Nostalgia, that's what it is when it comes to owning the Pen F.

I have the analogue version of this camera that gives you 72 shots from a roll of 36 frame film. And there are many similarities with the Pen EP digital cameras but the one that comes closest is the new Pen F, which unfortunately is going to confuse the hell out of you.

The new Pen F, and I say new because it is a digital camera, looks very much like the old one and consumers will no doubt be kicking themselves when they go searching for it on google. The problem is that both share the same name.

This is the film camera, not the digital one

The new Pen F isn't cheap. It cost 1,200 bucks....in USD. In terms of technical specs, you have a new 20 megapixel sensor in place of the 16 megapixel one found in the EM5. No weather sealing for the Pen though.

• 20MP Live MOS Four Thirds format sensor
• 5-axis image stabilization with automatic panning detection
• 2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder
• Up to 10 fps continuous shooting (20 fps with electronic shutter)
• Highly customizable interface, twin controls
• Fully articulating 1.04 million dot, 3" LCD touchscreen
• 50MP High-res Shot mode
• 1/8000 sec top mechanical shutter speed (1/16,000 with e-shutter)
• 1080/60p video recording

The next drawback is the lack of 4K video, which is kinda sad if you asked me as video shooting is now a requirement for most cameras. 

The Pen F like its predecessor released in the 60s are designed to be used like a Rangefinder camera. You can keep both eyes open while keeping one in the viewfinder for framing. 

This means it is a street shooter. And not being a DSLR type camera makes it less useful if shooting commercial photos. I am pretty sure the AF is on par with some entry level DSLR but that's not the point. 

Selling Nostalgia

This is something which camera companies are now innovating though I am not sure how attractive this would be. Remember years ago when Nikon released the Nikon Df? How many actually liked it enough to buy one?

Olympus thinks it can reinvigorate the product line with a new Pen F line. I can already see a second generation Pen F with 4K video shooting if this one succeeds but I can't say I will be putting my bet on this. 

Digital cameras don't offer you much these days as the shooting experience is pretty standard with other digital offerings in the market. The only difference is that digital cameras will get more expensive since there are fewer buyers.

The craze from 7 years ago is truly dead. Nostalgia is probably the secret ingredient they hope you'd buy into as camera companies desperately need your money to soldier on.

So will it work? I really do not know.

Digital cameras are tools for the moment. If you want something of real value, you should take the Pen F analog because that is one camera that really rocks.

The resurgence of film photography will gather speed and in time, no one would remember the digital Pen F.

But in the mean time, Olympus needs to get its sales cracking and there is no better way to try than to give it the film look. 

Cosina recently announced the end of production for all its rangefinder cameras. Even in a time where interest in film photography has become a bit of a renaissance, Cosina could not sell enough of them to keep them alive. 

This is not to say that you'll see the Voigtlanders disappear from the shelves overnight. There are still plenty of stocks, just that maybe the models might be looking for won't be in stock. 

Like for example the Bessa R4M would have been my camera of choice. It has 21mm framelines for wide angle shooting, so you don't have to buy an optional viewfinder like in the case of Leica M cameras. Leica has no solution for wide angle lenses except for a clip on viewfinder which you have to pay for. 

Voigtlander lenses are still being manufactured so it's not a big dent on your film shooting experience. 

For me, the Voigtlander rangefinder cameras was a good step towards film photography for beginners as they are much cheaper to own than compared to the Leica MP or M series rangefinders. 

Leica still manufactures the MP, a pro level film camera which cost a bomb. But the Bessa was the cheaper alternative. In fact, it is only a fraction of the cost of a used Leica M7. You could go buy a used film camera on eBay, but there are some of us who want to own something new. 

Why the SLR won the Film Battle

Before the introduction of the SLR, the rangefinder was the only professional film camera you could use. How the SLR became king of the hill was simple. It was much easier to focus and use. 

In a rangefinder, you have to align two split focus images together to know that you are in focus, whereas in a SLR, you can judge the focus by the clarity of the whole frame. Even the highly praised Olympus XA did away with rangefinder focusing in subsequent models. 

The ease of using a SLR was evident from the onset but prices between the two didn't differ as much. Both needed manual lenses and the Japanese found a way to make it cheaper. This meant that Voigtlander was sold to Cosina and the European heritage faded away. 
Over the years, Voigtlander started to withdraw production of its cameras, the first to go were the A models, now even the M models have been killed off. 

As rangefinder cameras fell out of fashion, the digital age was probably the final nail in the coffin. 

What you'd be missing on a Voigtlander Cameras

The Bessa R3M had a 1:1 viewfinder aspect ratio so you can keep both eyes open to frame a subject. This is clearly a step above what a Leica could do. 

But shooting with a film camera like the Bessa takes some getting used to, the A models have auto exposure while the M is fully manual. I could double down on a manual model as that is the best way to experience rangefinder photography like the old pros use to do. 

Using an old world method to capture images has to be experienced to be appreciated. 

There is no instant previews or sharing to social media. Film has to be developed and printed. Money must be spent on film. 

Film stocks give a varying degree of results. No two film stocks behave the same way. You get 36 shots in a roll, which means there is no machine gunning your way to a picture like you do on an iPhone. 

If you mess up the exposure, there is no second chances so you have to bracket shots which are important to you. 

Film photography, especially using a rangefinder camera, sharpens your level of observation as you learn to anticipate picture  moments before it happens. This is more so with the rangefinder as you need to work the focus and set an exposure for the moment while thinking of the framing. 

If you don't work fast enough, you will miss that moment. So instead seizing the moment, you anticipate it why observing what goes on around you. 

Sure you can do this with a film SLR as well, but that defeats the point of training your eye and mind to think at the same time. 

Shooting with a rangefinder is more difficult, sort of like driving with a stick shift on a classic car but the experience you get from it is out of this world. It's a sense of achievement to be able to shoot good pictures on film with a rangefinder than it is on your iPhone. 

So if you intend to embark on this challenge, I urge you to hurry. Bessa models would soon be only found in a used camera store.