OLYMPUS PROUDLY ANNOUNCE THEIR LATEST MICROFOURTHIRDS CAMERA: OLYMPUS PEN F

Main Features:

PEN offers quality and creativity in a stylish, lightweight, compact and portable body *** Collector’s item thanks to iconic design, build quality, high-grade materials and finish *** Category-leading 5-axis image stabilisation and new 20-Megapixel Live MOS sensor with no pass through filter for exceptional street photography at low ISO settings with low noise and enhanced dynamic range *** Electronic viewfinder for rangefinder-style shooting, with preview, focus peaking and magnification on large 2.36 million-dot OLED *** Creative Dial access to onboard Art Filters, Colour Creator and 2 new creative options: Colour Profile Control and Monochrome Profile Control *** Faster-than-DSLR, categorybest* response time thanks to Fast AF and processing speed *** Eye Detect AF and touch-panel access to point focusing increase focusing speed *** Built-in Wi-Fi for sharing images via compatible smartphones and free OI.Share app *** Compatible with full range of first-class M.ZUIKO lenses and accessories *** Vari-angle high-resolution LCD monitor for shooting at awkward angles *** 50-Megapixel High Res Shot *** True Pic VII processor *** Customizable Mode Dial for fast adjustment of favourite settings *** Supersonic Wave Filter automatically cleans sensor without extra cleaning program *** High-speed sequential shooting @10 fps *** 1/8000 second shutter and ISO 80 equivalent for shooting in bright conditions *** AF spot metering linked to AF point for correct exposure in any situation

F – for the 'F'iner things in life

From Southend, January 27, 2016 06.00 hours – As many photography enthusiasts will confirm, the satisfaction they gain from their hobby comes as much from handling beautifully designed equipment as the moments when they perceive professional quality in one of their own shots. The new PEN-F was clearly conceived to facilitate both. It’s the most powerful ever PEN and one of the most beautiful system cameras Olympus has ever produced. Despite the size constraints of the compact Micro Four Thirds format, the PEN-F inherits much state-of-the-art optical technology from Olympus’ larger, high-end OM-D camera family. This includes its world’s best* 5-axis Image Stabilisation system (worth some 5 EV stops when shooting at low ISO), a 50-Megapixel highresolution shot capability, and a built-in electronic viewfinder with a real-time preview of settings adjustments. Some can be set on a new Creative Dial that gives its owner access to an expanded range of advanced filter options. The metal dial is a prominent feature of the much-vaunted PEN school of design, which blends contemporary and retro style elements with luxury materials and quality craftsmanship. Screw heads are nowhere to be seen on the PEN-F! Like its classic ‘step-up’ silhouette, the look, feel and photographic performance of the PEN-F are intended to induce envy in photo hipsters – both on the street and online.

The PEN-F is available in black or silver from February 2016. Prices: PEN-F body only £999.99, PEN-F and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm 1-3.5-5.6 EZ Pancake lens kit £1099.99, PEN-F and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm 1:1.8 lens kit £1199.99.

New Olympus Pen F harks back to the 1960's

There's no doubt Olympus designers and engineers have sought inspiration from the company's past products. Certainly the EP range (Electronic Pen) derived many of its design looks from the range of half-frame Viewfinder Pens created by Yoshihisa Maitani between 1959 and 1978. The Pen F was Mr. Maitani's first venture into a single lens reflex camera, something that Olympus were short of in their inventory. It too was half-frame enabling the designer to keep its size and proportions quite small like all the Pen cameras. So, what does it share with the original Pen F of the 60's? Lets have a quick look:

Here's the 2016 Pen F:

Above is the new Pen F silver. A handsome machine without doubt. You can see how the similarities, the heritage and the retro look have been lovingly blended with state of the art technology to create a stunning looking camera.

Here's its 50 year old predecessor:

And here is a mid-sixties Pen FT. The stepped contour, the bold and crisp engraving, the simplicity of form and function. A timeless classic.

PEN designers step up

Like every Micro Four Thirds system camera, the PEN-F is built for spontaneous, everyday street photography without a tripod, so it’s more compact and lighter than much larger DSLRs. It’s also considerably better looking, an impression that is heightened when you pick it up. For a relatively small camera, it has surprising gravitas, it feels sensational in the hand and the finish sends a clear message: this camera is for people who appreciate the finer things in life – and who are capable of adding to those things with their own photography. The Olympus design team has gone to great lengths to make the PEN-F a potential style icon worthy of the original F series. This is true Pen F. The new PEN F offers quality and creativity in a stylish, lightweight, compact and portable body. It is a collector’s item thanks to iconic design, build quality, high-grade materials and finish.

