Pen F users - some quick questions...

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Hey gang...

I've always been a Pen user - love the format - so lately I've been getting stressed a bit when I found out that Olympus would no longer be making this line. So last week I purchased the Pen F at B&H. I already have the E-P5 and E-PL7.

My questions are these - and I know they are simple and right in front of my eyes, but I can't seem to find the information:

1. I want to shoot in RAW only, but the only choices I have in the menu structure are either JPG or RAW & JPG. What am I missing here - no setting for RAW only?

2. I was messing around with the settings this morning and I had the IS enabled in the menu. I'm using the Panny 12-60 on my Pen F. After adjust settings to my liking (or so I thought), all of a sudden the ability for me to turn on the IS is now blanked out? I have the lens-based IS turned off since the 5 Axs version in the Pen F is better. What other setting(s) that I may have adjusted affects the ability to access IS settings?

Thanking you in advance...

Enjoy that Pen F, Ben. It's a darling.

Get the Olympus OEM grip.

Forget CAF. Really. Don't even bother.

Watch out for focus accuracy with the Olympus f/1.2 Pro primes wide open (my experience). I bought an OM-D E-M1.2 specifically to better-utilize my 25mm f/1.2 Pro wide open. The number of keepers I get now has skyrocketed.

I generally reserve my Pen F for my small primes now: 12mm f/2, 25mm f/1.4, 45mm f/1.8 and then the Oly 12-40mm f/2.8. I plan to pick up a Lumix 20mm f/1.7 soon.

Jim Pilcher
Summit County, Colorado, USA
Don’t trust anyone under 9100 feet

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Hey gang...

I've always been a Pen user - love the format - so lately I've been getting stressed a bit when I found out that Olympus would no longer be making this line. So last week I purchased the Pen F at B&H. I already have the E-P5 and E-PL7.

My questions are these - and I know they are simple and right in front of my eyes, but I can't seem to find the information:

1. I want to shoot in RAW only, but the only choices I have in the menu structure are either JPG or RAW & JPG. What am I missing here - no setting for RAW only?

There is a RAW only - but not in the dial JPEG modes. There you can shoot RAW but you will get a JPEG.

To me this is an unnecessary increase in complexity Olympus is doing because it breaks consistency.

Set the camera to no special profile JPEG mode to shoot RAW. You can convert the RAWS in camera to the film simulation JPEGS if you want once you done it that way.

2. I was messing around with the settings this morning and I had the IS enabled in the menu. I'm using the Panny 12-60 on my Pen F. After adjust settings to my liking (or so I thought), all of a sudden the ability for me to turn on the IS is now blanked out? I have the lens-based IS turned off since the 5 Axs version in the Pen F is better. What other setting(s) that I may have adjusted affects the ability to access IS settings?

I think the issue is that you have the camera set to "let the lens do the OIS when available." Then in that case it's he lens switch for OIS if it has one, or the Lens OIS the twill kick in.

Thanking you in advance...

Ben

Olympus could do well to do a major UI cleanup. This just shows part of tithe unnecessary complexity.

Enjoy the PenF if you like its ergonomics and speed. It has some of the very best JPEGS and good RAW files I have seen in all m43rds.

Ben Herrmann wrote:

When I read the factoid about Olympus discontinuing the Pen series, I was really let down, and I hadn't planned on getting the Pen F (after all, I still had the E-P5 and E-PL7). But the more I read about the Pen F, the more I realized that it was an investment also.

I think what Olympus closed down on is the Pen_F.  But I did read a comment that suggests the Pen line itself could be at danger.  But wouldn't surprise me they put another one later (not PenF).

Heck, I just sold off a bunch of cameras and refreshed my Fuji X series line of cameras. I wasn't planning on getting the Pen F at all - but as they say, "stuff happens."

The PenF has to be the camera that I have both loved and hates the most in equal parts. I think a lot of the parts I don't like you are fine with, so you will like it quite a bit.  Just like James said, do not bother with continuous AF. Pretend it's not there.

James Pilcher wrote:

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Hey gang...

I've always been a Pen user - love the format - so lately I've been getting stressed a bit when I found out that Olympus would no longer be making this line. So last week I purchased the Pen F at B&H. I already have the E-P5 and E-PL7.

