How does a Pen S work?

[ampguy]

I saw what I think is a Pen S with 28/3.5 lens, but I could not figure out how it worked.

There is no selenium meter ring around the lens, or place for batteries. I didn't count the # of lugs.

I found this site: http://www.biofos.com/cornucop/pens35.html

which indicates there were some 70K units made, but I don't see any on the auction site.

The ring around the lens moves, but it is not a focus ring, so I think focus is fixed, but the #'s were either for film speed for shutter speed, but it seemed like there was only one ring??

Is this a Pen S or Pen EE something?

The lens was definitely not removable.

 

[ampguy]

Looks like the one in the 2nd photo here:

http://corsopolaris.net/supercameras/half/halformat4s.html

including the 2.8cm lens, 3.5 which is shown in the photo, but not mentioned in the text.

 

[BillBingham2]

Take a look here perhaps.....

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/olympus.htm

I've sent this crazy guy a few manuals to help out his effort.

B2

 

[ampguy]

Thanks

Thanks

It's definitely not any of those, no batteries or meter, but the diagrams of those models were helpful, I could have missed one of the rings for aperture or shutter.

Take a look here perhaps.....

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/olympus.htm

I've sent this crazy guy a few manuals to help out his effort.

B2

 

[Dwig]

The Pen and both variants of the Pen-S have no meter, hence they have to battery and no photocell.

The Butkus site lacks a manual specific to either the Pen or the two Pen-S variants. This site does have the Pen-S 3.5 manual:

http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/instructionmanuals.html

Take care to read the text at the top. The downloads require a login name and password. These are provided at the top of the page.

The outer chrome ring sets the shutter speed. The next ring in, black, is the focus. The f/stop is the inner most and turning it will change the focus. You need to hold the focus ring while changing f/stop.

 

[ampguy]

Thanks

Thanks

That manual is pretty close (Pen S), however, this camera doesn't have a completely removeable back, it has a lever on one side that you lift, and the back swings open. The rest of the manual seems to correspond pretty much.

The Pen and both variants of the Pen-S have no meter, hence they have to battery and no photocell.

The Butkus site lacks a manual specific to either the Pen or the two Pen-S variants. This site does have the Pen-S 3.5 manual:

http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/instructionmanuals.html

Take care to read the text at the top. The downloads require a login name and password. These are provided at the top of the page.

The outer chrome ring sets the shutter speed. The next ring in, black, is the focus. The f/stop is the inner most and turning it will change the focus. You need to hold the focus ring while changing f/stop.

 

[ampguy]

OK, well I have it now, it and it is pretty cool. It is an EE2. Turns out it did have the selenium ring around it.

So I think I have figured out the 2 modes of operation of this fixed focus budget camera with 1.5m min distance and fixed 28/3.5 lens:

manual - 1/40th shutter speed only, you pick the aperture from 3.5 to 22 stepless.

auto(?!) - 1/40th shutter speed only, you set the film ISO from 25 to 400. If it detects it as too dark, it blocks the shutter from firing with a manual red flag partially going into the vf. If it does fire, then it selects some aperture on it's own from 3.5 to 22.

I guess you could use it in auto mode, then if it doesn't let you shoot, you can manually turn the ring to 3.5 and see what you get with 1/40th and 3.5.

On the overexposure side, I don't think there are any controls there, but it takes 43.5 filters, so I might be able to tape up a 43 4xND for bright outdoors.

Can't wait to try putting some film through this novel camera. What an ingenious metering system. Seems to have been about 35 years ahead of Leica with it's pseudo AE system!

 

[camera.bear]

OK, well I have it now, it and it is pretty cool. It is an EE2. Turns out it did have the selenium ring around it.

So I think I have figured out the 2 modes of operation of this fixed focus budget camera with 1.5m min distance and fixed 28/3.5 lens:

manual - 1/40th shutter speed only, you pick the aperture from 3.5 to 22 stepless.

auto(?!) - 1/40th shutter speed only, you set the film ISO from 25 to 400. If it detects it as too dark, it blocks the shutter from firing with a manual red flag partially going into the vf. If it does fire, then it selects some aperture on it's own from 3.5 to 22.

I guess you could use it in auto mode, then if it doesn't let you shoot, you can manually turn the ring to 3.5 and see what you get with 1/40th and 3.5.

On the overexposure side, I don't think there are any controls there, but it takes 43.5 filters, so I might be able to tape up a 43 4xND for bright outdoors.

Can't wait to try putting some film through this novel camera. What an ingenious metering system. Seems to have been about 35 years ahead of Leica with it's pseudo AE system!

Hey Ampguy,

I was pretty sure that the EE2 worked like my EES-2 and I just checked the manual for the Pen EE2. In Auto EE mode, the camera will chose either 1/40 OR 1/200 sec and then adjust the aperture accordingly. It works just like my EES-2 except for the max wide aperture. The EE2 works from EV 8.9 - EV 17.14 (ASA 100) The EES-2 works from EV 8.3 - EV 17.14 (ASA 100).

Because the Pen EE cameras work up to EV 17, you should not have to really worry about overexposures. I have not had a problem here in Phoenix. I have really had a good time shooting my Pen. Happy shooting.

 

[ampguy]

Thanks! yes, I read this too

Thanks! yes, I read this too

With my first test roll I'm using both the "manual" mode, and the auto mode.

The thing I'm trying to sort out is if manual mode of setting aperture, shutter is always 1/40th, and in "auto" mode of setting ISO, if shutter is always 1/200, or if in "auto" mode, it can drop down to 1/40th.

Have read conflicting info. on some old pnet threads about this.

Thanks for the info. I might have results back in a day or so, depending if Costco can deal with the 1/2 frame stuff!! (but I can scan myself if they can develop).

Hey Ampguy,

I was pretty sure that the EE2 worked like my EES-2 and I just checked the manual for the Pen EE2. In Auto EE mode, the camera will chose either 1/40 OR 1/200 sec and then adjust the aperture accordingly. It works just like my EES-2 except for the max wide aperture. The EE2 works from EV 8.9 - EV 17.14 (ASA 100) The EES-2 works from EV 8.3 - EV 17.14 (ASA 100).

Because the Pen EE cameras work up to EV 17, you should not have to really worry about overexposures. I have not had a problem here in Phoenix. I have really had a good time shooting my Pen. Happy shooting.

 

[Cale Arthur]

The thing I'm trying to sort out is if manual mode of setting aperture, shutter is always 1/40th, and in "auto" mode of setting ISO, if shutter is always 1/200, or if in "auto" mode, it can drop down to 1/40th.

In manual mode (aka flash mode), the shutter only fires at 1/40th. In auto mode, it should alternate between 1/40th and 1/200th, depending on the level of light. If you can't get it to fire at 1/200th in strong light, something may be amiss in the metering chain..

A manual for the EE2 can be found at this link.

 

[ampguy]

Thanks

Thanks

This does appear to be the case. With my first roll, 1/2 manual mode (most @ 3.5) most were over-exposed.

Auto mode does seem to invoke 1/200 when needed and stops down well too. Here are some samples, with Reala 100, set at 64:

here

In manual mode (aka flash mode), the shutter only fires at 1/40th. In auto mode, it should alternate between 1/40th and 1/200th, depending on the level of light. If you can't get it to fire at 1/200th in strong light, something may be amiss in the metering chain..

A manual for the EE2 can be found at this link.