Difference between revisions of "Olympus Pen"

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The '''Pen''' series is a family of [[half-frame]] cameras made by [[Olympus]] from 1959 to the beginning of the 1980s. They are viewfinder fixed lens cameras, except the [[Olympus Pen F|Pen F]] series of half-frame SLRs which is discussed in another page.
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|image_text= Olympus Pen C<br/>Olympus Pen F<br/>Olympus Pen FT
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|image_by= Rick Soloway
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The original Pen was introduced in 1959. It was designed by the famous camera designer [[Yoshihisa Maitani]], and was the first half-frame camera produced in Japan. It was one of the smallest camera ever to have used the regular 35mm film. It was thought to be as portable as a pen, hence the name. The idea was to be much copied by other Japanese makers.
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The '''Pen''' series is a family of [[half-frame]] cameras made by [[Olympus]] from 1959 to the beginning of the 1980s. Aside from the [[Olympus Pen F|Pen&nbsp;F]] series of half-frame [[SLR]]s (discussed in its [[Olympus Pen F|own article]]), they are fixed-lens [[viewfinder camera]]s.
  
A series of derivatives followed, some easier to use with the introduction of exposure automation in the Pen EE, others with a wider aperture lens and a manual meter, as the Pen D.
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== General context ==
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The original Pen was introduced in 1959. Designed by [[Maitani Yoshihisa]],{{Japanese name order}} it was the first half-frame camera produced in Japan. It was one of the smallest cameras to use [[35mm]] film in regular 135 cassettes. Its name comes from the idea that the camera was as portable as a pen. The concept was soon copied by many other Japanese makers.
  
In 1966 the arrival of the [[Rollei 35]], a camera almost as compact but making normal 24x36 exposures, would announce the beginning of the end for the half frame concept. However Olympus went on producing the simpler models of the Pen family until at least 1983.
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A series of derivatives followed, some easier to use with the introduction of exposure automation, e.g. the Pen EE; others with a wider aperture lens and a [[light meter|manual meter]], such as the Pen D.
  
In the descriptions below, please note that the focal lengths indicated do not give the same angle of view as if they were full-frame cameras, the 30mm is roughly equivalent to a 45mm, and the 28mm to a 40mm.
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In 1966 the arrival of the [[Rollei 35]], a camera almost as compact but making normal 24&times;36 exposures, would announce the beginning of the end for the half-frame concept. However, Olympus went on producing the simpler models of the Pen family until at least 1983. 17 million Pen half-frame cameras were sold.
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In the descriptions below, please note that the focal lengths indicated do not give the same angle of view as for full-frame cameras: 30mm on the Pen is roughly [[35mm equivalent|equivalent]] to 45mm on a full-frame, and 28mm to a 40mm.
  
 
== The Pen and Pen S ==
 
== The Pen and Pen S ==
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|image=  http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5139/5516724805_a43d988847_m.jpg
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|image_align= right
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|image_text= Pen S
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|image_by= Rick Soloway
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/50678983@N00/302191736/in/pool-camerawiki/
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|image=  http://farm1.static.flickr.com/99/302191736_a630648445_m.jpg
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|image_align= right
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|image_text= <br>Olympus Pen
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|image_by= Dries van den Elzen
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
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The original '''Pen''' is a very compact [[half-frame]] camera, with just a viewfinder, no meter and fully manual settings. It has a 28mm f/3.5 D [[Zuiko]] lens. Its shutter settings are 25, 50, 100, 200, B; its aperture range from 3.5 to 22. It has a [[flash sync|PC Sync]] terminal at the lower-left of the lens. The back is removed completely for film loading and unloading. The first of these cameras were made for Olympus by a sub-contractor, Sanko-Shoji<ref>{{McKeown12}}, p.749.</ref> but Olympus began making the camera themselves within a year. The very early Sanko-Shoji Pen and Pen Original (made by Olympus with Sanko-Shoji parts) are easily recognized as they have only 1 strap lug<ref>[https://www.biofos.com/coll/subcoll/vfpen.html Viewfinder Pen series] at [https://www.biofos.com/index.html biofos.com]</ref>.
  
