News

Olympus Digital PEN Summer 2009

Olympus PenFT

Olympus PenFT

Last week, we told you of a teaser for the new Olympus micro G digital camera on the Olympus UK site. Here’s another teaser from the Olympus Asia site. More info about the new Olympus micro G is to be revealed next Tuesday, May 26, 2009 [does the page source hints at June 16 as official release date?] as a successor to the Olympus Pen in celebration of the latter’s 50th Anniversary.

Though the first Olympus Pen was introduced in 1959, it was really the PenF, introduced in 1963, that will interest us as far as the new Olympus Pen micro G is concerned. From the Olympus site, “The Olympus Pen F was the world’s first and only half-frame system single-lens reflex camera, released in 1963. The camera featured a porro-prism finder and was the first to have a rotary titanium shutter. It could be used with a highly versatile range of 20 exchangeable lenses. The Olympus Pen F was a revolutionary camera packed with innovative features.” The PenF was followed in 1966 by the PenFT, which added a built-in TTL exposure meter and a self-timer.

The Olympus PenFT is a beautiful camera and if Olympus introduces a compact “mirror-less” DSLR with all the features enthusiasts are looking for, they may just have a winner on their hands.

See Olympus Pen micro G Teaser

A Visual History of the Olympus Pen

Photos courtesy of Olympus

Feb. 1959 - Olympus 18 (Half-frame = 18x24mm) - Prototype of the Olympus Pen

Feb. 1959 - Olympus 18 (Half-frame = 18x24mm) - Prototype of the Olympus Pen

Oct. 1959 - Olympus Pen

Oct. 1959 - Olympus Pen

1960 - Olympus PenEE Prototype

1960 - Olympus PenEE Prototype

Aug. 1961 - Olympus PenEE

Aug. 1961 - Olympus PenEE

May 1968 - Olympus PenEE2 - Gold Version - To commemorate 2 million Pen cameras sold

May 1968 - Olympus PenEE2 - Gold Version - To commemorate 2 million Pen cameras sold

Apr. 1962 - Olympus PenEES

Apr. 1962 - Olympus PenEES

June 1962 - Olympus PenD

June 1962 - Olympus PenD

June 1965 - Olympus PenEM

June 1965 - Olympus PenEM

Sept. 1963 - Olympus PenF

Sept. 1963 - Olympus PenF

Oct. 1966 - Olympus PenFT

Oct. 1966 - Olympus PenFT

2008 - Olympus Micro FourThirds DSLR Concept

2008 - Olympus Micro FourThirds DSLR Concept

Summer 2009 - June 16?

Summer 2009 - June 16?

Please visit the Olympus web site for more info about these cameras and their features.