My questions are these - and I know they are simple and right in front of my eyes, but I can't seem to find the information:

1. I want to shoot in RAW only, but the only choices I have in the menu structure are either JPG or RAW & JPG. What am I missing here - no setting for RAW only?

2. I was messing around with the settings this morning and I had the IS enabled in the menu. I'm using the Panny 12-60 on my Pen F. After adjust settings to my liking (or so I thought), all of a sudden the ability for me to turn on the IS is now blanked out? I have the lens-based IS turned off since the 5 Axs version in the Pen F is better. What other setting(s) that I may have adjusted affects the ability to access IS settings?

Thanking you in advance...

Enjoy that Pen F, Ben. It's a darling.

Get the Olympus OEM grip.

Forget CAF. Really. Don't even bother.

Why?  Here’s a 30-shot sequence zoomed 1:1.  Two of the 30 are slightly out of focus.  C-AF is not something I normally use the PEN-F for but it works when I need it.  It’s a slow burst rate though, probably my only complaint.

Watch out for focus accuracy with the Olympus f/1.2 Pro primes wide open (my experience). I bought an OM-D E-M1.2 specifically to better-utilize my 25mm f/1.2 Pro wide open. The number of keepers I get now has skyrocketed.

I generally reserve my Pen F for my small primes now: 12mm f/2, 25mm f/1.4, 45mm f/1.8 and then the Oly 12-40mm f/2.8. I plan to pick up a Lumix 20mm f/1.7 soon.

Jim Pilcher
Summit County, Colorado, USA
Don’t trust anyone under 9100 feet

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Hey gang...

I've always been a Pen user - love the format - so lately I've been getting stressed a bit when I found out that Olympus would no longer be making this line. So last week I purchased the Pen F at B&H. I already have the E-P5 and E-PL7.

Olympus has not abandoned PEN line. We just do not know is the E-P and PEN-F discontinued.

My questions are these - and I know they are simple and right in front of my eyes, but I can't seem to find the information:

1. I want to shoot in RAW only, but the only choices I have in the menu structure are either JPG or RAW & JPG. What am I missing here - no setting for RAW only?

No raw only (it is a raw without capitalization as it is not acronym) if you have a art knob in other than normal. So you need always get JPEG when using those modes.

2. I was messing around with the settings this morning and I had the IS enabled in the menu. I'm using the Panny 12-60 on my Pen F. After adjust settings to my liking (or so I thought), all of a sudden the ability for me to turn on the IS is now blanked out? I have the lens-based IS turned off since the 5 Axs version in the Pen F is better. What other setting(s) that I may have adjusted affects the ability to access IS settings?

You might need to go settings and disable lens I.S priority. As even when you disable that OIS, it doesn't allow to handle IBIS setting.

IIRC it is Menu > Custom Menu > C. release/IS > Lens I.S priority. And set it Off.

Thanking you in advance...

Ben

MEDISN wrote:

James Pilcher wrote:

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Hey gang...

I've always been a Pen user - love the format - so lately I've been getting stressed a bit when I found out that Olympus would no longer be making this line. So last week I purchased the Pen F at B&H. I already have the E-P5 and E-PL7.

My questions are these - and I know they are simple and right in front of my eyes, but I can't seem to find the information:

1. I want to shoot in RAW only, but the only choices I have in the menu structure are either JPG or RAW & JPG. What am I missing here - no setting for RAW only?

2. I was messing around with the settings this morning and I had the IS enabled in the menu. I'm using the Panny 12-60 on my Pen F. After adjust settings to my liking (or so I thought), all of a sudden the ability for me to turn on the IS is now blanked out? I have the lens-based IS turned off since the 5 Axs version in the Pen F is better. What other setting(s) that I may have adjusted affects the ability to access IS settings?

Thanking you in advance...

Enjoy that Pen F, Ben. It's a darling.

Get the Olympus OEM grip.

Forget CAF. Really. Don't even bother.

Why? Here’s a 30-shot sequence zoomed 1:1. Two of the 30 are slightly out of focus. C-AF is not something I normally use the PEN-F for but it works when I need it. It’s a slow burst rate though, probably my only complaint.

Because it works pretty horrible. Maybe doing a very slow moving approaching subject helps.  Tracking works if you have someone in a group move a bit.  But other than that, C-AF on the PenF is a complete joke.  The EM5 MKii even does it a bit better.

