Pentax are releasing a film camera, and it's going to have a fixed lens

In December, Pentax announced it was developing a new film camera, and a new update released this week has confirmed (a little) more about what it's likely to look like.

While many Pentaxians and film-fans were excited about the initial announcement, there also wasn't a huge amount of info to go on - with the Japanese company simply confirming that a film project was in the works.

But now in a second video update for the Pentax “Film Project”, the company has confirmed it is working on a fixed lens, non-interchangeable compact that will likely include many modern conveniences, while still retaining a distinctly analogue feel. 

Expressing surprise at the popularity and positivity that came from the company's initial announcement, Mr. Takeo Suzuki, also known as TKO and the product planner and designer of the project, confirmed that the new camera will feature an SLR-style mechanical film-advance lever. 

This is a feature the company sees as important to capture the 'feel' of traditional film photography, but also one that is apparently challenging to incorporate into a modern camera design.

Remarkably, TKO says that Pentax had to call in retired film camera engineers to explain the mechanics of film-advance levers as the knowledge of the technology today is limited.

What would you like to see in a modern film camera? We'd love to know, so let us know in the comments, and we'll keep you updated with more about Pentax's film project as it comes to light.