This camera will save you TONS of film

For todays video I borrowed an Olympus Pen F 35mm Film camera to take out for a test
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[@gMok5154]

I love this camera and I'm glad you reviewed it, but I'm surprised you didn't talk about how unique the viewfinder is with its portrait orientation. I feel like this alone makes the Pen F series a whole heap of fun to shoot with.

[@morganmallory1198]

I also was surprised he didn’t mention that. Honestly, they may be my favorite way to have a camera picture orientated. My Fuji Ga645i was the same way and I grew to love that sooo much.

[@kurtpleavin]

This was a common feature in half-frame cameras so nothing all too unique to report about it.

[@morganmallory1198]

@@kurtpleavin yeah, makes sense but I loved it.

[@filmbenjamin]

@@morganmallory1198 yooo what up morgan😂

[@timgehrsitz3267]

I was wondering about that! I almost always shoot portrait based on how I like composting stuff but I prefer having the camera horizontal, I feel like that is perfect for me!

[@jordanlaine7412]

The 20mm f3.5 is easily my favorite lens for this system! At a 1.4x crop that makes it a 28mm, it has a 73° angle of view, very little distortion, and is sharp af at the center; stop it down a little and the whole frame is sharp! This lens and system are an absolute joy to shoot with.

[@JS52ATS]

Bought one of these when I first got into photography to save some money. Was and still is my favourite camera of all time.

[@KazumaOguraVideos]

Wow I like the function of half frame not only for just saving the cost but also looks so stylish! Besides quality of those images are good enough and so satisfied. Enjoyed watching your video today too thank you!

[@Caballeroshot]

I scored one of these from a friend for so cheap last year, it's so worth the price. The shutter is so satisfying, and the portrait orientation makes it so much fun to shoot. I still have a roll I loaded months ago that I need to finish, this is a great reminder to go out and shoot! ✌

[@calebj5852]

I have mine on my desk right now, loaded up with HP5! I love shooting day-to-day with it, it's a ton of fun.

[@nassimorousseau6914]

I've owned a Pen FT for a year now and I loooooove it! I'm glad you finally reviewed it. I have the 1.4 40mm and a zoom lens, both are amazing even if they are really sticky and I have to use them often otherwise the blades won't close anymore. The portrait viewfinder is delightful. It's true that the sound of the rotative shutter is amazing but man it is loud! Also a few things to know : check if everything seem to work correctly before you put on a film, especially the advance lever, because it takes a long time to go through a roll and it's really painful when those almost 80 photos of yours at the beach with your girlfriend are combined in one because your film didn't move. Even if the Ft is nice, I would maybe consider a F now since it's less of a pain to disassemble due to the lack of self timer, and the finder is brighter too. The light meter is really accurate tho, more than my iphone one, probably because it's TTL. Also if you can find the original leather housing, go for it, it's worth the money.

[@thamlissesgonzales2607]

No way! I just bought this camera yesterday. Can’t wait to shoot some film!

[@ma-bn8jh]

I got this camera recently. I just developed my first couple of rolls. I really like it as a daily carry. Also, I just developed a roll of Ilford Delta 400. It really looks good and the fine grain makes it look 'normal', not too much grain. I imagine tmax would be the same. I plan to use it to compliment my 6x7, in a project possibly this year. I also want to use to warm up before shooting the 6x7. I also picked up a flash for it and a mountable coldshoe. It syncs at all speeds, but really good for friends/family/nights/ indoor stuff. Really love the purchase. It also feels really good in hand, solidly built, even next my to wife's Leica m4.

[@robertpaul212]

i have the Mercury II , another half frame camera (very very old). the images these half frame cameras make have such a distinct look to them. makes any image you make look like it was taken and left in a time capsule. they look like what your memories look like in your head.

[@thomas_dries]

Damn it Willem! I've had this in my ebay watch list for a week waiting to buy one and now the price is gonna go up! Couldn't have waited until payday huh? 😂 All joking aside, I'm happy this camera is getting more attention not only is it a huge money saver but it's also gorgeous aesthetic wise.

