If I came across as being sarcastic and trollish, I apologize. That was not my intention. That's why I said "not make it boring". Owning two Pen F myself I was wondering what could be talked about a pretty obvious camera for almost 45 minutes - and you managed to fill that time really well. Apologies again.
Oh my gosh. I am such a jerk. I apologize. I completely mis-read your comment. I missed the not in in "not make it boring." I've had more trolls this week than in the rest of the year combined and I got to this comment after dealing with a bunch of them and just assumed the worst and that was really a huge mistake on my part. I am so sorry and I should have been better at reading what your wrote originally.
Great series. I've been shooting film since the 70's, I never shot IR and never knew about the "R" setting on focus. Now I'm going to pick up some IR film at BH Photo...
Thank you! IR is great. You'll need a visible light cut filter to get the most of it. I use a variable-spectrum visible light cut filter that goes from 530 to 980 depending on where I set it. That works well and lets me control exposure time and just how much IR effect I want. So that's worth trying.
for the double exposure, could you take the first shot then rewind it one click or two? then you don't have to worry about holding the film while cranking up the shutter, which i think could misalign it if not careful. on my Praktica it's two clicks
If I can find an operational one at some point, I could. In the interim, next week will be a video on the Yashica 44LM. It has an EV-type light meter. I think (not having ever seen one in person) that the Pen F has a meter that functions similarly. So the Yashica 44LM video next week might at least explain the principle of how to use the external meter.
Always an admired camera but I suspect not one that many used. David, it would be nice to see images taken with the Pen F, particularly since it is half frame and there are questions about image qualities. Very good presentation.
They are really nice cameras in terms of size, design, usability, and lens quality. Have you seen the review I posted on the Pen F a couple days ago? The photos in it were all taken with the F.
My camera came today, absolutely love it!!!! Bought it because of your review video. One question I do have is, with a flash at dark, should it be at F4? Or F8? My lens only goes to 4... would love if you could help, thanks!!! Your tutorials are fantastic
And if I want to shoot a wider shot, since it is a half frame camera, how can I do so? Thanks !!! All the best, and can't wait to see more of your videos.
Nice! Flash use is a complex thing. In order to know the flash setting you'll need to know your flash's guide number, subject distance, film speed, and aperture. Also, if you bounce the flash, there's a HUGE guess factor in there. So as a rough guide, let's say you're using 400 ISO film, point your flash at the ceiling (assuming that the ceiling is less than 15 feet up), maybe tilted slightly toward the subject, and use f/4 or maybe f/2.8, even.
The most abundant wide-angle lens seems to be the 25/4, which translates to 35mm in the 35mm world. There's also a rarer, faster, way more expensive 25/2.8 and a 20/3.5, which translates to 28mm in the 35mm world. If you need anything even wider, you're pretty much out of luck and have to get a different camera. The successors from the OM range offer up to (or down to) 8mm fisheye or 18mm regular with a variety of third party offerings available, too.
Hi David, I want to use an M42 lens on this body. How would i perform stop down focusing with this combo? I'm kind of new to film photography and this is my 1st attempt at adapting a lens & camera of different mounts. I would greatly appreciate your help with this. Thank you!
First you'd need an M42 to Olympus Pen adapter. Do you have one? If so then just set the aperture switch on the lens (most M42 lenses have these) to m, man, or manual, however it's marked. You'll need to do that before taking each photo anyway and that will let you previous the depth of field before you shoot.
@@DavidHancock Yes! I do have an adapter & the lens i have (Pentax Super Takumar 50mm F1.4) has the M/A switch. So i would just preview the DOF & choose my aperture based on which stop looks correct?
@@DavidHancock Yes, the Tak is great! I'm just experimenting - see what happens! I have some pen glass and it's very nice stuff (38mm - macro, 40mm, 42mm & 70mm). Thanks so much David! Be well!
@@DavidHancock thanks! I used to have a pen ft and it has this secret iso dial when u pull the shutter speed dial. By the way, thanks for the vid! I also have a pen f so it helps a lot!
Hey beautiful video!!!! , how do I know if I went through a roll of film? I have been shooting many photos and am. It sure if the roll is finished! Will it stop me from advancing ???
@@DavidHancock I had the same question ... sure, my counter will say 72 but I can still continue shooting and advance the film - it doesn't really stop. Disclaimer - I have yet to develop my first roll so I'm not sure how that last frame turned out but I thought it was a bit weird...
@@hedljung There;s two possibilities. 1- the film was loaded so that it has a frame or two more that you can use (which would be two to four extra half frames) or 2- the film isn't being taken up in the camera. When you advance, does the rewind knob spin?
@@DavidHancock hm, good question ;) actually I wasn't paying attention to it but it sounded like it and when I eventually decided that I should rewind the film there was the "usual" resistance up until the film was loosened from the "take-up spool" (or whatever you might call it). Maybe I actually had that many extra frames left but I kept shooting for at least 5-6 half frames until I decided to rewind even though there was no physical stop. I guess I'll find out once I develop the film - maybe it's all blanks and then I know it never advanced ... but would the counter still count up if that was the case? Or what does the counter go on? Sorry, a lot of questions ... oh, did I mention that it was a great video and that I really appreciated it? :)
Hey David !!! I just got to get my filmed developed finally, and noticed a problem, they were all blanks and I am really bummed out about that. I still do not know the reasoning maybe my ISO was set wrong ? The film is 400 and I am set to 500 on the ISO ring, is that right ? Please help if you can .
Did you have the shutter set to 1/500th? There's no ISO dial on the F since it doesn't have a light meter. If you had the shutter set to 1/500th, then you probably had too short an exposure for the film. What conditions were you shooting in?
David Hancock thanks David! I had the ISO at 500 the entirety of the shoot. my film was 400. I took another test, and some came out. The ones that did come out were beautiful! Others were blank because they were far too dark. I was shooting some outside in daylight, which came out, and others indoors at night which really did not, (even though lights were on). On my one lens, I can set the aperture down to as little as 4. Is that too high for indoors?
So there are some rules of thumb for exposure with film. Outside, the Sunny 16 rule means that if you object is in full sun and your lens is set to f/16, your shutter speed should be your ISO. So with 400 ISO, at f/16, with an object in full sun, you'd set your shutter speed on this camera to either 1/500th or 1/250th. If you subject is in shade, the aperture changes to f/8. Indoors, f/2.8 or faster. I would typically use f/2 indoors. But again, if you have the same Pen F as this one, there's no ISO dial on it, only a shutter speed dial. So you'll need to adjust your shutter speed to be slower for faster as needed for the scene.
David Hancock oh gotcha. So I can adjust the ISO during my film for several environments? Because I have noticed that outside it works with ISO at 500, But like I said, indoors it does not come out at all. My aperture for my lens can only go down to 4, so I am guessing I should not shoot indoors , However, if I did with another lens, what would I set my ISO to? ( if I have to change it at all during the roll)
So let's get the idea of changing ISO out of the conversation. With this model Pen F, there's no ISO adjustment. Your controls are shutter speed and aperture. It sounds like what's happening is that outside, at 1/500th of a second, you're getting exposures because there's enough light to create an image on the film. Inside, there won't be enough light. So the dial that says 500, 250, 125, 60, 30, 15, 8, 4, 2, and 1 is not your ISO, but is your shutter speed dial. So you need a longer shutter speed indoors or in lower-light situations. So indoors you'd need to use something like f/2 at 1/60th (or slower) to obtain a proper exposure. That largely depends on indoor lighting levels, though. If you have a smartphone, a light meter app could be a huge help and would indicate shutter and aperture settings for a given film speed when you use the app to take a meter reading.
This is a HORRIBLE camera to load. I bought a Pen Fv which otherwise is in mint condition. I cannot get it to advance the film with the back open and the film properly spooled up on the take up spool. Not sure if this is just my copy.
Empty the camera, then cock the shutter about 3 times (shooting each time in between). Then put your finger on the geared roller and roll it backwards until it stops. That should allow it to work properly. When you press the rewind button, it disengages that geared roller. To get it working again, you have to cock the shutter a few times, which makes it click into place, then roll it backwards a tiny bit, which makes it fully click back into the locked position. I had this issue with mine, and it took some messing around with it to figure this out. The FV is the most rare of the Pen F line, as the fewest number of these were made. It features an improved mirror system that is brighter than the original Pen F system, but doesn't use a meter like the FT. A Pen FV in mint condition is going for quite a bit of cash online right now, and will likely only increase in value as demand for these cameras rises.
![Run Away - Tzuyu(TWICE) ツウィ 쯔위 [Music Bank] | KBS WORLD TV 240906](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KnHNNyAYiu0/mqdefault.jpg)
It's fascinating that you managed to talk 35 minutes about a - in principle - simple camera and not make it boring. Kudos!
If I came across as being sarcastic and trollish, I apologize. That was not my intention. That's why I said "not make it boring". Owning two Pen F myself I was wondering what could be talked about a pretty obvious camera for almost 45 minutes - and you managed to fill that time really well.
Apologies again.
Oh my gosh. I am such a jerk. I apologize. I completely mis-read your comment. I missed the not in in "not make it boring." I've had more trolls this week than in the rest of the year combined and I got to this comment after dealing with a bunch of them and just assumed the worst and that was really a huge mistake on my part. I am so sorry and I should have been better at reading what your wrote originally.
Great series. I've been shooting film since the 70's, I never shot IR and never knew about the "R" setting on focus. Now I'm going to pick up some IR film at BH Photo...
Thank you! IR is great. You'll need a visible light cut filter to get the most of it. I use a variable-spectrum visible light cut filter that goes from 530 to 980 depending on where I set it. That works well and lets me control exposure time and just how much IR effect I want. So that's worth trying.
Great video!
Thank you!
a tutorial on how to use the Pen F Light meter would be awesome!
If I can get my hands on another Pen F and a meter, I would be happy to do that.
for the double exposure, could you take the first shot then rewind it one click or two? then you don't have to worry about holding the film while cranking up the shutter, which i think could misalign it if not careful. on my Praktica it's two clicks
You can, but I don't know how to confirm that the frame would be rewind the proper position.
Would love to see a video on how to operate the external exposure meter and timer on this cam!
If I can find an operational one at some point, I could. In the interim, next week will be a video on the Yashica 44LM. It has an EV-type light meter. I think (not having ever seen one in person) that the Pen F has a meter that functions similarly. So the Yashica 44LM video next week might at least explain the principle of how to use the external meter.
I just noticed the ridges on the focus ring are the same width as the numbers on the depth of field markers.
Oh interesting! I never noticed that. Thank you!
Oly owes YOU a sales royalty ...BOUGHT IT !
:D I'll be good to go as long as you use and enjoy it.
Always an admired camera but I suspect not one that many used. David, it would be nice to see images taken with the Pen F, particularly since it is half frame and there are questions about image qualities. Very good presentation.
They are really nice cameras in terms of size, design, usability, and lens quality. Have you seen the review I posted on the Pen F a couple days ago? The photos in it were all taken with the F.
Thanks for the note. I need to look deeper I guess.
There's a link in the video description.
Wow! Great pictures. Impressive shots into the sun. Thank you.
Thank you!
I just got a pen f today! nice! thx a lot
Nice! They're fantastic cameras.
My camera came today, absolutely love it!!!! Bought it because of your review video. One question I do have is, with a flash at dark, should it be at F4? Or F8? My lens only goes to 4... would love if you could help, thanks!!! Your tutorials are fantastic
And if I want to shoot a wider shot, since it is a half frame camera, how can I do so? Thanks !!! All the best, and can't wait to see more of your videos.
