10 fps sounds great until the buffer cuts you short. What is the buffer like? Am I getting ten shots then waiting 10-15 seconds for the buffer to catch up?
+Vittorio Fabregas sadly for Fuji, the greatest competitor to Xpro2 is X-T1 All the plus of range finder without the parallax problem. AND its smaller than Xpro2....sigh
***** But i never liked the X-T1 or the X-E2. I really like the X pro 1 but I held out to buy the X pro 2 when it comes out or to see if the PEN series would come out with a viewfinder. Both of those things happened at the same time :( Which would you choose?
+Maxim Mee spec wise the X-Pro2 blows away the X-T1. The only thing the X-T1 has is bigger EVF magnification (with slower refresh than X-Pro2 EVF), and cheaper price. Your argument is more valid for X-T2 when it is released but they are different cameras. Just like Olympus has the E-M1, E-M5II, and this new Pen-F. These are for different types of customers. Not company competing with its own products.
+Vittorio Fabregas stay with your xpro2. this pen f only has a micro four thirds sensor and no xtrans. fuji beat this (of course beautiful looking) pen f to the ground :)
It is. But it's a shame the bottom edge hasn't got a metal look. Now the metal line of the bottom plate doesn't continue all way around the camera. Still an incredibly beautiful camera though.
This is a great looking camera! I love the retro styling, articulating screen & EVF. Olympus has a solid line up of quality lenses. However, at $1,199 U.S., for the body, that is a bit steep. There's no pop up flash, either.
i have been waiting for this since ep5. something really new. disappointed its not weather sealed. sold my em5 to a friend and bought a fujifilm x100T, and i miss the 5axis image stabilization and weather sealing. I really hope they make a pen with weathersealing. want to go Olympus again. size does matter to me.
"Something called Tri-X" Funny, I used to shoot that film (ASA 400) all the time, sometimes even had it pushed to ASA 800 for night and astronomy shots. :-) Still have my Olympus OM2 film camera. Don't use it now but still have it... I do sometimes use my old OM Zuiko lenses (with adapter) on my Olympus OMD M43 camera... I'll have to check out this new one from Olympus...
Pete Russ Yes, the old lenses are plenty sharp and my 50mm f/1.8 makes for wonderful boekh. I'm using them for static shots. With the adapter, focus is all manual therefore a little slow. Focus Peaking is a great help.
thanks for that encouragement! I m decided to order the adapter and now look forward to re using my om lenses that have been reduntant for the last 10 years. thx
+Pete “chezruss” Russ FWIW, the Olympus OM to M43 adapter was too expensive for my pocket. I purchased a Fotodiox adapter from Amazon for less than $30
hi . can I ask have you come across any third party grips for this camera yet ? . I know they make their own . but it's very bland and this camera deserves better . p.s love your videos always interesting
Another great enthusiastic review, Steve. I also really like this new Pen-F, and as much as I love my e-m5 mkII, and I think in general the e-m5 mkII is technically more capable, I would seek out and get this new Pen-F as well. I really like the styling and features.. Did I mention I really like the styling? Speaking of the styling, however, I know this is suppose to celebrate the original Pen-F in modern form.. But, I have to say I don't think it looks like a classic Pen camera to me so much, the previous digital Pen models look a lot closer to the original film Pens cameras in that they look smoother and sleeker. This new Pen-F is very angular and boxy, but I really like that and glad that it's designed the way it is now. I feel if you look closely at the details primarily around the top plate, it actually looks a lot more like a vintage Leica III. On the front, the new Pen-F has the mode dial, the Leica III has a similar looking dial in the same location. On the far right of the new Pen-F you have the AF assist light, and that looks similar to the small circular viewfinder the Leica III has close to the right side of the camera. Of course, there are no other front details on the new Pen-F that relate in looks to the circular rangefinder window and rectangular frameline illuminator window you'd find on the Leica III. Moving onto the view from the top, you have same number and placement of dials, features and button. On the new Pen-F, from left to right, you have the on/off dial, hot shoe, mode dial, shutter release button and rec button, and exposure comp dial. If you look across the top of the Leica III, from left to right, you have the rewind dial, hot shoe, shutter speed dial, shutter release button and rewind button, and film advance dial. That center section on the top plate that is raised and chunkier leaving the dials on the left and right of it more exposed, the new Pen-F and Leica III have similar design form in this regard. Lastly, I'd say from the rear of the camera on the left top plate side, the new Pen-F reminds me more of a classic Leica M3, instead. On the new Pen-F, from left to right, you have the round viewfinder, then the diopter correction dial, then the Fn2 button. On the Leica M3, you have the round viewfinder window, then the flash socket, then the bulb socket. Sure, it's not 100% function per function exact, but you can see a lot of the design elements and aesthetics are related. Either way, I really like this new Pen-F. I'd definitely get one if I were in the market for another M43 camera.
