Extensions are moving: For your convenience, Extensions will now move from the Extras tab into new locations, among other features.
In the Catalog tab you’ll see the tools for merging photos and enhancing resolution: HDR Merge, Panorama Stitching, Focus Stacking, and UpscaleAI.
In Edit mode, you can find tools for improving image quality: SupersharpAI and NoiselessAI.
Magic LightAI will appear in the Creative section, and Background RemovalAI in Layers.
Luminar Neo now speaks Czech! It's the 17th language we added to Luminar Neo.
We've also added small interface improvements all throughout the app. Discover new icons for tools, the newly moved Extensions, X Membership, the Extras button, and Luminar Share.
List of fixed bugs:
For macOS
When batch merging images in HDR Merge, always have the brackets with the relevant exposure value for Ghost Reduction selected.
More convenient settings pop-up in the HDR Merge tool.
Open unsupported RAW images without it leading to crashes.
More accurate export of upscaled images.
See the file name in the "Reference image" drop-down of HDR Merge tool, even for long file names.
For Windows
Smooth opening of the ObjectAI mask.
More accurate Ghost Reduction checkbox in the Batch HDR window.
Interface improvements for the Portrait Background tool.
Tamron announced an increase in their dividends, The company stock prices have more than doubled this year (+57.96%):
On the 18th, Tamron announced that it would pay a dividend of 70 yen per share for the January-June period of 2024. This is an increase of 20 yen from the previous forecast and an increase of 35 yen from the previous period. This reflects the company's favorable performance, with sales of its main camera business and automotive parts growing. (Nikke)
June includes multiple days devoted to celebrating nature, including World Environment Day (June 5), World Oceans Day (June 8) and World Rainforest Day (June 22). In that spirit, we chose 'Natural Worlds' as the theme for our most recent Editors' Choice photo challenge, with over 100 readers submitting entries.
We love seeing your work! Thanks to everyone who submitted. We couldn't call out every image we liked, so we restrained ourselves to a baker's dozen (in no particular order).
If you don't see your work here today, don't despair. We'll soon announce a new Editors' Choice challenge.
Also, a quick reminder to keep comments constructive and civil. These are images submitted by your fellow readers who took the time to share their work. Rule #1: Be nice. That's it, there is no rule #2.
Caption: A lone bull sits under an amazing sky in Nebraska's Sandhills. This part of the state is incredibly diverse, and although it's rare to find public land, this open range area of the western part of Nebraska is one of those rare locations.
Caption: Supervised by the parents, this was the first day out of the nest for this juvenile Pine Siskin. This pine tree is on our front lawn and my wife and I are able to watch the progress through our front window.
Technical specs: Nikon D850 | Nikon AF-S 300mm F4E PR ED DR | 1/320 sec | F5.6 | ISO 720
Edits: Light sharpening, contrast and clarity adjustments in Lightroom
Caption: An Asian green bee-eater in Yunnan, China on June 3..
Technical specs: Sony a1 | Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS | 1/2000 sec | F4 | ISO 1600
Edits: List of edits made during post-processing: 1. Color: 3900 2. Toning: +1 3. Exposure: +0.81 4. Contrast: -54 5. High light: +88 6. Shadow: +19 7. White level: +4 8. Black level: +53 9.Clarity: +11 Etc. The photo was taken for an Asian green bee-eater in Yunnan, China on June 3.
Caption: Taken while walking In the fields at Schooley's Mountain Park, Long Valley, NJ. The flower head is quite small, about 2 cm. They are easily missed.
Technical specs: Nikon D500 | Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro | 1/125 sec | F8 | ISO 125
Edits: Raw processed in Photoshop ACR, adjustments in exposure, contrast, highlights, blacks; 0.5 pixel high-pass sharpening.
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who participated. Seriously, how amazing is it to see our fellow DPReview reader's work? To see all the entries for yourself, head over to the challenge now. The complete shooting specs and gear used for each photo in the challenge platform can also be found in the challenges gallery.
If you couldn't participate in this editors' challenge, keep an eye out for our next one. And, if you have a suggestion for an Editors' challenge theme, let us know in the comments.