The original '''Pen''' is a very compact [[half-frame]] camera, with just a viewfinder, no meter and fully manual settings. It has a 28mm f:3.5 Zuiko lens. Its shutter settings were 25 - 50 - 100 - 200 - B.
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The '''Pen S''' is almost the same camera, with the following shutter settings: 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, B. It existed in two versions, with a 30mm f/2.8 lens or an f/3.5 lens.
 
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<br style="clear: both;" />
The '''Pen S''' is almost the same camera, with the following shutter settings: 8 - 15 - 30 - 60 - 125 - 250 - B. It existed in two versions, with a 30mm f:2.8 lens or with a f:3.5 lens.
 
  
 
== The Pen D series ==
 
== The Pen D series ==
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/olympusrf/5052324921/in/pool-camerawiki/
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|image= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5052324921_afa92fc53a_m.jpg
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|image_align= left
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|image_text= Pen D
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|image_by= Denny Narciso
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|image_rights= with permission
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mastaka/477801423/in/pool-camerawiki/
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|image=  http://farm1.static.flickr.com/198/477801423_f203b77c70_m_d.jpg
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|image_align= left
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|image_text= Pen D2
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|image_by= oldglass
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
  
The '''Pen D''' was a more expensive model, launched in 1962. It has a 32mm f:1.9 lens, a shutter going to 1/500 and an uncoupled selenium meter.
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The '''Pen D''' was a more expensive model than its predecessors, launched in 1962. It has a 32mm f/1.9 F Zuiko lens, a shutter going to 1/500 and an uncoupled [[selenium meter]]. Film speeds ranged from 10 to 400 ISO.
  
 
The '''Pen D2''', launched in 1964, is the same model with an uncoupled CdS exposure meter replacing the selenium one.
 
The '''Pen D2''', launched in 1964, is the same model with an uncoupled CdS exposure meter replacing the selenium one.
  
The '''Pen D3''', launched in 1965, is the same with a 32mm f:1.7 lens.
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The '''Pen D3''', launched in 1965, is the same with a 32mm f/1.7 lens.
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{{br}}
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== The Pen E series ==
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<div class="floatleft plainlinks" style="text-align: center;">
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|image=  http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2162/2403358996_fb5c2865b1_m.jpg
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|image_align=
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|image_text= Pen EE
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|image_by= Rick Soloway
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
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</div>
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The '''Pen E''' family is easily recognized by the [[selenium meter]] window around the lens. The first member of the Pen E series was the '''Pen EE''', introduced in 1961 and was a model targeted at amateurs, with fully automatic exposure and fixed focusing. It is a true [[point and shoot]] camera, and has a 28mm f/3.5 lens. There were two sub-versions of the EE, the first version had one shutter speed of 1/60th of a second which was used both for flash and non-flash modes. Later versions of the EE had two shutter speeds, 1/250th of the second and 1/30th of a second. In flash mode, the shutter was automatically set at 1/30 of a second, and in non-flash mode the shutter would automatically switch between 1/250 and 1/30 depending on light conditions.<ref>http://www.subclub.org/shop/pene.htm</ref> For both of these sub-versions of the EE, the aperture range was f3.5 to f22 and the ISO range was 10 to 200. The Pen EE could accommodate both 22.5mm or 43.5mm filters. The main way to distinguish between the older EE and the newer sub-version was the material used to clad the camera. The older model used a leather-like material and the newer model used a "basket-weave' pattern<ref>http://www.subclub.org/shop/pene.htm</ref> (usually in grey) such as in the example illustrated in this article.
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The '''Pen EE-S''', launched in 1962, is the same model with a 30mm f/2.8 and a focusing ring, made necessary by the wider aperture. Most of the specifications were similar to the EE (although the shutter speeds were 1/200 and 1/40, like the later EE-2).
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|image= http://static.flickr.com/116/271929946_f69239cb27_m_d.jpg
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|image_align= left
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|image_text= Pen EE-S
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|image_by= Steve Harwood
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
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</div>
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In 1966 the two cameras were slightly modified and became the '''Pen EE (EL)''' and '''Pen EE-S (EL)''' with a modification of the take-up spool to make film loading easier. ''EL'' stands for ''Easy Loading''. You can only recognize them by a small label marked EL stuck on the front, or you can open them and look at the take-up spool.
  
== The Pen EE series ==
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The '''Pen EE-D''', produced from 1967 to 1972, is a more expensive automated-exposure model, with a [[CdS|CdS meter]], a focusable 32mm f/1.7 lens and a hot shoe. Film speeds were 12-500 ISO. The EE-D were wider than the typical EE camera.
  
