Yoshihisa Maitani designed some of the best compact cameras ever made. Here is every half frame Pen model — from the original to the FT SLR — with honest takes from someone who has shot most of them.
★ HFC recommended models
This camera is a point and shoot, fully automatic beauty with a selenium meter and 28mm/f3.5 fixed focal length. EE stood for "Electric Eye" and this second model has only two shutter speeds — 1/40 and 1/200. Set the ISO, point at something at least 6 feet away, and click away. A red flag exposure system prevents you from taking a picture in insufficient light.
This sparse feature set may seem limiting but once you get used to it, it is actually quite liberating. You can spend your time focusing on composition and getting the best shot rather than fiddling with settings while the action passes you by. This camera really lends itself to documentary, travel, and landscape photography. The simplicity and speed of use also makes multi-shot composition — diptychs, sequences, etc — a breeze.
A couple hacks I have used over the years: use the ISO setting as exposure compensation (start at ISO 100 and you have two full stops available), and manually set the aperture to f3.5 to fix the shutter speed at 1/40 for low-light shooting when the red flag would otherwise stop you.
Almost identical to the EE2 but with two differences: the widest aperture is f2.8 (for low light, this is huge), and it has a 3-zone focus system similar to the Olympus XA2. For some this is a hassle — because they forget to adjust the focus zone before shooting — but for others it gives more flexibility at close or great distances.
I really loved my EES 2 but I dropped it and the zone focus system partly stopped working. I am now using the older EES in its place, which is the same camera with a max ISO of 200. Mostly does not bother me, except when it does.
Even more compact than the Electric Eye cameras because there is no meter. The 30mm/f2.8 lens is really nice and has a wonderful feel. Full manual controls with distance focusing and a couple premarked sweet spots at 2m, 5m, and infinity — essentially a precursor to the zone focus system in later models.
Most of the time I load it with 400 speed film, set focus to 5m, aperture to f16, shutter to 1/200, and shoot. The fully manual controls allow for more creative work too. Spending time shooting full manual makes you a better photographer over time.
I really wanted to like this camera. It is so beautiful and the ability to focus through the lens is unique in half frame — but it is heavy. Really heavy. When I first picked one up I was flabbergasted. There are several full frame 35mm cameras (Olympus OM1, Pentax ME/MX) that are just as small and weigh 50–100 grams less. That being said, if you want to shoot a half frame SLR, this is what you want. For portraits — viewfinder set for vertical composition, ability to focus exactly on subject, control depth of field, and 72 shots to burn through — it is a compelling choice.
Essentially the same as the Pen S but a slightly slower lens and different shutter speeds (B, 25, 50, 100, 200). I like this camera a lot — I would just rather have the S for the faster lens. Also this camera crapped out after 3 rolls when the winding mechanism gave up. But if I found a working one for under $50, I would be on it like white on rice.
I believed this camera would be my half frame holy grail — fast 30mm/f1.7 lens, built-in manual metering, abundance of focusing options. It was not to be. The faster lens with metering means significantly less pocketability. The meter requires an old mercury battery that is rare, illegal, and toxic. All these features ended up being hindrances. I went back to my EES 2 after one roll.
Pen W — Wide angle rarity. I really want to shoot with a Pen W. They are rare and expensive, but the 25mm lens would be fun for landscape and documentary work. They only come in black, which adds to the allure. But at the end of the day, this is probably more a symptom of an underlying GAS problem. The Pen S offers the exact same feature set with a 30mm lens. What is an extra 5mm worth to you?
My dream camera. If I could design a half frame today it would be simple: an EES 2 with 1/500 shutter speed, a 28mm/f2 lens, and aperture priority mode. Until then I will continue to carry my EE2 everywhere.
— Dan Marinelli, Half Frame Club
This article is not intended to be a full review of all models but rather a quick overview of my favorites and experiences using many of the above cameras. Your experiences may vary.