Photo Cameras

Olympus PEN-F: A Beautiful and Revolutionary Camera Reborn

Oozing with nostalgia, the new Olympus PEN-F is squarely aimed at those photographers old enough to remember using the original, and younger enthusiasts who will appreciate the retro look and feel of the updated version.


The Original Olympus PEN F released in 1963
In 1963, the revolutionary Olympus Pen F had the distinct honour of being the world’s first and only half-frame system single-lens reflex camera.

Immediately recognized as a classic camera, it received glowing reviews and proved to be a hit among photographers due to its stylish design, small size and seemingly magical ability to double the number of photos one could take on a single roll of film as a regular SLR.

Now, 53 years later, Olympus has announced a modernized version of this legendary camera and hopes that it will be just as big a hit with photographers as the original one was.


The PEN-F not only looks amazing, it also incorporates some of the features more commonly found in the higher end OM-D series.

The updated Olympus PEN-F

The PEN-F is the first Olympus camera to feature a 20MP sensor capable of producing a 50MP image with it’s High Res Shot mode (the OM-D E-M5 Mark II has the same feature, but will only go up to 40MP).

It’s also the first PEN to feature Nighttime Live Composite Mode and a 4K Time Lapse Movie mode (first introduced with the OM-D E-M10 Mark II).

Unlike previous PEN versions, the PEN-F introduces a 2.36M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder built-in to the camera rather than attached via the hotshoe.


Olympus PEN F Body Silver

The beautifully-crafted PEN-F is ideal for street shooters, as a second camera for studio pros, and for anyone who loves vintage design and photography. It features sleek lines, precision controls, and the ability to capture amazing street shots.


The PEN-F’s creative functions are now controlled via the “creative dial” located on the front of the camera body. The dial allows for quick & easy access to 4 functions including monochrome, colour profile controls, art filters and colour creator.

Top Mounted Mode Button with Custom Settings

By moving the creative functions to their own dial on the front, Olympus has been able to add 4 new “favourite” settings labelled C1 – C4 on the top-mounted mode button.

The 3″ touch control LCD monitor folds out to the side and allows you to control: shutter release, magnification, AF area selection, AF area size adjustment, frame forward/backward, magnified playback, Live Guide, Super Control Panel, scene mode selection, Wi-Fi connection, selfie shutter release, and various movie functions.

The PEN-F also utilizes the Olympus built in 5-Axis stabilization system, and will also sync up with their line of stabilized M.Zuiko digital lens.

Other key features include:

  • S-OVF Mode expands the dynamic range to produce an image close to that of the naked eye.
  • 1/8000 Sec Mechanical Shutter (shortest release time lag of any compact system camera)
  • Full HD 60p/54 mbps High Bit Rate Movie Recording
  • 10 fps High-Speed Seq. Shooting (5 fps AF Tracking Seq Shooting)
  • Built-In Wi-Fi, Remote Operation & Photo Transfer with Smartphone
  • High-Performance Shutter with Silent & Anti-Shock Modes
  • AF Targeting Pad – move the AF point on the touch panel while looking through the viewfinder
  • RAW Processing Support for High Res Shot using OV3 version 2.0