Best-in-class read and write speeds of up to 950 MB/s and 950 MB/s, respectively [1] [2]
Minimum continuous write speed of 850 MB/s for high-speed continuous shooting [1] [2]
Stable high-speed continuous shooting and movie recording with our unique low power consumption technology
VPG400 compatible
Nextorage CFexpress Type A NX-A1SE Series:
Best-in-class read up to 950 MB/s[1] , write up to 950 MB/s[1]
High-capacity lineup for long-time video recording
VPG200 compatible
The NX-A1PROseries is a CFexpress Type A memory card for professional users who handle high-speed continuous shooting and high bit-rate video.
Best-in-class write/read speeds.
The maximum transfer rate of 950 MB/s for both write and read, the highest level in its class, and the minimum continuous write speed of 850 MB/s are achieved. [1] [3] The number of consecutive shots possible during high-speed continuous shooting has been increased, and the buffer memory release time has been shortened. This reduces the number of missed shots at the desired moment.
Dynamic Auto Power Save, a unique low-power consumption technology that stabilizes video recording.
Nextorage's unique power saving technology, "Dynamic Auto Power Save," reduces power consumption by up to 88% compared to the case without. In addition to reducing power consumption during video recording, thermal throttling* is also suppressed by reducing the temperature rise of the card itself. (*Thermal throttling: a control function that attenuates the transfer rate to prevent thermal runaway). This enables stable video recording. It also reduces the camera's battery consumption, which contributes to extending the available shooting time.
VPG400 compliant, as required for professional video shooting.
All capacities comply with the Video Performance Guarantee VPG400 (minimum guaranteed continuous write speed: 400 MB/s). It has the specifications required for professional video recording.
Abundant lineup of capacities for various applications
80 GB/160 GB capacity lineup for high-speed continuous shooting of still images and VPG200 for video shooting requiring. High capacity 320 GB/640 GB available. The CFexpress Type A is now available to professional users who have not yet used the CFexpress Type A.We want our customers to experience the performance of our 40GB capacity at an affordable price.
The NX-A1SE series is a CFexpress Type A memory card for video creators who shoot long, high-quality videos.
Best-in-class write/read speeds.
Achieves a class-leading maximum write/read transfer rate of 950 MB/s. [1] Reduces data transfer time after shooting.
High-capacity lineup for long-time video recording
The high-capacity lineup of 480 GB,960 GB and 1,920 GB supports long-time movie recording, and is ideal for switching from SD cards, as it dramatically improves shooting time and data transfer speeds compared to SDXC UHS-II memory cards.
VPG200 compliant for stable, high quality video recording
All capacities comply with the Video Performance Guarantee VPG200 (guaranteed minimum continuous write speed: 200 MB/s). It has the specifications required for professional video recording.
Durability
Both the NX-A1PRO and NX-A1SE series are durable and come with a 5-year warranty in accordance with CompactFlash Association regulations.
Heat resistance: -10 °C to 70 °C (guaranteed operating temperature)
Shock resistance (EIA-364-27A compliant)
X-ray resistant (ISO7816-1 compliant)
UV resistant (ISO7816-1 compliant)
Magnetic resistance (based on Nextorage's own testing)
Electrostatic resistance (conforms to IEC 61000-4-2)
The Alice Camera, a phone-driven Micro Four Thirds camera that creates AI-enhanced images, is about to ship to customers who placed pre-orders.
The camera, which is operated using an app on a smartphone that connects to the main camera unit, is designed to deliver social media-ready imagery without the need for manual editing.
Image: Photogram
It's underpinned by powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon and Google Edge TPU processors. Edge refers to AI algorithms running on the end device, rather than in the cloud. These are tasked with optimizing color, white balance and image brightness to automatically give the polished end image, more like the computational output of a modern smartphone, rather than the relatively neutral photographic representation of most dedicated cameras.
However, unlike a smartphone, the Alice Camera is built around the Micro Four Thirds lens mount, allowing the use of a wide range of lenses, which significantly boost the creativity and flexibility that the camera can offer.
It's built around a Sony-sourced four thirds sized sensor which the company describes as featuring Quad Bayer HDR and 4.63μm pixels. This almost certainly makes it the same sensor used in the Panasonic GH5S, which would give around 10.5MP images. The Quad Bayer design placed four photodiodes under the same filter color of a Bayer array (there are actually around 42 million 2.3μm photodiodes on the chip).
Alternate rows of the sensor can be read out early, giving a reduced exposure to capture highlights, and this data is easily combined with the full exposure given to the other half of the pixels, to deliver wider dynamic range.
As well as stills, the Alice camera can shoot 4K video at up to 30p and 1080 at up to 60p.
