My Olympus Pen F Review
by Tobias Eriksson

By Tobias Eriksson · May 2019 · Olympus Pen F

First Impressions

All of a sudden it became an obsession. Well, it was essentially a practical solution. I needed a smaller SLR. And why not the half-frame one? I was used to the format from the Canon Demi and my digital Fujifilm X-Pro1 half-frame sensor camera.

The first impression is of course the heaviness. It's all metal plus a large glass prism in the middle. I mean it's not super heavy but more so than an Olympus Trip or other fixed lens rangefinder cameras of the same size. And — like with stereo equipment — the heavier the higher the quality.

I bought the body only. My intention was to use my M42 mount lenses which I already have for two full frame SLRs. The adapter to fit the lenses actually cost half of what I paid for the camera body since there are only 1960s ones around. But it is a blessing to be able to use all those intriguing lenses on my favorite cameras.

Single Lens Reflex

The Pen F has a unique reflex system which is explained extensively elsewhere so I won't touch on that. What I can say is that the shutter is not quiet. It is quite a large sound for such a small camera. But it's not on par with the Chinon or Nikon F clacks.

The fact that the F is so small is truly liberating. The Pen F format's inherent quality is what it shares with the Leicas and other rangefinder systems — small size combined with the choice of lens. No other SLR can compete with that. And that's truly the unique selling point of this camera.

Manual Controls

My F is the two stroke film advance version. I've now grown accustomed to the two strokes but it took me a while. I did have some irritated moments when I missed opportunities because I hadn't advanced the film properly.

The recessed position of the shutter button is really ingenious. It means that you can advance the film after each exposure and not risk having the shutter going off when the camera is in your bag. The shutter is controlled with the wheel situated on the front of the camera, offering speeds from Bulb to 1/500th of a second.

Exposure and Lenses

What can I say. It's bare bone photography. You start with light metering. Then set the shutter and aperture. And: Expose!

The Pen F system contains a large number of lenses. Since I don't have experience using any of them you can find extensive info elsewhere. If you take into account adapters where you can affix lenses from other camera systems the options are infinite — Canon EOS, older Nikon, M42 screw mount, Canon FD and Olympus OM lenses.

I have to say that the finder isn't super bright and it is sometimes a bit tricky to nail the focus spot on.

Handling

Again — the small size. The body is of similar size as those of the Olympus Pen EM or EED half frame cameras. The grip is very good. The weight of the camera gives it a stability — it is not flimsy feeling at all.

Lasting Impressions

Love. I love using my Pen F. The bare bones functions and the 72 pictures per roll are right up my alley when it comes to my philosophy concerning photography: I control the parameters of the exposure and I have a lot of chances to compose the pictures that speak to me.