• Minolta 16mm
• Minolta 110 SLR
• Olympus Pen FT
• Pentax Auto 110
• Rollei A110

Classic cameras

Olympus Pen FT

Introduction

Olympus Pen FT with 40mm F1.4 standard lens mounted and 2x teleconverter, 25mm F4.0, 100mm F3.5, 50-90mm F3.5

When the original Olympus Pen F 35mm half-frame SLR was introduced in 1963 it was the only half-frame SLR and the smallest full system SLR in the world. It was a uniquely styled camera with a smooth, sleek, minimalist design made possible by the use of a system of mirrors instead of a conventional pentaprism, hence no charateristic SLR bump on top. In my humble opinion the Pen F series is one of the most beautiful cameras ever designed. It is a very high quality device with very smooth operation.

The Pen FT replaced the Pen F in 1966. It introduced a number of minor improvements (e.g. a single stroke film advance instead of double stroke) and one major advance in the form of TTL (through the lens) exposure metering. This was at a time when TTL metering was still a great novelty. The metering system utilised a semi-silvered mirror that directed some light to the metering cell, and the rest to the view-finder. This resulted in a view finder that was dimmer than the original Pen F. The Pen FT was the only camera in the range available in a black finish. The Pen FV was introduced shortly after the Pen FT which included all the improvements of the Pen FT, but without the TTL metering and therefore the brighter view finder of the original Pen F. The Pen FV is considerably rarer than the Pen F or Pen FT and often commands higher prices, though the black Pen FT is the rarest model of all.

Apart from being the first half-frame SLR (yielding 72 exposures on a 36 exposure film), the Pen F series had a number of other innovations, including an unusual rotating focal plane shutter that permitted flash syncronisation at all shutter speeds. This is a feature that remains unique among focal plane shutter cameras.

The Pen F camera was part of a comprehensive system. There was a range of lenses from 20mm to 800mm, including ultra fast lens with apertures as wide as F1.2, macro lenses and mirror lenses and some of the first zoom lenses available. Note that there is an aproximate conversion factor of 1.4x to give 35mm equivilents. The only thing lacking in the Pen F lens system was an ultra wideangle lens, the widest being a 35mm equivilent of 28mm. There were also accessories such as an external meter for the Pen F/FV, bellows units for extreme close focus photography, and flash units.

Technical details

Lenses

My Olympus Pen FT system

Olympus Pen FT with 40mm F1.4 G Zuiko Auto S standard lens Condition: B/1 Serial no (camera): 134725 Serial no (lens): 161654 Additional items: Ever-ready case Purchase date: November 2002 Purchased from: Jessops Classic
25mm F4.0 E Zuiko Auto W wideangle lens Condition: B/1 Serial no: 119940 Additional items: Original front and rear lens caps, lens hood and non-original case Purchase date: November 2002 Purchased from: Jessops Classic
100mm F3.5 E Zuiko Auto T telephoto lens Condition: B/1 Serial no: 232981 Additional items: Original front and rear lens caps and original case Purchase date: November 2002 Purchased from: Jessops Classic
50-90mm F3.5 Zuiko Auto Zoom lens Condition: D/1 Serial no: 105925 Additional items: Original front and rear lens caps Purchase date: March 2003 Purchased from: eBay Notes: This is the original Pen F style lens without the exposure meter numbers
150mm F4 E Zuiko Auto T telephoto lens Condition: C/1 Serial no: 106769 Additional items: Case Purchase date: 2003 Purchased from: eBay
Auto Teleplus 2x teleconvter Condition: B/1 Serial no: none Additional items: Non-original case Purchase date: November 2002 Purchased from: Jessops Classic Notes: Shown mounted with the 100mm lens

Instruction manuals

Olympus Pen F (PDF, 2Mb)

Olympus Pen FT (PDF, 3Mb)

Links

Cameraquest.com Pen F profile

Genuine Leather cover kits and replacement leatherette for Olympus Pen SLR's

The Pen Story