Pentax 17vs GR IIIx HDF
Pentax
Pentax 17 (2024)
Starting from £400 new
Best for Film photography enthusiasts & diptych storytelling
View Pentax 17
VS
Ricoh
GR IIIx HDF (2024)
Starting from £999 new
Best for Street & documentary photography with a distinctive aesthetic
View GR IIIx HDF
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.
Street & Documentary Photography With A Distinctive Aesthetic — GR IIIx HDF (2024): The GR IIIx with a built-in dream filter — for photographers who want the GR's legendary APS-C quality with an added layer of analogue magic.
Who should buy what
GR IIIx HDF (2024)
- GR IIIx fans who want the HDF bloom effect without using post-processing
- Street photographers who want a distinctive, instantly recognisable aesthetic
- Film photography enthusiasts who want to replicate analogue optical character digitally
- GR III owners ready to upgrade to the 40mm equivalent perspective
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Pentax 17 (2024) | GR IIIx HDF (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £400 | £999 |
| Sensor | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | N/A — film camera | 1920 × 1080 / 60fps |
| Autofocus | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) | Phase/contrast hybrid CDAF with Snap Focus |
| Stabilisation | N/A — film camera | 3-axis Shake Reduction (SR) — 4 stops |
| Burst Rate | Manual wind-on | 4fps continuous |
| Battery Life | 2× CR2 lithium batteries | ~200 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~165g (without batteries) | 262g body only |
| Dimensions | 113 × 66 × 44mm | 122.5 × 69.5 × 35.2mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | No |
| Viewfinder | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines | None — rear LCD only |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" fixed LCD touchscreen, 1.037M dots |
| Mount | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) | Fixed GR Lens 26.1mm f/2.8 (40mm equivalent) |
| Memory Cards | 35mm 135-format film cartridge | Single SD/SDHC/SDXC slot |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Pentax 17 | GR IIIx HDF |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Low Light | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
More comparisons with Pentax 17
Camera family history