[@walterlovell3374]

same, was mad when i saw the thumbnail!

[@jordanlaine7412]

@@walterlovell3374 I said the same thing even though I have a Pen FV with five lenses. I need more lenses and they already aren't cheap!

[@steph2607]

Fr we gotta gatekeep this shit bro i can’t afford anything nowadays

[@rugososphotos3646]

William's neat looking videos and chill vibe is always a winner! ... now I feel like I need a half frame camera on my collection, even if may not be the main camera

[@brandonscherff9344]

My favorite half frame is the Mercury II. They usually need a little lubricant but are easy To fix. Nice sharp photos and works well with fast films. It gets 65 shots on a roll. I usually use 24 exposure rolls to get about 40-42 shots.

[@iainlaurence]

That’s a nice looking camera. I could see an application of the 72 half frames in sports photography, where you’d be taking lots of pictures in one photoshoot

[@pdtech4524]

Incredible camera, enjoyed watching your video. I recently picked up an Olympus Pen EE half frame camera, it's absolutely mint. I'm looking forward to putting some film through it.

[@notyourdad]

I was looking at getting this for starting film photography and after scouring the interwebs I think this might just be my favorite looking camera of all time. That being said the steep price made me go for a Konica Auto-Reflex instead that I found for almost half the price, however, one day I will own one of these for sure - it's a must.

[@jw48335]

I have one of these. My favorite part is actually adapting regular OM lenses to it. I use the 28-48mm F4, the 28mm F2, and the 50mm F1.8. The whole frame is in the sweet spot, yielding a solid 12mp in scans. I find I get almost no vignette with OM glass vs the native glass that vignettes a lot.

[@3IruAW]

So I could adapt my OM1 lenses to it? interesting

[@jw48335]

@@3IruAW Yep. I got lucky and got an original OM adapter for $70 from an auction. They normally go for at least $180 the last time I looked. The crop factor is 1.4. I use the 50mm 1.8 for portraits. I have a 100mm 2.8 as well, although I don't often use it, when I do it's fantastic. I owned several of the original native lenses but I found those to being very heavy on distortion and vignette. Olympus also made a native adapter for the Nikon F mount, but I have never seen one come up for auction :-)

[@SneakyCaleb]

​​@@jw48335aren't the om lenses made for full frame 35mm ? I believe that reduces picture quality slightly.

[@briglnai]

what a great iconic Olympus... the shutter sound comes from it's unique rotary shutter... sometimes I would wish a bit more technical information in your videos... keep up the great work!

[@photografia]

Love the color gradient on the bookshelf.. great idea!

[@wietseveen3615]

I love my Pen FT I have the Rare and especially rare in good optics 42mm 1.2 ft version that lens is so amazing. Its quite rare because there have allot of separation with the cemented element in the first front group. Hopefully some day it will be affordable to make that repair possible.

[@karlikot]

i have the pen fv with a 40mil f 1.4. this is for keeps! i tell you. no fuss. no lightmeter compared to ft and I just love how sharp and nice my pictures are.

[@nolankern7283]

Loved my pen ft, super glad youre showing the new generation about them!

[@brandonjernigan7610]

People get hung up on the half frame scanning at a lower res, but it's pretty fun to theme/grab a different composition and scan both frames as a 35mm format.

[@arodrigueznyc1]

This camera is for the disciplined shooter, as it takes twice as long to finish a roll. But also if you're new to film, it's great for learning sunny 16(no light meter) and wasting tons of shots

[@tomscameras]

Great video and gorgeous shots. I totally love my PEN-FT. But actually today I would also get the PEN-F, the one without meter ... I also love the "natural" portrait orientation of the viewfinder.

[@Christian_from_Copenhagen]

Why one over the other?

[@morganmallory1198]

I had this camera with the infamous pancake 38mm f2.8. It was sooo fun to use. I also had the hot shoe adapter and the incredibly fun looking light meter. Miss that camera, maybe you’ve inspired me to get another.

[@jordanlaine7412]

I want the pancake so badly I just can't justify the $500 for it atm. The 20 3.5 will have to work till I save my pennies and it goes up another $100...

