Here are two cameras in the picture below.  Both use analog half-frame film, but they come from different eras—2024 and 1964—separated by 60 years. Each has a distinctive metal top cover. On the left is the PENTAX 17, which features an angular magnesium-alloy body with many mechanical elements. A slotted screw is deliberately placed at the center as an eye-catching detail. On the right, the YASHICA has a　gleaming cover with rounded corners. Because it is made by pressing hard stainless steel, the corners naturally become rounded. Its design elements of circles and rounded corners that take advantage of this characteristic evoke a futuristic space-age image. If you take a close look at it, you can find its model name “17” engraved behind the shutter. This photo, which was taken with a 60-year-old YASHICA lens, provides a gentle and warm appearance of this model.

This PENTAX 17 belongs to Mr. Takeo Suzuki, the designer of this product. In this digital age, its deliberate embrace of analog specifications makes its mechanical, enthusiast-oriented design a key appeal. The YASHICA HALF 17 was a mainstream model in the 1960s, featuring an advanced automatic exposure system powered by solar cells.  Its design makes good use of highly productive stainless-steel press manufacturing and stands as a classic work of GK Design in its early days. Although separated by 60 years, the two products somehow share the same name. This chance encounter is delightful, and both are undeniably cool. The sensory and aesthetic value of good design can withstand, and even transcend, the flow of the times.

Hybrid Design Dept.
Design Director
Takane Mitomi