Another brilliant video Craig. You see compositions everywhere. So many perfect images in a single vlog. Also your delivery. I could watch you all day. Top bloke.
Like you, I was VERY lucky to buy mine when the price dipped... about '16 to '17 (I'm writing this five years after your video). But now they are back up again. The camera is getting a resurgence, being newly appreciated for what an amazing camera it is. And my theory is that the "Megapixel Wars" are over, and most are realizing that 20.3 MP is just fantastic. I think, personally, except for some niche requirements, like wall sized poster blow ups for pixel peepers, 20MP is the actual plateau. It crushes film resolution, if that is what you want. One more thing (although there are hundreds of things to say about this camera, and format): I had a eureka moment, when another youtuber called full frame digital a "gimmick". That struck me until I thought about it... really "full frame" is an funny standard to hold on a pedestal. Why SHOULD a sensor be the same size as a 35mm film frame? There are advantages and disadvantages, of course... but isn't/wasn't that particular size sensor an empty goal? Think of it this way: If film had never been invented or used, where would digital sensors have naturally stopped increasing in size? And if 35mm film had never been invented or used, would the standard be medium format, and anything less considered "small" or a compromise in digital? No, I don't think so. They may have stopped "growing" around the size of micro 4/3 anyway. Do you still have your Pen F? I'm holding onto mine like grim death!l EDIT TO UPDATE: I just looked over all your videos, and see that you DID dump the Pen F... in a video that I actually commented on, some time ago! I commented that is sounded, from your own statements, that you had made a "lateral move" by leaving the camera and format. I still do.
I have purchased 2 Pen F's , mint ,new in box in early 2020. Beautifully made camera, has similar solid feeling of the Leica M6 I owned for several years. Colour control, particularly Mono Custom Setting 2 is brilliant.
I am a Leeds boy living 12000 km away in a warmer climate, thank you so much for the info, looks like if I can find one it will be what I am looking for, I cannot understand why I have never had one, always liked the style more important love the Brand had an OM1 and a @ but wore them out, again thanks for the Vlog, you hit the button, great production.
Hi Craig - I used to shoot exclusively in RAW format, but recently found that apart from getting a whole lot more available exposures in JPEG-Fine mode, I was very surprised to find just how much dynamic range there was in the the humble JPEG. In Lightroom I can recover a lot of detail from both highlights and shadows. I am now reserving RAW mode for those awkward indoor natural lighting situations. By the way, I loved the B&W shots in your video.
There's a lot of younger street photographer RU-vidrs who try and do your style of photography of objects in the street but fail. Their photos look terrible. I love your compositions, actually finding golden ratios and cool lighting in the street!
Great video! I've shot real Tri-X for over 40 years and that Mono 2 setting is as close as I've seen coming straight from a digital camera. I've got an original EM-5 with the 17mm 1.8 prime on it for street and travel photography, but that mono mode may be enough in and of itself to induce me to buy a Pen F body to use with the 17mm. I was looking at the Fuji X100F with its Acros simularion for this sort of thing, but have seen some issues with the 35mm f2 lens that comes on it being a bit soft wide open at close range, which is where I shoot mostly. Since I already have the 17mm which I love, I think the Pen F gets the nod for me. By the way, your photography is brilliant. You have a real eye for composition!
Long-time Pen-F owner here; I use the 12, 17, 25, and 45 primes (all ƒ/1.8, except the 12, which is ƒ/2.0) along with the ƒ/8 only 9mm Body Lens Cap. I sometimes use the 7-14 and 14-50 ƒ/2.8 Pro zooms, but mostly it's primes and mostly it's the 17mm. I have found that I prefer to shoot RAW + Superfine so that I have a killer JPEG, but a RAW file I want to tweak things a little further. I use all three settings of the Mono mode and also the Dramatic Tone modes... I didn't think I would, but I've found that they really can change the way we consider a scene. Lots of fun. About that rear screen... I leave mine turned around (so the screen is not visible) because the only time I use it is if I really need it to compose (high over hear or low level) or to review a day's work. Otherwise, I don't want to see the screen - and that keeps the experience much more akin to shooting film.
Same here with the screen; I shoot mainly on the E-M1 markII, and I typically use it with the screen closed. The only time I don't is when doing anything on a tripod. My nose tends to smudge it anyway. 😅 The only time I'm shooting raw is for clients when I need to combine images, remove distracting elements, or need that extra backup protection. I have the camera settings totally tweaked for my own monochrome film style, so jpgs are all I need personally.
I love back button focus, and have found that assigning the lower front button to focus (as Craig suggests) works wonderfully, once one gets used to it. Thanks Craig!
