With a retro-inspired design and half-frame
photo format, the PENTAX 17 is the perfect camera for first-time
film photographers who want to share their images on
social media
PARSIPPANY, N.J., June 17,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricoh Imaging Americas
Corporation today announced the highly anticipated PENTAX 17
compact film camera. The PENTAX 17 is a half-frame camera,
capturing two 17mm x 24mm pictures within a single 35mm-format
(36mm x 24mm) film frame. It produces vertical-format pictures,
with similar ratios to those captured by smartphones, for seamless
sharing on social media after the film is developed and scans are
produced by a film lab.
The popularity of film cameras has grown rapidly in recent years
— especially among young photographers — because of the
distinctive, somewhat nostalgic experience provided that is so
different from using digital cameras. The compound annual growth
rate (CAGR) for the global film camera market is projected to
be 5.2% through 2030 and a quick search of the hashtag
#filmphotography on Instagram pulls up more than 42.6 million
posts.
Borne out of the PENTAX Film Camera Project, a concept first
announced in December of 2022, the new camera resulted from a close
collaboration between Ricoh Imaging and PENTAX experts and younger
engineers. The experts shared their vast knowledge and decades of
experience in film and imaging technology with the current team
members to design a film camera that would allow photographers to
express their originality and creativity by leaving some room for
manual operation, rather than making it a fully automatic
camera.
| Design merges manual operation and ease of use for maximum
creative expression |
The design of the PENTAX 17 was
inspired by the PENTAX brand's heritage, incorporating manual
operations unique to film photography that are gaining a loyal
following in today's digital world. This includes a selectable
zone-focus system, manual film winding, manual film advance lever,
and exposure compensation and ISO sensitivity adjustments, each
with their own dials. The classic design of the camera body was
developed with high-quality materials; the top and bottom covers
are made of solid, lightweight magnesium alloy and the 40.5mm
filter mounting thread enables the use of a range of filters.
The PENTAX 17 features a newly-developed 25mm F3.5 lens
(equivalent to a 37mm lens in the 35mm format). Further building on
the PENTAX brand heritage, the lens is based on optics incorporated
in the acclaimed PENTAX Espio Mini — which was marketed in 1994
—redesigned to support the half-frame format. The lens is treated
with HD (High Definition) coating to optimize the clarity and
sharpness of the half-frame photos. In a nod to Ricoh's rich
history in optics and photography, the designers based the lens
design on the lens in the RICOH Auto Half – a best-selling
half-frame model first marketed in 1962 – incorporating the angle
of view and focal length to make casual, everyday picture-taking
simple and flawless.
The camera's zone-focus system is divided into six focus zones
that can be selected on the zone focusing ring to capture subjects
at a long distance or as close-up as 25 centimeters away in the
macro zone. Its bright optical viewfinder features a bright,
Albada-type frame finder to facilitate framing a scene as well as a
close-up visual field compensation frame to help users more easily
compose close-up images. The zone focus marks can be seen directly
through the viewfinder to further support composition.
The PENTAX 17 has seven shooting modes to accommodate different
applications and scenarios. It automatically adjusts exposure
settings based on lighting data collected by its metering sensor.
In addition to the Full Auto mode in which all exposure settings
are selected by the camera, it provides six other shooting modes
including: Slow-speed sync, which is useful in twilight
photography; and Bulb, a long-exposure mode useful for
photographing nightscapes and fireworks.
The camera supports a wide selection of ISO film speeds and
features a note holder on the back cover where the end of the film
package can be inserted for at-a-glance confirmation of the film in
use, three strap lugs to accommodate both horizontal and vertical
suspensions, and compatibility with the optional CS-205 Cable
Switch for use in extended-exposure photography in Bulb mode.
| Industry support for PENTAX 17 |
"Film photography
has been growing in popularity over the past decade and especially
recently! The new PENTAX 17 film camera is going to kickstart an
entirely new generation of film shooters," said Philip Steblay, Cofounder of The Darkroom,
an online film developing service. "This terrific new camera will
add to the great pleasure and enjoyment of shooting film. The
PENTAX analog functionality, film selection process and thinking
more carefully about your shots will enhance the fun of
photography. This, coupled with the anticipation that comes with
waiting for your images to process, adds to the joy of photography.
With new cameras and film coming to market the future of film
photography looks bright."
"The PENTAX 17 is a stunning camera, both in form and function,"
said Kyle Depew, founder, Brooklyn
Film Camera. "Its design is handsome and classic, yet it features
elements that are delightfully unique and innovative. It's amazing
to see modern PENTAX engineering applied towards a new film camera.
We couldn't be more delighted."
"The film photography community is vibrant and growing, and we
are thrilled to see Ricoh Imaging recognizing this and creating new
products for this market," said Meredith
Reinker, managing partner, Roberts Distributors LP. "Film
photography has been growing in popularity over the last several
years and supporting this community is supporting a growing
industry as well as supporting the arts. We are honored to be
partnering with Ricoh to make this camera available through our
distribution channel of independent, local and analog-focused
businesses. We look forward to watching the analog community
embrace this exciting announcement as we all have a shared goal of
keeping film photography alive and accessible."
"This camera has been a reminder to have fun and not take things
too seriously," said Matt Day,
photographer. "It's fun to shoot with, it's compact enough to carry
anywhere, and double the amount of exposures makes it easier to
shoot more."
"Many photographers were first introduced to the joys of
photography using a PENTAX film camera. We're hoping to introduce a
new generation to the world of film photography with the PENTAX
17," said Ken Curry, president,
Ricoh Imaging Americas. "It is an ideal model not only for film
camera enthusiasts who have enjoyed film photography for years, but
also for photographers who are excited about trying film
photography for the first time."
| Pricing and Availability |
The PENTAX 17 will be
available late June at www.us.ricoh-imaging.com as well as at Ricoh
Imaging-authorized retail outlets nationwide for a manufacturer's
suggested retail price of $499.95.
| About Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation
|
Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation is a subsidiary of
Ricoh Company Ltd., a global technology company specializing in
office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document
management systems and IT services. Headquartered in
Tokyo, Ricoh Company Ltd. is part
of Ricoh Group, which operates in about 200 countries and
regions.
The company operating now as Ricoh Company Ltd. was
originally founded in 1919, under the name Asahi Optical Joint
Stock Co. and launched its first SLR camera in the 1950s under the
PENTAX name. Today, the company continues to produce the
heritage-rich, award-winning line of PENTAX DSLR cameras, lenses
and sport optics equipment as well as Ricoh's offering of stylish
and compact digital cameras, known for their wide-ranging, rich set
of features.
For further information, please
visit www.us.ricoh-imaging.com
© 2024 Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation. All rights
reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their
respective companies.
For More Information, Contact:
Stephannie Depa
Breakaway Communications for Ricoh Imaging
+1 530-864-0136 – mobile
sdepa@breakawaycom.com
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SOURCE Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation