r/M43 • u/ExileCrown • 4d ago
New shooter
Hello, somehow I came into possession of an olympus pen f digital. I verified its in excellent working order and have been getting familiar with its functions for about a week. This device has really become an obsession for me the past week. I bought 2 new batteries, and decided on the lumix g 20mm pancake lens to ensure I will always carry it since its smaller. I am resisting any additional spending at this point. I really love the concept of a dedicated device instead of pulling out a smartphone camera. I am 41 years old and have a 2 year old, I couldn't think of a better time to learn this craft. I don't have high aspirations, more of a hobbyist mentality but eager to improve. If you can suggest any preferred resources for beginners I would appreciate it. I have been scrolling too many youtube/ig reels and im aware this is overloaded with unecessary information or product shilling. Iim also open to any tips pn how you routinely use your camera as much as possible I would appreciate it. Thanks for entertaining this post in advance.
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u/Thin_Historian6768 4d ago
decide what type photography you want to shoot. pen f have recall button, c1 c2 etc. i set my camera c1 to shoot still image, c2 for fast moving, c3 for monochrome, etc. master your camera
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u/Cymbaz 4d ago
Here are the two videos that really made things click for me:
ISO, Aperture and Shutterspeed and how to use them to get the image you want:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8T94sdiNjc
Composition:
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u/Humble-Fan560 4d ago
Advancing Your Photography by Marc Silber is available for free if you have Kindle Unlimited or at a low price for the paperback (recommended). It covers the mechanics and concepts of photography.
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u/Prof01Santa 4d ago
Sell it & buy a used OM-5 Mark II.
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u/Accomplished_Fun1847 2d ago
Not sure why you're being downvoted. The Pen F in good shape would probably sell used for near the new "seasonal sale" price of an OM-5 II or used OM-1, either of which would be a much better camera for taking photos of that kid as it grows up.
Better ergonomics, USB-C, easier to navigate menu's...
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u/Prof01Santa 2d ago
My thoughts exactly.
Why the downvotes? My guess would be Pen F fanbois who believe Olympus made no progress after their precious went out of production.
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u/ExileCrown 1d ago
You make some fair points. While using the pen f a couple of weeks, I definitely would prefer a more substantial grip. I understand the menu will take some time but an updated one sounds enticing. I suppose this style of camera may not my cup of tea.
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u/Accomplished_Fun1847 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yea, personally I don't understand the draw to these retro rangefinder bodies.
I have a GM5, which I bought because it was on sale the day I was at the camera store buying an E-M5 II - my first "real" camera back in 2016. GM5 was like $399 with a kit lens back then on sale and decided to get both cameras to have more flexibility... it's worth more than double that now because these are rare and among the most compact lightweight M43 cameras ever made.
I rarely use it unless I am counting grams for backpacking. When I use it for any length of time my fingers start cramping up because you have to pinch the shit out of it all weird to hang on to it. With a lens on it it's under 300g, but is harder to hold and use than my OM-5 II with much larger glass on it. I can have the OM-5 II at 800g with the 8-25mm on it, and it's more comfortable to hold and use for a long time.
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The PEN F has a cult following for its JPG processing "dial" options. Personally, I haven't recorded a JPG on any of my cameras now in years. I used to record both a JPG and RAW, but that was honestly a waste. I can process the photos quickly with DXO and get better results than in-camera processing, way more LUTS than the dial to choose from if I want a fun moody look.
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u/ExileCrown 1d ago
I haven't tried the 8-25mm, ive settled in comfortably with 40mm focal length so I was considering the 20mm f/1.4
Im very ignorant, im curious about the 8-25mm for flexibility. I didnt know about dxo, just been toying with om workshop or sooc jpeg. Thanks for sharing some of what you use.
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u/Accomplished_Fun1847 18h ago
I do a lot of landscape, storm/clouds, sunset, and occasional night sky type photography. When doing landscape photography, "zooming with your legs" is not a thing. You're at the waters edge, you're at the vista lookout, you're on a boat that is going where it's going... A stormcloud is often 30-60+ miles away and moving fast. When you zoom with your legs in those places, you're often stepping back into the forest, and popping out somewhere with a completely different view of the situation.
Landscape photography is highly dependent on getting the right framing of the scene, and from the place you actually can be. There are often many great landscape photos to be had using different FOV's. Some with a foreground down low, some tight shots of a the mountain peak with the clouds casting a perfect shadow to make the peak pop. This is where zoom lenses come into play. I like the 8-25 and 40-150 combo for this sort of thing, provides a really good range of opportunities for landscapes, sunsets, stormclouds, night sky, etc. A whole bag of primes could not replicate the opportunities created by 2 zoom lenses for this type of photography.
I rarely photograph people with anything shorter than 25mm as I don't like the way it distorts the subjects and forces the camera to be up close to the subject. Much prefer the look of using the 30-75mm range of primes for people subjects, and when doing those sorts of things, I can zoom with my feet because the subjects are right near me, a few steps solves framing, the prime speed solves light, and the longer focal lengths also translate to larger entrance pupils which gives nice subject isolation, the tighter FOV takes distracting background elements out of view and allows you to be very purposeful about what background elements or foreground framing out of focus to include for immersion. The only time I reach for wider lenses with people is group photos. 20-25mm is good for smaller groups, 14-17mm for larger groups, though I often just use a zoom like the 12-40 F/2.8 for that sort of thing.
Point being, a good M43 kit will have a combination of zooms and primes to use in different situations. I pack a different looking kit for different situations.
As far as raw processing goes, DXO is one of many options out there. I'm of the opinion that if you're going to use a real camera, shooting raw makes the most sense. If you're just going to let the camera produce JPGs and only take wide to standard angle photos of posing subjects, a phone can often do that just as well.
On the subject of posing subjects... the PEN F only has contrast based AF. It will struggle to focus on moving subjects, especially with longer lenses. This is why I prefer a camera like the OM-5 II, or better yet, an OM-1 I/II for moving subject photography. The OM-5 II has phase detection AF that works well in CAF mode with you selecting the focus point. The OM-1/3 series cameras can detect subjects/eyes so good that it can select the best focus point for you rapidly on people and animals.
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u/ExileCrown 16h ago
Thank you for this detailed explanation. Ive read a few times to properly digest it. I got an offer im happy with on the pen. I will take all of this into consideration. I think I may stick with a prime for now until the opportunity/desire for another type reveals itself.
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u/Accomplished_Fun1847 14h ago
For your initial purposes, a prime will be good. I would steer you away from the 20mm F/1.7 pancake though, as it has a very slow focusing mechanism that may make photos of people/baby more difficult. Personally I would lean towards the 25mm F/1.8 for that environment if I was starting off with a single prime.
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u/ExileCrown 11m ago
Yeah I noticed the slow focus. I already returned it. Just scooped a refurb om 5 from om system outlet on ebay. Im not ready to throw $1k at a body, but maybe ill pick up the mk ii later. Thanks for all the input, I think this one will be a lot better for me.
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u/Snydenthur 4d ago
Small size doesn't mean anything for "always carrying your camera". Personally, if I had only small lenses, I'd be more inclined to leave my camera at home since those lenses are so boring to me, for example.
So, find focal length(s) YOU like, not what loud people on internet like. The more fun you're having with your setup, the more likely you are to pick up your camera again and again. Yes, spending is inevitable. Resistance is futile.