The new Pentax film camera will be a half-frame film camera, Pentax designer TKO (Takeo Suzuki) revealed in a YouTube video released on 1 March. He explained the basic concept camera as a camera that ‘allows young photographers to fully enjoy taking photos as they enter the world of film photography.’

So, why half frame? TKO cited smartphones and social media, how most people shoot in vertical format and that it’s easier to share vertical photos on social media. Another reason TKO gave was the cost of film. Half frame cameras also have the benefit of providing photographers with double the photos per roll.

The camera will include an electronic shutter unit to enable automatic control over aperture and shutter speed while also allowing photographers to manually change some settings and select different shooting modes on a control dial. It will use a manually set zone-focus system and have a traditional film winding mechanism.

TKO said the new camera’s lens draws inspiration from two previous Ricoh models, the Ricoh Auto Half camera from the 1960s and 70s and the Pentax Espio Mini, a fixed focal range compact camera from the 1990s.

This camera is being developed as part of Pentax’s Film Camera Project and was first announced in 2022. It is expected to launch this summer. This comes after Pentax launched new social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook for the Pentax Film Project in February, in preparation for the release of its new film cameras.

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