The '''Pen EE''' was introduced in 1961 and was the amateur model, with fully automatic exposure and fixed focusing. It is a true [[point and shoot]] camera, and has a 28mm f:3.5 lens. The Pen EE family is easily recognized by the selenium meter window around the lens.
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The '''Pen EE-2''', produced from 1968 to 1977, is nearly the same as the Pen EE with the addition of a [[hot shoe]] and an automatic exposure counter. The film speed range was changed to reflect more modern emulsions. It now ranged from 25-400 ISO. Shutter speeds also changed to 1/200 and 1/40th of a second (compared to 1/250 and 1/30th in the EE). The EE-2 could only accommodate the larger (43.5mm) filters.
  
The '''Pen EE.S''', launched in 1962, is the same model with a 30mm f:2.8 and a focusing ring, made necessary by the lens' wider aperture.
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The '''Pen EES-2''', produced from 1968 to 1971. It is a modernized version of the EE-S, with the addition of a [[hot shoe]] and the ISO range modified for more modern films (25-400 ISO).  
  
In 1966 the two cameras were slightly modified and became the '''Pen EE (EL)''' and '''Pen EE.S (EL)''' with a modification of the take up spool to make the film loading easier. ''EL'' stands for ''Easy Loading''. You can only recognize them by a small label marked EL stuck on the front, or you can open them and look at the take up spool.
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The '''Pen EE-3''', produced from 1973 to 1983, seemed to be exactly the same camera but also added the flashmatic system. When used with a matching GN14 flash, the flashmatic system allowed the user to obtain a corrected aperture value by manually setting the aperture ring to one of the estimated distances (1-4m).
  
The '''Pen EE.2''', produced from 1968 to 1977, is nearly the same as the Pen EE with the addition of a [[flash sync|hot shoe]]. The '''Pen EE.3''', produced from 1973 to 1983, seems to be exactly the same camera.
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The '''Pen EF''', launched in 1981, was the last Pen model. It is like the Pen EE-2 or Pen EE-3, but with a small built-in flash, and was only sold in black finish with white letterings. Shutter speeds were 1/30 and 1.250 and film speeds ranged frrom 25-400 ISO.
  
The '''Pen EE.S2''', produced from 1968 to 1971, is the same as the Pen EE.S with the addition of a hot shoe.
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{{Flickr_image
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ja1vbn/671834549/in/pool-camerawiki
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|image= http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1367/671834549_108c24ff2c_m.jpg
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|image_align= left
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|image_text= Olympus Pen EED
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|image_by= ja1vbn
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
  
The '''Pen EE.D''', produced from 1967 to 1972, is a more expensive automated exposure model, with a CdS meter, a 32mm f:1.7 lens and a hot shoe.
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{{Flickr_image
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/126532323@N03/15089795452/in/pool-camerawiki
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|image= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5584/15089795452_b966d55365_m.jpg
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|image_align= left
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|image_text= Olympus Pen EE-2
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|image_by= Jaap Schelvis
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
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{{Flickr_image
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/bottledog/4904293841/in/pool-camerawiki/
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|image= http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4082/4904293841_76c3434c90_m.jpg
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|image_align= left
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|image_text= Pen EE-3
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|image_by= bottledog
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
  
The '''Pen EF''', launched in 1981, was the last Pen model. It is like the Pen EE.2 or Pen EE.3, but with a small built-in flash, and was only sold in black finish with white letterings.
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{{Flickr_image
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/olympusrf/5052860910/in/pool-camerawiki/
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|image=  http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4089/5052860910_d7d5b0ac6a_m.jpg
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|image_align= left
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|image_text= Pen EF
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|image_by= Denny Narciso
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
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{{br}}
  
