10 rolls?? That's like 720 photos if they're 36-exposure. That's quite the deal!
I have to admit, I went poking around for film to see what the going rate was and I just backed away slowly and 'noped' out of there. Film prices are nuts. Hopefully Pentax can cut deals with Fuji/Kodak or similar to subsidise prices or bundles + help with development costs. Glad I have a fridge full of film!
I've loaded cassettes from a bulk roll before, and I think I'll be doing it again provided I keep shooting film. I had about 20-30 rolls of various film picked up over a while, but I've been shooting it down to a smaller number.
I mean, this is actually fairly advanced, except for an autofocus system. It even has a focus motor to drive the lens to different zones. A more advanced camera would have some differences in materials and would naturally command a higher price, but doesn't necessarily have to be super expensive.
Yes, all the 3 elements are made of glass, just like all Pentax lenses. Many who bought it are saying that the lens is actually surprisingly sharp.
It's a starter for the project. It is supposed to be more expensive than desired to break-even quickly and to fund the next model which is supposed to be a more advanced K-Mount one or a weather-sealed one. It depends on their roadmap. The price will definitely go down, just like with the KF, which may have also helped with funding the 17.
We are thinking western country prices. Think about how this will fare with Southeast Asia (SEA), where all countries are booming inevitably. The average film development price is NZD7.00 across all SEA. The film itself is around the same price.
They did well in some tricky exposure situations in the early shots. I really wish Fujifilm would lean into their film-legacy and get the volumes up again.
