Pen F broken... what would you do?

I posted before about issues with my Pen F... that I won't go into here, but suffice to say that it's developed some issues and ones that I can't quite live with (and if I had to predict, will likely get worse). After spending $50 on an estimate at a local shop, the estate to repair is another $300, which is of course less than another Pen F body, but enough to question whether or not I want to keep this thing. Mostly I've been happy with the Pen F so I wasn't really looking for a reason to upgrade as I have stuff other than photography that I'd rather be spending money on. I liked the small size, form factor/design of the Pen F, the way that it feels in my hands (with the attached grip anyway) and the issues that I had with it, namely a touchy EVF sensor and dodgy focus in low light were the sorts of things that I kind of got used to and therefore didn't really bug me so much... but now that the thing is broken and the bill will be $300 to fix, I wonder if I would be better off spending that towards a used copy of another likely better (at least for me) m43 body?






What I'm looking for is one with the newer 20 mpx sensor, like my Pen F has, though I would like something more robust this time around so something with weather sealing (I do live in the Pacific NW where it rains a lot). I'm willing to give up the small size of the Pen F as I don't see that there's anything that small which clicks the other boxes. I'm looking at the EM1 mkII so far as that one clicks all of the boxes for me and seems to sell for less than other similar ones. Seems like I could probably get one in the 5-$600 range. I'm open to other suggestions though...






What do you think? Should I spend double (or almost that) the repair bill on my Pen F to get something a little better, that would be sturdier (and give me more piece of mind) or is it silly to spend the extra on a new piece of gear that while it may be an upgrade still isn't something that I've really been jonsing for (and just get the Pen F repaired)?

D'oh.

If you want a better Oly 20 MP sensor than that in your Pen-F, then you'll have to pony up the dough for the OM-1. Or wait for the upcoming OM-5.

The EM1.2, EM1.3, EM1X, and EM5.3 do have better C-AF than the Pen-F, but their sensors are basically the same image quality.

If my own Pen-F would break I'd have it repaired for sure. That cam is a design icon, and cult.

finnan haddie said:

D'oh.

If you want a better Oly 20 MP sensor than that in your Pen-F, then you'll have to pony up the dough for the OM-1. Or wait for the upcoming OM-5.

The EM1.2, EM1.3, EM1X, and EM5.3 do have better C-AF than the Pen-F, but their sensors are basically the same image quality.

If my own Pen-F would break I'd have it repaired for sure. That cam is a design icon, and cult.

Click to expand...

Just to be clear, I'm not expecting better than the 20 mpx senor of the Pen F, only something just as good (I don't want to go back to the old 16 mpx sensor)... and something with weather sealing too (and hopefully better AF, though this is less important to me), as long as I'm forced to upgrade. The Pen F certainly is a cool design, but I'm not sure that this is going to be enough to inspire me to keep it and spend $300 fixing the thing...

Aaron801 said:

I posted before about issues with my Pen F... that I won't go into here, but suffice to say that it's developed some issues and ones that I can't quite live with (and if I had to predict, will likely get worse). After spending $50 on an estimate at a local shop, the estate to repair is another $300, which is of course less than another Pen F body, but enough to question whether or not I want to keep this thing. Mostly I've been happy with the Pen F so I wasn't really looking for a reason to upgrade as I have stuff other than photography that I'd rather be spending money on. I liked the small size, form factor/design of the Pen F, the way that it feels in my hands (with the attached grip anyway) and the issues that I had with it, namely a touchy EVF sensor and dodgy focus in low light were the sorts of things that I kind of got used to and therefore didn't really bug me so much... but now that the thing is broken and the bill will be $300 to fix, I wonder if I would be better off spending that towards a used copy of another likely better (at least for me) m43 body?

What I'm looking for is one with the newer 20 mpx sensor, like my Pen F has, though I would like something more robust this time around so something with weather sealing (I do live in the Pacific NW where it rains a lot). I'm willing to give up the small size of the Pen F as I don't see that there's anything that small which clicks the other boxes. I'm looking at the EM1 mkII so far as that one clicks all of the boxes for me and seems to sell for less than other similar ones. Seems like I could probably get one in the 5-$600 range. I'm open to other suggestions though...

What do you think? Should I spend double (or almost that) the repair bill on my Pen F to get something a little better, that would be sturdier (and give me more piece of mind) or is it silly to spend the extra on a new piece of gear that while it may be an upgrade still isn't something that I've really been jonsing for (and just get the Pen F repaired)?

Click to expand...

Either wait two months to see what the OM-5 would be like or buy an EM5.3.

The closest to a PenF that has the same JPEG color profiles, no weather sealing, no EVF is the E-P7.

If you put weather sealing as a must it's either EM5.3 right now or wait for OM-5. Prepare to $spend$ for the OM-5 though.