 
== The Pen Wide ==
 
== The Pen Wide ==
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The '''Pen W''' or '''Pen Wide''' is a very rare variant of the Pen S model, with a wide-angle 25mm f/2.8 lens, equivalent to a 35mm in full format. It only exists in black finish, and has a cold flash shoe. It was only produced between 1964 and 1965, and today fetches high prices on the collectors' market.
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{{Flickr_image
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/olympusrf/6716670309/in/pool-camerawiki/
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|image=  http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6716670309_13be0896a9_m.jpg
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|image_align=
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|image_text= Pen W
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|image_by= Denny Narciso
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|image_rights= with permission
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}}
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== The Pen EM ==
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<div class="floatright plainlinks" style="text-align: center;">
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{{Flickr_image
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/decisif/529743383/in/pool-camerawiki
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|image= http://farm1.staticflickr.com/241/529743383_fbd8e0cfe1_m.jpg
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|image_align=
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|image_text= Pen EM
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|image_by= Jim Stewart
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|image_rights= non-commercial
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}}
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</div>
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The '''Pen EM''', produced from 1965 to 1966 features an electronic shutter, automatic film advance, automatic rewind and shutter speeds from 30 seconds to 1/500th. It has a F. Zuiko 35mm f/2 lens and a CdS exposure meter allowing automatic or manual exposure. Despite being an advanced camera for it's time production was ceased after one year due manufacturing problems that could not be overcome with the technology available at the time.{{br}}
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== The Pen Rapid models ==
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{{Flickr_image
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/khunhans/3356932823/in/pool-camerawiki/
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|image=  http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3426/3356932823_e61470a4c2_m.jpg
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|image_align=
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|image_text=
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|image_by= Hans Kleijn
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The '''Pen Rapid EE.S''' and '''Pen Rapid EE.D''' were variants of the Pen EE.S and Pen EE.D designed to accept the [[Rapid film|Agfa Rapid]] cassette instead of the regular [[35mm|35mm cassette]]. They were both made from 1965 to 1966, and met very little success.
  
The '''Pen W''' or '''Pen Wide''' is a very rare variant of the Pen S model, with a wide angle 25mm f:2.8 lens, equivalent to a 35mm in full format. It only exists in black finish, and has a cold flash shoe. It was only produced between 1964 and 1965, and today fetches high prices on the collectors' market.
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== The Pen's digital revival ==
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In 2009 Olympus launched a series of digital cameras for the new [[Micro Four-Thirds]] lens mount (µ4/3) that it shares with [[Panasonic]]. Whilst the original [[Four Thirds]] cameras were [[DSLR]]s with [[reflex finder|optical reflex viewing]], Olympus' new digital Pen series all belong to the new class of mirror-less system cameras. The camera body omits any viewfinder eyepiece, but an [[viewfinder#electronic viewfinder|electronic viewfinder]] can be attached on the accessory shoe. With the many [[adapter]]s available for the Micro Four-Thirds mount, the new Pens became the first purely electronic system cameras usable with most legacy lenses from earlier manual-focusing camera systems.
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* [[Olympus Pen E-P1]]
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* [[Olympus Pen E-P2]]
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* [[Olympus Pen E-PL1]] (optional [[Olympus Pen PT-EP01]] underwater housing available)
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* [[Olympus Pen E-PM1]]
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<br/>
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{{Flickr_image
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|image_source= https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwhatphotos/47200824461/in/pool-camerawiki/
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|image= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7834/47200824461_8c3016ae56_z_d.jpg
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|image_align= left
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|image_text= [[µ4/3]] PENs - top: Pen-F, E-PL9, E-PL8<br/>mid: E-PL5, E-PL6, E-PL7<br/>bottom: E-PL1, E-PL2, E-PL3<br/>There was no E-PL4 because the four is an unlucky number in Japan.
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|image_by= CWhatPhotos
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|image_rights= wp
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}}
  
