{"id":36400,"date":"2016-12-19T02:24:11","date_gmt":"2016-12-19T10:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=36400"},"modified":"2017-04-16T08:15:44","modified_gmt":"2017-04-16T15:15:44","slug":"review-olympus-pen-f-17mm-f1-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/19\/review-olympus-pen-f-17mm-f1-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Olympus Pen-F + 17mm f\/1.8"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Selfie<\/a><\/p>\n

I have been testing the Olympus Pen F<\/a> and Olympus 17mm f\/1.8 lens<\/a> in Dalat, Vietnam for the last few days, and I am blown away.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It is probably one of the best digital cameras I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever shot with. The autofocus is ridiculously fast and accurate (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d give it a 9.5 out of 10), the image quality is superb (I love the Mono 2 setting in JPEG), and the design is sublime (reminds me of an old-school film rangefinder).<\/p>\n

Why the Pen-F?<\/h2>\n

\"Olympus<\/a><\/p>\n

I have a good friend Chu Viet Ha<\/a> in Vietnam, and he introduced me to his friend, who is an Olympus\/Leica distributor in Vietnam. I was interested in the Olympus Pen-F (mostly for the design, and curious how it was for street photography), so I asked to test out the Pen-F.<\/p>\n

Initial impressions of the Pen-F<\/h2>\n

\"olympus<\/a><\/p>\n

First of all, the Olympus Pen-F<\/a> is a superbly-built camera. It is solid, has a good weight (not too heavy and light), and from the outside, it is pretty indistinguishable from most old-school film rangefinders. The Olympus Pen-F borrows design from the original Pen-F. Great design never dies.<\/p>\n

The joy of turning the Pen-F on\/off<\/h2>\n
http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/20161219_110117.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

The dials on the Pen-F feel feel phenomenal. The on-off switch is located on the left side of the camera, where the film rewind knob traditionally was.<\/p>\n

\"Olympus<\/a>
Olympus Pen-F on\/off switch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I turn the camera on\/off \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it literally feel the same as when I am rewinding my film on my film Leica MP camera.<\/p>\n

\"turning<\/a>
Turning on and off olympus pen-f<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dials<\/h2>\n

The dials are built solid. There is the perfect amount of tension in them, so you won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t accidentally bump the dial and change the setting. Nothing I would change.<\/p>\n

1. Exposure-compensation Dial<\/h3>\n
http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/20161219_110143.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

The exposure-compensation dial is solid, firm, and easy to change with some effort (while not easy to accidentally change while in your camera bag).<\/p>\n

\"Changing
Changing the exposure-compensation dial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Innovative front\u00c2\u00a0dial<\/h3>\n
http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/20161219_110214.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

There is an innovative dial in the front, which quickly allows you to change your JPEG settings from color, black and white, and some other ‘art filters’ (which I find a bit gimmicky).<\/p>\n

\"Changing<\/a>
Changing the front dial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using the dial was surprisingly fun, especially if you switch between shooting color and black and white.<\/p>\n

3. Changing the top shooting dial<\/h3>\n
http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/20161219_110128.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

The dial on top (to change from aperture-priority to manual, etc) is also well-built.<\/p>\n

Not only that, but there is a button on top that allows you to lock the settings.<\/p>\n

The flash<\/h2>\n
http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/olympus-flash.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

I tested the little mini Olympus flash (FL-LM3) and I am a huge fan. It is tiny, powered by the camera (you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need batteries for it), and not only that\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you can change the direction of the flash.<\/p>\n

\"Olympus
Swiveling function of the Olympus FL-LM3 flash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can bounce it off the ceiling, and also swivel it left\/right and up\/down.<\/p>\n

\"olympus<\/a><\/p>\n

The ultimate minimalist flash.<\/p>\n

Black and white<\/h2>\n
\"Dalat,<\/a>
Dalat, Vietnam 2016 \/ shot on Monochrome 2 JPEG setting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I shot the camera this entire week just in the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mono Profile 2\u00e2\u20ac\u009d mode for black and white in JPEG+RAW. Looking at both the JPEG and RAW processed with my film simulation preset, I prefer the JPEG.<\/p>\n

Which made me wonder\u00e2\u20ac\u201d if I had a camera like this, should I just give up RAW all together? I probably would.<\/p>\n

Why not just shoot everything JPEG if it already looks awesome? It makes life easier. It simplifies your workflow.<\/p>\n

Not only that, but there is a little dial in the front of the camera, which is pretty fun to change your settings from black and white to color, to some other modes. It borrows the design from the old-school PEN-F film camera (it used to be an ISO dial I believe).<\/p>\n

When shooting the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mono Profile 2\u00e2\u20ac\u009d mode, I added a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153low\u00e2\u20ac\u009d film grain effect\u00e2\u20ac\u201d which I felt looked pretty good. When I put it to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153high\u00e2\u20ac\u009d film grain effect, the effect looked a bit too fake and digital.<\/p>\n

