The last time I spoke about the new Pentax film camera, Pentax launched an ASMR video teaser that gave us some clues of what it could be. Now that the internet has been taken by storm, as leaked images of the front of the new camera confirm a few of the clues hinted at the ASMR video.
First off, the image shows the front of the new Pentax 17 – that's right, this is the name of the camera. I'm sure this alludes to the fact that this is the 17mm, half-frame format – which is 24x17 and the same as the wonderful Ricoh AutoHalf.
If you look carefully, the font style of the logo is that of the Pentax 67 – and we know that Takeo Suzuki, aka TKO, who is behind the design of this new camera, is very particular about the use of fonts. It's a nice touch to see that this camera will fit in with those legacy cameras from the brand.
This front image also depicts the viewfinder, showing that – like other half-frame cameras – it is in a native portrait position. Which also confirms that if you want to take landscape images, you have to hold the camera in a vertical position.
Another interesting sight is the rather large and bulky grip that protrudes from the right-hand side of the camera. While I'm sure this is just an ergonomic choice, it does remind me of the rather large grip seen on the Pentax 67 II film camera.
One thing that's great to see is the inclusion of a flash unit neatly enclosed into the left-hand side of the body, instead of my fear of it being a pop-out flash. However, One thing that I really wanted to see, which is conveniently not shown in these images, is the film advance lever.
We hear the sound of the film advance lever in the ASMR video (see below) teased by Pentax a month ago. However, I am questioning the 25mm lens. It is quite an unusual decision as most point-and-shoot cameras either have a 28mm, 35mm, or 40mm lens. I also think having an aperture of f/3.5 is a good move for those wanting something light, but not as bright as f/2.8 – and cost is a factor, too!
I think it's great to see how much traffic this new Pentax is getting and how much hype is surrounding a new film camera coming to the market. I can see a lot of people being interested in picking this up to see how it performs, and it's also brilliant to see a 'proper' half-frame camera constructed from metal with more than just a plastic lens attached to it.
How this will truly be received by the analog community is yet to be seen, but I for one am keeping a very close eye on this project…
