Tipster: How To Get The Most With the Olympus PEN EE-2 Camera Under Low-Light Conditions

If you own an Olympus PEN EE-2 camera, do you know what happens when you push the limits of your camera with a Black and White film? Here’s what I discovered.

I have an Olympus PEN EE-2 camera, which I bought online on a whim. I discovered it to be a nifty little camera, heavier than expected, but nevertheless another great street shooter.

If used as intended, this fully automatic exposure and fixed focusing half-frame camera, serves well as a point-and-shoot camera. It has a shutter speed of 1/200 or 1/40 sec and a focal length of 28mm f/3.5 lens. I found that as long as the subject is at least 1.5 metres away, you are reasonably assured that your photos will be sharp – if that’s the result you want.

But instead of just using the camera for ‘normal’ street shooting, I wanted to know what is the lowest amount of available light needed to shoot when the camera is forced open at 1/40 sec and at f3.5. So for this particular experiment, I used a roll of Lucky Black & White film, shot at ISO 100. I tested it under several low-light conditions or situations when the camera’s red flag popped up.

Here are 3 tips on how to get the most from your Olympus PEN EE-2.

Tip 1: Hold it steady

When shooting indoor photos, try to brace the camera well to avoid camera shake. I had to lean my elbows against a table as best as I could to shoot at 1/40 and f3.5.

Tip 2: Look for dark and light tones

Going home during rush hour around 7pm is a good test. It was dark but if you can find obvious tones, it can make an interesting photo. I didn’t do too well here but it taught me to be more observant next time.

Tip 3: Look up for more light or down for contrast

A dusk Lomo walkabout produced several surprising results like photographing an artificial light source.

This is a simple tipster but demonstrates clearly how low you can go when using an Olympus PEN EE-2 at 1/40 and f3.5.

So do try it. The results may surprise you!

written by uncle_jay on 2012-11-15 #gear #tutorials #black-and-white #lucky #camera #dusk #indoors #singapore #olympus #tipster #low-light #half-frame #rush-hour #f3-5 #toa-payoh #1-40