I wonder how the image quality stacks up against a Samsung NX 500 which is astonishing with the right lenses. All this show off retro bling, colour filter-mono bubble gum feature and button-wheel clutter does not excite me very much. That pretty cam is not even weather proof ( we are talking $1200 here). Af & shutter speed seem to be pretty good though. If the image quality can match a decent DX sensor I'd be interested ( RAW ). The 'bling factor' means nothing to me. Your milage may vary.
The front dial should be the shutter speed dial like the old Pen F. Really disappointed that was the one feature of the camera other than the half frame that was unique to the camera!!
+Bryan Campbell Fujifilm X-Series has the best out of camera colors. This is coming from a person that owns Canon, Leica, Olympus, Fujifilm & Sony A7RII. Olympus has great colors out of camera, they are the Canon color of MFT. which is good.
their color is almost exactly like canon. so canon is second to Leica too? Leica color is not "better" just more rare due to the total # of owners. Don't buy into the BS.
+Burg Which There are subtle differences from Canon. The Leica Q and the M9 have some of the best color of any camera ever made. Some have even compared the M9 as the closest to Kodachrome 64. I've owned several Leicas and I do not fall into the stereotype of photographers being snobby. I happen to think they have the best colors and that's why I buy them.
I like to see the IQ comparison between the Olympus Pen F and the FUJI X-E2. Personally I don't think the 4/3 Sensor sensor can do better in low light then the now outdated 16MPixel X-Trans sensor. The only advantage the Olympus really has is the faster AF system.
Agreed. m43 can't hang with Fuji for image quality. The X-trans 16mp sensor hangs with standard Bayer 24mp APS-C. It is incredibly sharp and colors are incredible.
+MostlyClaudy With latest firmware there isn't that much difference in AF speed. m43 still tends to focus well in very low light (gx7 in my case). Where my Fuji (X-E2) starts hunting all over the damn place.
Nice they are copying Fuji. People love film simulations. Now they even copy the grain feature Fuji brought with the X-Pro2. Cool they choose to mimic Tri-X. A legendary film.
the most exciting thing on a camera is a new knob ?? gimme a break . People remember this guy is not a photographer, just a reviewer. If you want real advice on cameras, listen to people like Zack Arias, The Angry Photographer and others.
+ThatPyotr He is a big Olympus fan. Therefore, he tends to really give Olympus a lot of credit. For me, this is overprice. for $1500CAD, a lot of money for a 4/3 sensor.. but clearly he does not see that.. lol
at 1 minute, The most exciting thing is a nipple. This is a 1199,- mirrorless camera. If the most exciting thing is a switch at the front you know it's a pass.
nice camera but m4/3 not enough optics very expensive for nonprofessional format some wedding photographers bought Olympus om-d and get very good results but "suddenly "discover that clients do not want to pay for pictures make by small camera ))) grips do not help))) clients want huge camera with biggest lens. so if camera do not make money it can't be so expensive
Outch... 1500$ CAN for this little Camera... I mean at that price, why should I pick this instead of OM5II ?I think it's price wrong... is it just me ?
