Olympus Pen S

gzuiko said:
I think the original 1959 Olympus Pen and Pen S are great little cameras, because of their simplicity. I collected them awhile back and still have quite a few. I found that using them it was difficult to finish a 72 shot roll though.
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There is a solution to that problem if you are willing to do your own processing. After shooting at least 10 frames, advance the film one more frame. Now, in total darkness open the back and cut the exposed frames off the roll and load into your developing tank. Once the exposed film is safe then you can trim a new leader and reload the remaining film in room light.
I process my own B&W (for the last 50 years) and if I want to see results right away have used this method many times.
Overall you lose some shots, but that is compensated for by not taking 'junk shots' just to complete the roll so you can process it.

edit; In the old days, when 100 ft. bulk film was cheap I'd just 'short load' my own cartridges with how many exposures I thought I'd need. But wow, bulk film is now 60% to 90% of the price of just buying preloaded film. And that is not including empty cartridges which are expensive, don't last forever and are junk quality.
 
Started the roll in late October last year, finally finished in May. I wouldn't necessarily call these junk shots, but next time, I think I'll bulk load a short roll. Shooting three frame "pen-o-ramas" helps to finish the roll sooner, as does in-camera triptychs. :p

Olympus Pen S, Ultrafine eXtreme 400, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5.5 minutes.


2019.10.21 Roll #227a-05149-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr
 
dourbalistar said:
Started the roll in late October last year, finally finished in May. I wouldn't necessarily call these junk shots, but next time, I think I'll bulk load a short roll. Shooting three frame "pen-o-ramas" helps to finish the roll sooner, as does in-camera triptychs. :p

Olympus Pen S, Ultrafine eXtreme 400, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5.5 minutes.


2019.10.21 Roll #227a-05149-Pano-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr
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No, sure not junk shots. But I'm just not that good a photographer so sometimes wind up clipping off exposed frames when I've run out of ideas and want to see what I have without waiting several months.
I've been messing around with 6x9, only eight shots on a 120 roll. Of course that is getting close to a dollar a shot with even the cheapest 120 B&W running $5.50 a roll with tax, or 70 cents a shot. With Ilford HP5 it's 85 cents each or with Kodak TX it's now over $1 per shot. So it's slow tripod work with a notebook and more careful consideration of each shot.
 
These days, I only use my half-frame cameras when I'm pretty sure there will be at least 72+ photo ops in a single day... a special visit to a scenic place... a big family or public event etc. The result is that each sleeve of positive transparencies or proof sheet of negatives serves as a compact serial diary of a particular day. Even so, I still find myself shooting a few 'Pen-o-ramas' to burn off extra frames.
 
I always wanted a Pen F but could never find one in my price range. I did have the Yashica Samurai though, and got some amazing photos from that camera. Half-frame is a really fun format and if your intent is to scan your film, it can work out really well. One thing I did to help speed the shooting process along was to only buy 12- or 24-exposure rolls of film; it got to be pretty difficult to shoot up a 36-exposure roll.
 
Muggins said:
That's stunning! I assume that it's a less-conventional view of Yosemite?
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Thank you, Muggins! The photo was taken from atop North Dome, which is directly across the valley from Half Dome. It's not a destination that most tourists visit, as they tend to stay in Yosemite Valley proper. North Dome is much less trafficked, since it's a 4.4 mile (7.1 km) hike from the trailhead. But you're rewarded with front row seats and eye level views of Half Dome (with panoramic views of Yosemite Valley), plus you avoid the crowds! :cool:

https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/north-dome/north-dome.htm
 
I have a Pen W bought a couple of months ago stays in my pocket all the time (bought to replace a Canon demi), probably put at least a roll of film throught it a week, its got the 25mm f2.8 and the lens is very sharp and gives lovely tones. If you go for a Pen F not sure they are that much smaller than Om1 too big for a pocket. Half frame is great fun you'll not regret it!
 
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