Pentax 17vs KF
Pentax
Pentax 17 (2024)
Starting from £400 new
Best for Film photography enthusiasts & diptych storytelling
View Pentax 17
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
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.
Landscape & Outdoor — KF (2022): The Pentax KF is a rare thing — a weather-sealed DSLR with in-body stabilisation and an articulating screen at an accessible price. Video is modest at 1080p/60p, but for outdoor and landscape photographers who prefer optical viewfinders and want real weather sealing, the KF delivers in a format that is increasingly hard to find.
Who should buy what
KF (2022)
- Outdoor and landscape photographers who want weather sealing at an accessible price
- DSLR users who want IBIS and an articulating screen without switching systems
- Pentax K-mount lens collectors who want a modern body for their glass
- Photographers who prefer the natural feel of an optical viewfinder
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable; only the kf is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Pentax 17 (2024) | KF (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £400 | £700 |
| Sensor | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | N/A — film camera | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) | SAFOX 13 phase-detect AF with 11 points |
| Stabilisation | N/A — film camera | In-body Shake Reduction (SR II), up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | Manual wind-on | 6fps |
| Battery Life | 2× CR2 lithium batteries | ~410 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~165g (without batteries) | 643g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 113 × 66 × 44mm | 131.0 × 101.0 × 76.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines | Optical pentamirror, 0.95× magnification, ~100% coverage |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots |
| Mount | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) | Pentax KF-mount |
| Memory Cards | 35mm 135-format film cartridge | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Pentax 17 | KF |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Low Light | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Casual | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history