Agreed. Fuji makes beautiful and functional cameras with retro inspiration. This camera is over the top with cheesy features. Is honestly be more interested in something closer to the old E-P5, but with film simulations and EVF. Basically an Olympus version of the Fuji X-E2.
+Dermot M once again well said. I know mirrorless cameras and specifically Olympus Pen m43 cameras are really big in Asian countries. As far as Fuji, their X-A2 is a huge seller to women in Asia. It is a flop in a North America where women buy point and shoots and cheap Canikon DSLRs.
Looks beautiful
Can you shoot a raw file and jpg with film simulation at the same time? This camera has touch screen focus?
Love it :D Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
It's a beauty isn't it Dave....currently thinking about getting this :-)
+Gina M (TechGal7777) Oh yes, lovely design and great features.
Looks very nice. Did you drop the camera BTW? I saw a dent :P
+Virenss4 No that was there when the sample was given to me. These are REVIEW SAMPLES and have been through CES and many hands before me. ;)
yeah - gets another bang at 41 secs in too
+Pete “chezruss” Russ yeah, I guess he does not care a lot 😀
10 fps sounds great until the buffer cuts you short. What is the buffer like? Am I getting ten shots then waiting 10-15 seconds for the buffer to catch up?
damn it olympus! I was all set for the X-pro 2 and now you do this to me!! I'm confused again!
+Vittorio Fabregas
sadly for Fuji, the greatest competitor to Xpro2 is X-T1
All the plus of range finder without the parallax problem.
AND its smaller than Xpro2....sigh
***** But i never liked the X-T1 or the X-E2. I really like the X pro 1 but I held out to buy the X pro 2 when it comes out or to see if the PEN series would come out with a viewfinder. Both of those things happened at the same time :(
Which would you choose?
hahaha
very TOUGH question.
+Maxim Mee spec wise the X-Pro2 blows away the X-T1. The only thing the X-T1 has is bigger EVF magnification (with slower refresh than X-Pro2 EVF), and cheaper price. Your argument is more valid for X-T2 when it is released but they are different cameras. Just like Olympus has the E-M1, E-M5II, and this new Pen-F. These are for different types of customers. Not company competing with its own products.
+Vittorio Fabregas stay with your xpro2. this pen f only has a micro four thirds sensor and no xtrans. fuji beat this (of course beautiful looking) pen f to the ground :)
that front Knob was robbed from the pentax q, but i can repórter that it works great on th q
What is that button at the front bottom, underneath the front mode dial?
Great little cam! :)
The leatherette on the back of the LCD is an awesome feature. 👍
It is. But it's a shame the bottom edge hasn't got a metal look. Now the metal line of the bottom plate doesn't continue all way around the camera. Still an incredibly beautiful camera though.
I can see myself using this and a 12mm f2 and 25mm f1.8... Perfect for street shooting...
This is a great looking camera! I love the retro styling, articulating screen & EVF. Olympus has a solid line up of quality lenses. However, at $1,199 U.S., for the body, that is a bit steep. There's no pop up flash, either.
waiting for used digital pen f
i have been waiting for this since ep5. something really new. disappointed its not weather sealed.
sold my em5 to a friend and bought a fujifilm x100T, and i miss the 5axis image stabilization and weather sealing. I really hope they make a pen with weathersealing. want to go Olympus again. size does matter to me.
There appears to be a dent in the bottom plate
I love the design of this camera as well as the new features. The price is sky high, tho.
"Something called Tri-X" Funny, I used to shoot that film (ASA 400) all the time, sometimes even had it pushed to ASA 800 for night and astronomy shots. :-) Still have my Olympus OM2 film camera. Don't use it now but still have it... I do sometimes use my old OM Zuiko lenses (with adapter) on my Olympus OMD M43 camera... I'll have to check out this new one from Olympus...
i ve the om 24mm + 35mm f2 lenses and thought of getting adapter to put on my omd em5. are you happy with the results?
