Pentax gave me this camera. The opinions and the photographs are my own.
I have been shooting with the Pentax 17 since February 2026, when Pentax gave me one.
What I used before
A small Canon. I had shot one roll with it, and that was the whole of my film experience.
How I use it
For travel, and in a more contemplative way.
Pentax 17: the key specs
The format. It is a half-frame camera: each shot uses half of a 35mm frame, 17mm by 24mm, which is where the name comes from. You get 72 pictures from a 36-exposure roll, and the pictures are vertical.
The lens. A fixed 25mm f/3.5, the same field of view as a 35mm on a full-frame camera, with zone focusing over six zones, from 25cm to infinity.
The rest. Manual film advance and rewind, a built-in flash, exposure compensation, shutter speeds from 4s to 1/350s, and one CR2 battery that lasts about ten rolls.
What I love about the Pentax 17
The diptychs
The two half frames sit side by side on the roll, so two pictures taken one after the other end up in the same 35mm frame. That is the whole charm of the camera for me: shooting in pairs and seeing what the two images say together.
What it saves you
Seventy-two pictures from one roll means half the film and half the developing, and film is expensive. With the Pentax 17, a roll lasts a whole trip.
The downside
The mode dial moves too easily. It turns in the bag or under your fingers, and you end up shooting in a mode you did not choose. Check it before every shot.
How I shoot with it
Manual mode. I set the focus myself, and I shoot.
My film
Ilford Ilfocolor Vivid 400.
Good to know: it is a colour negative film, C41 process, warm and saturated, with good latitude and a fine grain for a 400 ISO. It works in daylight and indoors, and it costs around half the price of the premium stocks.
Where I get my film developed
Two labs in Brussels:
- Laboriver, Rue Van Artevelde 45, in the city centre. Open every day, including Sunday afternoons, with an express service that gets your scans back within 24 hours.
- Mori Film Lab, in Forest, a lab and second-hand camera shop run by two friends, who also teach film photography workshops.
Shot on the Pentax 17
A few frames from Tokyo, in June 2026.
Who is the Pentax 17 for?
Beginners in film. It is very intuitive: you do not have to understand everything to get good pictures out of it.
Where to buy the Pentax 17
Final thoughts
Two pictures at a time, seventy-two per roll, and a camera that makes you slow down.
Read next
Affiliate disclosure: some links in this article are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. More