Multiple users and multiple reviewers show this.  But maybe for slow moving subjects like these that do not move around much it works (very narrow working envelope).  Another way I have seen it work is getting a car going say from left to right and panning with it.  But that's not exactly that challenging either.

Watch out for focus accuracy with the Olympus f/1.2 Pro primes wide open (my experience). I bought an OM-D E-M1.2 specifically to better-utilize my 25mm f/1.2 Pro wide open. The number of keepers I get now has skyrocketed.

I generally reserve my Pen F for my small primes now: 12mm f/2, 25mm f/1.4, 45mm f/1.8 and then the Oly 12-40mm f/2.8. I plan to pick up a Lumix 20mm f/1.7 soon.

Jim Pilcher
Summit County, Colorado, USA
Don’t trust anyone under 9100 feet

Raist3d wrote:

MEDISN wrote:

James Pilcher wrote:

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Hey gang...

I've always been a Pen user - love the format - so lately I've been getting stressed a bit when I found out that Olympus would no longer be making this line. So last week I purchased the Pen F at B&H. I already have the E-P5 and E-PL7.

My questions are these - and I know they are simple and right in front of my eyes, but I can't seem to find the information:

1. I want to shoot in RAW only, but the only choices I have in the menu structure are either JPG or RAW & JPG. What am I missing here - no setting for RAW only?

2. I was messing around with the settings this morning and I had the IS enabled in the menu. I'm using the Panny 12-60 on my Pen F. After adjust settings to my liking (or so I thought), all of a sudden the ability for me to turn on the IS is now blanked out? I have the lens-based IS turned off since the 5 Axs version in the Pen F is better. What other setting(s) that I may have adjusted affects the ability to access IS settings?

Thanking you in advance...

Enjoy that Pen F, Ben. It's a darling.

Get the Olympus OEM grip.

Forget CAF. Really. Don't even bother.

Why? Here’s a 30-shot sequence zoomed 1:1. Two of the 30 are slightly out of focus. C-AF is not something I normally use the PEN-F for but it works when I need it. It’s a slow burst rate though, probably my only complaint.

Because it works pretty horrible. Maybe doing a very slow moving approaching subject helps. Tracking works if you have someone in a group move a bit. But other than that, C-AF on the PenF is a complete joke. The EM5 MKii even does it a bit better.

Define horrible?  Examples we can see?  Is there a threshold for subject speed and direction that dictates acceptable CAF performance?  
The subject actually does move around the frame as I’m following her.  As I said previously, the video is cropped to her face 1:1 as though it were centered there but I’m not responsive enough to keep the face centered while shooting.

Multiple users and multiple reviewers show this.

Ah, forgot who I was talking to.  Of course you read this somewhere on the internet so this is what you echo.  When someone posts actual experience that contradicts your narrative you do your best to cast doubt.  So predictable.

But maybe for slow moving subjects like these that do not move around much it works (very narrow working envelope). Another way I have seen it work is getting a car going say from left to right and panning with it. But that's not exactly that challenging either.

Watch out for focus accuracy with the Olympus f/1.2 Pro primes wide open (my experience). I bought an OM-D E-M1.2 specifically to better-utilize my 25mm f/1.2 Pro wide open. The number of keepers I get now has skyrocketed.

I generally reserve my Pen F for my small primes now: 12mm f/2, 25mm f/1.4, 45mm f/1.8 and then the Oly 12-40mm f/2.8. I plan to pick up a Lumix 20mm f/1.7 soon.

Jim Pilcher
Summit County, Colorado, USA
Don’t trust anyone under 9100 feet

MEDISN wrote:

Raist3d wrote:

MEDISN wrote:

James Pilcher wrote:

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Hey gang...

I've always been a Pen user - love the format - so lately I've been getting stressed a bit when I found out that Olympus would no longer be making this line. So last week I purchased the Pen F at B&H. I already have the E-P5 and E-PL7.

My questions are these - and I know they are simple and right in front of my eyes, but I can't seem to find the information:

1. I want to shoot in RAW only, but the only choices I have in the menu structure are either JPG or RAW & JPG. What am I missing here - no setting for RAW only?

