History Repeating: Olympus PEN-F First Impressions Review

The original Olympus PEN-F first hit the streets in 1963. Built around the half-frame film format, it quickly gained a following thanks to its beautiful, yet simple design and small size. Getting 70 images to a roll of film probably didn't hurt, either. Now, 53 years later the PEN-F is back.

The digital reincarnation of the 35mm film Olympus PEN-F does not replace the current digital PEN flagship E-P5, rather it slides in next to it as the 'premium' option in the PEN family. The reason being that unlike digital PENs before it, the F has something much more OM-D-like: a built-in 2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder. The F also boasts the highest output resolution of any Olympus body to date, boasting a 20MP Four Thirds sensor (probably the same one we've seen in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8).

Released specifically to appeal to street shooters and the design conscious looking for a capable camera with retro-styling and rangefinder-like controls, the PEN-F has a lot going for it.

Olympus PEN-F features:

• 20MP Live MOS Four Thirds format sensor
• 5-axis image stabilization with automatic panning detection
• 2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder
• Up to 10 fps continuous shooting (20 fps with electronic shutter)
• Highly customizable interface, twin controls
• Fully articulating 1.04 million dot, 3" LCD touchscreen
• 50MP High-res Shot mode
• 1/8000 sec top mechanical shutter speed (1/16,000 with e-shutter)
• 1080/60p video recording

All of the above come packaged in a machined aluminum and magnesium body, with no visible screws anywhere. A faux-leather wrap encircles the PEN-F and the body itself is both well-weighted and has a very solid feel to it. 

With many of the same guts as the OM-D EM-5 II and sleek rangefinder-style looks (reminiscent of Fujifilm’s X100 series cameras), the most direct competitors for the PEN-F are probably Sony's a6000 and Fujifilm's just-announced X-E2S - both of which are APS-C format cameras. Of course, the PEN-F also has to compete against alternatives within the OM-D series as well.

To help us to better understand how the PEN-F fits into the market place as a whole, we chatted with Eric Gensel, a technical specialist with Olympus. He breaks down exactly how the PEN-F fits in Olympus' lineup, who the target-audience of the camera is and what went into the design process:

Compared to its siblings

Many of the highlight features of the PEN-F aren’t new. In fact a lot of the key spec is shared with other recent Olympus releases. However, some functions have been improved upon. For instance, thanks to its 20MP sensor, the Pen F is capable of higher resolution in multi-shot mode compared to the OM-D E-M5 II, up to 80MP in Raw mode (50MP in JPEG). It also features a dedicated creative control knob on the front, as well as four customizable shooting modes, accessed via the locking exposure mode dial.
It’s hard to see the PEN-F as a large step forward given how many of its core features are inherited from other models, but it offers a handling experience that is unique in Olympus's lineup. Is the PEN-F more than just a pretty face? Let’s dig in.

	Olympus PEN-F	Olympus OM-D E-M5 II	Olympus PEN E-P5
Pixel count	20MP	16MP	16MP
Image stabilization	5-axis	5-axis	5-axis
Stabilization (CIPA)	5 stops	5 stops	4 stops
Max shutter speed	1/8000 (1/16000 electronic)	1/8000 (1/16000 electronic)	1/8000
On-sensor PDAF	No	No	No
Continuous shooting (without /with AF)	10 fps / 5 fps	10 fps / 5 fps	9 fps / 5 fps
Flash	Clip-on Tilt/bounce/rotate	Clip-on Tilt/bounce/rotate	Pop-up flash
Viewfinder	Built-in 2.36M-dot LCD 1.23x mag	Built-in 2.36M-dot LCD 1.48x mag	Optional VF-4 accessory EVF w/ 2.36M-dot LCD and 1.48x mag
Max video res/rate	1080/60p	1080/60p	1080/30p
Max bitrate	77Mbps	77Mbps	20Mbps
Mic socket	No	Yes	No
Rear screen	Fully articulating 3" touchscreen 1.04M-dots	Fully-articulated 3.0" touchscreen 1.04M-dots	Flip up/down 3.0" touchscreen 1.04M-dots
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes	Yes
Environmental sealing?	No	Yes	No
Battery life (CIPA)	330	310	330
Weight	427 g	469 g	420 g
Dimensions	125 x 72 x 37mm	124 x 85 x 45mm	122 x 69 x 37mm

Pricing and availability

The Olympus PEN-F will be available at end of February – early March 2016, and will hit the streets at a body-only price of $1199. It ships with the FL-LM3 flashgun seen in the image at the top.

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X, Y, and Z and ideally A, B, and C.