Olympus Pen F, First Impressions in 2023

A tour of Chester city centre to give the Pen F it's first trial.
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[PRB_and_PLB_Photography]

Its nice to see someone else using a Pen-F. I got mine in april this year and its honestly my favourite camera i've ever owned. people may think im crazy, but i moved from a Fujifilm X-T3 to this Pen-F. Most of the time I use the Leica 25mm f1.4, but I also enjoy using the Lumix 12-32mm, its a really nice pairing. Enjoy your Pen-F, I look forward to seeing your future videos. you'vE gained a new subscriber

[Uwe-wynl]

Very sypathic, enjoyed the walk with you and your pen f, which I own too.

[ЯестьДруг-бп]

I am a forty-year-old boy who bought a pan f with a 12-40 F2.8 lens in 2023. I'm waiting for the courier. I already have an om d em1. photography is just a hobby for me, but it helps me feel joy in life. I want to bring goodness and love to life. I think photography as a tool can help me in this, but it all starts in the heart

[stevek.]

What a super camera, I never even knew this one existed before now, its a marked step up from the previous Pen cameras, I think I want one!
You got some really nice shots in Chester, although I think you, Alan, would have achieved that with any camera. I was surprised when you said you were a shop manager in the 70s, that's coming on half a century ago, I didn't think you were that old, your looking well.
I was working in the 70s but I was just a whippersnapper, one of the last Telegram boys running around the streets of Manchester.
Thanks for that and I look forward to your future analysis of the Pen camera.
Cheers and keep safe, Alan.

[SlotCarNewsOfficial]

A really delightful video and presentation of the camera.
I enjoy my xpro1 still for many of the same reasons you mentioned about the Pen F.
I’ll check out more of your work.

[WilkinsonCameras]

Hi Alan! Thank you so much for mentioning us in the video. We really enjoy your vlog style videos and calm presenting style - really interesting to learn that you used to manage a camera shop. What was the name of it?

We thought we'd touch on the condition of the camera - we have *very* strict gradings for our secondhand equipment. Our whole ethos with used gear is called, "Pre-owned. Perfected." and we want it to feel like buying a new camera... but with the savings of second hand! Therefore each grade is carefully considered and follows strict guidelines to ensure that the customer purchasing the item is always getting exactly as described OR better. We'd rather you got a nice surprise which helps you to love your new camera even more, than to be disappointed to get a camera in a more used condition than you'd hoped for. Certainly looks like you got a good deal on the PEN F though!

Looking forward to seeing you test out some of the features and hopefully we'll see you in Liverpool or Chester stores in the future 😊

[valdiskrebs]

The Pen-F produces great monochromes! It is the perfect camera for those of us who shoot JPEGs -- the Color/Mono dial is so useful/flexible! I especially like using the Pen-F with manual focus lenses.

[pamelameier]

Wonderful insight into the city center of Chester and great overview on the Pen F. I also have been eyeballing this camera while owning a E-PL8 which I will sell for an E M1 II.

[Bashkin]

I have used a Pen F for the last six months after buying a used version at a reasonable price. This after I dropped a Sony RX100 III in a stream...and the Pen F is far superior, if not quite as pocketable.I have two bags, a large one with all my M43 lenses and a small bag with three lenses plus a flash for carrying everywhere. I look forward to hearing more from you on this topic!

[duringthemeanwhilst]

lovely camera Alan :-) They have a marvellous reputation for quality and I think you've got something there to last years. All you need now is a beat up Billingham to put it in and the hipster life is yours!!
I've not been to Chester for about 25 years. Went there back in the 1990s to collect a bike frame I'd been given to race on. Had a lovely day out with Lisa who enjoyed the shopping I can tell you! Went to have a look at the famous racecourse as well. Right, I'm going up the loft now to try and dig out the pictures we took that day. I'm sure they're up there still 🙂

[vermontmike]

Thank you for the video. Chester looks interesting and reminds me of York.

[thevalleywalker]

Me & the wife love Chester..lovely City. I have been in the camera shop on our visits... fancy you worked in there !! Lovely set off images, the mono at 5:33 caught my eye particularly. The pen f looks to be a great walkabout camera and can see the comparison with the fuji set up. atb Al

[martingreenberg]

Congratulations on your find. The Pen F sells for a crazy amount in the US. I am constantly looking for a good deal like you found with no joy. I did find an EMD1 Mii at a good price.

A couple weeks ago found a Panasonic GX8 at a good price at a local camera store at a good price. That will be the closest to my finding a Pen F at a good price.

Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

[Spencer_White]

Superb video, looks like an enjoyable camera to use. Great to see Chester in your walk about, I visited about 5 years ago, very pretty. Love the idea of the colour scope setting for JPEGs! Definitely just short listed it against other cameras I have my eye on at present.

[laurentyarp]

I have a GX9, was looking at the video by pure curiosity about the Pen F and discovered Chester. Lovely city.
04:15 Great to see that the camera shop is still there.
There are 2 in my city. There's even a vintage camera shop. That little shop is doing well. Each weekend many people lurking for old gear, repairing their old cameras and of course buying films.

[b.h.w.stuhlmann]

Beautiful photos! The Pen-F is currently my favorite camera. I particularly like the ART programs 10-I and 10-II as well as 14-I, each with a frame. The Leica 15mm 1.7 goes great with the camera (even better than the 14mm) but I also like using the 20mm 1.7. Unfortunately, such a great camera is no longer built today (at most by Leica). I still have the original Gris ECG-4 mounted, so it fits the hand even better.

[nlanca]

I've just found this. Thank you for an interesting look at Chester city centre. I've been using a Pen F for a few years and it is a wonderful little camera but I agree it seems at its best with the smaller M43 lenses. As an aside, I managed to find a low useage (less than 6000 shutter actuations) E- M1 Mark ii at LCE Lincoln to use with the larger Pro lenses—it only cost £379 delivered to Somerset, ridiculous value for a camera so capable, and in pretty much 'as new' condition.

[Enrique-the-photographer]

Good to see you Alan, very interesting and enjoyable video, great place (Chester City) to find many street and architecture photographic opportunities. I noticed outside the London Camera Exchange the sign that offers 1 hour photo service, did they forget to remove the sign, or do they actually still offer the service? Be well and stay safe.

[WSS_the_OG]

Originally from the UK, I've never been to Chester, but you took care of that in today's charming video. Your charming self, Chester, and the nearly as charming Pen F made my day. You took some lovely shots with it, but I suspect I could hand you a kid's toy camera and you'd take great stuff with that too!

All the best.

[sophietucker]

I’ve had my Pen F for several yrs and it has become my go to walk around camera. The 12-40 f 2.8 Pro basically lives on the camera. I like the form factor and how easy it is to use. If I want a slightly smaller size I put on either the 17mm or 25mm prime lenses.