2. I was messing around with the settings this morning and I had the IS enabled in the menu. I'm using the Panny 12-60 on my Pen F. After adjust settings to my liking (or so I thought), all of a sudden the ability for me to turn on the IS is now blanked out? I have the lens-based IS turned off since the 5 Axs version in the Pen F is better. What other setting(s) that I may have adjusted affects the ability to access IS settings?

Thanking you in advance...

Enjoy that Pen F, Ben. It's a darling.

Get the Olympus OEM grip.

Forget CAF. Really. Don't even bother.

Why? Here’s a 30-shot sequence zoomed 1:1. Two of the 30 are slightly out of focus. C-AF is not something I normally use the PEN-F for but it works when I need it. It’s a slow burst rate though, probably my only complaint.

Because it works pretty horrible. Maybe doing a very slow moving approaching subject helps. Tracking works if you have someone in a group move a bit. But other than that, C-AF on the PenF is a complete joke. The EM5 MKii even does it a bit better.

Define horrible? Examples we can see?

Not posting examples. I traditionally post a lot of examples of things in the past and I get burned with and endless discussion between people who don't believe it, or think I just started to use Olympus cameras or photography or something else.

Now, this may very well not be you, but it's kind of an overall standard policy I am following these days. My last shots can be seen in a recent-this week EPL9 thread. The EPL9 does focusing better than the PenF, and the EPL9 is equally horrible at C-AF.

Is there a threshold for subject speed and direction that dictates acceptable CAF performance?

Probably but that will work for each individual differently.  For you it seems to work ok. Generally speaking, C-AF should catch some reasonable amount of action- but again, if it works for you, what I am saying doesn't apply to you.

The subject actually does move around the frame as I’m following her.

Not really. The frame seems rather constant in terms of position and sizable area.

As I said previously, the video is cropped to her face 1:1 as though it were centered there but I’m not responsive enough to keep the face centered while shooting.

Then I don't know.

Multiple users and multiple reviewers show this.

Ah, forgot who I was talking to. Of course you read this somewhere on the internet so this is what you echo. When someone posts actual experience that contradicts your narrative you do your best to cast doubt. So predictable.

Ah yes, let's go to the personal attack attempt. I thought for a moment you were being reasonable.  But never mind I have had the PenF for like two years now, and all I can say is that my experience using C-AF with it validates what a lot of reviews are also saying.

Of course the experience of one avid fan is more objective than someone who is reviewing a camera on a website. Pretty standard logic in this forum

But if you are really curious, you can see I have lots of experience with Olympus Cameras if you bother to look.  Anyhow, I am glad it works for you. Just warning the OP that it's not that good. Of course, other people have said the same thing, like James here.  I guess he most be someone without experience too right?

But maybe for slow moving subjects like these that do not move around much it works (very narrow working envelope). Another way I have seen it work is getting a car going say from left to right and panning with it. But that's not exactly that challenging either.

Watch out for focus accuracy with the Olympus f/1.2 Pro primes wide open (my experience). I bought an OM-D E-M1.2 specifically to better-utilize my 25mm f/1.2 Pro wide open. The number of keepers I get now has skyrocketed.

I generally reserve my Pen F for my small primes now: 12mm f/2, 25mm f/1.4, 45mm f/1.8 and then the Oly 12-40mm f/2.8. I plan to pick up a Lumix 20mm f/1.7 soon.

Jim Pilcher
Summit County, Colorado, USA
Don’t trust anyone under 9100 feet

acfo wrote:

MEDISN wrote:

James Pilcher wrote:

Forget CAF. Really. Don't even bother.

Why? Here’s a 30-shot sequence zoomed 1:1. Two of the 30 are slightly out of focus. C-AF is not something I normally use the PEN-F for but it works when I need it. It’s a slow burst rate though, probably my only complaint.

Same experience here: CAF works perfectly. However one should read the manual as the camera allows one to shoot oneself in the foot (e.g. release priority instead of focus priority or sequential burst H instead of L).

For the record, I have set my PenF to focus priority.

Raist3d wrote:

MEDISN wrote:

Raist3d wrote:

MEDISN wrote:

James Pilcher wrote:

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Hey gang...

I've always been a Pen user - love the format - so lately I've been getting stressed a bit when I found out that Olympus would no longer be making this line. So last week I purchased the Pen F at B&H. I already have the E-P5 and E-PL7.