== The Pen EM ==
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{{br}}
  
The '''Pen EM''', produced from 1965 to 1966, is a motorized Pen model. It has a 35mm f:2 lens, and a CdS exposure meter allowing automatic or manual exposure.
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== Images ==
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'''Olympus Pen images'''
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{| class="plainlinks" style="text-align: center;"
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|-
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/50678983@N00/302191736/in/pool-camerawiki/ http://static.flickr.com/99/302191736_a630648445_t.jpg]
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/50678983@N00/302098102/in/pool-camerawiki/ http://static.flickr.com/120/302098102_5f413893b0_t.jpg]
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/50678983@N00/302098108/in/pool-camerawiki// http://static.flickr.com/118/302098108_357035c3db_t.jpg]
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/50678983@N00/302098094/in/pool-camerawiki/ http://static.flickr.com/110/302098094_259af0f331_t.jpg]
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/oscarnates/4185827153/in/pool-camerawiki/ http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2487/4185827153_cee30961a2_t.jpg]
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|-
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|-
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/50678983@N00/302098103/in/pool-camerawiki/ http://static.flickr.com/111/302098103_cce2e01949_t.jpg]
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/50678983@N00/302098089/in/pool-camerawiki/ http://static.flickr.com/114/302098089_5d18de087a_t.jpg]
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/50678983@N00/302098096/in/pool-camerawiki/ http://static.flickr.com/112/302098096_3e6e2ec1f4_t.jpg]
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/heritagefutures/4623185030/in/pool-camerawiki http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3398/4623185030_e4fccba816_t.jpg]
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|| [http://www.flickr.com/photos/fukui_norisuke/3889202405/in/pool-camerawiki http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3889202405_404c6dccee_t.jpg]
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|-
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|| ''logo''
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|| ''detachable back''
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|| ''frame counter 1&ndash;72!''
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|| ''Pen EE-2''
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|| ''[[Olympus Pen E-P1|Pen E-P1]]''
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|-
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| colspan=4 | <small>images by Dries Van den Elzen, Dirk Spennemann, Hidenori Hayashi, Askr Red.</small> {{with permission}}
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|}
  
== The Pen Rapid models ==
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== Notes ==
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<references />
  
The '''Pen Rapid EE.S''' and '''Pen Rapid EE.D''' were variants of the Pen EE.S and Pen EE.D designed to accept the [[Agfa Rapid]] cassette instead of the regular 35mm cassette. They were both made from 1965 to 1966, and met very little success.
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== Bibliography ==
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* {{Francesch Olympus}}
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* DECHERT, Peter. ''Collecting and Using Olympus Pen Single Lens Reflex Cameras''. Historical Camera Publications, 2007. Available for download in PDF at [http://www.songofsnow.com/Peter-Dechert-Articles-s/156.htm Peter Dechert's Corner]
  
 
== Links ==
 
== Links ==
* [http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/instructionmanuals.html Manual available on  the Favorite Classics section of .kyphoto.com]
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In English:
* [http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/penees2repair.html Olympus Pen EES-2 Aperture Repair]
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* Manuals for the [http://www.butkus.org/chinon/olympus/olympus_pen_ee/olympus_pen_ee.htm Pen EE] and the [http://www.butkus.org/chinon/olympus/olympus_pen_ee-2/olympus_pen_ee-2.htm Pen EE-2] available at butkus.org
* Lionel's [http://35mm-compact.com/anciens/olympuspenee3.htm Olympus Pen EE-3] page in french at 35mm-compact.com
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* [http://web.archive.org/web/20170718203431/http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/penees2repair.html Olympus Pen EES-2 aperture repair] by Henry Taber at kyphoto.com via [http://www.archive.org Internet Archive: The Wayback Machine]
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20200622075341/http://www.marriottworld.com/pieces/pieces08.htm Olympus Pen] at [https://web.archive.org/web/20200218065223/http://marriottworld.com/index.htm Marriott's World] (archived)
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* [http://www.arransalerno.com/blog/2008/10/olympus-pen-ef/ The Often Forgotten Pen EF] a user review from [http://www.arransalerno.com/blog/ ArranSalerno.com]
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* A [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwm_Dya0PFQ YouTube video] from [https://www.youtube.com/c/TechnologyConnections/videos Technology Connections] on the Pen EES-2, including partial disassembly to demonstrate how its trapped-needle autoexposure operates
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In French:
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* Lionel's [http://35mm-compact.com/anciens/olympuspenee3.htm Olympus Pen EE-3] page at 35mm-compact.com
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* [http://www.collection-appareils.fr/x/html/page_standard.php?id_appareil=1000 Pen EE], [http://www.collection-appareils.fr/x/html/page_standard.php?id_appareil=31 Pen EE-2], [http://www.collection-appareils.fr/x/html/page_standard.php?id_appareil=640 Pen EES], [http://www.collection-appareils.fr/x/html/page_standard.php?id_appareil=394 Pen EES-2] on [http://www.collection-appareils.fr/general/html/francais.php www.collection-appareils.fr] by Sylvain Halgand
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In Japanese:
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208104252/http://www.hicat.ne.jp/~bianchi/bianchi/ Half-moon], a website fully devoted to the Pen and Pen F series (archived)
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105030400/http://www.geocities.jp/yastsuji/pen.html Pen] at [https://web.archive.org/web/20181204223417/http://www.geocities.jp/yastsuji/ Otowa no nigan-refu] (archived)
  
