Olympus PEN-F Review (35mm Half Frame Cameras) + YouTube + Pentax 17 Film Camera

Olympus Pen-F Review: At the time the new digital Olympus Pen F micro 4/3 camera was being released I bought myself the original 35mm Olympus Pen F film camera! Half frame is back in fashion for 2024 thanks to the new Pentax 17 analogue camera!

My new Olympus PEN-F camera

No not the 2016 new Olympus PEN-F digital camera.  A modern retro-styled 20.3MP micro four thirds digital camera. I mean a proper camera! 🙂  The original 1960s Olympus PEN F film camera.

Olympus PEN-F film camera

The Olympus PEN F released in 1963 was the world’s first 35mm half frame SLR camera.  Made in Japan this new half frame SLR camera had a vertical 18x24mm format compared to the usual ‘full frame’ standard horizontal 35mm format (36×24).  In simple terms the PEN-F allows for 72 photos to be taken on a standard roll of 35mm 36 exposure film.  Similarly a 24 exposure roll of 35mm film gives 48 exposures.

Olympus Pen F film camera models

The Olympus PEN F model I bought was made between 1963-1966 before it was replaced with the PEN-FT.  The FT has a light meter built in but I was happy to have the earlier  fully mechanical PEN F instead.  The PEN is an SLR not a rangefinder camera.  In an ideal world I would have bought a Leica rangefinder half frame camera but they seem as rare as hen’s teeth and would be crazy expensive I imagine. 

Olympus Zuiko Auto-S 38mm f1.8 lens

The camera I bought comes with the Olympus Zuiko Auto-S 38mm f1.8 lens.  38mm on a half frame body equates to 55mm in full frame terms so perfect for my portraits being a 50mm man.  The PEN camera lenses appear to be well regarded online and from some of the PEN F images I have reviewed on Flickr you would never guess it was not full 35mm. 

Full frame vs half frame film images

With a high performing lens like the Olympus Zuiko Auto-S 38mm f1.8 I can create seemingly high res film negative scans.  Obviously the choice of film will have a big impact so I recommend finer grain films.

If you want to go nuts load your Pen F with slide film for both beautiful colours and super fine grain. For black and white films I would go for Ilford Delta 100 or Kodak T-Max 400 as my top two choices.

Why buy an Olympus PEN-F camera?

Yes I already have more than enough film cameras but I was introduced to this previously unknown to me camera format when I was teaching in New York.  We were discussing the Canon Demi. The Demi is another iconic 1960s half frame camera.  From there the research began. 

As you may imagine I am not buying the PEN F because I want more resolution from a larger film negative as the negative size is smaller than the standard 35mm film used in my Leica film cameras (Leica M6 etc). 

I bought the PEN F partly because the price is low and I like to experiment with different film cameras but mostly to see if it makes me shoot differently.

Olympus Pen 35mm half-frame film cameras

Why will the Olympus PEN-F makes me take photos any differently to when I use say a Leica or a Hasselblad camera.  72 photos on a roll film does make the cost of taking each photo pretty much half price (in simple terms) so I may take photos faster and think less. 

This might be useful for street photography where is it easy to get less good photos (“keepers”) when compared to staged and controlled model photography images.  As I do mostly portrait photography this is not high up on my needs list. 

Super compact Olympus Pen-F film camera

Does the small size of the Olympus Pen F matter?  Yes that is a big plus as I can carry the camera with me even easier than say the Leica M6 with a small lens attached.  Again though perhaps not a big enough size difference to forgo not carrying a Leica.

Half frame makes you shoot differently

I bought the PEN F as I want to try shooting photos in pairs and threes and sharing them as taken scanned side by side on the uncut section of negative.  It will make me approach subjects differently, models or otherwise and then if I enjoy the style I can transfer that over to my full frame film camera work whether 35mm or medium format.

Olympus Pen-F film review summary

I like to experiment and if I find I then don’t use the PEN F  I can probably sell it on eBay and lose very little if any money.

Olympus Pen F Sample Photos

See plenty more Olympus Pen F images in my other article, Olympus Pen-F Film Images.

Olympus PEN-F Half Frame Photos (35mm Diptych + Triptych Photography)

Pentax 17 vs Olympus Pen F?

New for 2024 is the Pentax 17 half frame film camera. Half frame is cool again partly thanks to the ever increasing film prices. If I compare the Pentax 17 vs Olympus Pen F I think the two cameras will appeal to different markets. If you want a sleek minimal design with full manual controls look no further than the Olympus Pen F. If you are more of a happy snapper or love automated film camera then the Pentax 17 is likely the camera for you.

Reasons to buy a Olympus Pen F vs Pentax 17

Some of the key reasons I would pick the Olympus Pen F vs the Pentax 17 include –

• Cheaper to buy (can find on the used market such as eBay)
• Sexy sleek minimal design (more Leica-like)
• Full manual controls (a must for me)
• Interchangeable lenses (a big preference for my photography)
• Great lenses available (include faster lenses and longer lenses (vs Pentax 17)

Reasons to buy the Pentax 17 vs Olympus Pen F

The Pentax 17 is packed with features and offers lots of benefits too –

• Buy new (for peace of mind and that new camera feel)
• Built-in light meter (as part of the automated settings)
• Built-in optional flash (as part of the automated settings)
• New lens (No fear of scratches, dust, fungus)
• Modern lens coatings (reduce lens flare and give better saturation & contrast)
• Auto options (so you can just focus on the photo and not worry about settings)

YouTube: Olympus Pen F Review + Half Frame Photos

Half frame – Why not full frame?

If you love the idea of small cameras but want full frame not half frame, consider Leica iii cameras. There are many variations but I think my most used is my 1930s black paint Leica Standard. I own the Olympus Pen F and Leica cameras and I use the Leicas 99% of the time.

Olympus Pen F price (vs Leica)

If you look on eBay the Olympus Pen F price used is around £300-£400. Were you aware that you can buy a Leica iii camera for this price if you find a good deal? Leica iii cameras are screw mount so you can fit modern optics unlike the Pen F. (I use modern Voigtlander Heliar 40mm f2.8 LTM, Voigtlander Skopar 28mm f2.8 LTM and TTArtisan 28mm f5.6 LTM as 3 examples. All are super compact!

Pentax 17 price

The Pentax 17 price new is around £500 and £400 used. For this price I would skip it and get a proper 1930s-1950s Leica iii camera instead. Leica cameras will last you a lifetime if serviced. I doubt the Pentax 17 will be handed down to the next generation.

Small bags for small cameras

If you are regular user you’ll know that I normally shoot with Leica cameras. A favourite is the super compact Leica III cameras which are perhaps a similar size to the Olympus Pen F but full frame. See this article for the best camera bags for small Leica cameras (or any small camera really!)

Best Bag For Leica Q, M, SL, CL

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