Olympus Pen FT - Practicing Good Penmanship

[john_shriver]

<p>APS-C is today's half-frame. 4/3rd system is quarter-frame, half again the size of APS-C.</p>

[carbon_dragon]

You are a lot closer than I thought you were. I guess the difference is that in half frame film you couldn't have higher

resolution film just for APS film. With sensors using different technologies and different generations of tech it gets

cloudier. I sure have no problems blowing up my Nex7's sensor up pretty high. My M8 sensor is a little bigger than half

frame though (APS-H).

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>Well, you could certainly elevate my opinion of half-frame cameras, <strong>Louis</strong>, though putting such a beautiful outfit in your creative hands takes the expectations way above the norm. "Crayons", "Back Porch" and "Pink Buds" have particular appeal, along with the fine "product shots". Wonder why Olympus called it a "Single Frame" system? Many thanks for a great post.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Thanks for the responses, comments and contributions. <strong>Mike,</strong> the screen looks pretty bright although they say the original Pen F had no meter and because of that had a slightly brighter screen. Thanks for the link, <strong>Les</strong>. It's not too expensive to get into a basic camera and 38mm f/1.8 lens but the fast glass or the hard to find 38mm f/2.8 pancake lens will set you back some coin. I didn't know it at the time, but apparently black bodied FT's are hard to come by. Thanks for your comments, <strong>Rod. </strong>Thanks <strong>Stephen</strong>, I wanted one back then too but never got one. I'm making up for lost time:o) Yes, <strong>Craig</strong>, I've seen Kirk's blog. I initially got the lenses to use with my APS-C Sony NEX 5n camera where they work well and cover the sensor completely. <strong>Charles</strong>, I remember when that happened as a lot of Pen users shot slides. I've gotten some good results with neg films though. Thanks for stopping by, <strong>Tom</strong>! Yeah, <strong>Lex</strong> I was a youngster myself but photographers being who they are, I'll bet all the clubs, mags and rags raged on about it with ink replacing bandwidth in those pre-internet days. <strong>David</strong>, I agree with you about neg size which is why I never got next to half-frame before but the newer, sharper films do add an interesting variable. I have got to try Ektar next! I appreciate the technical input, <strong>John</strong>. Thanks for the good comments, <strong>Rick</strong>. I believe the term "single frame" was just an early form of the designation "half-frame". The camera is a so-called <em>single-frame</em> camera, referring to the 18x24mm image frame used in cinema. </p>

[ralf_j.]

Louis- cant say I have craved this system, but it is absolutely beautiful, and your pics absolutely phenomenal. Maintani would be proud. I

would like to see more from this set. Many thanks for posting.

[Andy Collins]

<p>Wow, Louis! What a wonderful write-up with excellent pictures. I really enjoyed looking at all of these and am impressed bywhat that camera can do. I shouldn't be since you have exceptional skill as a photographer, but I have no experience with half-frame cameras and didn't know what to expect. You make a very compelling argument for acquiring one! Thanks for a superb post.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<blockquote>

<p>I would like to see more from this set.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Thanks, <strong>Ralf</strong>, happy to oblige. Here are a few more.</p>

<p>Young Student Group</p>

<p>150mm</p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Wet Leaf on a Bench</p>

<p>42mm</p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Stormy Shuttlecock</p>

<p>25mm</p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Thanks, Andy! Yes, this camera sort of came at me sideways and I didn't know what to expect either. But when I saw how really, really, REALLY sharp the lenses were and how easy, and inexpensive, the camera is to use, I took a shine to it. </p>

<p>Fine Arts</p>

<p>38mm</p><div></div>

[john_robison3]

<p>Being a half frame nut for 40 years I have thoroughly enjoyed your presentation Louis. I have an older Pen F and prefer it to the later FT or FV because of the plain matte focusing screen. I just can't get along very well with micro prism screens. I don't have the lens arsenal you do but get along quite well with the 20 f3.5, 38 f1.8 and 100 f3.5 as a walk around kit. I also have a 50~90 zoom and a somewhat rough 150 telephoto and a Vivitar 2X. The zoom is a heavy little beast so I seldom bring it along unless I need a specific focal length not included in my main 3 lens kit. I've never posted pictures here at P-net but your post has inspired me to give it serious thought. Thanks so much for the encouragement.</p>