My questions are these - and I know they are simple and right in front of my eyes, but I can't seem to find the information:

1. I want to shoot in RAW only, but the only choices I have in the menu structure are either JPG or RAW & JPG. What am I missing here - no setting for RAW only?

2. I was messing around with the settings this morning and I had the IS enabled in the menu. I'm using the Panny 12-60 on my Pen F. After adjust settings to my liking (or so I thought), all of a sudden the ability for me to turn on the IS is now blanked out? I have the lens-based IS turned off since the 5 Axs version in the Pen F is better. What other setting(s) that I may have adjusted affects the ability to access IS settings?

Thanking you in advance...

Enjoy that Pen F, Ben. It's a darling.

Get the Olympus OEM grip.

Forget CAF. Really. Don't even bother.

Why? Here’s a 30-shot sequence zoomed 1:1. Two of the 30 are slightly out of focus. C-AF is not something I normally use the PEN-F for but it works when I need it. It’s a slow burst rate though, probably my only complaint.

Because it works pretty horrible. Maybe doing a very slow moving approaching subject helps. Tracking works if you have someone in a group move a bit. But other than that, C-AF on the PenF is a complete joke. The EM5 MKii even does it a bit better.

Define horrible? Examples we can see?

Not posting examples. I traditionally post a lot of examples of things in the past and I get burned with and endless discussion between people who don't believe it, or think I just started to use Olympus cameras or photography or something else.

Save the excuses.  I for one welcome your examples.  If they illustrate your point, why not?

Now, this may very well not be you, but it's kind of an overall standard policy I am following these days. My last shots can be seen in a recent-this week EPL9 thread. The EPL9 does focusing better than the PenF, and the EPL9 is equally horrible at C-AF.

Can you show examples from cameras you've used that are not "horrible"?  Just to provide some context.  I would love to see what excellent looks like in your hands.

Is there a threshold for subject speed and direction that dictates acceptable CAF performance?

Probably but that will work for each individual differently. For you it seems to work ok. Generally speaking, C-AF should catch some reasonable amount of action- but again, if it works for you, what I am saying doesn't apply to you.

I use C-AF for portraits too - what is reasonable amount of action?  Who defines this?

The subject actually does move around the frame as I’m following her.

Not really. The frame seems rather constant in terms of position and sizable area.

lol how would you know this.  I have centered each frame to the face.  The face could be anwywhere in the frame.  The video only shows 8MP out of 20MP.

As I said previously, the video is cropped to her face 1:1 as though it were centered there but I’m not responsive enough to keep the face centered while shooting.

Then I don't know.

Multiple users and multiple reviewers show this.

Ah, forgot who I was talking to. Of course you read this somewhere on the internet so this is what you echo. When someone posts actual experience that contradicts your narrative you do your best to cast doubt. So predictable.

Ah yes, let's go to the personal attack attempt. I thought for a moment you were being reasonable. But never mind I have had the PenF for like two years now, and all I can say is that my experience using C-AF with it validates what a lot of reviews are also saying.

But contradicts what this user is actually showing frame-by-frame.  Why are you so concerned with what some reviewer said?  Does the reviewer shoot with your hands or do you?

Of course the experience of one avid fan is more objective than someone who is reviewing a camera on a website. Pretty standard logic in this forum

I provided evidence to the contrary.  Something you can't seem to do.  acfo chimed in and said his works perfectly.  Not sure why you're having trouble if you have two years experience with camera as you claim.

But if you are really curious, you can see I have lots of experience with Olympus Cameras if you bother to look.

A lot of experience?  Great!  Show me.  The most recent photos on your website are dated 2017.  Do those illustrate the CAF ability (or inability of the PEN-F)?  You have no photos in your gallery here, no challenge photos in the last 10 years, only a whole lot of posts.  Is there somewhere else you host your photos?

Anyhow, I am glad it works for you. Just warning the OP that it's not that good. Of course, other people have said the same thing, like James here. I guess he most be someone without experience too right?

Don't know what James is capable of and what he tries to shoot.  He didn't qualify his statement with expectations or describe when and how the PEN-F disappoints him.

MEDISN wrote:

Raist3d wrote:

MEDISN wrote:

Raist3d wrote:

MEDISN wrote:

James Pilcher wrote:

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Hey gang...