[@morganmallory1198]

@@jordanlaine7412 it was honestly a little too small haha. It made the aperture and focus dial really hard to grasp, but it was a super crispy lens that really cut down on the size. I actually bought the camera broken with that lens and then was able to fix the camera thankfully. I traded it off for a m645 pro, but I do miss it.

[@sophietucker1255]

I have a Pen F FT that is lots of fun to use. The meter doesn't work in it but that isn't all that important to me as I just use one of the handheld meters I own. I agree it does seem to take forever to complete a roll of film. Makes it almost like shooting digital on some levels. Still just a great camera. Mine has the 38mm 1.8 lens and a 100mm 3.5 lens. I also love that it shots in portrait rather than landscape but I'm not sure why I like that. I just do.

[@raulrodrigues2307]

It's funny seeing people getting to know Maitani's work. Bought one today!

[@JasperBunschoten]

The grain actually adds to the photo if you like "old family"-style pictures

[@philoography8233]

always a good time when Willem drops a new video

[@user-xs3uj2bx1y]

I got a chaika 3 - built like a tank and gets the job done. Half frame is a very fun format!

[@jamesjennings3726]

I have one of these beautiful cameras and it's a joy to shoot with.

[@billjohnstonjr.1037]

I know you're a film guy but for those of us who are retrograde digital types, the Olympus Pen F, digital version, is the camera to have. I like mine so much (silver version), I searched out a second one (black) after Olympus discontinued the camera back in 2019. It has a 20mp 4/3 sensor. It's an interchangeable lens camera so I can pair it with small Olympus (on Panasonic) lenses (or third party manuals). What I like about it best is how the black and whites look straight from the camera. Olympus created a unique black and white simulation which, as far as I can tell, they never put on another camera. (And since the company deserted the camera business, is unlikely to reappear). So my Pen-Fs are set to use this black and white jpeg with RAW as a backup. The OLED EVF is excellent. My favorite combination is to attach the tiny Olympus 17mm f/1.8 (eqv 35mm) or the similarly slim Olympus 12mm f/2 (eqv 24mm). The camera is surprisingly solid in the hand. I love using it, especially for street and portraits. For the latter, I put on the small Olympus 75mm f1.8 (150mm eqv). I suspect that it's harder to find the digital version of the Pen-F than the film version you picked up for yourself.

[@fcallo]

Believe it or not, is not that hard. I've been searching for a film PEN F for years! but I can find digital PEN Fs everywhere.

[@billjohnstonjr.1037]

@@fcallo I stand corrected!

[@Christian_from_Copenhagen]

The use cases seem very different, but I can second the recommendation! I use the 50 MP High Res mode for scanning negatives, and it's fun to shoot with OM lenses on it, too.

[@obbm]

Beautiful photos

[@brendon36]

love this camera

[@chbo682]

I think you might like to try the rollei35s. It’s a smaller but full frame camera that uses zone focusing if you’re up for the challenge of guessing the distance.

[@LaskyLabs]

It was already expensive so I'm not mad at you because you couldn't make it any more expensive than it already was lol. Also, shooting super sharp films, like Velvia 50 or Ektachrome on it will really get you a HUGE bang for your buck with the half frame format. Saving money on expensive films and still getting sharp images, win-win eh? Also because it has such a lovely maximum appeture, it allows you to just pour light on film, which is great when you're shooting super sharp and light hungry 100 iso films. I've put a lot of thought into this... If only I owned one lol

[@jawny407]

that boy Willem

[@Ruben-kc8hy]

Dude been waiting for your videos

[@doco6186]

Beautiful pictures.

[@houstonscott3002]

Glad I got one of these a few months back, now prices are probably going to go up some

[@arkandajic3618]

Thanks for increasing the value of my cameras Willem!

[@jordanlaine7412]

I want more lenses so I cursed the vid 🤣😂🤣

[@arkandajic3618]

@@jordanlaine7412 the lenses were already unaffordable lol

[@jordanlaine7412]

@@arkandajic3618 That 38 2.8 pancake is still calling my name, just not my pocket book...

