Micro 4/3 Olympus Pen-F announcement v.soon.

Location
London UK
Name
Andy
According to 43 Rumors the new Olympus Pen-F will be announced Wed 27th Jan at 5-6am UK (GMT) time. Pics on 43Rumors.

Quote: "The camera will be announced on January 27 at 5-6am London time. Follow the live blogging here on 43rumors!"
 
I have to say, this is what the digital pen range should have been all along. Had they had an integrated optical viewfinder from the outset they would probably still have me as a customer (I had an E-P1 for a short while but the handling and lack of vf killed it for me). I can't help but feel that Olympus has seen how well Fuji has done with "rangefinder" style cameras and decided they want a piece of that. It's an exciting time to be an "Olympian" ;)
 
I think it's an interesting camera, but not enough to get up at 5 a.m for.

I like the sound of the viewfinder and the new sensor, less keen on the 'art filter' control on the front. Agnostic on the articulated rear screen.

-R
 
I'm not using the rear screen a lot on cameras with an (E)VF, and the option to fold it away really appeals to me - and with an EVF that good, I don't even need the monitor for chimping - great! I'm a bit wary of the lack of a proper front grip, though - I love the one on the E-PL7 and think it could turn out to be a major omission. I was in two minds about the knob on the front plate for a while, but than it dawned on me that while I hardly ever use art filters in general, having custom B&W and colour profiles available without messing around in any menus is a clear plus. I also hope it'll present a point to secure one's grip on the front ... we'll see. Except for the (pretty foreseeable) reported lack of weather sealing (no PEN has had that yet), this camera has most of the things I really want and use most - among them something most people seem to have overlooked: four custom positions on the mode dial? Serious goodness!

M.
 
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Wow, you folks don't have anywhere near the level of angst-ridden hand wringing this camera has caused over at the Mu43 forum. The articulated rear screen alone has launched long and bitter threads. One of the nice parts about this forum is that, given the wide range of cameras and sensors represented, it's a lot harder to get into a mu43 v. FF type of discussion.
 
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Wow, you folks don't have anywhere near the level of angst-ridden hand wringing this camera has caused over at the Mu43 forum. The articulated rear screen alone has launched long and bitter threads. One of the nice parts about this thread is that, given the wide range of cameras and sensors represented, it's a lot harder to get into a mu43 v. FF type of discussion.
Steve: The attitude you mentioned drove me away from participating further in any of the threads on the mu43 board - the negativity is quite embarrassing. But it's actually mostly echoed all around the 'net.

I personally think it's percisely the camera I've been waiting for - PEN gestalt with all the latest tech, including the E-M5 II's I.B.I.S. and EVF, a new sensor already incorporating the - to me entirely redundant - high-res mode, interesting new controls ... What exactly is not to like except that they fully understandably refuse to cannibalise their own OM-D line?

I find almost everything that I can see on this camera either logical or intriguing - it may not become my only mFT body (I have two at the moment, too!), but it'll finally give me the PEN I really always wanted. That said, it *could* actually replace *three* cameras for me: the E-PL7 (naturally - except for size, it leaves it in the dust), the E-M10 (it's got an EVF - and a better one, too!), and maybe even the LX100 (it's got the RF gestalt I really, really dig - with, yes, indeed again, an even better EVF!). I'm not yet sure I'll actually go that route because I like each and every of those three cameras for its own merits, but I'm now in the position that I could probably do that *and not be sorry in hindsight that I did*!

Olympus might have gone a bit too far in terms of vintage layout (no real front grip), but we'll see about that. Other than that, I think they've got a winner. Unfortunately, given the totally overblown expectations people had, many won't notice - which in turn might mean quickly falling prices for the rest of us who get what this camera is all about ... I'm not trying to be too ironic or cynical at the moment, but if nothing else, I'll take advantage of other people's stubborn refusal to give this new camera due consideration.

M.
 
The "grass is greener" syndrome gets really bad sometimes. The other problem is a simple failure to recognize personal preferences. Still, Mu43 is fairly polite forum with a few contentious threads in the scheme of things
 
Wow, you folks don't have anywhere near the level of angst-ridden hand wringing this camera has caused over at the Mu43 forum. The articulated rear screen alone has launched long and bitter threads. One of the nice parts about this forum is that, given the wide range of cameras and sensors represented, it's a lot harder to get into a mu43 v. FF type of discussion.

Possibly because most folks on this forum are not m43 (or not dedicated m43 shooters).

It shouldn't be surprising, though, when you attract one type of shooter with one type of camera, and then start moving to a different type of shooter, and away from your current base. How can that not cause some drama? Add in the fact that m43 has always been drama-prone (basically, Napoleon syndrome - conquer Europe, but still insecure).

Since you are missing the drama, though, I'll chime in ;) -- I purposely avoid cameras with FA screens, and will avoid this one, too. I understand them, and wouldn't want to, e.g., shoot video without one. But I don't shoot video. The Pen line has clearly ended for me, as this is the direction Oly is going. Not a big deal, but for some folks who are "all in" on Oly -- it could be quite irritating to lose what they prefer.

(personally, I think the bigger sin on the camera is on the on/off switch, which conforms to no other camera that I am aware of).
 
Although a tempting camera for me I can't help think that an E-M5 II would do just as well for a lot less. I need to handle the F before I make any kind of decision but it does look nice and it's growing on me. The spec is pretty impressive and the dials look comfy and it's all SO retro....Yum!
 
