Hollywood Hills garage sale find

[compur]

Olympus Pen FT (35mm half-frame interchangeable lens SLR) with 40mm
f/1.4 lens. Very nice condition. Everything works. Very collectible.

Seller seemed ashamed to ask $20 for it (like it was too much).

I said, "OK, what the heck."

 

[Derrel]

Schweeet!!!

Ya' gotta love a great yard sale deal. Kind of an interesting shutter release button those things had. Crazy question, but you might just be the guy to ask: is there a mail-in type lab someplace in the US that can mount half-frame slides in either paper or plastic mounts?

 

[compur]

I don't know of one that advertises that service. You'd have to ask. Maybe
Dwaynes or dr5, etc.

 

[Mitica100]

Schweeet!!!

Ya' gotta love a great yard sale deal. Kind of an interesting shutter release button those things had. Crazy question, but you might just be the guy to ask: is there a mail-in type lab someplace in the US that can mount half-frame slides in either paper or plastic mounts?

Years ago I could buy the self sealing odd sized slide mounts. I still have some for the Minox negs. Perhaps there is a supply out somewhere...

 

[Mitica100]

And this is an incredible find! Does everyone realize how they managed to 'squeeze' that mirror box in such a tiny camera so it's an SLR? Quite amazing!

 

[dinodan]

What a little jewel!

I know nothing about half frame 35mm cameras. Does this mean that the 40mm lens is equivalent to a longer focal length in full frame, analogous to the "crop factor" of most digital camera sensors?

 

[Derrel]

Here's the link to a very current Online Photographer blog entry detailing the invention of the Pen F. It's short and sweet.

The Online Photographer: The Original Olympus Pen Half-Frame Camera

 

[compur]

What a little jewel!

I know nothing about half frame 35mm cameras. Does this mean that the 40mm lens is equivalent to a longer focal length in full frame, analogous to the "crop factor" of most digital camera sensors?

It's really only longer than normal by a few millimeters. Like using a 55mm
instead of a 50mm on a full frame 35mm camera.

Olympus made lenses from 20mm to 800mm plus a couple of zooms for the
Pen SLR series. Some are quite rare, especially the 800mm --only 36 of them
were made.

 

[bigmike]

There's a great pool of drool on the floor thanks to that beautiful picture. I love olympus, especially the original pen series.