Pentax closer to release of new film camera.

I think it looks cool! Has all the necessary controls and it’s fully manual.
Some might complain for lack of autofocus but I think zone focus is better in terms of speed.
I might grab a used one after years:p.
The only thing I’m not familiar with is the half frame. I wonder what is the image quality like, say for an a4 print.
 
Had this been a 35mm camera, I think I may have been tempted (and I'm still hopeful that such a thing might be forthcoming if this sells well enough), but I've never been particularly interested in half-frame as a format. I really want to support them in their endeavour, but I can spend £499 more wisely, I think.

It does look like a nice little camera though, and it's great that a brand new, decently specced, new film camera is in production.

I don't mind the zone-focus - I use an Olympus Trip 35 and an Olympus XA3 without issues. Unless you're shooting things up close and don't know how to calculate distances in your head, they tend to nail the focus every time.
 
FishyFish said:
Had this been a 35mm camera, I think I may have been tempted (and I'm still hopeful that such a thing might be forthcoming if this sells well enough), but I've never been particularly interested in half-frame as a format. I really want to support them in their endeavour, but I can spend £499 more wisely, I think.
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Well hopefully that’s the first step towards making an Slr supporting existing Pentax lens hopefully.
 
As half frame is pretty much half the size of a standard 35mm negative, you can estimate the quality by enlarging half a 35mm frame to A4, or seeing what an A3 print looks like from the whole frame.

I've got a Canon Dial half frame camera, auto exposure and a clockwork motor wind. It 's very useful for rapid photography, where the 72 frames are an advantage. I have a series of candids taken at work years ago from it. Horses for courses in fact.
 
I assume, and certainly hope that Pentax are better at identifying their market than I am :)

I can't see what would make it appeal to a wide audience, even at less than half the price it is going to be.

I hope their niche market is big enough for it to make a profit.

In the last couple of years I have seen a lot of people here, mainly younger people, going for film, but nearly all ending up with MF.
 
Marino said:
I think it looks cool! Has all the necessary controls and it’s fully manual.
Some might complain for lack of autofocus but I think zone focus is better in terms of speed.
I might grab a used one after years:p.
The only thing I’m not familiar with is the half frame. I wonder what is the image quality like, say for an a4 print.
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I had the Olympus pen half frame back in the day and it was very good. You could get an 10x8 no problem at all, even cropping a bit
.
I do wonder though about the logic of making this. For the price a person could buy a used Pentax LX and a few lens. Which would I rather have..... Guess! ;)
Mind I dont use the the film cameras I have.
 
I think it is brilliant to see a new film camera being made by pentax and i hope with this model somehow it will be big hit for them. I just wonder with all the documentation and help from the older generation of engineers whether any of them were pushing for a classic full frame 35mm camera. I think with the nostalgic nods to all the other great models and the video from last night this could have been a classic camera release for everyone. Iam not so sure i buy into the youth which are buying £1000 phones will look at this as the next big thing. Perhaps iam wrong and iam the other side of 50 but i am not so sure at all. If this fails to take off and we dont have any further development on either 35mm or medium format this will be a real wasted opportunity.
 
Pentax have already said that they are hoping to view this as the first film camera from which they will move forward into others. The aim was primarily to preserve the skills of a retiring generation of engineers to develop a new generation with something more concrete than a kind of apprentice project. So I think it would be important that the 17 covers the costs of the work so far - tooling especially - as it isn't seen, I believe, as a profit centre, more as a sprat to catch a mackerel in photographic terms.

Edit to add: I've placed my pre-order with Wex, so skin is in the game!
 
MrDrizz said:
I've often wondered why companies like Samyang and TTartisan haven't brought of a version of their manual lenses in say a Canon FD mount.
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Probably like the lenses they make for Nikon's, they are MF too and probably Nikon and Canon will not licence them to be made in AF
 
The marketing picture looks quite nice and the body appears to be a traditional design. I wonder, is it metal or injection molded plastic? For the price I would hope it is metal.
 
Rodinal said:
The marketing picture looks quite nice and the body appears to be a traditional design. I wonder, is it metal or injection molded plastic? For the price I would hope it is metal.
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I think the top plate is metal and the body plastic, thats what I'm told.
 
Rodinal said:
The marketing picture looks quite nice and the body appears to be a traditional design. I wonder, is it metal or injection molded plastic? For the price I would hope it is metal.
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Not sure about the chassis, but the metallic top section of the camera is metal apparently. I presume the base will be too.
 
Top and bottom are magnesium alloy. Not sure about the body.
 
lindsay said:
Pentax have already said that they are hoping to view this as the first film camera from which they will move forward into others. The aim was primarily to preserve the skills of a retiring generation of engineers to develop a new generation with something more concrete than a kind of apprentice project. So I think it would be important that the 17 covers the costs of the work so far - tooling especially - as it isn't seen, I believe, as a profit centre, more as a sprat to catch a mackerel in photographic terms.

Edit to add: I've placed my pre-order with Wex, so skin is in the game!
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I hope you got a nice email today and something is on the way to you!
 
@MatWex I did indeed Mat, though it went to my Junk folder initially. As I posted on a Pentax site, now trying to decide which film to load when it arrives - I'm thinking the Harman Phoenix as I've not managed to try it yet and I have some in the fridge.
 
Rodinal said:
probably Nikon and Canon will not licence them to be made in AF
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Or (as seems more likely) TTArtisan/Samyang will not pay the appropriate fee for the intellectual property license
 
lindsay said:
@MatWex I did indeed Mat, though it went to my Junk folder initially. As I posted on a Pentax site, now trying to decide which film to load when it arrives - I'm thinking the Harman Phoenix as I've not managed to try it yet and I have some in the fridge.
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I hope you've got something ready for it! Is it due to you today? I'm waiting to hear what everyone thinks of it!
 
lindsay said:
@MatWex I did indeed Mat, though it went to my Junk folder initially. As I posted on a Pentax site, now trying to decide which film to load when it arrives - I'm thinking the Harman Phoenix as I've not managed to try it yet and I have some in the fridge.
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if I may suggest Lindsay, a nice roll of Ultramax 400 and off you go. Inconspicuous grain for a 400 iso film, beautiful colours and enough DOF on a 25mm f/3.5 half frame that you'll essentially be touching the pictogram focus wheel only for macros if the light is good.

Would be very interested in your impressions about the prints/scans!
 
@trypdal I don't think I've got any of that film in the fridge or freezer but I'll check. If not, I will have to order some as it sounds delightful.
 
Personally I’d grab a roll of FP4 and dev it in Rodinal to really lean into the grain. Then a roll of Acros II to see how much res I can get!
 
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