Nice contrasty monochromes! The Color/Mono dial is the best feature on the Pen-F. I have 3 custom B&W looks set and 3 color settings -- including one that reminds me of my early days with Kodachrome 64. My favorite camera! Shooting JPGs is like shooting slide film -- you better get it right in the camera! 😉
Great video, I have same camera and love the front dial, mono 2, also like shooting JPGs, naturally taken no messing, just shot as they are, I am not a fan of photoshopped pictures, like to use my skill not the software, lovely JPG mono pictures, live just a few miles from Leeds, so might be the next town to visit with my camera
Great video. I bought the Pen-F shortly after release...mainly for the mono2 mode, which is brilliant. I love the 17mm 1.8 prime and think together it makes a perfect street setup.
Mono 2 is a winner, but I like that I can have three mono recipes available without additional tweaking - because some subjects just work better with a different mono look. However much we loved Tri-X (or [insert name of favourite film here]), we still ran an occasional roll of something else if we needed the look. You don't have to leave mono 1 and mono 3 at their default settings. It can be worthwhile customising them so that you have other looks on tap.
I bought a used Fujifilm X100S a few months ago for the same purpose as you. It’s my “goes everywhere” camera. It’s been one of my best photographic purchases. I use it far more than my Nikon DSLR. I specifically wanted a camera with a view finder. Never got to like using the screen to compose. I also assigned a button to focus on the back. You can zone focus and get photos you’d otherwise miss as the camera tries to lock focus. I use the various film simulations but still shoot in raw because very occasionally I decide a shot might be better in colour after I get home. I have to say. If I got as many good shots in a month as you got in a single day, I’d be very happy.
Its a great decision! I have the Pen-F since november '17 and its just awesome. You will have a lot of fun with it. I falled totally in love with it. The last lence I buyed was the voigtlander25mm f0.95 Type II an its absolutely awesome! (I got it second hand in great condions for ~470 Euro)
Beautiful black and white street photos! I've always always liked using the PEN-F... it sort of... it's just *fun* to use! And that's what cameras should be all about to me.
You can use the color wheel to make custom film simulation settings on the Pen F. Kodachrome, Velvia, etc. I set them up in Olympus workspace or Photoshop, but need to get a Pen F one day to build my own film presets in camera.
Great video, Craig and some terrific images. I really like the Pen-F and the high contrast black and white images it can produce. Pity you won't be using it on a tripod as it would be interesting to see the long exposure results of the camera too. Really enjoy your urban videos, Craig and look forward to your next one.
More than any other channel I watch - yours reminds me why I like taking photographs and making images. Even when discussing equipment it is from a personal viewpoint and lacking in point-scoring or waffle. Very nice images - your compositions are always very balanced. Thanks.
I'm quite impressed with your pictures and with the fact they are straight out of camera. What a gorgeous little gadget, shame they stopped producing them. Of course your skills elevate it I shall say. Nice video mate.
I've wanted this camera since I saw the original half frame Pen slr in a shop window in Okinawa back in the 60's. Other interest at the time stopped me from buying that system camera. I didn't realize until today that Olympus has discontinued this model so I went on KEH and found one in EX+ condition. I realized I better get it now before all the good ones are gone! I have used an E-M1 mk II for about five years so I know the quality and versatility of the MFT system and Olympus. Now I have a great little walk around camera to always have with me.
just excellent, I so enjoy your eye for composition. The black and white is so well done, so much of what I see on you tube, I don't feel the photographers understand the art of black and white. Well done
Great video and thanks for the tips on back button focussing & exposure comp dial. Was struggling with both of these and have now replicated your settings.
Yes! Jpeg, welcome to the darkside where people spend more time taking perfectly good pictures than sat at a desk for hours trying to fix them because we can't get shadows or highlights right 😁
I walked around NYC for a week in 2015 with this camera and the Olympus 12-100 and loved the shots I got. That may seem like an odd combination, but it worked really well for me. I really like the black-and-white jpegs this camera produces. Great shots by the way. Your use of the front button for "back" button focus is a really interesting idea. I've missed having a well-positioned back button on this camera, and never really thought about the front button. So I may just try that.
I have been fond of square images but have often been a bit shy about it. After seeing all you episodes where you create images I find I do that more often. And, like you, a camera is a camera, have fun with them. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing, Craig. Always admire your composition skills. I wish they (Olympus / Panasonic) would make a compact m 4/3rds camera with the newer 20mp sensor, but retain a simple up and down screen. I don't like the flip-out-to-the-side screens that have become so popular, but waste time and tend to confuse me!
