per roll and a pocketable body are real advantages. Experienced shooters may find the fixed lens and zone focus limiting for precise work, but many buy the 17 precisely to loosen up.

Living with a new film camera

Because it is current, spare parts, service and a warranty exist — a genuine novelty in film photography. The vertical framing takes a little adjustment if you are used to landscape composition, and half-frame negatives are smaller, so grain is more visible and enlargements benefit from good scanning. In return you get double the frames, lower running costs and the simple pleasure of a camera that was made this decade rather than salvaged from the last century.

Buying advice

As a new product, the Pentax 17 is bought new or lightly used, so condition anxiety largely disappears. Points to weigh:

Confirm you are comfortable with vertical, portrait-first framing.
Remember the smaller negative rewards careful scanning.
Budget for the film savings — 72 frames stretches every roll.
Decide whether zone focus suits your subjects before committing.

Design and build

The Pentax 17 is a compact vertical-bodied camera with a magnesium and aluminium chassis wrapped in a textured grip, styled to evoke classic Pentax cameras without copying any one of them. Controls are deliberately physical: a top mode dial, a lever for film advance, an exposure-compensation dial and a real optical viewfinder. The whole camera weighs around 290 grams, small enough to carry everywhere yet substantial enough to feel like a proper tool rather than a toy.

It also arrives as the first product of Pentax's wider Film Project, an announced commitment by the company to keep developing film cameras rather than treat the format as a closed chapter. That context matters: buying a Pentax 17 is, in a small way, a vote for the continued existence of new film hardware. For a medium that spent two decades living entirely on the used market, that is no small thing.

Getting the most from it

Because the negative is small, the single biggest quality lever is scanning. A good lab scan or a careful home scan will pull far more from a half-frame negative than a rushed one. Pairing the camera with a fine-grained film also pays off. Beyond that, lean into the format's strengths: shoot freely, embrace the vertical frame, and treat 72 exposures as permission to experiment rather than a resource to hoard.

The verdict

The Pentax 17 matters as much for what it represents as for what it does. It is a competent, charming half-frame compact, but it is also a signal that film is a living medium with new products, not merely a vintage market. If you want to try a genuinely new film camera and see how half-frame changes the way you shoot, Boston Camera can set you up with a Pentax 17 and the right film to match.