My Photography Gear, Part 3 Ricoh Pentax 17

New Findings

I came across the Ricoh Pentax 17 while traveling in Japan. I wasn’t planning on buying another camera, but its compact design and quiet retro charm caught my attention right away. What made me curious enough to bring it home was its half-frame format, something I had never tried before.

Quick Specs

Before going deeper, here’s a quick look at what the Pentax 17 offers:

• Format: 35mm half-frame (72 shots from a 36-exposure roll)
• Lens: Fixed 25mm f/3.5
• Focus: Zone focusing system
• Shutter speeds: 1/250s to 1/4s, plus Bulb
• Size & Weight: Compact, light, easy to carry everywhere
• Flash: Built-in
• Design: Classic, simple, with manual dials that make shooting intuitive

Why Half-Frame?

Half-frame means each 35mm frame is divided in two. On paper, it’s just math: 72 shots instead of 36. But in practice, it shifts how you see. Two images share the same strip of film. Sometimes they echo one another, sometimes they clash, sometimes they tell fragments of the same story.

It also feels like a format made for our time. Each frame is its own small note, almost like a diary entry. With film costs rising, the practicality is obvious, but what keeps me interested is the rhythm it creates. Shooting half-frame stretches each roll, slows me down, and makes the act of photographing feel lighter, more playful.

The Vertical Frame

When I was in Japan, I found myself shooting almost everything vertically. It was instinct more than intention, shaped by the way Instagram frames the world. That mindset is part of why the Pentax 17 felt so appealing: half-frame naturally favors the vertical view, and it matched the way I was seeing at the time.

But photography is always changing. After a few months, I started leaning into horizontal frames instead, training myself to think wider, to notice space and context. The Pentax 17 now feels like a reminder of that earlier way of looking, almost like a record of how my eye was learning to see.

Shooting Experience

The Pentax 17 is light, quick, and easy to carry. Zone focusing makes it simple: estimate the distance, frame, and shoot. It’s a camera that doesn’t get in the way, which makes it perfect for street photography or for carrying on long walks.

What surprised me most is the image quality. For such a small, straightforward camera, the sharpness and detail are impressive. The negatives come back with a clarity that makes you forget you’re looking at half a frame.

Shooting Modes

One of the unique details of the Pentax 17 is its six shooting modes, selected with the top dial. They give enough control without complicating things:

• Full Auto: Quick snapshots with no thinking
• Program (P): Balances aperture and shutter speed with a little more flexibility
• Tv (Shutter Priority): Good for freezing motion or letting blur tell the story
• Av (Aperture Priority): Helpful when depth of field matters most
• Bulb: For long exposures, night scenes, or light trails.
• Flash Off: To keep things quiet and natural in low light.

For a compact half-frame camera, this range of modes is unusual. It makes the Pentax 17 approachable for beginners while still leaving room for more intentional choices.

Focus Distances

The camera uses a zone focusing system, with simple icons and distances marked on the lens:

• Flower: 0.25 m (25 cm)
• Cutlery: 0.5 m
• Person: 1.2 m
• Two people: 1.7 m
• Three people: 3 m
• Mountain: Infinity

In daylight, depth of field is forgiving, and most subjects between about 1.2 and 3 m fall in focus. The challenge comes in low light or when shooting wide open at f/3.5, where focus becomes more exact. A clever touch is that the wrist strap measures exactly 25 cm, perfect for quickly judging the closest distance. Small detail, but surprisingly practical.

A Camera That Encourages Play

What I like most about the Pentax 17 is how approachable it feels. It doesn’t demand precision or perfection. It rewards curiosity. It encourages experimentation with sequences, with pairs of frames, with rhythm across a roll. It makes film feel lighthearted again, a space for play and discovery.

Closing Thoughts

The Pentax 17 has become a camera I reach for without hesitation. It’s compact, reliable, and makes the act of photographing fun again. Half-frame carries both creative and practical advantages, and the mix of modern build with a classic sensibility gives it a special place in my bag.

For me, it’s not about making perfect pictures. It’s about shooting more, experimenting more, and finding stories in the small spaces between frames.