In Olympus I swap between the slide down screen of the E-M1 (same design as the E-P5 IIRC) and this flip out screen of the Pen F. For street, I prefer the slide down design. For everything else, I prefer the flip out screen because I mostly have the screen turned in to the camera. My favourite is the screen on my Sony that allows me use the screen above the camera, behind the camera, below the camera, orientated for portrait or for landscape, or hidden away. Very versatile! Sadly Sony hasn't adopted that screen design for any of its E-mount bodies.
This was another excellent video, I currently own an Olympus OM-D E-M10 mark III, although classed as an entry level 4/3 camera I am enjoying the results. Don't often use the art function for mono but after seeing this video I will certainly give it ago. Never used the 4x3 format until I watched one of your videos either, now thats all I use plus 1x1, Please keep these coming , your delivery makes it easy to watch and understand.
The black and white images remind me on the good old time when I used Ilford films. I like the monochrome pictures directly from the camera, because I like spend more time into taking photographs then on editing in Photoshop.
I am amazed how easy one can offend RAW shooters if one has a different opinion. The choice is YOURS why argue! I use mostly JPEG. Thinking that I would be a better photographer if I used RAW I shot for a day RAW + JPEG. My JPEG's were as usual as perfect as I needed them, trying to get more out of the RAW's in Lightroom did nothing more than waste my time. So I deleted the space and time wasting RAW's and are happy with my simple JPEG's. Of course that is my humble opinion and those are my needs.
I really enjoy your videos and your eye for composition. I’ve been watching Photography video for a couple of years now and used to follow a few of the younger guy’s but it seems to me that they are more of a travel video than a photography video nowadays and they are always bragging that this company or that company sent me this or that because I’m just that good. I’m so sick of these people and deleted them all. Your more my age and shooting style and your videos are more like two friends going out taking some pictures. Sorry for the rant but those snobs really piss me off. Now that I’ve got that off my chest I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your videos and Keep up the good work and please don’t turn into one of those snobs.
Craig- Always enjoyed your Olympus MFT videos a few years back. I hope you kept your Old Pen F. Camera prices are going nuts these days. I want to add a Pen F to my stash and used ones are 800. U.S. to start! Loved my omd-em1 with the 12-40. build quality and pics where outstanding. Shooting Fuji now and happy but I'm determined to get a Pen F. Thanks!!
I enjoyed this video very much when I watched it for the first time. But this was more from a street photography perspective only. Now that I own a second hand Pen F in addition to my EM-1 MII I considered it more accurately and see how you set it. For example, I did set the magnifying button as the back button for focusing, I might switch to what you did. Using the recording button for format change is simply brilliant, I'll jump on my camera this evening and do this. Your videos are like a great wine or a good novel, it's always worth coming back on them every now and then.
Another great set of urban shots that are clearly your forte. And another superb vlog. There's always a slight rubbing of hands here when the E6 notification pops up!
I tend to shoot RAW and JPEG with the Fuji's but the JPEGs are that good out of the camera, I rarely need to source the RAW. You were smart to hold off on purchase of the new body till the prices dropped which they always do.
I went out to buy a Pen F a couple of moths ago, but ended back with a Panasonic GX9 instead: the construction quality of the Pen F didn't really impressed me compared to the EM5 MkII I'm used to, probably I have set the standard too high looking at the enthusiastic reviews of the Pen F. The GX9 is comparable to the Olympus quality wise and sports the exact same problems you are referring to: they put a exposure compensation dial on the top, except you really don't do much with that, and the worse part is that I still haven't find a way to reassign the back dial of the GX9 to control EXP Comp, so I'm stuck with the dedicated wheel! Another problem with this range finder looking cameras is that function buttons are scattered everywhere: SLR bodies have them all around the shutter button which makes them easily accessible, furthermore you usually have more of them to play with: the only thing I really like that I don't have in the EM-5 is the Custom mode selectable on the control dial.
Hi Craig, thanks for another absorbing vid. Didn't believe you about the Raw when I saw your intro, but I do like the black and white. My solution to tripod mount position on my EM1 Mk2 is not to everyone's taste but may help some. I have an L bracket that I fit with the upright away from the camera far enough to clear the battery cover, and this leaves me with a grip when the camera is off the tripod. Does add weight though
Passed through Leeds decades ago but only on my way to see the Bronte House in Haworth. It was during the Yorkshire Ripper days and it was quite a subdued place after dark. Looks like it's really worth visiting now. Lovely video as usual.