[@jamesjacocks6221]

When needing shots printed before end of roll, a changing bag, pair of scissors, and the canister the film came in are an easy way to get them. Now, all you need to do is process, if you can. Thoughts?

[@lucianaqueijeiro3167]

my dream camera fr

[@leofromthe9159]

I just bought the 1962 pen d because it was significantly cheaper, it’s not an SLR but I hope it performs just as well 🤞

[@TariqueAli]

not a big fan of half frames for their negative size and scan quality at home, but I do like the form factor and simplicity of my PEN-EE3

[@jordanlaine7412]

I get 61mp half frame scans from my FT with my a7RIV and a 100mm 2:1 macro. The Pen is stupidly fun to shoot with. I'm excited to bulk load some 250t to see how fine the details get!

[@matthewvonblerk9675]

I love this camera . very hard to find though!

[@kiwichem4336]

Yes this is my favourite camera i have the Black FT wich is an amazing looking camera and it still works amazingly despite it being like 69(nice) years old

[@coloring_again]

The long plant by the weather station (?) at 5:40 gave me dejavu. Not sure if this was an exact spot you returned too or if I’ve seen it in my life. Strange.

[@areallyrealisticguyd4333]

the camera is already pretty expensive but I've seen this body being used a lot to adapt EF lenses or OM lenses so maybe that's worth a try sometime for some sharper glass

[@jordanlaine7412]

I've got an EF adapter for mine. I also have an adapter for my Pen lenses to e mount. I was stupidly surprised how good the glass is on my a7RIV, center sharp af and full of character; the native lenses out resolve the half frame of film...

[@BeJosephThis]

@@jordanlaine7412 where’d you get the adapter? Also, how does aperture work? I’ve got a FT

[@kyotodream7135]

I have always wanted one of these, but they're pricey! Luckily the new Kodak ektar half frame camera is not too expensive. not nearly as nice of a lens and not as much control, but just as fun to shoot!

[@crckbaby5]

the first location was santa monica. what was the second location? looked so beautiful 🫶🏼

[@timothy-real]

Also love the 500th of a sec flash sync!!

[@kurtpleavin]

That's the power of leaf shutters!

[@mikeahmadi]

Triptychs are what half frames are perfect for. Pan three shots from left to right and scan them with the sprockets. You will thank me later.

[@mjsvitek]

I love my Pen F The vertical viewfinder forces you to think a bit differently

[@rebeccasuur]

Did you have to scan the negatives at home or could you drop it off at the lab? I’m just wondering if my lab would scan half frame or if they would scan a pair and I would have to crop…love the format of you just trying this thing out and give an honest short opinion about it.

[@megzjr]

Lab scanners has the option to scan them in single frames or doubles. Really comes down to your preference and asking the lab to scan it the way you want.

[@avistop1]

Half frames are nice for story telling

[@monksafari1706]

what set up did you use to scan the half frames,

[@actionimagesphotography]

Shoot Ektar on this camera. The negs are half frame so there is more grain on a image.

[@Ashfielder]

Perfect camera for the social media age, when image quality isn’t necessarily as important as image quantity. 72 snaps with plenty good enough resolution for instagram.

[@juhoclick]

Hope I can contact you through here: will there be a second print of On the sunny side of the street? Or any way to still purchase it?

[@cborel83]

Cool camera but I have a hard enough time getting through 36. I can see using this for some sort of creative layout where the intention is using both images printed together

[@trippwilsonphoto]

You should make a video talking about your book collection

[@NoaMeresz]

where is that mountainous/hilly area in the middle of the video? looks like a fun place to take photos!

[@GeekyGalore]

Been looking for one of these but nothing near me. Gonna try to find one on my Japan trip!

[@AnthonyJamesOwen]

Hi Jonny, just returned from Japan and bought a Pen FT and a lens for 250 US Dollars equivalent. Looks like new and works very well. Japan is the perfect place to pick one up :)

[@GeekyGalore]

@@AnthonyJamesOwen that's amazing!!!

[@rafagonzalez]

Best half-frame camera.

