Until now, in comparison with the Olympus OM-D series, we have paid little attention to Olympus PEN cameras. I had the feeling that an amateur photographer who was searching for a compact camera with interchangeable lenses was better off with an OM-D. OM-D offered more options and a built-in viewfinder. |
PEN-F: Concept camera with a nod to the past |
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The Olympus PEN-F was a cute little analogue camera that was released in 1963. The design of the digital Olympus PEN-F is a clear ode to the original PEN-F. They strongly resemble each other when viewed from the front. This is a product that, according to Olympus, is only designed once in a generation and is intended for everyone with a passion for photography, style and design. A Micro Four Thirds-sensor is much larger than the sensors that are used in smartphones and most compact cameras. At the same time, the PEN-F sensor is smaller than a full-frame sensor in an SLR camera. That means that the PEN-F is more compact and lighter than an SLR camera, while the image quality is comparable to APS-C SLR cameras. In comparison with the OM-D cameras from Olympus, where you use the same interchangeable lenses and a micro-43 sensor, you have more options with the PEN-F in order for editing the image simply in the camera. The image editing in the camera is a combination of buttons/switches on the camera and the menu on the screen/in the viewfinder. The filter/profile button at the top left on the front of the PEN-F is new and helps with that. This button offers direct access to various image styles and art filters, the results of which you also immediately see in the viewfinder. WYSIWYG is one of the big advantages of an electronic viewfinder in comparison with SLR cameras, where you can only see the edited version on the screen on the back of the camera afterwards. The monochrome mode on the front of the camera is new. Monochrome offers you 3 preset profiles, of which profile 1 is a direct conversion to black and white. Profile 2 resembles an analogue black and white film, including grain. Profile 3 simulates an infrared shot. Starting from these 3 profiles, you can further adjust the image to your own taste and the shooting situation by then playing with contrast, color filters (as in analogue photography) and vignetting. |
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First Olympus PEN with built-in viewfinder |
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I think an important plus point relative to all prior PEN cameras is the built-in viewfinder. Although there are ever-more photographers who primarily use the screen on the back of the camera to set the composition and focus, a built-in viewfinder has added value, even if it’s only for photographing in bright sunlight. The viewfinder shows 100% of the image, so that you can accurately frame, with a magnification of 1.23x. Taking the crop factor into account, that is a magnification of 0.62x. That is comparable with the magnification of APS-C SLR cameras and a bit less than the 0.7x of professional, full-frame SLR cameras and of earlier Olympus OM-D cameras. The number of pixels of the PEN viewfinder is the same as the number of pixels of the OM-D cameras, which means that the PEN-F has a higher resolution. My preference is for the larger viewfinder of an OM-D over the higher resolution of the PEN-F. Fans of an optical viewfinder might reach the opposite conclusion, due to the higher resolution of the PEN viewfinder. |
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Which Olympus camera suits me? |
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Classifying into boxes always has risks. And you certainly have to take such things with a grain of salt. Even so, you probably want to know whether this is the right camera for you. The Olympus cameras that we have reviewed to date can be assigned to different target audiences based on their distinctive characteristics.
As long as we’re putting things into boxes: if you shoot in RAW, then choose one of the first two cameras. If you prefer shooting and/or primarily shoot in jpg, then choose a PEN-F or an OM-D E-M10 MK2. |
Olympus PEN-F:Build quality and ergonomics |
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The Olympus PEN-F has a metal body. The camera therefore feels heavier, more luxurious and more solid than very light cameras with a plastic body. As far as sturdiness/solidity is concerned, it does not have to make much difference. Some plastics are stronger than steel. It just feels nicer than a feather-light camera. You insert the SD card next to the battery on the bottom of the camera. For a photographer who uses this camera a lot from a tripod due to the high resolution, that is less handy if you need to change SD cards. At the top right on the camera there is a button with which you can over- and under-expose your shots. The button has enough resistance not to change positions unintentionally, but it is therefore also more difficult to operate with your thumb when you are holding the camera in front of your face. Personally, I prefer the button layout of the OM-D 1, OMD-E-M5 MK2, where I can adjust the aperture choice (and for action the shutter time preference) by operating the two corresponding buttons with thumb and index finger. On the back of the camera is a fold-out screen that you can then turn freely, so that you can hold the camera over your head or close to the ground and still see what will show up in the picture. It is a very practical feature, a tilting AND rotating screen, but it is not yet common. Oh yes, you can also make selfies with it, thans to the tilting and rotating screen. |
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Olympus PEN-F list price |
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The Olympus PEN-F is available starting in early March 2016 in a black and a silver version. The list price is € 1199.- for the body, € 1399.- for a kit with the Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42 mm 1-3.5-5.6 EZ Pancake lens (review follows shortly) and € 1499.- for a kit with the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17 mm 1:2.8 lens (which I would choose). There some 40 other M.ZUIKO lenses for sale for the PEN-F, of which the Olympus 75 mm f/1.8 makes a great combination for portrait and street photography shots with a nice background blur. All Panasonic lenses and some Voigtlaender and Sigma micro-43 lenses with a fixed focal length are also suitable for the Olympus PEN-F. |
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Versatile image editing in the camera With a short telephoto lens (75 mm f/1.8), you isolate the subject beautifully from the background with a great bokeh. The camera has converted all colors—except one—into black and white, so that the shot takes on a lot more atmosphere. Further post-editing in Lightroom or Photoshop was further no longer needed. | |
The Olympus PEN-F has an unbelievably short release delay, the time between pressing the release button and taking the picture. The auto focus also works incredibly fast. Eye Detect AF function and the touchscreen on which you directly designate a focus point make the A very user-friendly. |