Got my Pen-F two days ago, like yours, practically mint at bargain price still under warranty with 5 spare batteries and a grip included: it's a great camera, very similar to my E-M5mkII and yet different. My advise is to get the Meike MK-ECG4 if you can find it: it's very unobtrusive, rises the height by about 1cm which is enough to prevent my pinky to fall under the camera, has a small but ultra efficient grip extension and incorporates an Arca Swiss plate which allows full access to the battery compartment. In a few days my Lumix GX9 will be ready for E-bay
Craig! I'm a new subscriber to your channel and I'm loving it. I don't have an Olympus camera but I am a micro 4/3rd camera user(Panasonic). By the way, I have found, at least with my Lumix G7, that ISO 8000 is better than 6400 as far as image quality goes. Check your PEN and see how high your new cam can go too. Love the music in your videos! Keep up the great work! And love your landscape images!
I agree. The cameras have been getting better than can be done in post. I do shoot raw+jpeg but rarely use the raw. If I have to use the raw the photo is probably no good in the first place. When raw get over 1 or 2 years old and I have not used them, they get deleted, they take up too much space. Not just with the PEN-F, all the MFT I have.
Great video as always and I hope you are happy with the new camera - design is great - suitably retro. Personally lack of a suitably positioned button which can be assigned to back button focus is a deal breaker. I used to have a panasonic GX7 with an offest viewfinder which was also flaky autoswitching between the LCD - it became quite frustrating. So - long story short - I changed to Fuji
That MONO 2 B&W profile is just dynamite. It almost reminds me more of T-Max more than Tri-X. I realize the Tri-X was the photojounalist's choice due to it forgiving nature and ability for pushing and pulling. However, the clean, high contrast look of T-Max always appealed to me more.
I was always lead to believe that shooting raw was like shooting a negative in film and shooting a JPEG was like shooting a transparency so when you shoot a JPEG it’s gotta be on the money! I shoot RAW as that is what my clients request and they pay me so they get to dictate! I don’t shoot any street photos but I can appreciate the results from any photographer that shoots the sort of thing, Nick Knight stated out as a street photographer!
Great vid, I don't particularly like that camera because I am a trusty Sony a6000 user, but I really LOVED your BW pics here! You make the kind of street photography that I like, I also appreciate that you incorporate people into the frame in a non intrusive way, I just try to do the same. Greetings from Italy!
Nice discussion. I generally use a Lumix GX9 and do street work with the Leica 15 mm f1.7. You gave me some good ideas about button programming. I've been using the B&W jpeg instead of RAW for quite some time. Good channel, so I subscribed.
I just picked up a Pen F around the holiday. I've decided to just shoot JPEG out of camera as well. I only save the RAW files in case I have a shot I'd like to work on at some point. So far, JPEGS are awesome, especially the mono 2 setting. No need to do anything. What I've also noticed is the color JPEGS are just as lovely, and more pleasing to me on some occasions than the color science that my Fuji produces. Both are lovely, but a tad different. I am using 17mm and 45mm F/1.8 lenses. I may pick up the 12mm next. Small, and easy to carry. I've used every brand, every piece of gear over my 50 yrs in this business, and I find the most fun is with the smaller cameras because they are a breeze to carry all day. I'm older too, so less wear and tear on the spine.
Great video Graig! In my opinion the biggest design issue with the Pen F was the flippy screen. I know people love them for vlogging but I really wish that all screens would be like the Fuji ones. Just holds the camera together if that makes sense.
I just discovered your channel and have subscribed instantly. I can not believe you made Leeds look so interesting ( it was my home town and it looks like lot's has changed) I might need to make a visit myself ! I love the Pen F I bought one last Autimn and I just love everything about it from its handling to the quality it produces. Unlike yourself though I actually like the fact that the exp comp is on the top that way I can set it without accidently changing it without knowing when taking a image ( so it is each to their own i guess )? Also I do not find the art mode knob gets in my way but I only have small hands so maybe that makes a difference. Like you though I love the black and white setting thank you for this informative and interesting Vlog I will be watching more :D Teddy
Well done. Regarding back button focus, I assigned that function to the Fn1 button. Thought about assigning the function to the front, but held off since it’s not a back button, per se. Will try the frontal method.
Thank you for this video I've watched it 3 times now I ordered mine, Used from Adorama and it should show up in the post on Tuesday I have the Em1.2 and love it I use it for Product, Food & Drink photography but for Family gatherings and Street I think this camera will be a bit more stealthy keep the videos coming Cheers, Rick
After three uears of the release of your video i am watching it for a second or third time, but now with intention to decide if i want to but the black on black combination of pen f plus 17mm combo. And now i am closer to the final decision.
Really enjoy your videos Craig, this one especially since I now also have a PenF . I have to admit to being a RAW snob in the past, but this camera's JPEGS are so good, I often just use them.
