Z6 IIvs Pentax 17
Pentax
Pentax 17 (2024)
Starting from £400 new
Best for Film photography enthusiasts & diptych storytelling
View Pentax 17
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
All-Round Full-Frame Photography — Z6 II (2020): The Z6 II is the Nikon most photographers should buy. It's balanced across every discipline — stills, video, autofocus, weather sealing — without overpaying for megapixels you don't need. The Z-mount glass is superb.
Film Photography Enthusiasts & Diptych Storytelling — Pentax 17 (2024): The best new film camera of the decade — manual controls, a sharp lens, and a half-frame format that doubles your roll and forces a new way of seeing.
Who should buy what
Z6 II (2020)
- Nikon DSLR users ready to move to mirrorless
- Photographers who need a reliable all-rounder without specialising
- Video creators wanting 4K/60p in a weather-sealed body
- Enthusiasts who shoot everything from portraits to travel
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable; only the z6 ii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Z6 II (2020) | Pentax 17 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,699 | £400 |
| Sensor | 24.5MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) |
| Resolution | 24.5MP | — |
| Video | 4K/60p, 4K/30p (oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion | N/A — film camera |
| Autofocus | Phase-detect, 273 points, Eye AF, subject tracking | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) |
| Stabilisation | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops (up to 6 stops with VR lenses) | N/A — film camera |
| Burst Rate | 14fps mechanical, 14fps electronic (12-bit RAW) | Manual wind-on |
| Battery Life | ~410 shots (CIPA) | 2× CR2 lithium batteries |
| Weight | 705g (body, battery, card) | ~165g (without batteries) |
| Dimensions | 134.0 × 100.5 × 69.5mm | 113 × 66 × 44mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.80× magnification | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.1M dots | N/A |
| Mount | Nikon Z-mount | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) |
| Memory Cards | Dual card: 1× CFexpress Type B / XQD + 1× SD UHS-II | 35mm 135-format film cartridge |
| Connectivity | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | N/A |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Z6 II | Pentax 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Travel | ||
| Video | — | |
| Street | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Low Light | — |
More comparisons with Z6 II
Camera family history