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Fast auto focus |
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The Olympus PEN-F has a very short release delay. If the camera has already focused and you then press the shutter release, then it is a matter of milliseconds before the picture is taken. The auto focus is also fast. The camera focuses and captures in a bit more than 100 ms (tested with the Olympus 14-42 mm EZ and with the 12-40 mm f/2.8). That is just as fast as the very fastest SLR cameras of today. Because the Olympus PEN-F, with the help of contrast detection, focuses on the sensor signal, there is never front or back focus. Every shot is spot-on sharp. |
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Connectivity, video and more |
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Today, all system cameras have built-in options for sending files wirelessly to a smart phone and social media. For uploading shots, the PEN-F offers support for Wi-Fi. The free OI.Share v2.6 smartphone app is available for a seamless file transfer via Wi-Fi. Where the Olympus PEN-F distinguishes itself in my eyes is the ease with which you can apply filters to jpg files, and that you can assess in the viewfinder to see whether or not you want to apply them. You thus do not have to use any external editing and you can immediately share the edited shots on social media after you have created them. |
Various kinds of bracketing: |
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If you are not certain which camera settings are the best choice for exposure, focus, white balance, creative filter or image style, then you can set the camera to bracketing. The camera then takes multiple shots in which the photographer sets in advance which parameters will be changed in what steps. You can then choose the best shot afterwards, or you put together a new image from multiple bracketing shots. You can thus take pictures that are sharp from front to back with the help of focus bracketing. That is not possible with a single shot. During the practice test, I made use of Art filter bracketing, where you store multiple versions of a shot in the camera. For each shot that I made, next to the RAW file, there were 37 different jpg versions stored. You can choose fewer as well, but I tried out the maximum number of options. Art bracketing is a good way for creative photographers who do not need to edit shots to get acquainted with the Art filters. After photographing a few times, you know which image styles appeal to you most. Then you turn off all the other image styles, so that you might save 4 different versions of every shot, for example. In the included Olympus Viewer software, you can (if you have taken pictures in RAW) also experiment with the different image styles and creative Art filters. With one of the creative filters, you can select the color from a color wheel that will not be converted to black and white. A shot of a cherry-red car takes on a totally different mood in a very simple way. |
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Video |
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With the Olympus PEN-F, you make Full HD recordings at 60 frames per second. The Olympus video image quality is OK. The enormous plus point of the modern Olympus cameras is the built-in image stabilization. That is so good that you can film by hand even without expensive equipment. That is unmatched. Even so, this camera is not intended for someone who wants to do serious video work, since there are, for example, no connections for external headphones or for an external microphone. |
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Accessories |
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Feeling plays an important role in photographing with an Olympus PEN-F. The leather accessories (camera strap, protective cloth and camera bag) provide the comfort that you feel when using this camera. There is also an optional metal L-grip for those who would rather have a bit heavier or larger camera, without having to give up the great appearance. | |
Electronic shutter: 1/16,000 and completely silent!
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Compact mirrorless system cameras are practically always quieter than SLR cameras because there is not a mirror flipping up and down when you take a picture. Even so, you can still clearly hear the opening and closing of the shutter of many compact system cameras in a silent environment. If you make use of an electronic shutter (“silent mode”), then you hear practically nothing when taking a picture. If you have the lens completely open, then you hear nothing at all. If you choose a smaller aperture, then there is a very small sound of the aperture closing that can be heard. It is so quiet that only the photographer—who has his or her ear next to the camera—can still hear it. Another advantage of an electronic shutter is that no shutter-shock vibrations can occur in the camera, so that you get sharper pictures. The current cameras do not yet have an electronic global shutter, with the disadvantage that you can see a rolling shutter effect if you use the silent shutter with very fast-moving subjects like trucks or a train racing by. The shot then doesn’t have perfectly straight vertical lines then because the rows on the sensor are read out in series. In order to prevent any rolling shutter, you thus use the mechanical shutter. |
Conclusion Olympus PEN-F review |
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Pros
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Cons
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For a camera with a list price over a thousand euros, the bar can be high. And in most situations, the Olympus PEN-F will fulfill the high expectations. The new 20-megapixel sensor offers the highest resolution of all Olympus cameras, with good dynamic range and great lack of noise at high ISOs. The high resolution shots are, as far as resolution is concerned, comparable with the best SLR cameras. Where an SLR camera only appeals to technology fans in terms of appearance, the look of the Olympus PEN-F is of another caliber. This is really a beautiful camera to look at and one that is nice to hold. The Olympus PEN-F is for sale in different kits. Whether you buy a silver or a black version depends on taste. For the kit lens, I have recommendation. The kit with the 14-42 mm EZ zoom lens is nicely compact and relatively inexpensive. Even so, I would absolutely choose a kit with a fixed focal length. As far as focal length is concerned, the 17 mm f/1.8 is an understandable choice for the urban photographer. I would quickly expand the set with the Olympus 12 mm f/2 for a bit wider view, the 45 mm f/1.8 for portraits with a great background blur and a 75 mm f/1.8 for great bokeh/background blur. The test shots that I have chosen for illustrations for this review are made with the 17 mm and the 75 mm. |