The upside of the increase in film prices is that it gave me an excuse to acquire another half-frame camera. It is one of Maitani's masterpieces, the Olympus Pen-FT.
The Pen-FT is only marginally larger than my Leica IIIa. It seems amazing that Maitani was able to fit a single lens reflex system into such a small container.
On the morning after the camera's arrival I loaded it with a roll of Kentmere 400, first shooting a few frames near home, and then going down to the Plaza Vieja to finish off the roll.
Finishishing off the Kentmere in the Plaza Vieja took a while as the 24-shot roll yielded 53 images!
It being a Friday morning, the old cars were lined up in front of the church waiting for their pictures to be taken.
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| '86 El Camino |
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| '32 Ford Victoria |
I bumped into my friend, Bob, in the Plaza so we took pictures of each other with the Pen-FT.
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| Bob |
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| Mike |
The camera worked perfectly. I have ordered six rolls of Kentmere 100 and two of Kodak Gold 200 which I think will be well-suited to the half-frame capability. I will probably also get some bulk film so I can make up some film rolls with a smaller number of frames.
The manual has illustrations showing the great array of lenses and accessories made by Olympus for the Pen-FT including adapters allowing the use of many standard 35mm lenses from Nikon, Practica, Leica and Exakta.
And, of course, this:
7 comments:
I have always wanted one of these. I will now follow your Olympus Pen adventures to see if I want to explore half-frame 35mm.
It is an inspiring piece of gear. I'm really looking forward to exploring its possibilities.
I've not enjoyed half-frame cameras because the roll of film never seems to end, but the results you're getting here may make me reconsider.
Economy aside, I enjoy the challenge of getting quality images from the half frame format. I am going to interested now in comparing the quality of the images from the Pen-FT and the Mercury II-CX. I suspect there will not be much apparent difference at small apertures. However, after opening up to larger apertures it seems like the Olympus should have quite an advantage.
There are actually a number of nice choices available in half frame from several companies. I friend recently showed me a little Canon Demi which is very nicely designed and also having what looks to be an excellent, fast lens.
I read that C the Pen lenses are top grade. They have risen in price because they work on m4/3 cameras. Nice work with your new Pen.
It is an interesting challenge to find additional lenses or accessories for the Pen-FT. Lens adapters to allow the use of lenses from other brands are a possibility, but I'm not finding much clear or reliable information on that.
I found an old conversation on RangefinderForum with a lot of good pictures and information about the Pen F cameras: https://rangefinderforum.com/threads/who-likes-olympus-pen-f-half-frame-slrs.4754476/page-8
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