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.
Portrait, Wedding, Travel, Video — A7 V (2024): The definitive full-frame mirrorless. Hard to argue for anything else at this price.
Who should buy what
A7 V (2024)
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable; only the a7 v is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Pentax 17 (2024) | A7 V (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £400 | £2,799 |
| Sensor | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) | Full-frame BSI-CMOS 35mm, partially stacked |
| Resolution | — | 33.0MP |
| Video | N/A — film camera | 4K 60fps 10-bit |
| Autofocus | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) | 759-point phase-detect, AI subject recognition (human, animal, bird, insect, vehicle) |
| Stabilisation | N/A — film camera | 5-axis IBIS, 8.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | Manual wind-on | 10fps mechanical, 20fps electronic |
| Battery Life | 2× CR2 lithium batteries | 760 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~165g (without batteries) | 514g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 113 × 66 × 44mm | 131.3 × 96.4 × 70.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines | EVF 0.90× 9.44M-dot |
| Screen | N/A | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.44M-dot |
| Mount | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | 35mm 135-format film cartridge | 2× SD UHS-II / CFexpress Type A |
| Connectivity | N/A | Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Pentax 17 | A7 V |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Low Light | — |
More comparisons with Pentax 17
Camera family history