Frontal aspect: It's easy to spot the DNA. Yoshihisa Maitani would be proud. That said he may also think there are too many controls, particularly on the top and back plates, ready to confuse users. But his environment was purely mechanical where simplicity of control was first priority. Not so in the electronic, digital world of today.

Creative Dial (left from front) gives access to onboard Art Filters, Colour Creator and 2 new creative options: Colour Profile Control and Monochrome Profile Control. I assume the button below is programmable. The focus assist lamp is on the extreme right (from front) and the lens release below. Pen F Black: Its classic ‘step’ contour, the brand name is precisely engraved in the metal casing and the leather-like camera surround is deluxe to the touch. Even the dimensions and hatched surface of the dials are designed to make onlookers envious.

New creative options

The largest metal dial in front of the PEN-F is the gateway to its newest creative features. Olympus prides itself on the variety of filters and options its cameras provide – and on making them easy to use. The Creative Dial embodies those ambitions with fast, no-look access to four settings, two of which are new to the PEN range: Monochrome Profile Control and Colour Profile Control. The first offers gradation-curve, film-grain, shading adjustment and black-and-white filter effects with three available presets. Colour Profile Control also comes with three presets and affects the gradation curve. It can be used to adjust the saturation of 12 colours to 11 different levels. A lever mounted at the back of the camera easily switches between different modes.

Rear aspect with screen viewable

New PEN F Silver (chrome) from the back. WOW - some engineering and ergonomic thought has gone into this. Look very closely; you'll not see a screw head anywhere. Such attention to detail. There are two programmable function (Fn) buttons, a dioptre adjuster and the usual array of access buttons.

EVF on board

The iconic aspirations of the PEN-F are not confined to its design. Street photography has never been more popular and the new PEN features a classic of the genre: a built-in electronic viewfinder that delivers the rangefinder-style shooting experience, including focusing assistance with focus peaking and image magnification of 0.62x. The EVF has a large, highdefinition OLED display with 2.36 million-dot resolution, which shows a realtime preview of any adjustments to settings, such as those accessible via the new Creative Dial. The PEN’s 5-axis IS essentially ensures a blur-free display.

Rear Aspect with screen closed and protected

Rear of camera with the screen reversed showing the hard plastic shell for protection. Thie feature first appeared on the E-3 (of the 4/3rds machines) and is a great innovation. It protects the screen from damage even when packed away.

Here with screen folded out

Vari-angle high-resolution LCD monitor for shooting at awkward angles. Also you san use the forward pointing screen for better composition of self inclusion portraiture.

Rear screen

The back screen is fully mobile inasmuch as it folds out, swivels and tilts (ala E-3 & E-5). With the viewing screen turned inwards both the back of the camera and the screen are protected by the hard shell. Electronic viewfinder for rangefinder-style shooting, with preview, focus peaking and magnification on large 2.36 million-dot OLED. It's these details that make Olympus cameras stand out from the rest.

Side views

Relatively uneventfull side elevations. The camera looks quite 'chunky' providing something solid to hold, weight and gravitas.

Above you can see what the new Pen F looks like from each end (as if you are holding the camera normally). On the right hand end is the communications door with the usual SD card slot. On the opposite end is the large hinge for the screen and a small MICRO 4/3 Icon Badge moved from the front plate on E-P series and rear plate on E-M series. Nice. Uncluttered.

Top Plate view

New PEN F Black top plate: So many small design details drawn from past masterpieces. And look - a dedicated manual compensation dial, brilliant; shades of OM.

Just a quick look at the top plate reveals a neat on/off button to the left (a similar arrangement on the E-M1 engendered some criticism, but personally I love it. To me it's natural to turn on the camera with the left hand as the right controls almost everything else. The principal control knob is freed up by transferring the 'Creative' features to a new knob on the front plate, leaving P A S M, Movie and iAuto AND the addition of 4 programmable camera configurations instantly selectable from this knob - brilliant. The shutter button lies at the bottom of a shallow dish for protection and smooth operation with what appears to be a true mechanical shutter release thread. A dedicated compensation knob lies to the right, with a function button beneath. The normal 'access' spinner button lies just inboard. I can't wait to try this out.

Bottom Plate view

Bottom plate very much the same as the E-P range of machines. I note this camera is made in Vietnam.

The bottom plate is remarkably clean. The tripod bush appears to be dead in the centre line of the lens which will please panorama, 360 degree and star trail fans where nodal position is imperative. The lens shown is the 12mm x f=2.0 MZuiko.