Seems like the cheapest is to repair your PenF ($300 you said?), but if you do that I would do it an an official OMDS repair center.

I agree with Ricardo. If weather sealing is a must then either the E-M5 III or the upcoming OM5 would be the logical move. However both of those options will be way more expensive then the repair estimate.

The E-M1 II is an alternative, but as a Pen F owner I would be reluctant to swap out the size and elegance of the Pen F for the size, weight and clunkiness of the E-M1 series.

Actually, if weather sealing was not an issue I would most likely opt for my E-M10 IV which has a newer sensor, more advanced processor and way better auto focus than my Pen F and can be had for not much more than what the Pen F repairs cost.

As others have said, wait for the announcement of the rumoured OM-5/OM-PEN whatever. It's only weeks away. Then reconsider your problem afresh.

Well... the new OM camera or maybe even the older EM5 mkIII would be a more ideal combo of the 20 mpx sensor thing, weather sealing and better AF performance, but the new OM thing is of course only going to be available new and surely will be way beyond my meager budget and even a used EM5 mkII is stretching it a bit for me. I didn't feel that the Pen F is quite ideal for me, but I guess that I'm OK with some compromises (there are compromises in everything, right?) and wasn't looking to throw more money at this photography thing anyway. In light of that and the fact that I've got cold feet about buying the somewhat more affordable camera that I was looking at, the EM1 mkII (I might not like how bulky the thing is) and I haven't even seen one for sale at anything like a real bargain price (which is how I got my Pen F!), I may just end up getting my old Pen F repaired rather than using the whole broken camera thing as an excuse to upgrade.




The only upgrade at this point that I'd really be excited about is a change in systems, which #1 isn't a priority for me and #2 isn't even possible for me at this point. As much as I've dug the m43 system (I've used it for 8 or so years at this point and have a good collection of lenses and have had 3 different bodies, with the Pen F being the last of the bunch), if money were no object, I'd almost surely get a Fuji Xt-4 and a few lenses as I feel that for me, that kit would be pretty much ideal. In light of that, I don't like the idea of investing too much more on m43...


Thanks for hearing me out.

I'd be interested in the broken Pen-F. I wouldn't mind designing a replacement thumb grip for it.

gary0319 said:

I agree with Ricardo. If weather sealing is a must then either the E-M5 III or the upcoming OM5 would be the logical move. However both of those options will be way more expensive then the repair estimate.

The E-M1 II is an alternative, but as a Pen F owner I would be reluctant to swap out the size and elegance of the Pen F for the size, weight and clunkiness of the E-M1 series.

Click to expand...

In all fairness Gary, I doubt someone who loves the elegance, build and feel of the Pen-F would be happy to swap it out for the cheap plastic feel of the EM5-III (or EM10 Mk5 as I see it really is) and would be far better off with a "Clunky" Em1 Mk2 or 3 for its toughness and real weather sealing - it`s not as if they`re heavy in the big scheme of things , the difference is about 120gm, nothing really in the big scheme of things.

AdamT said:

Adam-T said:

I agree with Ricardo. If weather sealing is a must then either the E-M5 III or the upcoming OM5 would be the logical move. However both of those options will be way more expensive then the repair estimate.

The E-M1 II is an alternative, but as a Pen F owner I would be reluctant to swap out the size and elegance of the Pen F for the size, weight and clunkiness of the E-M1 series.

Click to expand...

In all fairness Gary, I doubt someone who loves the elegance, build and feel of the Pen-F would be happy to swap it out for the cheap plastic feel of the EM5-III (or EM10 Mk5 as I see it really is) and would be far better off with a "Clunky" Em1 Mk2 or 3 for its toughness and real weather sealing - it`s not as if they`re heavy in the big scheme of things , the difference is about 120gm, nothing really in the big scheme of things.

Click to expand...

i see your point to a extent but you can fit a penf or em5.3 in a jacket pocket taking the lens out Can’t do that with em1.2

that said the priority seemed to be weather sealing here - only giving cheapest

option but I see your point particularly if the em1.2 could be found discounted

Member said:

i see your point to a extent but you can fit a penf or em5.3 in a jacket pocket taking the lens out Can’t do that with em1.2

Click to expand...

Honestly I can`t see that stuffing a body only in a jacket pocket being much of a reason to buy an inferior built camera like the 5.3 Ricardo - LOL , if a small coatpocketable 20Mp M43 was the request, a GX9 + 12-32 would be the better choice as it`ll go in with the Lens ON

Member said:

that said the priority seemed to be weather sealing here - only giving cheapest

option but I see your point particularly if the em1.2 could be found discounted

Click to expand...

