When I posted about the Olympus last week I didn’t expect to see anything like this just yet, the rumors have said tomorrow would be the big day. The Pen moniker is starting to stick now with more people referring to it by that historic Olympus name. I suppose it’s pretty close, the old Pen cameras (an example below) shot a half size frame (18x24mm instead of the standard 24x36mm of 35mm still cameras) and the 4/3 system is known for its 2x FOV crop “focal length multiplier” although the sensor is actually smaller than half size at 13x17mm.
The new model is supposed to come with several color options for the leather and we now see that in addition to the 17 f/2.8 (a slightly wider-than-normal lens) and 14-42 f/3.5-5.6 zoom there will also be a viewfinder accessory that fits in to the shoe similar to what Sigma offers for the DP1 and DP2. If I had to choose I’d like an all black model personally.
Olympus Pen EM
I’m not posting this because I think I will buy one or because I’m interested in keeping this site up to date with the news though. I’m more interested in what this will mean for this segment of cameras going forward. Sigma tried but in my opinion has still missed even with the newer DP2 but I give them credit for their efforts and I have been hoping since then that other companies would follow suit. I hope this is just the beginning of a resurgence of small rangefinders and that a variety high quality but affordable models will come out in the not-too-distant future. I will continue to post tidbits about these cameras and anything else that I find interesting as I have been doing.
Update!
It’s official, the PEN E-P1 has been announced! The PEN E-P1 with 14-42mm lens and the E-P1 with the 17mm f/2.8 and optical viewfinder are both now listed at B&H.
