Olympus Pen F Series Half-Frame 35mm SLRs, Classic Collectibles
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Olympus Pen F, FT, FV Half-Frame 35mm SLR Film Camera
The Olympus Pen F was the world's first and only half-frame system single-lens reflex camera, released in 1963. The camera featured a porro-prism finder and was the first to have a rotary titanium shutter. It could be used with a highly versatile range of 20 exchangeable lenses. The Olympus Pen F was a revolutionary camera packed with innovative features. The rotary shutter, which combined speed with durability, was reportedly perfected only after long and hard effort by Olympus engineers.
The Pen F was the first 35 SLR to be almost identical in size to the classic Leica RF screw mounts, the "Barnack" cameras. Leica photogs were attracted to it in droves and the strange thing about it was the Pen F and FT had no competition. There were no competing half-frame SLR systems from other companies, then or now!
Trying to get one for your collection today means that you are not only willing to pay quiet a high price for this much sought after collectible but also acceptable to the condition they are in.
Contents at a Glance
The Olympus History
The Pen F series was designed by the famous designer Yoshihisa Maitani, who had also created the Olympus Pen point-and-shoot series, and who would later created the much vouched OM-1.
The following is a lead Special Lecture by Yoshihisa Maitani
From a seminar presented at the JCII Camera Museum on Saturday, October 29, 2005
The Olympus Story - From the Olympus OM-1 to the XA Series
The following is a lead Special Lecture by Yoshihisa Maitani
From a seminar presented at the JCII Camera Museum on Saturday, October 29, 2005
The Olympus Story - From the Olympus OM-1 to the XA Series
- Developing the Pen F - the only half-size SLR camera
- With the Pen selling so well, I no longer faced the barrier of accepted wisdom in my work. Instead I was told to make new cameras more quickly. However, the technology barrier was still there. I couldn't handle the design work alone any more, and for the first time I was given an assistant. My assistant was the leading theoretician in the development department,.. [read on]
Resource Links
- Olympus Pen F
- It was late 1963. JFK would be President for a few more months. Martin Luther King was still alive, The US Military was on its way out of Vietnam per JFK's order. Olympus designer Maitani introduced his ground breaking Olympus Pen F,...
- Olympus Pen F FT FV
- The Olympus Pen FT is a camera that proved Maitani's evil genius. Breaking from traditions of full-frame, pentaprisms, bladed focal-plane shutters limited to synchronization at 1/125 sec. and prism-mounted meter cells, the Pen FV ...
- Favorite Classics / Olympus Pen
- In this section we are highlighting two totally different half-frame camera concepts. The two ends of the spectrum... Inexpensive to pricey, from near point and shoot to a complete SLR system.
- Olympus Pen F - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The Olympus Pen F, Pen FT and Pen FV were 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...
Collectibles
Olympus Pen F
Olympus designers brilliantly used a mirror system rather than the pentaprism. to keep the size small. The down side of this is that the mirror systems are very susceptible to haze and dirt. No Pen F/FT/FV finder is bright, but they are made worse by this. If you have your camera serviced, be sure to have its finder cleaned.The shutter is a focal plane rotary titanium shutter which allows flash sync all the way up to 1/500th of a second. Rather than the typical horizontal finder in virtually all 35 SLRs, the Pen F and FT have VERTICAL finders. It may surprise at first, but you soon get used to it.
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Olympus PEN FT
The Pen F was replaced in 1966 by the Pen FT. Though identical to the Pen F in external appearance, it had a built-in TTL exposure meter. In use, when the camera was pointed at a subject, the TTL number exposure control system displayed an aperture number in the view-finder according to the shutter speed setting.There were many other enhancements made over the Pen F, including a single-action film advance system (as compared to the two-stroke advance on the Pen F - the first to activate the shutter mechanism while the second advances the film), and a built-in self-timer.
More sought after by collectors are, of course, the all-black model.
Auctions on eBay
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The Pen FV was introduced in 1967 and is a Pen FT without the light meter, but with the single stroke lever and the self-timer. It is the rarest of the three models, with about 45,000 made.As mentioned, these are rare and only one or two will appear in eBay's listing over a period of time. All the best if you have one or is able to get one for your collection.
