Olympus has announced the latest iteration of their popular PEN line of cameras – the PEN-F. Once you get past the layer of street photographer marketing, the camera has some specs that are very impressive for underwater photography.
Most importantly, Olympus has added a 20MP Live MOS Sensor to the PEN-F, which is the largest megapixel count in a mirrorless micro 4/3 camera body today, matching the Panasonic GX8. The new Olympus PEN-F is also compatible with Olympus’ full line of micro 4/3 lenses, as well as popular 3rd party lenses for underwater photography, like the Panasonic 8mm fisheye lens.
The styling of the PEN-F is reminiscent of 1960s rangefinder cameras, with metal construction and leather accents. It even has some very customizeable color profiles, which while useful for those shooting .jpg files and uploading directly to social media via the Olympus Share App, is not applicable to shooing in RAW (.ORF) format.
The powerful image processor, electronic viewfinder and wide-array of customizable controls will make the PEN-F a great camera for underwater photographers who don’t want to invest in the more expensive Olympus OM-D line of mirrorless cameras.
Olympus PEN-F Key Specs
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20MP Live MOS Sensor
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TruePic™ VII Image Processor
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5-Axis In-Body Image Stabilization
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Interactive OLED Electronic Viewfinder
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Lens Mount: Micro 4/3 Lens Mount
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50 Megapixel High Res Shot Mode
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10 fps Sequential Shooting
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HD 1080p Video
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Wi-Fi for Remote Shooting & Wireless Sharing
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SD Memory (SD, SDXC)
Best Lenses
You can check out our complete guide to the Best Micro 4/3 Lenses for underwater photography, or check out info on the specific lenses below.
Best Wide-Angle Micro 4/3 Lenses
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Panasonic 8mm Fisheye Lens Review / Purchase info for the Panasonic 8mm fisheye
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Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO Lens / Purchase info for the Olympus 8mm fisheye
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Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO Lens / Purchase info for the Olympus 7-14mm lens
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Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 Lens Review / Purchase info for the Panasonic 7-14mm lens
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Olympus 9-18mm Lens Review / Purchase info for the Olympus 9-18mm lens
Best Macro Micro 4/3 Lenses
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Panasonic Leica 45mm Macro Lens / Purchase info for the Panasonic 45mm macro lens
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Olympus 60mm Macro Lens Review / Purchase info for the Olympus 60mm macro lens
Underwater Housings
We expect underwater housings to become available for the Olympus PEN-F in the next 2-6 months, with entries from Ikelite, Nauticam, Recsea and several other brands. As always, we’ll publish news as soon as we hear it. We will also be publishing an Olympus PEN-F review and PEN-F housing reviews as we have a chance to get our hands on the gear.
Looking Forward
I spoke with Bluewater Photo manager Kelli Dickinson about the Olympus PEN-F, and she’s excited about the new 20MP micro 4/3 sensor. Why? Because Olympus is expected to announce the new version of their flagship OM-D camera later this year – the OM-D E-M1 Mark II – which is sure to include this bump in megapixels, cementing its place at the top of the micro 4/3 cameras for underwater photography.
