Pentax 17vs A7C
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.
Compact Travel & Content Creation — A7C (2020): The A7C proves full-frame doesn't have to be bulky. Excellent battery life, reliable Eye AF and a vari-angle screen in a pocketable body is a compelling combination for travel and content creators. The A7C II improved on it, but the original remains a strong value buy.
Who should buy what
A7C (2020)
- Travel photographers who want full-frame in the smallest possible body
- Content creators who need a flip screen and reliable Eye AF
- Photographers upgrading from APS-C who want to keep a compact kit
- Vloggers who need 4K and great battery life on the road
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Pentax 17 (2024) | A7C (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £400 | £1,299 |
| Sensor | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | N/A — film camera | 4K/30p (oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion, S-Log2/S-Log3 |
| Autofocus | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | N/A — film camera | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | Manual wind-on | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | 2× CR2 lithium batteries | ~740 shots (CIPA) — outstanding for a Sony mirrorless |
| Weight | ~165g (without batteries) | 509g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 113 × 66 × 44mm | 124.0 × 71.1 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | No |
| Viewfinder | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines | None built-in — use rear screen or accessory EVF |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | 35mm 135-format film cartridge | Single SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Pentax 17 | A7C |
|---|---|---|
| Street | ||
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Video | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
More comparisons with Pentax 17
Camera family history