Microphotography Models
Olympus Pen F's are also available in special models for microphotography and medical use (endoscopy, etc.). These models are sometimes found for sale, but the viewfinder image is different (round image) and converting the finder to a normal, usable one is said to be difficult and to require thorough disassembly. The medical models do not have the self-timer nor the gothic F letter on the front plate. All the normal models have either one of them. Olympus Pen F, FT Lenses
The Olympus Pen F series was introduced with an extensive range of lenses including:- Wide Angles: 20/3.5, 25/4, 25/2.8
- Normals: 38/1.8, 40/1.4, 42/1.2 and 38/2.8 "pancake," 38/3.5 Macro
- Portrait Lenses: 60/1.5 on the left, 70/2 below, and the 100/3.5
- Zooms 50-90/3.5, 100-200/5
- Telephotos 150/4, 250/5, 400/6.3
- Mirror, 800/8 Mirror
One of the hardest to find Pen F lenses, and one of the most sought after, is the compact 38/2.8. It is prized because it reduces the already small camera to its smallest size. Introduced late in Pen FT production, the compact "pancake" 38/2.8 is very difficult to find today.
Auctions on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byAccessories and Essentials
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by50 Years on...
- Not a Point and Shoot. Not an SLR. It's a PEN. What will you create?
- The Olympus E-P1 marks an innovative new era in digital imaging. Our new Micro Four Thirds camera upholds the legacy of the celebrated PEN family of cameras, with the photographic optics of an SLR and the size and simplicity of a point and shoot. Combining the still image quality of a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) with the A/V quality of both a High Definition camcorder and high-end audio recorder, the E-P1 is a virtual full-service imaging studio in one ultra-portable and stylishly retro body. With dozens of advanced features, the E-P1 makes documenting and sharing your everyday life easier and more creative than ever before... [Read on]
Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Silver Body/Black Lens)
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Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens and Electronic View Finder
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Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens and Viewfinder (Silver)
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Fotodiox Nikon Lens to Micro 4/3 Four Thirds System Camera Mount Adapter, Olympus PEN E-P1, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, GH1, G1
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Fotodiox Leica M Lens to Micro 4/3 Four Thirds System Camera Mount Adapter, Olympus PEN E-P1, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, GH1, G2
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Where to shop
- Olympus Micro Four Thirds @ maxBLITZ Electronics
- Shop maxBLITZ Electronics for the latest and best priced consumer electronics products including audio and video, camera and photo, car electronics, cell phones and services, computers and add-ons, GPS and navigation, home automation and security, MP3 players, office electronics and more.
Featured Lens
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Olympus Pen E-P2, The Digital Pen Upgraded
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Just five months after the launch of its first Micro Four-Thirds camera, the E-P1, Olympus has now announced the E-P2, which will start selling in January 2010. This upgrade takes to actually fills a few rough spots regularly mentioned by reviews and...
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Olympus E-P1 - The Olympus 'Digital Pen' Camera System
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Olympus has been notable for producing cameras that are smaller than their competitors without sacrificing quality or functionality, starting with the half-frame Pen EE series, the Pen F, and later with their professional OM series. And they haven&#...
Olympus Pen User on the Blogs
- Olympus Pen E-P1 Kevin Spacey competition prizes up for grabs ...
- Four Thirds User is an online resource and community dedicated to users of digital cameras, lenses and accessories designed to the Four Thirds Standard. The site includes news, reviews, features, buying advice and a users photo gallery and discussion forum. ... Anyone finding themselves in London can check out the PEN and the stunning books as potential prizes at 125 World in association with Olympus, 51 Great Eastern Street, London, EC2A 3HP. ...
- Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens ...
- Overall: I really really wanted to love the Olympus PEN. However, the Canon Powershot G10 14.7MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom is a better power-user camera. For portability, I will continue with the ...
- Olympus PEN E-P2 Micro Four Thirds camera test / review by Lets Go ...
- Digital Camera News and Reviews - Updates from the camera world.
- Olympus PEN E P1 12 3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens ...
- Olympus PEN E P1 12 3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14 42mm f 3 5 5 6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens Silver Body Black Lens. The new PEN offers groundbreaking technology to a whole new generation of users ...
The Digital Pen in the News
- CES 2010 Predictions: What's on Deck for Cameras?
- Last year saw the debut of the smallest, most fashionable digital SLR alternatives yet, with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 and the Olympus PEN E-P1 and E-P2 ...
- Olympus PEN E-P2 Micro Four Thirds camera now shipping
- Olympus' PEN E-P2 digital camera has finally gone on sale, having been announced all the way back in early November, but the price still isn't any easier to ...
- Olympus PEN E-P2: A street photographer's perspective
- And it so happens just before a recent work trip to Tokyo, I received the review set of Olympus's latest MFT camera, the PEN E-P2. It was the perfect chance ...
- Olympus E-P2 | Digital Camera Review | Introduction
- Olympus PEN E-P2 system camera review : Last summer, Olympus launched its very first Micro Four System-based camera, the PEN E-P1. ...
Your Expert Guide
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OnePhoto: New, Used Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses, Accessories
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OnePhoto, your expert guide on shopping online for new and used film and digital camera, lenses and accessories. Buying current digital camera equipment and accessories online is pretty straight forward these days as information on each product are e...
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