- Source: Olympus Pen F
- Source: Olympus PEN-F
The Olympus Pen F, Pen FT and Pen FV are very similar half-frame 35 mm single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras with interchangeable lenses produced by Olympus of Japan between 1963-1966 (Pen F), 1966-1972 (Pen FT) and 1967-1970 (Pen FV).
The original Pen F has a double-stroke film advance and a distinctive logo rendered in a gothic font. The later Pen FT added a single-stroke film advance, and an uncoupled, integrated light meter, which uses a system of exposure numbers rather than f-stops. The exposure numbers were added to the aperture rings of later Pen F lenses; the rings could be pulled out and rotated to show conventional f-stops instead. A side-effect of the FT's light meter was a dimmer viewfinder. The Pen FV was essentially a Pen FT with the light meter deleted and the F's brighter viewfinder reinstated.
Half frame means that the camera uses an 18×24 mm vertical (portrait) format, producing twice the pictures on a roll of 135 film as the regular 36×24 mm format. The smaller image format also allows for a smaller camera and lenses, making the Pen F system one of the smallest SLR systems ever made; the Pentax Auto 110 was smaller, but with a much more limited range of lenses and accessories, and smaller 110 film.
These cameras are somewhat exceptional since they used a rotary focal-plane shutter, rather than the two-curtain focal-plane shutter commonly used in other SLRs at that time. Since this one-piece shutter opens fully before it starts to close, it can synchronize to electronic flash at all shutter speeds.
Pen-F series cameras are occasionally modified to mount standard motion picture camera lenses for use as film test cameras with 35mm motion picture films. The Pen-F frame size is close to the 35mm motion picture Super 35 frame.
Lenses manufactured for the Olympus Pen F System
*M=manual diaphragm
References
Nakamura, Karen (2005). Classic cameras: Olympus Pen F. PhotoEthnography.com. Retrieved on November 13, 2005.
Gandy, Stephen (2003). Olympus Pen F, FT, FV: Largest Half-frame System. CameraQuest.com. Retrieved on November 13, 2005.
McGloin, Joe (2004). Olympus Pen F Cameras. The Sub Club. Retrieved on November 13, 2005.
The Olympus PEN-F is a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera in the Micro Four Thirds system, released in 2016. It is the part of the digital PEN series. The PEN-F pays tribute to the similarly named PEN F half-frame 35mm film SLR camera from 1963.
The PEN-F was the first Olympus camera to feature the new, 20 megapixel Four Thirds sensor, which made Micro Four Thirds more competitive on the market. This sensor later found its way into the OM-D series as well, featured in professional cameras like the E-M1 Mark III.
The PEN-F had an electronic viewfinder, which was a new feature in the digital PEN range, and it is still the only PEN camera to have it.
It has 10 frames per second continuous shooting and its fastest shutter speed is 1/8000 sec, it has focus peaking to assist manual focus, and built in Wi-Fi for connection to smartphone or tablet. Its rear LCD is a fully articulated "swivel" rear touch screen with a 1.04 million pixel resolution. The PEN-F comes in two colour schemes: black, or silver.
Design
The PEN-F's name and design pays tribute to Olympus's legendary half-frame analog SLR, the PEN F from 1963. It has the same font for the model name on the front of the camera and has a chunky dial on the grip. On the old PEN F, that controls the shutter speed, on the new PEN-F, it is dedicated for changing the art filters. On the new PEN-F there are two customizable dials on the top for changing the shutter speed, or basically anything it has been set to. The overall shape of the cameras are quite similar, they both are rectangle boxes with an asymmetrical "stair" on the top. The completely flat grip is also a similar property of the two cameras. However, the new PEN-F can be extended with an optional, external grip, the ECG-4.
Specifications
20MP Live MOS Four Thirds format sensor
1/8000 sec top mechanical shutter speed (1/16,000 with e-shutter)
5-axis image stabilisation with panning detection
ISO 80 – 25,600
Burst rate: Up to 10 fps continuous shooting (20 fps with electronic shutter)
Focus-peaking to assist manual focus
Intervalometer and Time Lapse movie creation (up to 99 frames)
Fully articulating 1.04 million dot, 3" LCD touchscreen
Built-in Wi-Fi for remote shooting (full control of all settings), image transfer and adding geolocation through smartphone
2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder
Highly customizable interface, twin controls
50MP High-res Shot mode
1080/60p video recording
Compared to the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
The PEN-F was sold side-by-side with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and shared a lot of its features. The PEN-F started on 1,199$, the E-M5 Mark II cost 100$ less.
The most obvious difference is the design: The E-M5 is designed after the Olympus OM SLR with the bump on the top, the PEN-F has an almost flat top, which makes it 1.3 centimeter shorter. The E-M5 Mark II has a more ergonomic grip compared to the PEN-F's flat one.
However, that bump comes with an advantage: The E-M5 Mark II has a bigger viewfinder magnification, than the PEN-F (0.72x vs 0.62x). The resolution of the EVF is the same though.
The PEN-F has the new 20 MP sensor, which has a 25% higher resolution than the 16 MP sensor of the E-M5 Mark II, and despite its higher pixel density, it maintains the ISO performance and the dynamic range of the old sensor. The higher native resolution means that the sensor-shift high resolution mode produces 50 MP pictures instead of 40 MP.
The E-M5 Mark II is weather sealed, the PEN-F is not.
The E-M5 has a microphone 3.5mm jack connector, the PEN-F does not.
The features that are shared between the two cameras:
5-axis sensor stabilization system
Four Thirds sensor size
Fully articulated rear LCD screen
10 fps burst rate
81 contrast-detection autofocus points
10 fps burst rate
1080p 60 fps max. video recording resolution and frame rate
support for UHS-II SD cards
See also
List of retro-style digital cameras