Have Pen F - Love it: Should I buy a spare?

Aholt · Mar 7, 2019

HI all,

I have a Pen F, nearly two years old, and really like it, both the design (no big surprise), but even more, to use it. I think it is a joy to use, fun to use, and like the images, both as RAW and as JPEGs. But the quality of the pictures and technology is moving forward, of course. And then, Olympus says it is discontinued (at least they say so in Japan, as far as I can understand).

So: this raises (at least two options for me):

A. Buy another Pen F, as a spare body (and just keep it in the closet until my first dies)?

B. Wait and hope for a Pen F Mark II ?

What do you think?

All the best,

Anders H.

Okapi001 · Mar 7, 2019

Aholt said:
HI all,

I have a Pen F, nearly two years old, and really like it, both the design (no big surprise), but even more, to use it. I think it is a joy to use, fun to use, and like the images, both as RAW and as JPEGs. But the quality of the pictures and technology is moving forward, of course. And then, Olympus says it is discontinued (at least they say so in Japan, as far as I can understand).

So: this raises (at least two options for me):

A. Buy another Pen F, as a spare body (and just keep it in the closet until my first dies)?

B. Wait and hope for a Pen F Mark II ?

What do you think?

I'm pretty sure you will be able to buy a Pen F, brand new, for at least a year or two. So no need to hurry, IMHO.

Aholt · Mar 7, 2019

Thanks, The main reason I feel a bit in a hurry, is beacuse the shops, both online and physical, seems to become more and more empty of Pen Fs.

Actually reserved a black one tonight, until tomorrow night.

We will see.

Anders

cba_melbourne · Mar 7, 2019

Aholt said:
HI all,

I have a Pen F, nearly two years old, and really like it, both the design (no big surprise), but even more, to use it. I think it is a joy to use, fun to use, and like the images, both as RAW and as JPEGs. But the quality of the pictures and technology is moving forward, of course. And then, Olympus says it is discontinued (at least they say so in Japan, as far as I can understand).

So: this raises (at least two options for me):

A. Buy another Pen F, as a spare body (and just keep it in the closet until my first dies)?

B. Wait and hope for a Pen F Mark II ?

What do you think?

All the best,

Anders H.

Option A is cheap insurance. And you could buy it without warranty, since you will not need it as long as it stays in the closet. Should you change your mind and want to sell it in a few years, it is likely it will have cost you much less per year than if you bought extended breakdown insurance for your first PenF.

But what I suspect would happen, is that you would simply enjoy using both PenF.

Either way, if you can afford it, go for it. There are much more silly ways to burn money. I believe second hand prices for PenF's in pristine condition will stay at record heights for a long time to come. Just look at used GM5 prices.

LightCameraAction · Mar 7, 2019

Just wait for your pen-f to die and buy a used one. They will probably be cheap by that time.

Many people purchase cameras and don't end up using them enough to get anywhere close to wearing them out (many used cameras I have seen have less than 10,000 photos on them). I would expect there to be good-condition pen-f cameras for sale on the used market for quite some time.

LightCameraAction · Mar 7, 2019

cba_melbourne said:
There are much more silly ways to burn money.

Very true. This is what I try to tell my significant other every time I want a new piece of camera gear

.

Though tech gadgets that sit in the closest tend to decrease in value until they are obsolete. If you get it, I agree that using it as a second body may be a good idea.

doady · Mar 7, 2019

My Olympus C-7070WZ is still working after 14 years. If a point and shoto camera can last that long, wouldn't worry so much about your much more expensive Pen F dying.

And what if you buy Pen F and Olympus comes with something even better? Will that Pen F be better than Pen F3, or EM-5.4? Buying technological device for save for years later is a waste. Pen F will be outdated soon, if it is not outdated already.

Aholt · Mar 7, 2019

Thank you all!

Yes, there is a risk of me starting to use body number two, and yes there is a risk of the value thinking, and yes what if Olympus comes out with a Pen-something 2, which is much better. Use a omd em1 mark two for the woods, and Pen F for home and always in my bag, so maybe I can actually contain myself and not use it as a body nr two.

Also: There is nearly no used Pen Fs in Norway, and the price for new body only is still about 11500 NOK (about 1150 $), while at kit with 17mm is about 1350$. So the prises are high, and there is few on the marked. So Ibfear it will go away here. But it is a lot of money (new omdem1 mark ii is about 1800$...).

Difficult this.

Thank you all for your advise!
Anders

magnesus3 · Mar 8, 2019

Aholt said:
Thank you all!

Yes, there is a risk of me starting to use body number two, and yes there is a risk of the value thinking, and yes what if Olympus comes out with a Pen-something 2, which is much better. Use a omd em1 mark two for the woods, and Pen F for home and always in my bag, so maybe I can actually contain myself and not use it as a body nr two.

Also: There is nearly no used Pen Fs in Norway, and the price for new body only is still about 11500 NOK (about 1150 $), while at kit with 17mm is about 1350$. So the prises are high, and there is few on the marked. So Ibfear it will go away here. But it is a lot of money (new omdem1 mark ii is about 1800$...).

