Taking great photos with the Olympus PEN-F
Here in Verona, there is one of the most iconic monuments in the world, the Arena, a Roman amphitheatre built almost two thousand years ago, even before the Colosseum in Rome. In antiquity, it was a place where gladiators challenged themselves in its interior. Today, every summer, the Arena hosts important music festivals, featuring performances of famous lyric operas.
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.8 . F/1.8 . 1/250″ . ISO 3200
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.8 . F/1.2 . 1/100″ . ISO 3200
My name is Giampaolo Mascalzoni, and I am a professional photographer with over 35 years of experience, specialising in advertising, corporate, and editorial photography.
For several years, the Arena Foundation, recognising my expertise in capturing reports and portraits, commissioned me to follow the theatre’s activities from behind the scenes. I provide the press offices with photographs of artists, singers, dancers, makeup artists, set designers, hairdressers, choirs, and orchestras. Each opera staged is the result of the work of hundreds of people—a small town in constant motion!
A good photographer must find the right empathy with people and learn to move on the field as discreetly as possible, becoming almost invisible.
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.2 . F/1.2 . 1/2500″ . ISO 2000
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.2 . F/2.5 . 1/60″ . ISO 3200
The choice of equipment becomes essential. I have the excellent Olympus PEN-F, which I have used with great satisfaction for many years, and I believe it remains a perfect tool in situations like these.
It’s a model released in 2016, and I still remember when it was presented here in Italy. Absolutely different from any other existing camera, it immediately revealed the designers’ desire to create something iconic, with timeless quality.
The refined aesthetics instantly captured my attention with its unique retro style. The PEN-F is not only beautiful. The electronic viewfinder, though small, is very sharp and highly responsive to changes in the scene’s light and colours, remaining extremely faithful.
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.2 . F/2.0 . 1/30″ . ISO 3200
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 25mmF1.8 . F/1.8 . 1/20″ . ISO 6400
One of my favourite features is the “creative dial” on the front of the body, beneath the shutter button. It allows you to switch instantly between colour, black-and-white, or pre-set creative filters without needing to navigate the camera menu.
The monitor is of a good size with decent resolution, and it supports “touch” functionality, which makes framing scenes from original angles much easier.
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 25mmF1.8 . F/1.8 . 1/160″ . ISO 6400
The photographs illustrating this article aim to demonstrate the quality of the files produced by the PEN-F. In the theatre, to avoid disturbing the artists or being visible to the audience in the hall, flash or artificial lights cannot be used. Thus, high ISO settings combined with very bright lenses, like the top PRO F1.2 line of lenses or the Premium F1.8, are essential.
To address sceptics who claim that the system has issues with its small Micro Four Thirds sensor, I conducted some tests in a professional laboratory. Magnifications of photographs over one metre in size achieved exceptional results.
To obtain low digital noise with a pleasing “photo grain” effect when working with high ISO sensitivity in very low ambient light, it helps to adopt a small trick: overexpose the scene by at least 1/2 stop and recover the correct exposure later in Camera Raw. This approach will yield excellent results.
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.2 . F/1.4 . 1/60″ . ISO 5000
I also find it brilliant that Olympus has chosen to provide photographers with a lightweight system that is compact, robust, and of high quality, allowing you to always have the camera at hand, ready to capture spontaneous and impressive moments.
Even in my fashion photography work, I always carry my faithful PEN-F on set, taking snapshots of special backstage moments with the models, capturing the spontaneous atmosphere of a world far removed from the set’s lights.
For photos of this type, I love the simplicity of black-and-white photography. With the quick monochrome setting of the camera, I achieve excellent results with almost no post-production required. Connecting the PEN-F to your mobile phone via the app “Olympus Share” adds a fun element, allowing you to share the photos with the subjects and establish a deeper connection with them.
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.8 . F/2.2 . 1/4000″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.8 . F/2.8 . 1/60″ . ISO 400
I find that we are increasingly losing the value of thoughtful photography, created with tools designed to produce perfect images that endure over time. The immediate speed of images taken with mobile phones undermines the fascination of the visual process we construct in our minds.
The black-and-white photos from my fashion shoots in Rome and Milan testify to how you can use a camera as a personal diary for daily visual notes.
It has been nearly ten years since the introduction of this fantastic camera, and brand enthusiasts are now wondering whether 2025 might bring us an updated PEN-F Mark II.
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.8 . F/5.0 . 1/2000″ . ISO 200
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 25mmF1.8 . F/1.8 . 1/20″ . ISO 1600
I would be thrilled to see this come to life. I imagine it could feature an even more retro aesthetic, a simplified menu, and essential functionalities that embrace the essence of traditional photography. Ideally, it could include a sensor akin to those found in cinematographic cameras, with excellent light and shadow gradation and a wide dynamic range.
Who knows if this dream will one day become a reality? For now, let’s continue to enjoy this little masterpiece, which promises to bring us satisfaction for many years to come.
