Who likes Olympus Pen F half frame SLRs?

Finally got the Olympus Pen F squared away. First one I bought had serious shutter issues, so it was returned. The second one from Japan, looks beautiful and the shutter was very good, unfortunately the FFD was off by .005" so getting accurate focus was a guessing game. Took the camera apart last week and shimmed the FFD so now it is spot on. Experimenting with different films to see how little grain I can get in an image. Also experimenting with diptych's.

Pen-Duo01.jpg
Ilford Delta 100, HC-110, 119:1, 24 min

Best,
-Tim
 
More diptych experimenting, and having fun with a bevy of new lenses and some old expired AgfaPan APX-100 in some old expired Rodinal.
PenCaddy.jpg​

Olympus Pen F, w/20mm f3.5 & 100mm f3.5 lenses, Expired AgfaPan APX-100, Expired Rodinal (but does Rodinal ever really expire?)

Best,
-Tim
 
Some Pen FT photos I've shot with Superia 200 pleased with the results despite the film being around 13 years old expired
 

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Want to try one of these SLRs specifically for the 100mm 3.5 lens. Anyone got experience with that combo? Which camera model would you recommend?
 
halvmesyr said:
Want to try one of these SLRs specifically for the 100mm 3.5 lens. Anyone got experience with that combo? Which camera model would you recommend?
Click to expand...

There is an image with that combo above (#145). It's a great little lens, I use mine on an original Pen F body. But I assume it would work just as well on the other two, just the viewfinder would be darker on the Pen FT.

Best,
-Tim
 
Timmyjoe said:
There is an image with that combo above (#145). It's a great little lens, I use mine on an original Pen F body. But I assume it would work just as well on the other two, just the viewfinder would be darker on the Pen FT.

Best,
-Tim
Click to expand...

Thanks! Your photo looks really good. Nice and compressed perspective.

I understand that the FT has a split prism also? How is the focusing experience with the 100mm on your Pen F? Maybe the slightly brighter viewfinder is more practical than the prism?

By the way, my username translates to "half measures". I made this account to ask for help with an original Pen that I was gifted. I ended up not asking for help here but sent it out for repair instead. Unfortunately the film advance was beyond saving so I only ever shot a test roll with the camera. So now I'm hoping to finally get a working half frame setup. Ideally with that 100mm lens as I've come to really enjoy longer lenses. The 70mm f2 seems very interesting too but I think it's too rare to come by at a reasonable price.
 
I agree about the 70mm, along with the 60mm, both are fetching stupid prices, so neither will be part of my collection. There was also a 50-90mm zoom, and a few longer lenses and zooms, like a 150mm, and a 100-200mm I believe. Finding a good working body is harder than finding good glass, in my experience. I have not used an FT or FV, but I've heard the viewfinder is dimmer on the FT. I've had three original F models, the first one had really wacky shutter speeds, so it was returned. The second one had the FFD out of wack, but I was able to fix that, so that's the one I use currently. And I ended up with another F body because it came with two lenses I really wanted. The body is frozen, the shutter doesn't work at all, so I'm keeping it for a possible parts camera if I ever need one.

There is an individual here in the States, who will service the FT and FV models, but will not touch the original F. So depending on where you are, you may want to look for one of the later bodies.

Best,
-Tim
 
I was very pleased when a search turned up this old conversation on the Pen F cameras. It has lot of good pictures and information about the little Maitani masterpieces. I hope other admirers of the Pen half frames will be motivated to share their experiences with the cameras.
I have been hugely impressed with the results from my first two rolls with the f1.8/38mm lens on my Pen-FT. Now, of course, I'm scouring the net for lenses and hoping to at least find a 100mm that I can afford.
Here are a couple from a roll of Kentmere 100 in PMK Pyro which show the good resolution and fine grain which can come from half frame.
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I’ve wanted one for years. I’ll probably pull the trigger at some point after I fill out my lens kit to the M4 and M2 I bought this week.
 
I have one with quite a lot of lenses. It is a great camera. The only drawback is that the quality of the images in a direct comparison never reaches that of 36x24mm cameras. Printing the negatives demands the utmost from the photographer, but even the best results are disappointing in direct comparison with photos on the 24x36mm format. That's why I stopped shooting with a Pen F.

It is however fun to collect all the lenses.
 
Finally satisfied my curiosity about these little cameras and bought a gothic F, with a very bright finder and quite clean. I have to wait on the 38mm f1.8, bought elsewhere, to arrive.
 
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