Photo: Photogram
Development of the Alice Camera has been delayed by Covid lockdowns and the chip shortages that followed but Photogram says cameras will ship to customers starting with UK customers next month.
Alice Camera, a novel AI-powered Micro Four Thirds camera, Prepares for Delivery
London, UK – June, 2024 – After three years of dedicated development, Photogram is thrilled to announce that the Alice Camera, a novel AI-powered Micro Four Thirds camera that attaches to iOS and Android smartphones, will begin shipping to pre-order customers from 15th July 2024 (see proposed delivery dates below). Designed to streamline high-quality social media content creation for creators, businesses and everyday users, Alice Camera aims to bridge the gap between mirrorless cameras and smartphones. Users will be able to capture content with interchangeable lenses, a smartphone-like user experience and on-camera AI-driven computational photography.
As an official Micro Four Thirds system partner, Photogram has built the Alice Camera to meet the standard's specifications and requirements. Alice Camera utilises the Micro Four Thirds lens mount and a Sony 4/3" HDR, dual-native ISO CMOS sensor. However, what sets Alice Camera apart from other mirrorless cameras is its use of a Qualcomm Snapdragon and Google Edge TPU chips as its primary processing units. These processors accelerate the calculations necessary for running Photogram’s proprietary AI-driven computational photography algorithms and software-based image signal processing (ISP) pipeline directly on the camera. Unlike hardware-based ISPs in traditional mirrorless cameras, Photogram's AI-driven software-based ISP is an innovative approach as it enables additional AI features and improvements to be brought to their existing cameras over time. In 2023, Photogram joined Google Cloud’s program for AI startups in London, where they received credits and mentorship to further train and develop their pipeline, which automates essential functions like white balance, exposure and colour grading.
Alice Camera's smartphone app offers an intuitive design for camera control, file management, and content sharing. Alice Camera OS, a Linux-based camera-specific operating system, allows for over-the-air software updates and open-access development, opening up new creative possibilities. Developers and businesses interested in building their own AI algorithms and custom apps on the Alice Camera platform are encouraged to contact the team.
"We're incredibly excited to finally bring the Alice Camera to the world," said Vishal Kumar, CEO at Photogram. "We set out to build the Alice Camera because we wanted to offer our customers a new type of mirrorless camera built specifically for a new era of content. We’ve developed a fundamentally new engineering paradigm for mirrorless cameras, with significantly novel implementations on hardware, software and with AI algorithms. Alice Camera represents an innovative step forward in how mirrorless cameras are designed and how our users will process, capture and share their experiences. We can't wait to see the amazing content created with the Alice Camera."
The journey to launch was not without its challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic and global lockdowns in 2021 and 2022 caused severe chip shortages impacting Alice Camera’s manufacturing. Further delays arose in 2023 as the product underwent rigorous consumer electronics regulatory testing. Despite these hurdles, Photogram persevered, thanks to the support of its backers and investors. "We are deeply grateful for the belief and patience our community has shown throughout this journey," added Vishal Kumar. "As a new entrant in the camera industry, we hope to bring fresh perspectives. All the difficult development work over the last three years is now done. Now, we’re ready to deliver and start to scale manufacturing. Our journey begins from today… We’re just getting started."
PROPOSED DELIVERY DATES
Cameras for the UK will begin shipping from 15th July 2024.
Cameras for US, Japan, EU, Australia are scheduled to start shipping from 15th August 2024.
Cameras for Canada, France and Rest of the World are scheduled to start shipping from Sept 2024.
Viltrox has a patent for what appears to be a new 28mm pancake autofocus full-frame lens. The patent number is CN308440949S - it was filed on July 20, 2023, and it was published on January 26, 2024:
I have been covering the AI-powered Micro Four Thirds Alice Camera for 4 years now, and it is good to see that they are finally starting to ship to customers.
Here are the details on the Alice Camera shipping:
Alice Camera, a novel AI-powered Micro Four Thirds camera, Prepares for Delivery
London, UK – June, 2024 – After three years of dedicated development, Photogram is thrilled to announce that the Alice Camera, a novel AI-powered Micro Four Thirds camera that attaches to iOS and Android smartphones, will begin shipping to pre-order customers from 15th July 2024 (see proposed delivery dates below). Designed to streamline high-quality social media content creation for creators, businesses and everyday users, Alice Camera aims to bridge the gap between mirrorless cameras and smartphones. Users will be able to capture content with interchangeable lenses, a smartphone-like user experience and on-camera AI-driven computational photography.
