Pentax 17vs A7R IV
Pentax
Pentax 17 (2024)
Starting from £400 new
Best for Film photography enthusiasts & diptych storytelling
View Pentax 17
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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.
Landscape, Studio, Commercial — A7R IV (2019): 61MP in a mirrorless body — the resolution benchmark.
Who should buy what
A7R IV (2019)
- Landscape photographers who print large
- Studio shooters needing maximum detail
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable; only the a7r iv is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Pentax 17 (2024) | A7R IV (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £400 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) | Full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS 35mm |
| Resolution | — | 61.0MP |
| Video | N/A — film camera | 4K 30fps |
| Autofocus | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) | 567-point phase-detect, real-time tracking |
| Stabilisation | N/A — film camera | 5-axis IBIS, 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | Manual wind-on | 10fps |
| Battery Life | 2× CR2 lithium batteries | 670 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~165g (without batteries) | 665g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 113 × 66 × 44mm | 128.9 × 96.4 × 77.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines | EVF 0.78× 5.76M-dot |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" tilting 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 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.1, USB-C 3.2 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Pentax 17 | A7R IV |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Low Light | — |
More comparisons with Pentax 17
Camera family history