Difficult this.

Thank you all for your advise!
Anders

yellodog · Mar 8, 2019

Aholt said:
Thank you all!

Yes, there is a risk of me starting to use body number two, and yes there is a risk of the value thinking, and yes what if Olympus comes out with a Pen-something 2, which is much better. Use a omd em1 mark two for the woods, and Pen F for home and always in my bag, so maybe I can actually contain myself and not use it as a body nr two.

Also: There is nearly no used Pen Fs in Norway, and the price for new body only is still about 11500 NOK (about 1150 $), while at kit with 17mm is about 1350$. So the prises are high,

If you take a day trip to Sweden you can save some money and get one for 10000 Swedish pesetas.

Aholt said:
and there is few on the marked. So Ibfear it will go away here. But it is a lot of money (new omdem1 mark ii is about 1800$...).

Difficult this.

Thank you all for your advise!
Anders

--
https://www.eyeem.com/u/andersholt
http://andersholt.zenfolio.com

Aholt · Mar 8, 2019

Hehehe, yes, but the petrol is so expensive in Norway that the savings would go away.

Anders

Aholt · Mar 8, 2019

Thanks, that may be a very good advise. The risk then, will be a small Norwegian marked, and that there mayby isnt any left here.

Anders

https://www.eyeem.com/u/andersholt

http://andersholt.zenfolio.com

stefanbe · Mar 8, 2019

Sorry a bit off topic but petrol is expensive in Norway? An oil producing country? Surprising for me but of course everything is steep in Norway ...

On topic, if Olympus camera division survives (and I have hopes for that, sure, just hopes), I could imagine they will come up with an iteration of the Pen F, as it seems to me successful. Too bad I have no fact nor a crystal ball to back that.

BR StefaN

-----

www.scherbenhaufen.ch

www.scherbenhaufen.ch - PhotoBlog

www.scherbenhaufen.ch

http://blog.scherbenhaufen.ch

BostonBoy · Mar 8, 2019

Aholt said:
HI all,

I have a Pen F, nearly two years old, and really like it, both the design (no big surprise), but even more, to use it. I think it is a joy to use, fun to use, and like the images, both as RAW and as JPEGs. But the quality of the pictures and technology is moving forward, of course. And then, Olympus says it is discontinued (at least they say so in Japan, as far as I can understand).

So: this raises (at least two options for me):

A. Buy another Pen F, as a spare body (and just keep it in the closet until my first dies)?

B. Wait and hope for a Pen F Mark II ?

What do you think?

All the best,

Anders H.

Anders - very interesting topic. Only you know what the right answer is, but you know that already, don't you?

I made my call this week when I stumbled over a new (well unused, but obviously siting on the shelve for a while with Firmware V1.0) Black Version this weekend. I picked it up for < 1000 Euros here in DE. A lot of money for an unplanned, spontaneous buy, but I'm glad I did. I also noticed in the last few months that they are getting rare in dealer stock. Obviously the camera did not sell all that well in the first place over here.

I don't plan to pamper mine though - I have both of them set up, and use one with a prime, and one with the 12-40 f2.8 on it right now. It's a great little camera and I hope I'll enjoy them for years to come.

Good luck with your decision!

john isaacs · Mar 8, 2019

Aholt said:
HI all,

I have a Pen F, nearly two years old, and really like it, both the design (no big surprise), but even more, to use it. I think it is a joy to use, fun to use, and like the images, both as RAW and as JPEGs. But the quality of the pictures and technology is moving forward, of course. And then, Olympus says it is discontinued (at least they say so in Japan, as far as I can understand).

So: this raises (at least two options for me):

A. Buy another Pen F, as a spare body (and just keep it in the closet until my first dies)?

B. Wait and hope for a Pen F Mark II ?

What do you think?

All the best,

Anders H.

I think it will be some time before the image quality improves significantly. It's a 20mp sensor, and that is pretty much the limit for m43. More is not necessarily better.

Keeping it in the closet, however, is not the best idea. Instead, use it as a backup, or second camera to avoid changing lenses (wide on one, tele on the other).

I always travel with a backup. Having the same camera (or similar) saves on batteries/chargers/accessories. And, when shooting events, sports, wildlife, etc. it is good to have the two bodies with two lenses (again, wide and tele).

BostonBoy · Mar 8, 2019

john isaacs said:
Aholt said:

HI all,

I have a Pen F, nearly two years old, and really like it, both the design (no big surprise), but even more, to use it. I think it is a joy to use, fun to use, and like the images, both as RAW and as JPEGs. But the quality of the pictures and technology is moving forward, of course. And then, Olympus says it is discontinued (at least they say so in Japan, as far as I can understand).

So: this raises (at least two options for me):

A. Buy another Pen F, as a spare body (and just keep it in the closet until my first dies)?

B. Wait and hope for a Pen F Mark II ?

What do you think?

