The PEN-F reviews and hands-on so far: Made for designers or the perfect street photography camera?
PEN-F Preorder links:
Silver PEN-F in USA/Canada at Bhphoto, Amazon, Adorama, GetOlympus, GetOlympus Canada.
Black PEN-F in USA/Canada at Bhphoto, Amazon, Adorama, GetOlympus, GetOlympus Canada.
Silver PEN-F in EU at Amazon Deutschland, FotoMundus, WexUk, ParkCameras.
Black PEN-F in EU at Amazon Deutschland, FotoMundus, WexUK, ParkCameras.
The PEN-F is a camera that polarized the 43 community. The camera mainly stands out for its design and the Panasonic GX8 probably has the better price-features ratio. But isn’t beauty something valuable too? Let’s hear what reviewers have to say about that topic:
Robin Wong : “Finding out that the image quality produced by the PEN-F is only slightly better than E-M10 Mark II on the whole basically toned down the level of excitement I was in when I was reviewing the camera.
The PEN-F has done so many things right such as the super fast AF and built in large and sharp EVF. This is the kind of camera that is made to lust for: beautiful design blended with great functions and shooting capabilities.”
Dpreview: “We do think that at the point of launch, the PEN-F is priced rather high. Ultimately, despite some concerns, the PEN-F is a nicely made, beautiful camera with some fun and unique features that’s a pleasure to use. ”
CameraLabs: “I remember the previous PEN flagship, the EP5 also coming-in at an ambitiously high price point and it would seem the PEN F is following the same strategy. It’s undoubtedly a nice camera to look at and to use too, but I feel the price is too high for the specification compared to rivals, including alternatives within the Olympus range.”
Mirrorlessons: “Think about the OM-D E-M5 mark II and you have a pretty good idea about how powerful this new camera will be. The company plans to give the camera a long lifespan with relevant firmware updates, something they already started doing with the E-M1 and E-M5 mark II.”
Ming Thein: “it is clearly targeted at the social media crowd, from the design to the huge number of in-camera processing options.”
Cameras.reviewed: “The Olympus OM-D E-M5 II and Panasonic Lumix GX8 both are similar to the PEN-F, with a few more features, and cost a bit less money. The GX8, in particular, is appealing if you’re interested in shooting high-quality 4K video. But in a market where basically every camera is “good enough,” choosing a camera is about more than just the spec sheet. Olympus has always understood this, as Yoshihisa Maitani’s original PEN-F was compact and capable, but also beautiful. The reborn version holds true to that, and it is certain to find more than a few fans—if not a legacy of its own.”
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Olympus also announced some other stuff:
Olympus E-M10 Mark II Limited at BHphoto.
Olympus CBG-11 PR Premium Leather Camera Bag for PEN-F (Brown/Black) at BHphoto.
Olympus CS-48 PR Premium Leather Wrapping Cloth for PEN-F (Brown/Black) at BHphoto.
Olympus ECG-4 External Metal Grip for PEN-F (Black) at BHphoto.
Olympus CSS-S120L PR Premium Leather Shoulder Strap for PEN-F (Brown/Black) at BHphoto.
Olympus CS-47B Leather Body Jacket for PEN-F (Black) at BHphoto.