I've always been a Pen user - love the format - so lately I've been getting stressed a bit when I found out that Olympus would no longer be making this line. So last week I purchased the Pen F at B&H. I already have the E-P5 and E-PL7.

My questions are these - and I know they are simple and right in front of my eyes, but I can't seem to find the information:

1. I want to shoot in RAW only, but the only choices I have in the menu structure are either JPG or RAW & JPG. What am I missing here - no setting for RAW only?

2. I was messing around with the settings this morning and I had the IS enabled in the menu. I'm using the Panny 12-60 on my Pen F. After adjust settings to my liking (or so I thought), all of a sudden the ability for me to turn on the IS is now blanked out? I have the lens-based IS turned off since the 5 Axs version in the Pen F is better. What other setting(s) that I may have adjusted affects the ability to access IS settings?

Thanking you in advance...

Enjoy that Pen F, Ben. It's a darling.

Get the Olympus OEM grip.

Forget CAF. Really. Don't even bother.

Why? Here’s a 30-shot sequence zoomed 1:1. Two of the 30 are slightly out of focus. C-AF is not something I normally use the PEN-F for but it works when I need it. It’s a slow burst rate though, probably my only complaint.

Because it works pretty horrible. Maybe doing a very slow moving approaching subject helps. Tracking works if you have someone in a group move a bit. But other than that, C-AF on the PenF is a complete joke. The EM5 MKii even does it a bit better.

Define horrible? Examples we can see?

Not posting examples. I traditionally post a lot of examples of things in the past and I get burned with and endless discussion between people who don't believe it, or think I just started to use Olympus cameras or photography or something else.

Save the excuses. I for one welcome your examples. If they illustrate your point, why not?

Sorry but I am not feeling like moving an inch to my body for your request when there's ample evidence around. And I clearly have and used a PenF as evidenced by multiple shots I have posted with it.

And it's not excuses. I have gone well beyond the ask to bring something only to 90% of the time being told that I don't know what I am doing, or why I am being so bad, or whatever. Sorry, I learned that lesson years ago.

Now, this may very well not be you, but it's kind of an overall standard policy I am following these days. My last shots can be seen in a recent-this week EPL9 thread. The EPL9 does focusing better than the PenF, and the EPL9 is equally horrible at C-AF.

Can you show examples from cameras you've used that are not "horrible"? Just to provide some context. I would love to see what excellent looks like in your hands.

See above.

Is there a threshold for subject speed and direction that dictates acceptable CAF performance?

Probably but that will work for each individual differently. For you it seems to work ok. Generally speaking, C-AF should catch some reasonable amount of action- but again, if it works for you, what I am saying doesn't apply to you.

I use C-AF for portraits too - what is reasonable amount of action? Who defines this?

You can certainly use S-AF for portraits. You gotta ask, why James also agrees?

The subject actually does move around the frame as I’m following her.

Not really. The frame seems rather constant in terms of position and sizable area.

lol how would you know this. I have centered each frame to the face. The face could be anwywhere in the frame. The video only shows 8MP out of 20MP.

You are right, how on Earth would I know you were not really showing the complete example. You got me!

As I said previously, the video is cropped to her face 1:1 as though it were centered there but I’m not responsive enough to keep the face centered while shooting.

Then I don't know.

Multiple users and multiple reviewers show this.

Ah, forgot who I was talking to. Of course you read this somewhere on the internet so this is what you echo. When someone posts actual experience that contradicts your narrative you do your best to cast doubt. So predictable.

Ah yes, let's go to the personal attack attempt. I thought for a moment you were being reasonable. But never mind I have had the PenF for like two years now, and all I can say is that my experience using C-AF with it validates what a lot of reviews are also saying.

But contradicts what this user is actually showing frame-by-frame. Why are you so concerned with what some reviewer said? Does the reviewer shoot with your hands or do you?

Oh, I am only bringing reviewers as an objective "not someone over the net" source. I certainly care about what I can do.

Of course the experience of one avid fan is more objective than someone who is reviewing a camera on a website. Pretty standard logic in this forum

I provided evidence to the contrary.

Doesn't seem like it, not with the movement you are showing. But then you may have captured super high resolution shots from a 4k video for all I know shot with something else. I mean, you keep telling me that the example you were showing doesn't show the full capture per se so I am at a loss here

Something you can't seem to do. acfo chimed in and said his works perfectly. Not sure why you're having trouble if you have two years experience with camera as you claim.