Pete Russ Yes, the old lenses are plenty sharp and my 50mm f/1.8 makes for wonderful boekh. I'm using them for static shots. With the adapter, focus is all manual therefore a little slow. Focus Peaking is a great help.
thanks for that encouragement! I m decided to order the adapter and now look forward to re using my om lenses that have been reduntant for the last 10 years. thx
+Pete “chezruss” Russ FWIW, the Olympus OM to M43 adapter was too expensive for my pocket. I purchased a Fotodiox adapter from Amazon for less than $30
Ok great, I ll check it out . Thanks for the tip
Olympus take my money!! this is awesome!!!
Looks like a beautiful camera. But I'm thinking it's going to be a heavy little camera that will be a pain to grip.
Exciting, I love retro?
hi . can I ask have you come across any third party grips for this camera yet ? . I know they make their own . but it's very bland and this camera deserves better . p.s love your videos always interesting
Another great enthusiastic review, Steve.
I also really like this new Pen-F, and as much as I love my e-m5 mkII, and I think in general the e-m5 mkII is technically more capable, I would seek out and get this new Pen-F as well.
I really like the styling and features.. Did I mention I really like the styling?
Speaking of the styling, however, I know this is suppose to celebrate the original Pen-F in modern form.. But, I have to say I don't think it looks like a classic Pen camera to me so much, the previous digital Pen models look a lot closer to the original film Pens cameras in that they look smoother and sleeker.
This new Pen-F is very angular and boxy, but I really like that and glad that it's designed the way it is now.
I feel if you look closely at the details primarily around the top plate, it actually looks a lot more like a vintage Leica III.
On the front, the new Pen-F has the mode dial, the Leica III has a similar looking dial in the same location. On the far right of the new Pen-F you have the AF assist light, and that looks similar to the small circular viewfinder the Leica III has close to the right side of the camera. Of course, there are no other front details on the new Pen-F that relate in looks to the circular rangefinder window and rectangular frameline illuminator window you'd find on the Leica III.
Moving onto the view from the top, you have same number and placement of dials, features and button. On the new Pen-F, from left to right, you have the on/off dial, hot shoe, mode dial, shutter release button and rec button, and exposure comp dial. If you look across the top of the Leica III, from left to right, you have the rewind dial, hot shoe, shutter speed dial, shutter release button and rewind button, and film advance dial.
That center section on the top plate that is raised and chunkier leaving the dials on the left and right of it more exposed, the new Pen-F and Leica III have similar design form in this regard.
Lastly, I'd say from the rear of the camera on the left top plate side, the new Pen-F reminds me more of a classic Leica M3, instead. On the new Pen-F, from left to right, you have the round viewfinder, then the diopter correction dial, then the Fn2 button. On the Leica M3, you have the round viewfinder window, then the flash socket, then the bulb socket.
Sure, it's not 100% function per function exact, but you can see a lot of the design elements and aesthetics are related.
Either way, I really like this new Pen-F. I'd definitely get one if I were in the market for another M43 camera.
I wonder how the image quality stacks up against a Samsung NX 500 which is astonishing with the right lenses. All this show off retro bling, colour filter-mono bubble gum feature and button-wheel clutter does not excite me very much. That pretty cam is not even weather proof ( we are talking $1200 here). Af & shutter speed seem to be pretty good though. If the image quality can match a decent DX sensor I'd be interested ( RAW ). The 'bling factor' means nothing to me. Your milage may vary.
Better JPEGS than the EM1?
this camera excites me for the future of micro 4/3
+Raul Cortes
It leaves me worried that Panasonic will be the only option from now on.
I WAS WAITING FOR THIS
The front dial should be the shutter speed dial like the old Pen F.
Really disappointed that was the one feature of the camera other than the half frame that was unique to the camera!!
PDAF?
Olympus has beautiful colors 2nd only to Leica.
