New PEN-F

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<p>ok but are you actually gonna <em>buy</em> one? <br>

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<p>It's tempting. Now that I know it has the hi-res mode, I won't need to buy, say, an E-M5. Without going into detail, I cannot say that the hi-res mode would completely replace bigger sensors (e.g. Phase One, Leica etc.). But it's a 99% replacement, so that's pretty good. I might actually buy one just to use in this mode.<br>

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<p>for a laugh, check out MT's thoughts on Huff in the comments section<br>

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<p>I'd rather attacks ad hominem (and also the genetic fallacy). Whatever the history between them, it's not my business. ;-)</p>

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<p> Now that I know it has the hi-res mode, I won't need to buy, say, an E-M5... I might actually buy one just to use in this mode.</p>

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<p>Really? ok. maybe i undervalued the appeal of the hi-res mode. from MT's comments, it seems like it is extremely vulnerable to camera movement. but certainly cheaper than a medium format digital body.</p>

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<p>I'd rather attacks ad hominem (and also the genetic fallacy). Whatever the history between them, it's not my business. ;-)</p>

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<p>i think they are reviewers with opposing styles. Huff appears to be going mainly for web clicks, while MT applies more critical thinking to his posts. i doubt seriously that MT's website is his main source of income, which may be true for Huff. Occasionally Huff will have some good info, but his writing style is big on superlatives.</p>

<p>I think it will be a good replacement for my Oly PEN E-P1 from 2009. Apart from a few Oly u4/3 lenses I can also fit with the u4/3-M adapter my Leica M glass on it.</p>

<p>Usefulness depens on use. I bought a Pen F a few days ago to replace my 2009 version of this versatile camera. It is useful for all sorts of manual optics -and can double as a portable autofocus snapshot device.<br>

For my purposes, WiFi, filter knobs, JPEG, menus and screen have very limited use. Raw files are developed in the computer. A leica M3 with digital sensor would be a good start, but current Ms are fatter and very much more expensive. The electronic viewinder of the PenF eliminates the need for high precision mechanical parts beyond sensor and lens mount alignment, but does not need the extra hump that some cameras have. Stabilized sensor is very useful.<br>

In practice, the viewfinder makes the camera function like an SLR with the bonus of focus peaking (plus enlargement if needed) and fairly constant brightness even when stopping down. The light meter & auto shutter is accurate enough. The adjustment knob of 3 stops up or down gives plenty of correction possibility if the (spot/center weighted/evaluating) metering should be mistaken. The screen can be reversed so there is no chance of the touch-controls accidentally starting (pictures can be reviewed through the viewfinder). Picture quality is good, but I have been photographing oddly angled tiled roofs in good light, not Siemens stars. (iso 200, and reasonably good lenses: 100mm and a 21-35 zoom, hand held)<br>

Only problem so far is occasional unwanted filming though some button being accidenally pushed. I trust that Olympus in time will launch a firmware update that has one optional "entirely off" setting for each and every button and function except the shutter release and that the front button can be programmed to adjust for stabilising different focal lengths so as to avoid faffing around with menus.<br>

p.</p>

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