Even DPReview said years back that the Olympus super fine jpegs were almost as good as a RAW file - I mainly use RAW now just because I am shooting at ISO 3200 and 6400 so often.
Wonderful video - Thanks! I am quite confused however about the focus lock around 9:20, where you assigned focus lock to the front button (understood that part) but stated that you kept the half press of the shutter button for auto focus and lock the exposure - Huh? Can you provide an example of where both "locks" are used for an image? Call me dumb. Thanks again, Sir.
Yes, Sir you did say that. Apologies for not getting that. I will do the same, or just leave exposure lock off the shutter button altogether (have E-M5 II -- very similar to your camera).
I prefer to do it the other way around. First, I shoot in aperature-priority mode at ISO of between 200 and 800 most of the time. Then, the half-press locks focus so if I recompose and the exposure value changes, the full-press will adjust the shutter-speed for any changes in lighting. Either way works well and I sometimes switch AFL & AEL when a particular situation calls for it. .
Hi Craig, I just bought a used PEN-F and was naturally looking for information, so I came across your video. You talk about some changes you did i. the button settings, but I cannot figure out how you did it. You mentioned the record button being assigned to the Aspect ratio setting, but this is not available in my camera as an option for this button. How did you do the change?
@@mygoodstuffreviewed I bought the black version with 17mm and 45mm F/1.8 lenses. Hate Olympus Menus so far. Like the Mono 2 setting. Fun to use once set up though. Which Fuji do you use? I use Fuji X-E3 and X-T10.
@@Lainer1 My reply went missing! Anyway, I have X-E1, X-E2, X-Pro1 and X-A3 - I like them all but the X-E2 (just) takes top spot for me because it's just that little bit smaller than the Pro1. There's something about how it feels to use that is great. That said, the Pen-F just feels great as well and it looks really cool (shouldn't matter, but it does!) I have the Olympus 17mm and a 42.5mm lens. I just bought a cheap Laowa that I'm playing around with and it seems pretty sharp - slow to use since it's manual focus - but sharp.
Have a look at the original grip for the Pen F - its underside actually is an Arca Swiss "plate", and you can reach the battery compartment. Quite expensive, but I like the camera with the grip on it. You might change your mind regarding using it on a tripod … ;)
I have owned the Pen- F for a couple of years now and use it for both landscape and street photography as I can only afford one MFT camera. I use the mono 2 setting at -4 shadows and +3 highlights which I think gives the nicest results. To be absolutely honest though there are still times when I prefer the edited raw file to the jpeg particularly for landscape photography.
It looks a great camera for your style of shooting in cities etc. Which I always enjoy because it’s much more than "street" photography, or at least the modern interpretation of it. Without doubt some of the best digital mono images I’ve seen in a while, even though I’m usually biased towards film. I know you shot very successfully in many formats with analogue cameras, but did you like Olympus then? I really like my old OM10 and Zuiko lenses. Another superb video and I'm sure your new camera will remain a joy to use and I've never seen Leeds look so good.
Your eye for composition is top notch! Love the black and white photos. Question: What are the things you should consider when deciding between shooting in color vs b&w?
Panasonic offer a similar film-ish black and white jpeg called L-Monochrom. It's good but the best off the shelf, pushed Tri-X pre-set I've come across is Rawtherapee's "Pop Black and White". As a direct conversion or a starting point curve, it's very nice indeed. It's also free.
another great vlog with a different camera and great images, I'm starting to think that one day you'll turn up with one of the old brownie cameras just to see what you can get out of that. keep up the good work my friend.
Thank you for your excellent video’s Craig, always informative and amusing…This one particularly struck me so much that, having watched it several times…. I too have picked up a mint condition Pen-F on Ebay !! I have not had an Olympus before , so am slowly getting to grips with the menu sytsem and flexiblity features. Keep up the great work.
It all depends on why you are taking the photos, and what you want to use them for. If you need to heavily edit the photos anyway, then I don't see an issue shooting in raw. Do whatever you need to.
Great little camera love the B&W , but I would pity anyone who tried to pick it up and take a photo with your button assignments :-) And just a note, not a criticism - Owen Sachio does "Azure" , not Owen Devlin ?
Well, just goes to show you how flexible these cameras are, so you can customise them to suit your own taste. Perhaps this makes it theft-proof, as no one would be able to take pictures with my settings! Oh and your Owen may also do 'Azure', but not this version!
Craig, great video with very nice images. I was wondering if the tripod screw mount which is under the lens, is there for one specific reason and it is for panoramic imaging. If the pivot point is directly under the sensor and centered with the lens, then you have an ideal situation for panorama sweep.