As an official Micro Four Thirds system partner, Photogram has built the Alice Camera to meet the standard's specifications and requirements. Alice Camera utilises the Micro Four Thirds lens mount and a Sony 4/3" HDR, dual-native ISO CMOS sensor. However, what sets Alice Camera apart from other mirrorless cameras is its use of a Qualcomm Snapdragon and Google Edge TPU chips as its primary processing units. These processors accelerate the calculations necessary for running Photogram’s proprietary AI-driven computational photography algorithms and software-based image signal processing (ISP) pipeline directly on the camera. Unlike hardware-based ISPs in traditional mirrorless cameras, Photogram's AI-driven software-based ISP is an innovative approach as it enables additional AI features and improvements to be brought to their existing cameras over time. In 2023, Photogram joined Google Cloud’s program for AI startups in London, where they received credits and mentorship to further train and develop their pipeline, which automates essential functions like white balance, exposure and colour grading.
Alice Camera's smartphone app offers an intuitive design for camera control, file management, and content sharing. Alice Camera OS, a Linux-based camera-specific operating system, allows for over-the-air software updates and open-access development, opening up new creative possibilities. Developers and businesses interested in building their own AI algorithms and custom apps on the Alice Camera platform are encouraged to contact the team.
"We're incredibly excited to finally bring the Alice Camera to the world," said Vishal Kumar, CEO at Photogram.
"We set out to build the Alice Camera because we wanted to offer our customers a new type of mirrorless camera built specifically for a new era of content. We’ve developed a fundamentally new engineering paradigm for mirrorless cameras, with significantly novel implementations on hardware, software and with AI algorithms. Alice Camera represents an innovative step forward in how mirrorless cameras are designed and how our users will process, capture and share their experiences. We can't wait to see the amazing content created with the Alice Camera."
The journey to launch was not without its challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic and global lockdowns in 2021 and 2022 caused severe chip shortages impacting Alice Camera’s manufacturing. Further delays arose in 2023 as the product underwent rigorous consumer electronics regulatory testing. Despite these hurdles, Photogram persevered, thanks to the support of its backers and investors. "We are deeply grateful for the belief and patience our community has shown throughout this journey," added Vishal Kumar. "As a new entrant in the camera industry, we hope to bring fresh perspectives. All the difficult development work over the last three years is now done. Now, we’re ready to deliver and start to scale manufacturing. Our journey begins from today… We’re just getting started."
PROPOSED DELIVERY DATES
Cameras for the UK will begin shipping from 15th July 2024.
Cameras for US, Japan, EU, Australia are scheduled to start shipping from 15th August 2024.
Cameras for Canada, France and Rest of the World are scheduled to start shipping from Sept 2024.
About Photogram
Founded in London by a team of data scientists, engineers, content creators and camera enthusiasts, Photogram is a London-based computational photography startup with a mission to empower creators, business and everyday users with a camera more suited for a new era of content. By combining Micro Four Thirds optics with AI-accelerated hardware and computational photography algorithms driven by AI the team is offering a device more suited to a fast-paced content lifestyle. Alice Camera’s USP is to leverage a proprietary AI pipeline on-device; instead of doing post-processing on a laptop, editing can be done in real-time on the camera, drastically streamlining workflows.
In 2021 the team raised a $235,000 grant from Innovate UK, the UK government’s innovation agency, and $200,000 from backers on Indiegogo to develop Alice Camera. Then, in 2022 the team secured $1,300,000 in venture capital funding from Ascension Ventures, Cur8 Capital and 7pc ventures. In March 2023 the team was selected to pitch on stage at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, and was recently selected by the British Government to display at the inaugural CogX, Festival of AI, in Los Angeles in May 2024. Alice Camera is one of the first mirrorless cameras to be designed and released from London and/or the United Kingdom in the last two decades. Read more about the company, its co-founders and their story.
To commemorate their 20th anniversary, DxO announced a new promotional offer where you can get a 20% discount on all products for the next 20 days (starting today until Sunday, July 7, 2024):
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
Sample gallery
This widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.
During our time with the Nikon Z6III we were able to get out and shoot with the camera in a couple of different situations and with a selection of lenses (though it was a fairly typical Seattle spring day).
We also shot a first-look video, running down the basic specs of the camera and discussing what the camera is.