No probs there - there are hundreds of amazing EM1-II used bargains on the market from dealers with warranty . I can`t believe how cheap mint boxed examples can be had for - not only that but EM1-IIIs mint boxed are appearing in dealers at less than new EM5-IIIs also , that really does make you think how little a mere 120g weight difference is for the quality gained - also the EM1-III has the new processor , IBIS and AF system ,..

Aaron801 said:

...wasn't looking to throw more money at this photography thing anyway.

Click to expand...

If you really feel that way, maybe it isn't worth repairing or upgrading. Cell phone cameras serve perfectly well for most people. You probably already have a good one. Maybe you should sell all of your camera gear and be done with it. Pardon the cliche, but it's hard to have your cake and eat it too.

Whatever you do, you can always change your mind later on if your priorities or finances change.

Aaron801 said:

I posted before about issues with my Pen F... that I won't go into here, but suffice to say that it's developed some issues and ones that I can't quite live with (and if I had to predict, will likely get worse). After spending $50 on an estimate at a local shop, the estate to repair is another $300, which is of course less than another Pen F body, but enough to question whether or not I want to keep this thing. Mostly I've been happy with the Pen F so I wasn't really looking for a reason to upgrade as I have stuff other than photography that I'd rather be spending money on. I liked the small size, form factor/design of the Pen F, the way that it feels in my hands (with the attached grip anyway) and the issues that I had with it, namely a touchy EVF sensor and dodgy focus in low light were the sorts of things that I kind of got used to and therefore didn't really bug me so much... but now that the thing is broken and the bill will be $300 to fix, I wonder if I would be better off spending that towards a used copy of another likely better (at least for me) m43 body?

What I'm looking for is one with the newer 20 mpx sensor, like my Pen F has, though I would like something more robust this time around so something with weather sealing (I do live in the Pacific NW where it rains a lot). I'm willing to give up the small size of the Pen F as I don't see that there's anything that small which clicks the other boxes. I'm looking at the EM1 mkII so far as that one clicks all of the boxes for me and seems to sell for less than other similar ones. Seems like I could probably get one in the 5-$600 range. I'm open to other suggestions though...

What do you think? Should I spend double (or almost that) the repair bill on my Pen F to get something a little better, that would be sturdier (and give me more piece of mind) or is it silly to spend the extra on a new piece of gear that while it may be an upgrade still isn't something that I've really been jonsing for (and just get the Pen F repaired)?

Click to expand...

I see 8 times the word thing. Makes me think you are really after a tool. You do not seem to have any emotional connection to your Pen-F.

Your Pen-F, if in cosmetically good condition, is certainly worth the repair bill. But only if you have an emotional connection to it. Else better sell it on ebay, honestly describe the problem and you will get a fair price, that you can use towards a new camera that will serve you better as a tool.

David5833 said:

Aaron801 said:

...wasn't looking to throw more money at this photography thing anyway.

Click to expand...

If you really feel that way, maybe it isn't worth repairing or upgrading. Cell phone cameras serve perfectly well for most people. You probably already have a good one. Maybe you should sell all of your camera gear and be done with it. Pardon the cliche, but it's hard to have your cake and eat it too.

Whatever you do, you can always change your mind later on if your priorities or finances change.

Click to expand...

No... that's not an option for me. I actually consider myself a pretty serious photographer and when I want to shoot, I pick up a camera not a cell phone. Nothing wrong with cell phone shooting in my opinion as I realize that it's surely the best kind of camera for documenting one's life and even as a tool to create art, it can work, it's just not what I prefer. In fact, I hardly use the camera on my cell phone at all, in a large part because I just don't like using it, though besides that it's a far less versatile tool and has greater limitations as far as IQ. I like controlling the shutter speed, f-stop, etc, using physical controls and viewing everything though a viewfinder. Being that I have a collection of lenses, a flash system, etc and that I pretty regularly use much of that stuff, it seems pretty silly to be held back by just not having working camera body. If I were really poor, I could probably be OK by picking up something like my last camera, an EM10 mkI, which truth be told in many ways is as good a camera as the Pen F (and those things go for cheap... I ended up selling mine for peanuts!).

I don't love the idea of repairing this thing as it's more than I want to throw at an old camera, but I'm not the type of person that can be satisfied without a camera (a dedicated camera) so it seems like a necessary evil.

Martin.au said:

I'd be interested in the broken Pen-F. I wouldn't mind designing a replacement thumb grip for it.

Click to expand...

I actually have a cheap accessory thumb grip for it that works pretty well. I also have the more elaborate grip that clips to the tripod mount and I pretty much have that thing on the camera at all times. It's hard to iamgine using the thing without that grip and with it, I don't feel the need for the thumb grip so I don't use it. It seems like it's going to be a one or the other proposition with those grips...