After buying and selling nearly every camera made during the last few years, I've finally realized that while some people seem to think that they are all WILDLY different (and those differences are incredibly :rofl: important to creating better photographs), they are all actually nearly exactly the same.

They may put stuff in different places. Some may be "more pocketable" (Why are so many people obsessed with putting cameras in their pockets?). Some may be better looking (frankly, I don't think enough people put enough weight into this consideration).

I've used enough cameras over the last few years to be able to tell you all this. If this new camera will make you happy or more likely to grab it and take it out to create an image of lasting beauty, you should buy it. But it will not, in and of itself, make you a better photographer.

Sorry for my brief rant. I fear I'm turning into the old curmudgeon who just dislikes new camera announcements and the hand-wringing that ensues immediately before the announcement (and after, of course). I'm listening to some music recorded in the 1930s right now, and the photographs in the book (from the same era) are amazing. And the latest camera could not enable anyone here to better them (or even match them).

And while I'm NOT in the market for a new camera, I'd like to thank Olympus for NOT putting a grip on it, thank you very much. :hiding:
 
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The attitude you mentioned drove me away from participating further in any of the threads on the mu43 board
Is that as a result of that Nikon D5500/Sigma 18-35mm post you did and the subsequent responses? If so, I'd be terribly disappointed as that was one of the most useful informative posts on that forum. We need posts like that, so I hope you don't pay too much attention to those shouting the loudest.
 
The Pen F in the photo at 43rumors has a 12-40mm zoom attached to it. Is it just me or does anyone else find this just slightly ridiculous? Of course one can mount a lens like that on a Pen. And I'm sure it works fine. But it kind of kills the point of a rangefinder-type camera for me. Just sayin' :)

(FT5) Latest from the PEN-F: Body only price is 1199 Euro. | 43 Rumors


Yes, that IS ridiculous. As is the price.

But I'm sure there will be a few hundred lined up for pre-order, and then a few thousand who will buy it when it "comes down" to $1,000. And then they'll sell a boatload more through "open box" and "refurb" deals for $700 and then they'll clear out the rest of the stock in a few years when it's $300 because the newest model is waaaaaaay better and no one will even consider it unless they're "giving it away".

Lemmings.
 
The Pen F in the photo at 43rumors has a 12-40mm zoom attached to it. Is it just me or does anyone else find this just slightly ridiculous? Of course one can mount a lens like that on a Pen. And I'm sure it works fine. But it kind of kills the point of a rangefinder-type camera for me. Just sayin' :)

(FT5) Latest from the PEN-F: Body only price is 1199 Euro. | 43 Rumors
Doesn't bother me. If I was considering an m43 camera again, I'm sure I'd look at it like I do my DF - primarily for smaller prime lenses but certainly with the possibility of using with a zoom or two. The DF looks and handles best with a small-ish prime lens on it and that's what I use about 95% of the time, probably more. But I have two AF zooms that I occasionally find invaluable. Now, if I was shooting with the 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 on a regular basis, I'd no doubt have chosen a different body with ergonomics that worked better with those honkin' lenses.

Similarly, if I was to buy the Pen-F, I'd probably mostly shoot it with the 12 and 17 and 45mm primes and I'd choose the body accordingly, but I'd still probably own the 12-40 and some version of an f2.8 tele (probably the Pany 35-100) and when the occasion called for it, I'd use those. If I was gonna use those lenses primarily, I'd get an EM1 instead, but if they were part time lenses, I'd still be happy with the combination.

BTW, someone said something about an OVF in this camera - does it really have a hybrid viewfinder or just a really good EVF?

-Ray
 
Is that as a result of that Nikon D5500/Sigma 18-35mm post you did and the subsequent responses? If so, I'd be terribly disappointed as that was one of the most useful informative posts on that forum. We need posts like that, so I hope you don't pay too much attention to those shouting the loudest.
No, not at all - I think what went on in that thread had to be expected, it was sort of like baiting the troll ... I was referring specifically to the threads about the PEN F. Most people are complaining about things that are missing, while I see the host of things that are actually coming and am very much looking forward to trying the camera. I'm not as enthusiastic as I was after looking at the first images, but I still think this camera will end up in my hands for good because it combines all the things I want into one package (bar weather sealing - but I'm thinking about other solutions in that respect anyway).

To be clear about mu43: I like it there one the whole, and what's happening is no fault of the moderators' or anyone's - people stay quite civil most of the time. It's just a pity that those who love to point out minor problems and blow them out of proportion often manage to dominate most discussions.

M.
 
i dont think that lens on the new Pen is crazy, i think that lens in m4/3 is crazy. its not the 'rf' style of the camera that makes it silly, its the size of the lens in an objective sense in that most 'compact' format.
 
On the 12-40mm: After having used this lens as my main :mu43: lens for more than a year, I have to simply disagree. For a zoom of its size and quality, it's very compact, and it delivers. I do like shooting with the small primes, and the small size of the system was what attracted me in the first place. What kept me there (until now, even though I'm back into DSLR photography big time) was its usability and performance. You can go on thrashing the 12-40mm all you like - it's still a fantastic lens for those who happen to like it. Not everything is for everyone - which is actually a blessing.

On a side note: I won't try any retribution for most probably being called a "lemming" because that remark actually came from a staff member. I'd just like to ask for more consideration. I like it here, but I can easily do without being attacked personally for my own decisions and preferences, thank you very much. And as a result, as sad as it is, I'm out of this thread - as I was silently out of those on mu43.

M.
 
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