If you really want to get into the fine detail of what the new camera offers (and there's a LOT), then we'd recommend you read our in-depth initial review. But if you just want a quick introduction, this video should get you up to speed in no time.
Intelligent Color & Tone Adjustments with Brilliance AI
New NoNoise AI and Tack Sharp AI Models and Features
New Color Wheels for Enhanced Color Balance
Auto Apply NoNoise AI and Portrait Retouching with Brilliance AI
Apply Local Adjustments Automatically
Batch Adjustments with Brilliance AI
AI Recommended Effects
Effects Preset Collections - Over 100 New Presets
New User Interface and Customizable Options
Improved Highlight Recovery
Layers Pane: Enhancing Usability
Keyword AI Enhancements
Enhanced Searching
Enhanced Cataloging
Improved Export Performance
Add Text Layers
Auto-Embed Metadata and Paste Pixels
Enhanced Raw File Support
Price and Availability
version 2024.5 will be a free update for all 2024 owners and subscribers. They will be notified via the in-app update when it is available. New customers and those upgrading from previous ON1 versions can get ON1 Photo RAW MAX 2024.3 or Photo RAW 2024.3 at a discount today and will receive version 2024.5 for free once it is available. Anyone can order a non-subscription license or subscribe. ON1 Photo RAW MAX 2024 is also available in the ON1 Everything Subscription Plans.
Additional information
ON1, the leading provider of innovative photo editing software applications, is excited to announce the upcoming release of ON1 Photo RAW 2024.5, a new update with huge performance gains and precision masking tools. This exciting update unleashes powerful new features designed to elevate the photo editing experience for photography professionals and enthusiasts.
“We strive to improve performance with every release. Usually, we can eke out a boost here and there which positively impacts your workflow. However, this update is the big one. It is the most pervasive performance boost we’ve had. You will feel it almost everywhere in Edit. Opening photos is faster, brushing is faster, and zooming is faster. If you work with many layers and filters, you will feel the difference,” says Dan Harachler, VP of product.
ON1 Photo RAW 2024.5 underscores ON1’s commitment to developing cutting-edge technologies that support photographers without compromising their creative vision and control.
WHAT'S NEW IN PHOTO RAW 2024.5
New and Improved Super Select AI – Our innovative point, click, and edit tool just got better. The enhanced Super Select AI tool can now identify and select any object, not just those it recognizes. This makes adjustments to areas like clothing, hair, skin, and individual flowers much faster. Simply click on an object or region, select an adjustment, and you're done. No more creating layers and adding filters and masks.
New and Improved Quick Mask AI Tool – Similar to the Super Select AI tool, the upgraded Quick Mask AI tool offers point-and-click editing for masks, simplifying the blending of layers and filters.
Optimized Performance – This update brings the most significant performance boosts yet! Almost everything in Edit feels faster. Opening raw files is now up to twice as fast, making it almost instantaneous. Opening .ONPhoto files (your creations from HDR, Pano, or multiple layers) is over twice as fast. Zooming, panning, and brushing are now buttery smooth, even on complex photos with many layers and filters. These improvements result from innovative methods we've developed to utilize the GPU and reduce memory usage.
Smaller Installer and More Frequent Updates – This release also includes a re-engineered app and update delivery method. The product installer is now much smaller, making it faster to download and install. Upon launching the app, it automatically checks for updates and downloads any missing or updated components. This allows us to update camera support, AI models, and extra content more frequently, making updates much smaller.
Added Camera and Lens Support – As with all updates, support for new raw formats and profiles for the latest cameras and lenses.
New PENTAX 17 compact film camera. The PENTAX 17 is a half-frame camera, capturing two 17mm x 24mm pictures within in a single 35mmformat (36mm x 24mm) film frame. It produces vertical-format pictures, with similar ratios to those captured by smartphones.
In addition to the distinctive image quality created only by a film camera, the design of the PENTAX 17 incorporates manual operations unique to film photography — a selectable zone-focus system, manual film winding, manual film advance lever, and exposure compensation and ISO sensitivity adjustments, each With their own dials. It has a retro-inspired design, with the top and bottom covers made of a solid but lightweight magnesium alloy to optimize the camera body’s rigidity.
