Pentax 17--DOA

[21limited]

Yep.....hence the $65 cost. But the masses do not care about that just like back when VHS took over Beta (and laser disc as well). Beta better quality but peeps more or less do not care, they just want a lower price.
IMO that Pentax should be no more than $200. Interested to see if there is going to be any resale value.

I doubt anone can manufacture any kind of quality for $200. My last Program plus was over $300 with tax, in 1990. Whaat’s that? $1000 todays money? Just a guess.
But, cheap plastic lenses out sold SLRs by a huge margin back in the day. Why would today be any different?

Bottom line, I have never met a cameras store slalesman who couldn’t explain why one option was more expensive than another. Sounds to me there are alot more duds out there behind the counters. I don’t go in to store that don’t stock Pentax. Which is why I asked if these camera store had one you could hold in your hand. As I was trimming down the camera stores I visit, I dropped every store who didn’t have somethiing I could hold. I’m down to one store. So if anyone actulaly does have these closer to than London Ontario, (Camera Canada) I’d love to hear about it.

Here’s the situation.
I ca drive for 3 hours to get to a Henry’s. They will tell me thyc an order the Pentax gear for me, thye have to order it from the warehouse. But it’s the Pentax warehouse they are talking about ,not the Henry’s warehouse, but they tell you they have it in stock, if the Ricoh warehouse says they have it. But that list isn’t update instantly, so they could be wrong.. So I can go home and wait for my product, and then be told Pentax didn’t have any. So, now I’ve waste 6 hours of my time driving south, being promised product and paying for it, only to be told it’s not available.

Or, I can phone up Canada Camera, when they tell it’s in stock, it means it’s in thier warehouse, they aren’t declaring it in stock from inventory in the Ricoh warehouse. And they’ll give me confirmation they are sending it out, that day. SO why woould I go to a camera store, at cost of 6 hours of my time and $80 in gas, when I can just got o Camera Canda on line, and cut out the whole “ship to supplier (if they have it) supplier ships to me. This is not the case with most camera companies, but with Pentax it’s common.

 

[webestang64]

All I know is the Pentax 17 is too pricey and plasticky for our customers here in St. Louis. I've been doing this since 1985 and yes there have been many duds behind the counter, biggest one ever was APS.

 

[cgw]

My sense of Ricoh's late 2022 announcement of a film camera project was that it was experimental. More to the point, what became the 17 would test the market. Strong demand would justify development of more sophisticated cameras. Plainly, though, the 17 hasn't done well. Suspect poor ROI will doom future development of more expensive Pentax film cameras.

 

[Ysarex]

My sense of Ricoh's late 2022 announcement of a film camera project was that it was experimental. More to the point, what became the 17 would test the market. Strong demand would justify development of more sophisticated cameras. Plainly, though, the 17 hasn't done well. Suspect poor ROI will doom future development of more expensive Pentax film cameras.

Who is that camera for? I suspect some degree of identity confusion going on. A film camera that won't permit full exposure control -- that sounds like a cheap point & shoot. A film camera with a top shutter speed of 1/350th sec. -- that sounds like a cheap point & shoot. A film camera that you zone focus by selecting an icon (mountains, people, flower, etc) -- that sounds like a cheap point & shoot. $500.00 is not expensive for a camera, but it's not a cheap point & shoot. If I were to ever need or desire to shoot film again I'd head straight over to KEH and spend less than $500.00 for a really nice used Nikon.

 

[cgw]

Sounds like "Sayonara" to the film project:

Ricoh Imaging ‘pausing’ Pentax Film Project as it investigates demand for future film models

The Pentax 17 was the first Pentax-branded film camera in nearly two decades (Pic: Stephen Dowling) TKO, the designer who helped create the Pentax 17 film camera last year, has announced he has lef…

kosmofoto.com

 

[webestang64]

Best used Nikon here at work is a clean F2..........I'd love to have another F2 but my saving "new" money is for rebuilding my 88 Mustang.

We also have a K1000 with 50mm for $120.

 

[Ysarex]

Best used Nikon here at work is a clean F2..........I'd love to have another F2 but my saving "new" money is for rebuilding my 88 Mustang.

We also have a K1000 with 50mm for $120.

That's a great price for a solid piece of awesome hardware. Why would anyone spend $500.00 for a silly toy when you could have a legend for half that.

 

[cgw]

That's a great price for a solid piece of awesome hardware. Why would anyone spend $500.00 for a silly toy when you could have a legend for half that.

Fact is many shops shy away from dealing film gear--too many headaches with valuation, rating condition and detecting possible glitches. Whether they do really depends on a local population of film shooters and labs.

 

[21limited]

Sounds like "Sayonara" to the film project:

“So, while TKO played a significant role in the Pentax Film Project, his departure does not affect the possibility of future film models; rather, we are continuing to evaluate the Pentax 17’s reception and considering how it may set the direction for our long-term approach to film photography.

When Jun Hirakawa left Pentaxx, they didn’t stop making lenses.

Jun Hirakawa - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

One person’s sounds like is another persons “Ho hum, nothing going on here.: