Olympus Pen F FT
The Olympus Pen FT was in production between 1966 and 1972. It was the second in a series of three Pen F, half-frame SLR cameras.
The Pen F family were not just a half-frame cameras, they were premium half-frame SLR camera systems. They were supported by a range of lens and accessories. The original Pen F was introduce in 1963. In 1966 the FT improved on the model with single stroke advance and a light meter. The FV was introduced in 1967 and was an FT without a light meter. They all used the Pen F System lenses.
The half-frame nature of the Pen-FT, means you are getting twice the number of exposures per roll but at half the size. A normal 35mm negative is 36X24 mm, the Pen-FT gives you an 18X24 format. The thing you notice first is the viewfinder has a portrait orientation rather than a landscape orientation.
My Take:
The Olympus PEN-FT is a solid quality camera that just happen to be half-frame. The PEN line may have been an attempt to make each shot cheaper and make equipment smaller but it was not a compromise on quality. The FT feels great in the hand was a joy to shoot. For me shooting half-frame is always an invitation to look at the world in a new way. I don’t worry that the negative is too small, but if your doing large prints it may impact you.
I’m not going to shot half-frame very often and the smaller size of the FT is great but not that much smaller than the OM line. So the real reason to reach for the FT is just that it is a fun camera that invites a new prospective. That is enough.
Lens: Olympus Zuiko 25mm f4
Film: Kodak Portra 160