reel time | On the radar
Write stuff
The Pen is mightier The legendary Pen enters a new era as OM System gives it an EVF and creative tools
here’s an old maxim that the best camera is the one you actually have with you – and for today’s content creators,
that makes a lot of sense. Big productions may demand big rigs, but social content, travel films, behind-the-scenes footage and spontaneous everyday creativity call for something different. And, often, something more capable than a smartphone. Enter the new OM System Pen, the first camera in the long-running Pen family to carry the OM System name. The lineage stretches to the original Olympus Pen film camera of 1959, but this incarnation brings the concept firmly into the creator era. At its heart is a 20.37-megapixel Live MOS sensor partnered with the Truepic IX processor, while the Micro Four Thirds mount opens up a huge choice of compact and affordable lenses. Five-axis image stabilisation provides up to 5.5 stops of compensation at the centre of the frame, making handheld shooting a much more realistic proposition when you want to leave the tripod or gimbal at home. The rangefinder-style Pen is deliberately compact and portable, but this generation gains an EVF, IPX1-rated splashproof performance and a dustproof
design. And to spend less time in post, there are settings to create a distinctive look to your work straight out of camera. Profile control offers a selection of film-inspired presets, with a dedicated switch providing rapid access. Colour shooters can individually adjust the saturation of 12 colours across 11 levels, while monochrome options include colour filters, highlight and shadow adjustment, shading, grain and toning. These settings
can also be used for video, apart from Slow & Quick recording, which goes up to 120fps. The Pen includes dedicated OM Cinema 1 and 2 picture modes, vertical video and a tally light so both creator and subject can see when recording is underway. Autofocus uses a 121-point, all-cross-type phase-detection system, complemented by the Pen series’ first AI Subject Detection AF for people, cats and dogs. Pro Capture can even buffer
Flat out The flat-top styling of the new Nikon Z 5IIC means there is no EVF, but potential buyers will be used to having a touchscreen for viewing
26
November/December 2026
Powered by FlippingBook