The PENTAX 17 features a newly developed 25mm F3.5 lens (equivalent to a 37mm lens in the 35mm format). The lens is treated with HD (High Definition) coating to optimize clarity and sharpness. The optical viewfinder features an Albada-type bright frame finder and has a close-up visual field compensation frame to help compose close-up images more easily. The camera has seven shooting modes to accommodate different applications and scenarios. It automatically adjusts exposure settings based on lighting data collected by its metering sensor. 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
Features:
Half-size format: Two 17mm x24mm pictures are captured within a single 35mm frame (36mm x 24mm)
Manual camera operation unique to film cameras
Newly developed lens combines time-proven optics and the latest lens coating technology
Zone-focus system to switch the in-focus area via simple selection of zone marks
Bright optical viewfinder for real-time confirmation of a subject image
Seven shooting modes to accommodate different applications
High-quality body with meticulous attention to every detail
A wide selection of ISO film speeds (50, 100, 125, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200)
Note holder on the back cover, into which the end of the film package can be inserted for an at-a-glance confirmation of the film in use
Three strap lugs to accommodate horizontal and vertical camera suspensions, to best suit the
user’s shooting style
Compatibility with the optional CS-205 Cable Switch, which comes in handy for extended-exposure photography in the Bulb shooting mod
"The U.S. government sued Adobe on Monday for allegedly “trapping” customers in its default, most lucrative subscription plan. In a complaint, the Department of Justice (DOJ) writes that Adobe locks customers into a year-long agreement that’s not effectively disclosed as such, and “ambushing” users with hefty hidden fees when they try to cancel."
More on ftc.gov: "Adobe used hidden fee to trap people into paying for subscription plans".
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
Sample gallery
This widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Please open this article's permalink in a browser to view this content.
Images: Ricoh
Ricoh has revealed the Pentax 17, the half-frame film compact with a manual focus fixed prime lens.
The Pentax 17 has a 25mm F3.5 lens which works out at 37mm equivalent, and derives its name from the horizontal width of the 17 x 25mm frames it captures. The company says the vertical format makes it similar to images shot by smartphones.
It has a manual focus lens that can be set to one of six preset distances, from 0.25m to infinity, indicated with icons on the top of the lens. The company says the lens is based on the design of 1994's Pentax Espio Mini and features three elements in three groups. It features a leaf shutter that gives a circular aperture shape all the way from F3.5 to F16, and gives a shutter speed range from 1/350 sec to 4 seconds, and offers a Bulb mode for longer exposures.
Image: Ricoh
The company says its targeting a younger audience who enjoy the experience of shooting film and will appreciate the cost-savings of shooting two exposures on each 36 x 24mm frame. The 17 will also provide the certainty of a full warranty with good availability of spare parts, which second-hand cameras lack. It will come with a one year warranty and, in the US at least, the option of a second year of coverage.
The camera features magnesium alloy construction and uses a standard CR2 lithium battery to power its flash, light meter and viewfinder indicators.
The 17 will be available from late June 2024 at a cost of $499.95.
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, New Jersey, June 17, 2024 — 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.
| Main features |
1. Half-size format
The PENTAX 17 features the half-size format, in which two 17mm x 24mm pictures are captured within a single 35mm frame (36mm x 24mm). It also employs a manual film advance lever. When holding the camera in traditional orientation, the PENTAX 17 captures vertical-format pictures, similar to the familiar images captured by smartphones, which are commonly used today for picture-taking.
2. Manual camera operation unique to film cameras
The PENTAX 17 features a manual film-winding mechanism based on those incorporated in PENTAX-brand single-lens reflex (SLR) film cameras. The film advance lever lets the user enjoy the film winding action and a wind-up sound after every shutter release. An easy-loading system is designed to prevent film-loading errors, especially for first-time film camera users. It also features other mechanisms unique to film cameras, such as manual film rewinding operation using the rewind crank; exposure compensation via the exposure compensation dial; and ISO sensitivity setting via the ISO sensitivity dial.
3. Newly developed lens combining time-proven optics and the latest lens coating technology
The PENTAX 17 features a newly developed 25mm F3.5 lens (equivalent to a 37mm lens in the 35mm format). Based on the optics incorporated in the acclaimed PENTAX Espio Mini (marketed in 1994), it has been redesigned to fit perfectly in the half-size format. It is also treated with HD (High Definition) coating — a highly acclaimed multi-layer coating — to optimize the clarity and sharpness of half-size pictures. Using the lens used in the RICOH Auto Half (a best-selling half- size model first marketed in 1962) as a reference, the angle of view and focal length were selected to make casual, everyday picture-taking simple and flawless.