Final look at the Pen F black with 17mm lens

This is one handsome camera. Whilst it seems chrome (or more modernly, silver) is making a popular return to favour, I've always had a fondness for black cameras. There's little more appealing than a 1960's black Pen FT with a pancake lens; and extremely pocketable too.

SOME FINAL WORDS FROM THE OLYMPUS RELEASE

Low-pass filter-free for higher resolution Image quality is where bulky DSLR cameras would hope to out-perform the PEN-F, but most will fall short. This unique piece of design is packed with state-of-the-art technology. The tried-and-tested 5-axis Image Stabilisation system remains the world’s best* and, combined with a new 20-Megapixel Live MOS image sensor that lacks a low pass filter, it enables longer exposure times at low ISO settings. The new sensor provides 25% better resolution, while maintaining low-noise and dynamic-range performance. The results are impressive, especially with spontaneous, handheld photography. Which, of course, is what the lightweight PEN-F does best.

Ultra-fast response Speed of response is equally important when you’re shooting on the fly, and it’s a common fallacy that DSLR cameras generally respond faster than their Micro Four Thirds equivalents. The PEN-F lays this myth to rest with the category’s shortest* release time lag between pressing the shutter release button and the actual shot. The autofocus is also extremely quick, thanks to the Eye Detect AF feature and touch-panel access to point focusing. The PEN-F offers street style enthusiasts a number of other advantages. High-speed sequential shooting at up to 10 fps makes it easy to track fastmoving subjects and a high-res Vari-angle LCD monitor is ideal for capturing videos or stills in tricky situations. At the request of keen photographers, Olympus has linked AF spot metering to the AF target, which helps achieve correct exposure in any shooting situation, while another OM-D-tested feature makes for an unexpected treat – High Res Shot bumps resolution up to the equivalent of 50 Megapixels.

For uploading images to photo communities and other media, the PEN-F supports Wi-Fi and the free OI.Share 2.6 app. Other user-friendly features include the Supersonic Wave Filter, which automatically shakes off dust that can settle on the sensor during lens changes – and avoids dreary lenscleaning procedures. For style-conscious owners, the PEN-F is compatible with a specially designed range of accessories as well as some 40 M.ZUIKO lenses, including the professional-grade M.ZUIKO PRO range. Every Olympus lens and camera comes with a free six-month warranty extension** when registered via the MyOlympus online platform. To celebrate the launch, Olympus are running special PEN-F in-store events at a selection of retailers. Photographers can pre-book at 20 minute session with Olympus, and get hands on with the PEN-F. For more details and the chance to book a session please press: HERE

Pricing and availability . The PEN-F body only is priced at £999.99 RRP inc VAT and available from end February 2016.

The PEN-F and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm 1-3.5-5.6 EZ Pancake lens kit only is priced at £1099.99 RRP inc VAT and available from end February 2016.

The PEN-F and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm 1:1.8 lens kit is priced at £1199.99 RRP inc VAT and available from end February 2016.

Last thoughts

Being a one time 4/3rds user and fan, I was devastated when Olympus decided to let 4/3rds 'wither on the vine'. To me the following E-Pen system simply was not an option as, although it accepts 4/3rds lenses, much functionality and usability is lost. Subsequently I have invested in quite a few Micro4/3rds lenses and do use the system from time to time, but this old fashioned SLR/DSLR user has never really taken it to heart. And so when Olympus announced the E-M1 with its dual focusing capability I was over the moon. The E-M1 is about as perfect a camera as I need though I fully accept it is principally a MICRO4/3rds machine with 4/3rds AF capabilities (long may it continue).

But now Olympus seeks to tempt me with its digital equivalent of one of my all time favourites, Pen F. I can't wait to get my hands on a review sample and feel the wave of nostalgia washing over me. I think the experience will prove overwhelming and I will become a genuine fan of Micro4/3rds. The new Pen F will convert me. I mean, just look at the thing - it is simply stunning. And I have no doubt it will deliver great imaging. New camera, new sensor, new pipeline, new processor and all combined with some of the best lenses created, how could it fail?

But my final thoughts on today's announcement are a tad negative; not about the camera, but the wording of the Press Release and the none too subtle social snobbery nuances. I wish Olympus would remove the sentences and other references to 'jealousy' and 'envy' from their document. It is simply demeaning. Olympus needs to promote their expertise through class leading technology and being the best, not by trying to make others envious. These superficial references add nothing to the cause. And, as a long term collector of Olympus cameras, please let others decide what is collectible and what's not.

FULL SPECIFICATIONS

If you require a pdf of the full specifications of the new PEN F please press HERE