== Bibliography ==
 
* Dominique Francesch and Jean-Paul Francesch. ''Histoire de l'appareil photographique Olympus de 1936 à 1983.'' Paris: Dessain et Tolra, 1985. ISBN 2-249-27679-X
 
  
 
{{Olympus classic}}
 
{{Olympus classic}}
  
[[Category: Half frame]]
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[[Category: Japanese half-frame viewfinder]]
[[Category: 35mm viewfinder]]
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[[Category: Olympus|Pen]]
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[[Category: Olympus]]
 
 
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[[Category: O]]
[[Category: P|Pen]]
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[[Category: P|Pen Olympus]]

Latest revision as of 07:36, 21 August 2023

The Pen series is a family of half-frame cameras made by Olympus from 1959 to the beginning of the 1980s. Aside from the Pen F series of half-frame SLRs (discussed in its own article), they are fixed-lens viewfinder cameras.

General context

The original Pen was introduced in 1959. Designed by Maitani Yoshihisa,[1] it was the first half-frame camera produced in Japan. It was one of the smallest cameras to use 35mm film in regular 135 cassettes. Its name comes from the idea that the camera was as portable as a pen. The concept was soon copied by many other Japanese makers.

A series of derivatives followed, some easier to use with the introduction of exposure automation, e.g. the Pen EE; others with a wider aperture lens and a manual meter, such as the Pen D.

In 1966 the arrival of the Rollei 35, a camera almost as compact but making normal 24×36 exposures, would announce the beginning of the end for the half-frame concept. However, Olympus went on producing the simpler models of the Pen family until at least 1983. 17 million Pen half-frame cameras were sold.

In the descriptions below, please note that the focal lengths indicated do not give the same angle of view as for full-frame cameras: 30mm on the Pen is roughly equivalent to 45mm on a full-frame, and 28mm to a 40mm.

The Pen and Pen S

The original Pen is a very compact half-frame camera, with just a viewfinder, no meter and fully manual settings. It has a 28mm f/3.5 D Zuiko lens. Its shutter settings are 25, 50, 100, 200, B; its aperture range from 3.5 to 22. It has a PC Sync terminal at the lower-left of the lens. The back is removed completely for film loading and unloading. The first of these cameras were made for Olympus by a sub-contractor, Sanko-Shoji[2] but Olympus began making the camera themselves within a year. The very early Sanko-Shoji Pen and Pen Original (made by Olympus with Sanko-Shoji parts) are easily recognized as they have only 1 strap lug[3].

The Pen S is almost the same camera, with the following shutter settings: 8, 15, 30, 60, 125, 250, B. It existed in two versions, with a 30mm f/2.8 lens or an f/3.5 lens.

The Pen D series

The Pen D was a more expensive model than its predecessors, launched in 1962. It has a 32mm f/1.9 F Zuiko lens, a shutter going to 1/500 and an uncoupled selenium meter. Film speeds ranged from 10 to 400 ISO.

The Pen D2, launched in 1964, is the same model with an uncoupled CdS exposure meter replacing the selenium one.

The Pen D3, launched in 1965, is the same with a 32mm f/1.7 lens.

The Pen E series

The Pen E family is easily recognized by the selenium meter window around the lens. The first member of the Pen E series was the Pen EE, introduced in 1961 and was a model targeted at amateurs, with fully automatic exposure and fixed focusing. It is a true point and shoot camera, and has a 28mm f/3.5 lens. There were two sub-versions of the EE, the first version had one shutter speed of 1/60th of a second which was used both for flash and non-flash modes. Later versions of the EE had two shutter speeds, 1/250th of the second and 1/30th of a second. In flash mode, the shutter was automatically set at 1/30 of a second, and in non-flash mode the shutter would automatically switch between 1/250 and 1/30 depending on light conditions.[4] For both of these sub-versions of the EE, the aperture range was f3.5 to f22 and the ISO range was 10 to 200. The Pen EE could accommodate both 22.5mm or 43.5mm filters. The main way to distinguish between the older EE and the newer sub-version was the material used to clad the camera. The older model used a leather-like material and the newer model used a "basket-weave' pattern[5] (usually in grey) such as in the example illustrated in this article.