[tony_lockerbie]

<p>Wow, a black Pen with a 1.2 lens, have to be worth a squillion on fleabay! Lovely outfit though Louis, I am green with envy. I will get my Pen F out and take some shots, haven't touched it in a while. I have the 1.4 and 1.8 standard lenses and agree that the 1.8 is the sharpest by far. Also have the 100, 150, 25 the zoom and a close up bellows, nice set of optics....would love that 70 though...<br>

Always enjoy looking at your treasures and the resulting shots...very professional.</p>

[SCL]

<p>I dug out one of my favorite shots from many years ago, taken right after I purchased my Pen...tri-x was the only film I had that day, so I tried to use the contrast and grain to my advantage....</p><div></div>

[User_1172872]

<p>It's unfortunate that the shutter design has not been reintroduced on crop sensor digital SLR cameras. The Nikon D40 was the last one with flash sync all the way to 1/500 (and beyond); I would certainly sacrifice faster speeds to have 1/500 flash sync.</p>

[marc_bergman1]

<p>Louis,</p>

<p>A wonderful write-up and a great set of pictures. I had a Pen FT back in 1971. I went full-frame the next year. I would like to try one with modern film.</p>

<p>I found a test of the camera and various lenses in a 1970 Modern Photography buyers guide.</p>

<p>Here is part 1.</p><div></div>

[marc_bergman1]

<p>Here is Part 2.</p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Thank you,<strong> John</strong>. It sounds like you are a far more experienced half-framer than me. I hope you do start posting some pics, I'd be interested in seeing some of your results. Hey, <strong>Tony</strong>, a squillion eh. I haven't checked eBay prices but now I'll have to. I could use a squillion or two. <strong>Stephen</strong>, cool shot! Thanks for adding a pic to the thread. Tri-X holds up better than I would have thought in half-frame. <strong>Prof K</strong>, Yeah it would be nice to have full flash sync at all speeds with a lot of cameras. <strong>Marc</strong>, I'm most grateful for your addition of the Modern tests, very interesting results. Dang, I knew that zoom was good.</p>

[donnie_strickland]

<p>Well done, Louis, and a beautiful outfit!</p>

[dan_b.4]

<p>Great work, Mr. Meluso! And you have it right with respect to the usage of the term "single frame," which is the format on which 35mm movies were shot.<br /><br /></p>

[dan_b.4]

<p>I own a Pen F, a Pen FT and two Pen FV bodies (one of which works well and another I bought as a parts camera). I love them. If you shoot with fast shutter speeds and, as I often do, use a monopod with the lower speeds, you can minimize camera shake and get sharp prints up to 5X7.</p>

[capitalq]

<p>thanks for this, louis. unlike most, i'm a bit of a half-frame evangelist. i find the 'two-fer' option makes for very interesting portraits that more than makes up for any loss of image quality. my favourite half-frame SLR is the Konica Auto-Reflex but I confess that my first generation Pen F has a design and feel unmatched by anything else. </p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Thanks <strong>Don</strong>, <strong>Dan</strong> and <strong>CapQ</strong>, I appreciate your comments and contributions. </p>

<p><strong>CapQ</strong> - Yes, I agree the "two-fer" images have great creative, storytelling potential. I have enjoyed many of your fine diptychs you have previously posted as well as established artists like Ray Metzker. I think I would like to try more of that approach myself on my next outing with the camera.</p>

[patrick j dempsey]

<p>I love my Pen FT. The feeling of that rotary shutter is just one of the absolute most unique and sexy experiences in any camera I've ever handled. The 38mm f/1.8 is a fantastic lens as well IMO. It's small and fast enough for most uses, and pretty lovely. It makes for a great compact portrait lens to mount to the M43 camera as well! (the AF kit lens is gathering dust).</p>

[ben_vos1]

This thread helped me make the decision to pick up one of these beauty's. I haven't regretted it since. Thank you!

 

P.s. sorry about posting on such an old tread.

 

[ben_vos1]