4. Zone-focus system to switch the in-focus area via simple selection of zone marks
From close-ups to long distances, the PENTAX 17’s zone-focus system can handle it all. The system is divided into six focus zones, indicated by marks that signify each zone. All the user has to do to set the camera’s focus is select the mark best suited for the subject distance on the zone focusing ring. In the Macro focus zone, the user can capture a close-up photo from approximately 25 centimeters away. The hand strap (included as a standard accessory) lets the user measure subject distance more accurately.
5. Bright optical viewfinder for real-time confirmation of a subject image
The PENTAX 17’s optical viewfinder features a bright, Albada-type frame finder that helps to facilitate framing a scene. It also comes with a close-up visual field compensation frame to help the photographer more easily compose close-up images. It is possible to check the zone marks directly through the viewfinder.
6. Seven shooting modes to accommodate different applications
The PENTAX 17 automatically adjusts exposure settings based on the 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 highly useful in twilight photography; and Bulb, a slow-shutter speed mode that comes in handy for photographing nightscapes and fireworks. The PENTAX 17 also features an independent exposure compensation dial, which allows the user to swiftly shift the exposure level to accommodate different types of subjects or express the user’s creative intentions.
7. High-quality body with meticulous attention to every detail
The PENTAX 17’s body has a classic design, reminiscent of traditional film cameras. The top and bottom covers are made of a solid but lightweight magnesium alloy to optimize the camera body’s rigidity. The 40.5mm filter mounting thread allows the user to mount a range of filters, which are available for purchase on the market. With meticulous attention paid to every single detail, the PENTAX 17 is designed to be a joy to own.
8. Other features
A wide selection of ISO film speeds (50, 100, 125, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200)
Note holder on the back cover, into which the end of the film package can be inserted for an at-a-glance confirmation of the film in use
Three strap lugs to accommodate horizontal and vertical camera suspensions, to best suit the user’s shooting style
Compatibility with the optional CS-205 Cable Switch, which comes in handy for extended-exposure photography in the Bulb shooting mode
Pentax 17 Specifications
Type
Half-frame, behind-the-lens shutter 35mm film camera
Frame Size
24×17mm
Compatible Film
35mm film: ISO 50, ISO 100, ISO 125, ISO 160, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200
Sensitivity Setting
Manual settings to match the film
Film Loading
Easy loading
Film Advance
Manual winding using wind-up lever (with 130-degree stroke and 35-degree stand-off angle)
Film Rewind
Manual rewinding using rewind crank. Mid-roll rewinding possible.
Lens
Lens
HD PENTAX Lens
Focal Length
25mm (equivalent to 37mm in 35mm format)
Maximum Aperture
F3.5
Lens Configuration
3 elements in 3 groups
Angle of View (Diagonal)
61°
Maximum Magnification
Approx. 0.13x (at 0.25m)
Filter Diameter
φ40.5mm
Viewfinder
Type
Albada bright-frame viewfinder
Viewfinder Indication
Composition frame, Close-distance composition frame Zone focusing setting can be confirmed through the viewfinder
Viewfinder Outer Right
Blue lamp display: Warning display, Orange lamp display: Flash display
Full auto (Pan focus program AE, Auto flash), Standard (Program AE, Flash off), Slow-speed shutter (Slow-speed program AE, Flash off), Maximum aperture priority (Maximum aperture priority program AE, Flash off), Bulb (Bulb, Flash off), Daylight sync (Program AE, Flash on) , Slow-speed sync (Slow-speed program AE, Flash on)
Shutter
Type
Program AE electronic shutter
Shutter Speed
1/350 to 4 seconds, Bulb
Flash
Built-in Flash
Guide Number approx.6 (ISO100・m)
Emission Type
Shooting mode interlocking system
Flash Charging Time
Approx. 9 seconds
Charging Status
Can be checked with the orange lamp at viewfinder outer right. Charging status: blinking Charging completion status: lighting
Power Source
Battery Type
One 3V lithium battery (CR2), Not compatible with rechargeable CR2 type batteries
Battery Life
Approx. 10 cartridges* when using 36 exposure film (using fresh battery under the condition of 50% flash shots) * According to the result of RICOH IMAGING in-house testing.
External Terminal
Cable Switch Terminal
Compatible with cable switch CS-205 (optional) (φ2.5mm)
Connexion