The Pen EE-S, launched in 1962, is the same model with a 30mm f/2.8 and a focusing ring, made necessary by the wider aperture. Most of the specifications were similar to the EE (although the shutter speeds were 1/200 and 1/40, like the later EE-2).

In 1966 the two cameras were slightly modified and became the Pen EE (EL) and Pen EE-S (EL) with a modification of the take-up spool to make film loading easier. EL stands for Easy Loading. You can only recognize them by a small label marked EL stuck on the front, or you can open them and look at the take-up spool.

The Pen EE-D, produced from 1967 to 1972, is a more expensive automated-exposure model, with a CdS meter, a focusable 32mm f/1.7 lens and a hot shoe. Film speeds were 12-500 ISO. The EE-D were wider than the typical EE camera.

The Pen EE-2, produced from 1968 to 1977, is nearly the same as the Pen EE with the addition of a hot shoe and an automatic exposure counter. The film speed range was changed to reflect more modern emulsions. It now ranged from 25-400 ISO. Shutter speeds also changed to 1/200 and 1/40th of a second (compared to 1/250 and 1/30th in the EE). The EE-2 could only accommodate the larger (43.5mm) filters.

The Pen EES-2, produced from 1968 to 1971. It is a modernized version of the EE-S, with the addition of a hot shoe and the ISO range modified for more modern films (25-400 ISO).

The Pen EE-3, produced from 1973 to 1983, seemed to be exactly the same camera but also added the flashmatic system. When used with a matching GN14 flash, the flashmatic system allowed the user to obtain a corrected aperture value by manually setting the aperture ring to one of the estimated distances (1-4m).

The Pen EF, launched in 1981, was the last Pen model. It is like the Pen EE-2 or Pen EE-3, but with a small built-in flash, and was only sold in black finish with white letterings. Shutter speeds were 1/30 and 1.250 and film speeds ranged frrom 25-400 ISO.


The Pen Wide

The Pen W or Pen Wide is a very rare variant of the Pen S model, with a wide-angle 25mm f/2.8 lens, equivalent to a 35mm in full format. It only exists in black finish, and has a cold flash shoe. It was only produced between 1964 and 1965, and today fetches high prices on the collectors' market.

The Pen EM

The Pen EM, produced from 1965 to 1966 features an electronic shutter, automatic film advance, automatic rewind and shutter speeds from 30 seconds to 1/500th. It has a F. Zuiko 35mm f/2 lens and a CdS exposure meter allowing automatic or manual exposure. Despite being an advanced camera for it's time production was ceased after one year due manufacturing problems that could not be overcome with the technology available at the time.

The Pen Rapid models

The Pen Rapid EE.S and Pen Rapid EE.D were variants of the Pen EE.S and Pen EE.D designed to accept the Agfa Rapid cassette instead of the regular 35mm cassette. They were both made from 1965 to 1966, and met very little success.

The Pen's digital revival

In 2009 Olympus launched a series of digital cameras for the new Micro Four-Thirds lens mount (µ4/3) that it shares with Panasonic. Whilst the original Four Thirds cameras were DSLRs with optical reflex viewing, Olympus' new digital Pen series all belong to the new class of mirror-less system cameras. The camera body omits any viewfinder eyepiece, but an electronic viewfinder can be attached on the accessory shoe. With the many adapters available for the Micro Four-Thirds mount, the new Pens became the first purely electronic system cameras usable with most legacy lenses from earlier manual-focusing camera systems.



Images

Olympus Pen images

Notes

  1. The name is given in the Japanese order, with family name followed by the given name.
  2. McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover)., p.749.
  3. Viewfinder Pen series at biofos.com
  4. http://www.subclub.org/shop/pene.htm
  5. http://www.subclub.org/shop/pene.htm

Bibliography

  • Francesch, Dominique and Jean-Paul. Histoire de l'appareil photographique Olympus de 1936 à 1983. Paris: Dessain et Tolra, 1985. ISBN 2-249-27679-X.
  • DECHERT, Peter. Collecting and Using Olympus Pen Single Lens Reflex Cameras. Historical Camera Publications, 2007. Available for download in PDF at Peter Dechert's Corner

Links

In English:

In French:

In Japanese:


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