All the best,

Anders H.

Click to expand...

I think it will be some time before the image quality improves significantly. It's a 20mp sensor, and that is pretty much the limit for m43. More is not necessarily better.

Keeping it in the closet, however, is not the best idea. Instead, use it as a backup, or second camera to avoid changing lenses (wide on one, tele on the other).

I always travel with a backup. Having the same camera (or similar) saves on batteries/chargers/accessories. And, when shooting events, sports, wildlife, etc. it is good to have the two bodies with two lenses (again, wide and tele).

Well put!

paulhofseth · Mar 8, 2019

No need for Pen F II if new firmware can ensure that the annoying moving centre enlargement&spotmetering marker can be fixed in the middle forever. And while they are at it, enabling the camera to be tethered to a computer via an USB lead would be nice. The extra high pixel count feature for stationary subjects will still provide plenty of resolution compared with the competition in the years to come.

Once the second-hand price abroad drops below 5000 NOK , import if returning from abroad is duty & VAT free. And paying VAT does help support free health care, free education etc.

The issue will then be whether the second-hand price falls faster than the internals of the camera ages. Given the tendency over the years for electronic marvels to become unrepairable, (due to unavailable spares) the original mechanical Olympus Pen may outlive its digital half-twin since it is easier to fabricate machanical bits than to etch new microcircuits.

(As to the petrol-price remark above; whether a country produces oil, wine or optics, it is rational to sell at (world) market price inland as well as abroad. Levels of tax and wages will depend on choice of social aims. Car fuel cost & taxation should in principle cover the costs of roads, accidents, land use, noise, pollution etc. but there is of course a temptation to divert any tax income. ).

p.

Aholt · Mar 8, 2019

stefanbe said:
Sorry a bit off topic but petrol is expensive in Norway? An oil producing country? Surprising for me but of course everything is steep in Norway ...

On topic, if Olympus camera division survives (and I have hopes for that, sure, just hopes), I could imagine they will come up with an iteration of the Pen F, as it seems to me successful. Too bad I have no fact nor a crystal ball to back that.

BR StefaN

Yes, we have the most expensive fuelnin the world. ;-) taxes and environmental vat and normal vat, so to speak. But it makes for a peacefull society with a high level of trust.

Andbyes - I hopevyou are right, a new Pen F mark ii !

Anders

Lichtspiel · Mar 8, 2019

Aholt said:
stefanbe said:

Sorry a bit off topic but petrol is expensive in Norway? An oil producing country? Surprising for me but of course everything is steep in Norway ...

On topic, if Olympus camera division survives (and I have hopes for that, sure, just hopes), I could imagine they will come up with an iteration of the Pen F, as it seems to me successful. Too bad I have no fact nor a crystal ball to back that.

BR StefaN

Click to expand...

Yes, we have the most expensive fuelnin the world. ;-) taxes and environmental vat and normal vat, so to speak. But it makes for a peacefull society with a high level of trust.

Andbyes - I hopevyou are right, a new Pen F mark ii !

Anders

I don't think so... Done any vacations in Iceland recently?

Beautiful country you live in though. Well at least in Summer.

I was in a similar situation - I love my EM10ii so much that when the crippled v3 came out I bought a spare v2 to have just in case. The fact that it was only $300 helped a bit though.

Aholt · Mar 8, 2019

BostonBoy said:
Aholt said:

HI all,

I have a Pen F, nearly two years old, and really like it, both the design (no big surprise), but even more, to use it. I think it is a joy to use, fun to use, and like the images, both as RAW and as JPEGs. But the quality of the pictures and technology is moving forward, of course. And then, Olympus says it is discontinued (at least they say so in Japan, as far as I can understand).

So: this raises (at least two options for me):

A. Buy another Pen F, as a spare body (and just keep it in the closet until my first dies)?

B. Wait and hope for a Pen F Mark II ?

What do you think?

All the best,

Anders H.

Click to expand...

Anders - very interesting topic. Only you know what the right answer is, but you know that already, don't you?

I made my call this week when I stumbled over a new (well unused, but obviously siting on the shelve for a while with Firmware V1.0) Black Version this weekend. I picked it up for < 1000 Euros here in DE. A lot of money for an unplanned, spontaneous buy, but I'm glad I did. I also noticed in the last few months that they are getting rare in dealer stock. Obviously the camera did not sell all that well in the first place over here.

I don't plan to pamper mine though - I have both of them set up, and use one with a prime, and one with the 12-40 f2.8 on it right now. It's a great little camera and I hope I'll enjoy them for years to come.

Good luck with your decision!

That was a very cruel answer. ;-) ;-) pasing by the shop now..... help!

Anders

Have Pen F - Love it: Should I buy a spare?

Well-known member

Veteran Member

Well-known member

Veteran Member

Leading Member

Leading Member

Senior Member

Well-known member

Leading Member

Senior Member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Veteran Member

Well-known member

Similar threads

Keyboard shortcuts