It isn’t at all times the best-selling or most succesful gear that lives within the reminiscence, and if I am to select one specific digital camera spotlight of 2024 it must be a stunning retro snapper that gave me the feels – the Pentax 17. Certain, it is not the very best digital camera round, however hear me out.
The Fujifilm X100VI rightly grabbed 2024’s headlines; it is essentially the most pre-ordered digital camera in reminiscence, and 9 months later, it is still on backorder. It is an extremely in style premium compact for all the fitting causes, even when it was TikTok influencers that gave the series the leg up. I actually, actually loved reviewing the X100VI at its launch in Tokyo – you must expertise it to understand it.
Canon’s EOS R5 Mark II additionally blew me away, and deservedly gained a five-star evaluate and TechRadar’s Camera of the Year 2024 award – its Eye Management AF is a deal with, as are its revolutionary in-camera editing skills.
Different private highlights had been the Nikon Z6 III full-frame all-rounder; the GoPro Hero 13 Black, with its new Lens Mods which are the future of action camera design; the Insta360 X4, which is a super-versatile 360-degree digital camera; and the DJI Mini 4K, which units the bar for affordable beginner drones. Technically I used to be additionally nonetheless testing the highly effective Sony A9 III in 2024 too, though it was introduced in November 2023.
All of these cameras had been private favorites in 2024. Nevertheless, if you happen to had been to ask me what was essentially the most memorable digital camera of the 12 months, I might need to go for that different charming snapper, the Pentax 17. It is the primary new digital camera of its sort from one of many huge names in movie images in a long time – a half-frame compact movie digital camera that was a Pentax Film Project labor of affection.
I wasn’t overly enamored at first, however the Pentax 17 won me over, and its appeal has endured – here is why.
A easy compact movie digital camera that’ll win you over
The Pentax 17 is not the finest digital camera I reviewed in 2024; it is not even the very best of its sort, neither is it one which I notably appreciated at first. Nevertheless, while you’ve spent years of reviewing the very best digital camera gear there’s, as I’ve, a digital camera must be one thing particular to stay within the reminiscence months after you have used it – and that is the impact the Pentax 17 had on me.
Its launch was timed to perfection – a digital camera in tune with what folks need at present, particularly younger folks (of which I’m not one). For me, this was the primary time I might correctly used a movie digital camera in over a decade, and I might have to return one other 10 years to the time once I was final often taking pictures on movie, as a pupil.
Regardless of my previous expertise with movie, and loads of basic technical know-how with digital cameras, I benefitted from the 17 being a easy mannequin with automated options that helped to ease my manner again into taking pictures on movie.
All through my time with the Pentax 17 I shot nearly no frames that I needed to discard on account of publicity points or questionable framing – the 17 has all of the instruments that will help you get the shot, together with auto publicity, framing help, and zone focusing. Just about the one factor it is advisable to think about is capturing the second.
A few of my favourite photographs taken with the Pentax 17
Picture 1 of 4
You additionally get double the variety of photographs in your cash on a roll of 35mm movie – two vertical half-sized photographs per body – and given the excessive value of movie and growth, that is a win in my ebook.
As a digital camera it feels low-cost within the hand at first, and its performance is proscribed. However oh boy is the 17 enjoyable. It is also simple to deal with, which is not a simple factor for movie cameras to be, given they’re overseas to so many people in 2024.
It was the digital camera that freed me from instantaneous picture playback in 2024; the digital camera that put the most important smile on my face, and one which piqued the curiosity of family and friends essentially the most.
It was the digital camera that received me curious to attempt movie in different codecs, and I consequently had a beautiful time reviewing the Leica MP, an altogether totally different expertise.
I can perceive why the Pentax 17 is not universally admired – it is pretty dear for what it’s – however I believe Pentax has been actually good in launching this specific digital camera now. It is a movie digital camera for at present that is simple to make use of and produces beautiful classic vertical photographs which are sharper than I anticipated. And though it feels overpriced, there aren’t a number of choices at this value level for newbies and fanatic photographers.
Crucially, the Pentax 17 is a brand new and dependable movie digital camera, and Pentax says the mandatory infrastructure is in place must you run into any points and want assist; you’ll be able to’t say the identical for an inexpensive 30-year-old movie digital camera that you simply picked up on eBay.
That is the primary digital camera produced by the Pentax Movie Challenge, and if the 17 is something to go by I am unable to await the subsequent installment – it is rumored that there could possibly be totally mechanical movie SLR within the pipeline!
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