[@matthew_thefallen]

Wish they weren't so expensive. A good cheap option is the new Kodak Ektar H35, same principle but made out of plastic. I suggest you do try it out! :D

[@AnthonyJamesOwen]

I have the plastic Kodak H35. And the Pen F. This is noo comparison. Save the 50 Dollars as a first step to an Pen F. The Pen F is not a point and shoot (like the Oly PEN) but a real interchangeable SLR…

[@sesa2984]

Rookie question: do slr's show you light differences as well or just focus?

[@chacogurrola]

Nice camera!

[@fkdyr]

ily willem

[@ccstreifel]

How much has the cost of film gone up? I’ve just recently started getting into film photography.

[@film.fiasco]

okay, I am sold, i am buying this.-

[@OneMonthTwoCameras]

Love my FT. The lenses are classically Olympus by which I mean they are fantastic. Also love the potato orientation, or without autocorrect - portrait orientation.

[@ho335o]

Just picked up a Kodak Ektar H35 to try out film. its also a half-frame camera but it's an inexpensive reusable one. Excited to see how the film turns out!

[@oliverfox838]

Check out Tractor Boys by Martin Bogren if you want to see a half frame camera used to its max.

[@professor_green]

Очень тёплый, очень клёвый видос получился! Большое спасибо) Куплю себе такую камеру!

[@amphikha1437]

do you need to attach a flash to get good pics?

[@bngr_bngr]

That camera is the micro 4/3 of its time.

[@leoniesd]

no don't do it if you want your lab to still like you :D Every time one of these comes around we have to change the film mask and recalibrate the scanner. But to be fair, they are pretty cool and if two adjacent images have a similar exposure then it is kinda nice to scan them as if it was 35mm next to each other. Still prefer scanning these to 110mm though so go ahead ;)

[@bigmike3189]

great vid 10/10

[@christos1973]

Yes it will, at the expense of image quality and resolution. Plus any lens other than the standard 1.8/38 is severely overpriced, so whatever you may save on film, you will spend building a decent system.

[@just_eirik]

If you advance the film only once with the lever, does the camera stop you from taking a photo? Of will only half of the frame be exposed?

[@fcallo]

it doesn't let you take a picture

[@thebkstank2095]

35mm the new medium format

[@velyvely6479]

i had one yearrsss ago called a golden half from the Lomo store, one ran one roll through it

[@HennessyPatrick]

I would argue that the FT is a slightly better camera.

[@rossfromsa]

I see the mic, but what are you recording into?

[@prawnproductions234]

How do you scan your own photos?

[@mrendall90]

Can you elaborate on the small size meaning more saturated colors?

[@julianf2468]

I feel like this doesn’t make sense. By the same logic, wouldn’t a 1080p monitor have more saturated colours than a 4K monitor? This obviously isn’t true

[@xjoexedge]

great its going to take me twice as long to shot a roll of film now.....

[@billyspocketlife]

I had an olympus but literally had no sound to the shutter so you had no clue if it actually took a photo until you go to wind it.

[@23mg66]

help! can i reload a used film into my auto pns, and just shoot blank rolls/no light pictures to save my first 15 shots?

[@Ito.san_]

So you can get digital photos even when this takes film?

[@allys537]

well I had one of these in the pipeline, Thanks, now they will go up and I'll never get one. I guess I'll have to keep using my goofy Yashica Samurai

[@helena4536]

Plss now make a video about olympus trip 35

[@colibribri]

bros gorgeous

[@kimchikidbear]

Soo… what happens when you advance the shot one time, take a shot and then advance it again, then take another shot? Can you do a panoramic?

[@shaneallen6008]

yeeeeuh boi

[@jonathanvu5370]

Where did you go in the second half of the video?? Mind blown

[@baconguy8147]

Has to be San Gabriel mountains or Angeles national forest

[@jonathanvu5370]

@@baconguy8147 It looks to be Mt Wilson with those radio towers?

[@felixherczeg]

This camera will save you TONS of film == literally any digital camera :D

[@timbuckey9841]

Canon Demi is a good cheap alternative