OLYMPUS PEN FT

The Olympus Pen FT is a half-frame 35mm SLR camera introduced in 1966 as part of the Pen F series, designed by Yoshihisa Maitani who also created the OM-1 and XA cameras. This mechanical camera produces 18x24mm portrait-format frames on standard 35mm film, yielding 72 exposures per roll instead of the typical 36. The camera features a unique rotary shutter system with speeds from 1 second to 1/500 second and flash sync at all speeds, along with a side-moving mirror mechanism that eliminates the need for a pentaprism, resulting in a compact, flat design. It incorporates an uncoupled Through-the-Lens (TTL) CdS meter powered by a 1.35v battery, with a match-needle system displaying exposure values from 0-7 rather than traditional f-stops. The camera uses a proprietary bayonet mount system for its range of F.Zuiko lenses, which span from 20mm to 800mm focal lengths. The Pen FT was preceded by the original Pen F (1963) and followed by the Pen FV (1967), establishing the first half-frame SLR camera line in photographic history.