It's interesting James also mentioned this as a problem. But of course, you seem to like me more

But if you are really curious, you can see I have lots of experience with Olympus Cameras if you bother to look.

A lot of experience? Great! Show me.

As I said above, I have posted multiple photographs with Olympus cameras.

The most recent photos on your website are dated 2017.

Did you bother to just use d-preview's "threads started" and look for the ones with photos? Usually they are preceded by camera used. I mentioned I have posted here, or did you miss that? Didn't I reply to you my most recent shots are from this last week on EPL9?   Or did you just filter that out?

Do those illustrate the CAF ability (or inability of the PEN-F)? You have no photos in your gallery here, no challenge photos in the last 10 years, only a whole lot of posts. Is there somewhere else you host your photos?

Read above. Also- no, I don't tend to use CAF on the PenF because it doesn't work well.

Anyhow, I am glad it works for you. Just warning the OP that it's not that good. Of course, other people have said the same thing, like James here. I guess he most be someone without experience too right?

Don't know what James is capable of and what he tries to shoot. He didn't qualify his statement with expectations or describe when and how the PEN-F disappoints him.

He did say forget about C-AF. Which is what I also said that you are in this very thread talking about no? Why am I so special then?

acfo wrote:

Raist3d wrote:

MEDISN wrote:

But contradicts what this user is actually showing frame-by-frame. Why are you so concerned with what some reviewer said? Does the reviewer shoot with your hands or do you?

Oh, I am only bringing reviewers as an objective "not someone over the net" source.

I do BIFs with the Pen-F in C-AF mode (examples here https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/62619969 ) .

I would have to see how the birds were moving in those samples. I notice you can track mainly when the objects are moving more or less in the same focal plane like panning.

After I realized that I need to set the camera to focus priority and that C-AF only works in sequential burst L mode (on all Olympus cameras), C-AF simply works. If I have an out of focus shot it's because I did not point the camera in the right direction.

I definitively have set my PenF in focus priority and have tried both speeds.

In fact C-AF is working so well that I was puzzled why the Pen-Fs C-AF is said to be sub par. There is no technical reason why the Pen F should be noticeably better or worse than any other Olympus body with the same generation imaging engine and cdaf sensor. Comparing the Pen-Fs C-AF with my daughters EM10 Mark II, I see no difference.

There is. The 20 MP sensor has more data to parse through than an EM5 Mii for example. This difference can affect the performance. If you check out imaging resource low light AF for the GX9 which uses pretty much the same sensor, you see its ability to focus in lower light is less than the 16 MP sensor. The straightforward conclusion is that it has more noise in the dark because of the sensor density (and the fact it's not a BSI to counter that).

Here is the CameraStoreTV review which started the "Pen-F CAF sucks" rumor:

Pre-production Pen-F with a Oly 300mm f4:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqmMrp-pVp4

Follow up with a production Pen-F where they say the Pen-F did a good job in "zone focussing" C-AF mode and the "lock on" C-AF mode with tracking gave the most reliable hit rate. They had problems with the pen-f in C-AF mode with single button presses hunting on a subject which was not or only slowly moving (quite obviously with Rls Priority S set ON, meaning taking an out of focus shot was possible):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdPhwpmo5O8

I saw their review a while back including follow up. What they said and concluded is that even with the upgrade the camera still had trouble. To be fair though- they were testing with a telephoto lens which is harsher on all cameras, though in the YouTube comments they mention that they noticed this with other lenses.

So as far as I can tell, the reviewers did not set up the camera properly and there's nothing wrong with the Pen-Fs C-AF. Olympus may need to think about improving their manual though.

It seems rather strange that reviewers all of a sudden lost their ability to use Olympus cameras having not much problems with other models except to note that the UI is overcomplicated.

I can say the Fuji X-E3 I had clearly out classes the PenF, so did the XT20, the EM5 MKII at this game. The EPL9 does outclass the PenF in general speed, focusing in lower light, and doing all much faster, but still has issues with C-AF.

I'll give a quick try tomorrow to the L setting just to examine further if I notice a difference between that and the H, but I believe I had already tried this. But you got me a notch curious.

Thanks for writing your point of view without restoring to attempts to personal attacks and reading, much appreciated.