Pentax 17vs A1
Pentax
Pentax 17 (2024)
Starting from £400 new
Best for Film photography enthusiasts & diptych storytelling
View Pentax 17
VS
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
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.
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable; only the a1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Pentax 17 (2024) | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £400 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | — | 50.1MP |
| Video | N/A — film camera | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | N/A — film camera | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | Manual wind-on | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | 2× CR2 lithium batteries | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~165g (without batteries) | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 113 × 66 × 44mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | 35mm 135-format film cartridge | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Pentax 17 | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Low Light | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wedding | — |
More comparisons with Pentax 17
Camera family history