Nice!
Flash use is a complex thing. In order to know the flash setting you'll need to know your flash's guide number, subject distance, film speed, and aperture. Also, if you bounce the flash, there's a HUGE guess factor in there.
So as a rough guide, let's say you're using 400 ISO film, point your flash at the ceiling (assuming that the ceiling is less than 15 feet up), maybe tilted slightly toward the subject, and use f/4 or maybe f/2.8, even.
You'll simply need a wide-angle lens. I forget all the lenses in the Pen lineup, but there were some good wide-angle options.
David Hancock thank you so much for all your help! Will definitely search for one on the net!! Keep up the videos!!!!!
The most abundant wide-angle lens seems to be the 25/4, which translates to 35mm in the 35mm world. There's also a rarer, faster, way more expensive 25/2.8 and a 20/3.5, which translates to 28mm in the 35mm world. If you need anything even wider, you're pretty much out of luck and have to get a different camera.
The successors from the OM range offer up to (or down to) 8mm fisheye or 18mm regular with a variety of third party offerings available, too.
Thankyou very informative and clear :)
Thank you!
Hey quick question. Can I switch lenses while film is inside? I did it one time when it was cloudy out , hope it did not ruin the film
Yes, you certainly can. There's a shutter between the film and the mirror that blocks the light.
lots of great info!
Thank you!
Hi David,
I want to use an M42 lens on this body.
How would i perform stop down focusing with this combo?
I'm kind of new to film photography and this is my 1st attempt at adapting a lens & camera of different mounts.
I would greatly appreciate your help with this.
Thank you!
First you'd need an M42 to Olympus Pen adapter. Do you have one? If so then just set the aperture switch on the lens (most M42 lenses have these) to m, man, or manual, however it's marked. You'll need to do that before taking each photo anyway and that will let you previous the depth of field before you shoot.
@@DavidHancock
Yes! I do have an adapter & the lens i have (Pentax Super Takumar 50mm F1.4) has the M/A switch.
So i would just preview the DOF & choose my aperture based on which stop looks correct?
@@7Redbugs That is correct. Those are spendy adapters, but definitely cheaper than investing in all the Pen glass. That Tak is a great lens, too.
@@DavidHancock
Yes, the Tak is great! I'm just experimenting - see what happens!
I have some pen glass and it's very nice stuff (38mm - macro, 40mm, 42mm & 70mm).
Thanks so much David! Be well!
Hi!! Does the pen f have ISO?
I forget if it has an ISO reminder dial. Since this camera doesn't have a built in light meter any ISO dial would have no affect on your images.
@@DavidHancock thanks! I used to have a pen ft and it has this secret iso dial when u pull the shutter speed dial. By the way, thanks for the vid! I also have a pen f so it helps a lot!
Hey beautiful video!!!! , how do I know if I went through a roll of film? I have been shooting many photos and am. It sure if the roll is finished! Will it stop me from advancing ???
It should. It will take 48 shots on a 24-frame roll and 72 on a 36-frame roll. So your frame counter will tell you how many shots you've taken.
@@DavidHancock I had the same question ... sure, my counter will say 72 but I can still continue shooting and advance the film - it doesn't really stop. Disclaimer - I have yet to develop my first roll so I'm not sure how that last frame turned out but I thought it was a bit weird...
oh, and mine is an PEN-FT but I guess that shouldn't matter much...?
@@hedljung There;s two possibilities. 1- the film was loaded so that it has a frame or two more that you can use (which would be two to four extra half frames) or 2- the film isn't being taken up in the camera. When you advance, does the rewind knob spin?