Best regards,
Giampaolo Mascalzoni
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 25mmF1.8 . F/1.8 . 1/200″ . ISO 640
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 25mmF1.8 . F/2.2 . 1/160″ . ISO 500
RIGHT: Olympus Pen-F . Olympus M.Zuiko 17mmF1.8 . F/9 . 1/1000″ . ISO 200
“My name is Giampaolo Mascalzoni, I am 53 years old and have been a professional photographer since 1988. I live in Verona in the north of Italy, a magnificent city halfway between Milan and Venice. Today my job is mainly advertising photography for important companies in the fashion ambient.”
Holger Hanisch
January 6, 2025 @ 18:49
Thank you for this wonderful report … I like Verona too…. And i have an pen f like you…..
All the best for you….
Giampaolo Mascalzoni
January 7, 2025 @ 18:29
Hi, I’m glad that my article on the Olympus PEN F was an inspiration to you. It’s a great camera, which gives beautiful photos!
Best regards.
Giampaolo
Silviu
January 7, 2025 @ 11:09
Great photos. Well done.
Giampaolo Mascalzoni
January 7, 2025 @ 18:30
Thank you very much!
Best regards.
Giampaolo
Gary
January 16, 2025 @ 20:11
With the rise in popularity of smaller cameras i can’t help feel OM have missed the boat on this one. The pen F mk2 would be a great competitor to the very popular Fuji x100.
Although only used the EM1 mk1 and 2, both cameras produce the best colour reproduction I’ve seen. For now, I’ll settle for a good used pen f and a handful of those lovely 1.8 lenses
Giampaolo Mascalzoni
January 18, 2025 @ 17:06
Hello Gary,
I agree with you that the colors of the files in the EM1 mark 1 and 2 are exceptional.
I’m a fan of color fidelity and Olympus has never let me down.
Best regards.
Giampaolo
Alexandre Ribeiro
January 29, 2025 @ 12:16
Wonderful photos Giampaolo! It’s a fantastic glimpse on the fascinating and very exigent world of performing arts!
The Pen-F camera still is a powerful tool for content creation, and as a Pen-F owner I completely agree with your remarks about the creative dial on the front of the camera.
Kind regards.
Giampaolo Mascalzoni
February 1, 2025 @ 20:51
Dear Alexandre, thank you very much for your words. I am glad that you like my photos. The world of entertainment is very fascinating and taking pictures in this environment gives me great satisfaction.
Best regards.
Giampaolo
Tom
April 21, 2025 @ 12:15
Hi Alexandre, I have owned my Pen F from new and it has stayed with me as other cameras came and went. I love it in a way I can’t explain but your words and amazing photos help me to understand. Your photos are fantastic, I wish I had a tiny part of your talent. I look forward to seeing more of your photos. Regards, Tom H
Giampaolo Mascalzoni
April 23, 2025 @ 20:45
Dear Tom, my name is Giampaolo, not Alexandre!!! Don’t worry…
Thank you very much for your words, you are very kind. The camera is just a tool. Even if it is of great quality, it is not enough to get good photographs. Train your eye and stimulate your sensitivity every day in the world around you and you will see that you will get images that will remain in your heart for a long time. A hug. Giampaolo
Lainer
May 3, 2025 @ 19:14
I recall doing a test as well. Back when 1.2 megapixels cameras were just coming out, (we are talking the first digital cameras her!), I printed an 11X14 picture and showed it to photographers. I also enlarged a 11X14 print of a negative of the same subject and placed them side by side to show everyone. The photographers didn’t notice it was a digital image first of all. Secondly, they couldn’t guess which image came from the digital and which came from the negative. Both prints were sharp and well-defined. So I knew that digital cameras would kill film and also the profession. This was a long, long time ago. Digital cameras just got better. All the websites chasing pixels and formats are marketing hype. Yes, there is a a cropping opportunity for larger files, but when you print a file, you don’t see it as much as when you zoom in on a computer. RGB VS CMYK. Also, most of these pixel chasers NEVER print their photographs. They place their files in social media and quite frankly they are wasting money on pixels as all files online are of a certain size. And to me, in the digital world, the sweet spot is Micro four thirds and APSC. Full Frame is lovely, but honestly, the way people just throw their content online, you don’t need it. And medium format? LOL! I laughed when everyone jumped on those medium format systems; spending thousands and thousands chasing pixels only to be discouraged as they weren’t good photographers and the larger you go in sensor size, the more this shows. LOL! I came from film photography. It’s a craft developed over many years. You don’t get it right in camera, it is a huge waste of money. You learn quickly to make sure the exposure, f-stop and shutter speed are correct, as well as the framing. Try using a large format Toyo and see how far you get if you mess up a commercial shots. It’s dang expensive. Anyway. My little Pen F is a beautiful camera. But I could use my iPhone to get better shots than most people out there with medium format gear. LOL! It’s called knowing your equipment from years of trial and error. I hope no one figures out how lovely Olympus is. They need to stick with their monster DSLRs. LOL!
lainer
May 3, 2025 @ 19:15
Whoops meant to say, beautiful shots. You nailed it.