Settings<\/h2>\n
\"Dalat,<\/a>
Dalat, Vietnam 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When shooting on the Olympus Pen-F<\/a>, I shot everything in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153P\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (program) mode, ISO 1600, center-point autofocus, and -2\/3 exposure compensation. The files and imaged looked phenomenal in JPEG straight-out of camera (Mono Profile 2).<\/p>\n

The menus on the Olympus are a pain in the ass. Too much choice. My suggestion to Olympus for their future cameras: simplify their menus. Try to imitate the iPod \u00e2\u20ac\u201d make the menus simple and easy to use.<\/p>\n

I also recommend shooting the aspect ratio at 3:2<\/strong> (which is standard for most cameras), instead of the default 4:3 aspect ratio.<\/p>\n

Why the micro 4\/3rds sensor is ideal for street\/travel photography<\/h2>\n
\"Dalat,<\/a>
Dalat, Vietnam 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think the micro 4\/3rds system is ideal for street\/travel\/general photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201d because you get more depth of field with the 2x crop body.<\/p>\n

That means shooting at f\/4 is like shooting at f\/8 on a full-frame sensor. That means you are more likely to have everything sharp and in-focus.<\/p>\n

I think bokeh is overrated in photography. So if you want a camera that gives you super-epic bokeh, I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t recommend getting a micro 4\/3rds system.<\/p>\n

I know a lot of street and photojournalists who shoot with the micro 4\/3rds system, and love it. Apparently a lot of Magnum photographers used to shoot with the Olympus OM-D series cameras as well.<\/p>\n

Olympus 17mm f\/1.8 lens<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Olympus<\/a>
Olympus 17mm f\/1.8 Lens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I tested the Olympus Pen-F<\/a> with the Olympus 17mm f\/1.8 lens<\/a> (after the 2x crop setting, it becomes roughly a 35mm full-frame equivalent focal length). It is the perfect lens. Very sharp, small, compact, autofocus is very fast and accurate, and it is a good size and weight. It perfectly complements the body.<\/p>\n

LCD or EVF?<\/h2>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Olympus Pen-F LCD turned backwards – ultimate shooting Zen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For me, I preferred just shooting with the LCD. Easier to use, rather than putting the EVF (electronic viewfinder) up to my eye.<\/p>\n

But a cool thing you can do \u00e2\u20ac\u201d flip the LCD screen backwards, so you are less likely to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153chimp\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (look at your LCD screen all the time). It becomes super-zen, just like shooting a film camera.<\/p>\n

Shooting with the LCD<\/h2>\n
\"Dalat,<\/a>
Dalat, Vietnam 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The LCD was big, bright, and fine shooting in bright daylight. I love shooting with the LCD, as it helps me \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pre-visualize\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the scenes I was shooting in black and white.<\/p>\n

Because I was also mostly shooting JPEG, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153what I saw is what I got.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Shooting with the EVF<\/h2>\n
\"Dalat,<\/a>
Dalat, Vietnam 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I also spent some time testing out the EVF (electronic viewfinder), by swiveling the LCD panel in the back, to hide it.<\/p>\n

Shooting with the EVF was a fully-immersive experience. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting with the EVF, the rest of the world suddenly doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exist\u00e2\u20ac\u201d only what is in your viewfinder.<\/p>\n

It is a strangely zen-like experience. Not only that, but you see the world in black and white (as I was shooting in Monochrome 2 mode).<\/p>\n

Furthermore, by having the LCD screen flipped backwards, I was less likely to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153chimp\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (to always check my photos after I shot them). Almost exactly like shooting with a film camera.<\/p>\n

Going back to the design<\/h2>\n
\"Olympus<\/a>
Olympus Pen-F with prototype Henri Black Strap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think more or less, the design of the Pen-F is perfect. Only thing I would get rid of is the video recording button on the top-right of the camera. I figure the user-base for the PEN-F are street photographers or travel photographers, who never shoot video. There is also a video dial you can change (if you ever used it).<\/p>\n

Furthermore, I would change the design of the camera so there is a dedicated ISO dial.<\/p>\n

But once again, the design of the camera is classic and will never die. It looks good, feels good in the hand, and performance-wise, has blown me out of the water.<\/p>\n

The image quality is phenomenal for micro 4\/3rds (I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t notice much of a difference between this and most APS-C sensors). There is also barely any shutter-lag, and the buffering speed for processing the photos after you shoot is non-existent. I would actually say the design of the PEN-F reminds me more of a film camera than most digital Leica cameras.<\/p>\n

Do I recommend the Pen-F?<\/h2>\n
\"Dalat,<\/a>
Dalat, Vietnam 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hell yes. Congratulations to Olympus for hitting a home-run with this camera. I never have really played with Olympus cameras in the past, but always knew they had the best autofocusing systems in the market.<\/p>\n

Some personal thoughts on the Pen-F:<\/p>\n