Pentax 17vs A7R II
Pentax
Pentax 17 (2024)
Starting from £400 new
Best for Film photography enthusiasts & diptych storytelling
View Pentax 17
Sony
A7R II (2015)
Starting from £799 new
Best for Portrait, landscape & studio photography
View A7R II
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.
Portrait, Landscape & Studio Photography — A7R II (2015): The A7R II transformed the A7R series — adding IBIS, 4K video, BSI sensor tech, and phase-detect AF in one generation. A landmark Sony camera.
Who should buy what
A7R II (2015)
- Landscape and architecture photographers who want 42MP with IBIS for handheld shooting
- Portrait and studio photographers who need high resolution with improved AF reliability
- Sony FE system users who want a capable high-resolution body at a used price
- A7R I owners who need the stabilisation, 4K, and improved AF the original lacked
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable; only the a7r ii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Pentax 17 (2024) | A7R II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £400 | £799 |
| Sensor | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R |
| Resolution | — | 42.4MP |
| Video | N/A — film camera | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection |
| Stabilisation | N/A — film camera | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | Manual wind-on | 5fps |
| Battery Life | 2× CR2 lithium batteries | ~290 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~165g (without batteries) | 625g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 113 × 66 × 44mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 60.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) |
| Mount | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | 35mm 135-format film cartridge | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Pentax 17 | A7R II |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Low Light | — | |
| Architecture | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with Pentax 17
Camera family history