+Bryan Campbell Fujifilm X-Series has the best out of camera colors. This is coming from a person that owns Canon, Leica, Olympus, Fujifilm & Sony A7RII. Olympus has great colors out of camera, they are the Canon color of MFT. which is good.
+MC Photography | Mokhtar Chahine I second that... fujiX has best overall colors straight from the camera....
their color is almost exactly like canon. so canon is second to Leica too? Leica color is not "better" just more rare due to the total # of owners. Don't buy into the BS.
+Burg Which There are subtle differences from Canon. The Leica Q and the M9 have some of the best color of any camera ever made. Some have even compared the M9 as the closest to Kodachrome 64. I've owned several Leicas and I do not fall into the stereotype of photographers being snobby. I happen to think they have the best colors and that's why I buy them.
I like to see the IQ comparison between the Olympus Pen F and the FUJI X-E2. Personally I don't think the 4/3 Sensor sensor can do better in low light then the now outdated 16MPixel X-Trans sensor. The only advantage the Olympus really has is the faster AF system.
Agreed. m43 can't hang with Fuji for image quality. The X-trans 16mp sensor hangs with standard Bayer 24mp APS-C. It is incredibly sharp and colors are incredible.
+MostlyClaudy
With latest firmware there isn't that much difference in AF speed.
m43 still tends to focus well in very low light (gx7 in my case). Where my Fuji (X-E2) starts hunting all over the damn place.
"Imitates something called Tri X" What a clueless statement that is..
Something called TRI X? Don't you know what this is? You set yourself up as a photography guru and you have never heard of TRI X?
Looks ace but I think I will stick with my Olympus XA2 which cost me £15 and it's full frame.
congrats they catched up to fuji
+villegas24
Nope the equiv. fuji is 400 dollar/euro cheaper.(X-E2 with upcoming FW or X-E2S)
Easy to get annoyed by the camera shake, zooming in and out.
Nice they are copying Fuji. People love film simulations. Now they even copy the grain feature Fuji brought with the X-Pro2. Cool they choose to mimic Tri-X. A legendary film.
the most exciting thing on a camera is a new knob ?? gimme a break .
People remember this guy is not a photographer, just a reviewer. If you want real advice on cameras, listen to people like Zack Arias, The Angry Photographer and others.
bit too biased?
+ThatPyotr He is a big Olympus fan. Therefore, he tends to really give Olympus a lot of credit. For me, this is overprice. for $1500CAD, a lot of money for a 4/3 sensor.. but clearly he does not see that.. lol
at 1 minute,
The most exciting thing is a nipple.
This is a 1199,- mirrorless camera. If the most exciting thing is a switch at the front you know it's a pass.
why simulate film if u can shoot with film? this is a toys r us camera.
nice camera but m4/3 not enough optics
very expensive for nonprofessional format
some wedding photographers bought Olympus om-d and get very good results but "suddenly "discover that clients do not want to pay for pictures make by small camera ))) grips do not help))) clients want huge camera with biggest lens. so if camera do not make money it can't be so expensive
"Olympus is lIke the Apple of camera world" - hmm. dubious.
Dont like the VF hump.
Outch... 1500$ CAN for this little Camera... I mean at that price, why should I pick this instead of OM5II ?I think it's price wrong... is it just me ?
Agreed. You can practically go full frame for that price. I think the $800-900 USD range would be more acceptable.
So gimmicky.
Agreed. Fuji makes beautiful and functional cameras with retro inspiration. This camera is over the top with cheesy features. Is honestly be more interested in something closer to the old E-P5, but with film simulations and EVF. Basically an Olympus version of the Fuji X-E2.
+Dermot M well said. Too much focus on retro here. Opposite of "form follows function. This is form over function.
+Dermot M once again well said. I know mirrorless cameras and specifically Olympus Pen m43 cameras are really big in Asian countries. As far as Fuji, their X-A2 is a huge seller to women in Asia. It is a flop in a North America where women buy point and shoots and cheap Canikon DSLRs.