@@DavidHancock hm, good question ;) actually I wasn't paying attention to it but it sounded like it and when I eventually decided that I should rewind the film there was the "usual" resistance up until the film was loosened from the "take-up spool" (or whatever you might call it). Maybe I actually had that many extra frames left but I kept shooting for at least 5-6 half frames until I decided to rewind even though there was no physical stop. I guess I'll find out once I develop the film - maybe it's all blanks and then I know it never advanced ... but would the counter still count up if that was the case? Or what does the counter go on? Sorry, a lot of questions ... oh, did I mention that it was a great video and that I really appreciated it? :)
Hey David !!! I just got to get my filmed developed finally, and noticed a problem, they were all blanks and I am really bummed out about that. I still do not know the reasoning maybe my ISO was set wrong ? The film is 400 and I am set to 500 on the ISO ring, is that right ? Please help if you can .
Did you have the shutter set to 1/500th? There's no ISO dial on the F since it doesn't have a light meter. If you had the shutter set to 1/500th, then you probably had too short an exposure for the film. What conditions were you shooting in?
David Hancock thanks David! I had the ISO at 500 the entirety of the shoot. my film was 400. I took another test, and some came out. The ones that did come out were beautiful! Others were blank because they were far too dark. I was shooting some outside in daylight, which came out, and others indoors at night which really did not, (even though lights were on). On my one lens, I can set the aperture down to as little as 4. Is that too high for indoors?
So there are some rules of thumb for exposure with film. Outside, the Sunny 16 rule means that if you object is in full sun and your lens is set to f/16, your shutter speed should be your ISO. So with 400 ISO, at f/16, with an object in full sun, you'd set your shutter speed on this camera to either 1/500th or 1/250th.
If you subject is in shade, the aperture changes to f/8. Indoors, f/2.8 or faster. I would typically use f/2 indoors. But again, if you have the same Pen F as this one, there's no ISO dial on it, only a shutter speed dial. So you'll need to adjust your shutter speed to be slower for faster as needed for the scene.
David Hancock oh gotcha. So I can adjust the ISO during my film for several environments?
Because I have noticed that outside it works with ISO at 500,
But like I said, indoors it does not come out at all.
My aperture for my lens can only go down to 4, so I am guessing I should not shoot indoors ,
However, if I did with another lens, what would I set my ISO to? ( if I have to change it at all during the roll)
So let's get the idea of changing ISO out of the conversation. With this model Pen F, there's no ISO adjustment. Your controls are shutter speed and aperture. It sounds like what's happening is that outside, at 1/500th of a second, you're getting exposures because there's enough light to create an image on the film. Inside, there won't be enough light. So the dial that says 500, 250, 125, 60, 30, 15, 8, 4, 2, and 1 is not your ISO, but is your shutter speed dial. So you need a longer shutter speed indoors or in lower-light situations. So indoors you'd need to use something like f/2 at 1/60th (or slower) to obtain a proper exposure. That largely depends on indoor lighting levels, though. If you have a smartphone, a light meter app could be a huge help and would indicate shutter and aperture settings for a given film speed when you use the app to take a meter reading.
This is a HORRIBLE camera to load. I bought a Pen Fv which otherwise is in mint condition. I cannot get it to advance the film with the back open and the film properly spooled up on the take up spool. Not sure if this is just my copy.
If it's not behaving like the one in this video, I would take it to a local camera store to see if they can diagnose any issues.
Empty the camera, then cock the shutter about 3 times (shooting each time in between). Then put your finger on the geared roller and roll it backwards until it stops. That should allow it to work properly.
When you press the rewind button, it disengages that geared roller. To get it working again, you have to cock the shutter a few times, which makes it click into place, then roll it backwards a tiny bit, which makes it fully click back into the locked position. I had this issue with mine, and it took some messing around with it to figure this out.
The FV is the most rare of the Pen F line, as the fewest number of these were made. It features an improved mirror system that is brighter than the original Pen F system, but doesn't use a meter like the FT. A Pen FV in mint condition is going for quite a bit of cash online right now, and will likely only increase in value as demand for these cameras rises.