Raist3d said:

AdamT said:

Member said:

I agree with Ricardo. If weather sealing is a must then either the E-M5 III or the upcoming OM5 would be the logical move. However both of those options will be way more expensive then the repair estimate.

The E-M1 II is an alternative, but as a Pen F owner I would be reluctant to swap out the size and elegance of the Pen F for the size, weight and clunkiness of the E-M1 series.

Click to expand...

In all fairness Gary, I doubt someone who loves the elegance, build and feel of the Pen-F would be happy to swap it out for the cheap plastic feel of the EM5-III (or EM10 Mk5 as I see it really is) and would be far better off with a "Clunky" Em1 Mk2 or 3 for its toughness and real weather sealing - it`s not as if they`re heavy in the big scheme of things , the difference is about 120gm, nothing really in the big scheme of things.

Click to expand...

i see your point to a extent but you can fit a penf or em5.3 in a jacket pocket taking the lens out Can’t do that with em1.2

that said the priority seemed to be weather sealing here - only giving cheapest

option but I see your point particularly if the em1.2 could be found discounted

Click to expand...

I'm still thinking about the EM1 mkII, rather than springing for a repair. I've got some inquiries to a couple of internet used camera stores out about a trade in for another body, which may make the EM! mkII more affordable. If I get a few hundred $ for the trade in and it's another $300 to replace the board, the store can still sell it for double the what they've put into it, so it seems like an attractive proposition on their part.

I wish that I could borrow an EM1 to see if I really like it, but if I go that way it may be agamble but even if I don't love the size/form factor of the thing, it definitely will have other improvements so I may be able to justify it and learn to dig it.

For me, even if I was in a money is no object type of position, I don't really see the idea m43 camera body for me... which is OK as compromises often need to be made.

Aaron801 said:

I wish that I could borrow an EM1 to see if I really like it, but if I go that way it may be agamble but even if I don't love the size/form factor of the thing, it definitely will have other improvements so I may be able to justify it and learn to dig it.

Click to expand...

What about renting it?

Marie

GX8? Rangefinder design, weather sealing, 20mp, oled evf.

.... all of you folks are on the edge of your seats here in anticipation to hear what I've decided to do, I feel that it's only right to tell you...

I've decided to get the Pen F fixed, rather than buying a new one. I just took it to the repair place yesterday, though foolishly I forgot to ask what the time estimate for that is (I would like to have the thing back ASAP). It seemed to me that: a) the camera is worth repaired than as a "needs to be fixed" item (they seem to have held their value well judging by prices I see online). b) There wasn't much available that I was really excited about anyway, despite the fact that there are a few issues with my Pen F that I have and that other bodies do better. c) Particularly since I wasn't all that excited about the options, it didn't seem worth the money to upgrade... and d) Since the prices for Pen Fs seem to be so high, I feel that once I have a repaired copy of the thing that works 100%, if I ever did want to move to another model I could probably sell my camera and get most if not all of the $$ towards what I want... though I realize that likely no one is going to trade my Pen F and lenses for a Fuji Xt-4 with a kit zoom and a couple of primes.

--
my flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/128435329@N08/

Aaron801 said:

.... all of you folks are on the edge of your seats here in anticipation to hear what I've decided to do, I feel that it's only right to tell you...

I've decided to get the Pen F fixed, rather than buying a new one. I just took it to the repair place yesterday, though foolishly I forgot to ask what the time estimate for that is (I would like to have the thing back ASAP). It seemed to me that: a) the camera is worth repaired than as a "needs to be fixed" item (they seem to have held their value well judging by prices I see online). b) There wasn't much available that I was really excited about anyway, despite the fact that there are a few issues with my Pen F that I have and that other bodies do better. c) Particularly since I wasn't all that excited about the options, it didn't seem worth the money to upgrade... and d) Since the prices for Pen Fs seem to be so high, I feel that once I have a repaired copy of the thing that works 100%, if I ever did want to move to another model I could probably sell my camera and get most if not all of the $$ towards what I want... though I realize that likely no one is going to trade my Pen F and lenses for a Fuji Xt-4 with a kit zoom and a couple of primes.

Click to expand...

Yup, I was wondering what you were going to end up doing. If something happens to mine it will certainly go off to the repair shop! Someone mentioned that the bottom of the silver addition shows scratches easily, so I inspected mine and there is one tiny very faint mark. I bought mine for a premium (near new) price with a shutter count of 180+ which I noted. I'm real careful with my cameras and will be extra careful to protect my PEN F. I took it as my second camera with the Vario PZ 14-42 when I went out birding yesterday with my G95. I'm going out with the PEN F again this afternoon.

Enjoy your nearly "new" PEN F when it comes back and lets hope it has a long useful life. If mine is ever unrepairable then I will still keep as a very nice paperweight on my desk! :-D

Cheers!