In the run-up to the widely anticipated launch of its first Micro FourThirds camera, Olympus is running a teaser campaign that focuses on the 50th anniversary of its PEN series of half-frame 35mm film cameras. PEN cameras were the brainchild of Yoshihisa Maitani, whose aim was to design a high-quality photographic tool that did not cost more than a month’s wage and was as portable and easy to use as a pen. The PEN series used standard 35mm film but took frames that measured only 18x24mm, i.e. half the size of the most widespread frame size on 35mm film. This and other engineering solutions have made these cameras extremely small and lightweight, which contributed to their massive success (17 million units sold worldwide). The current teaser campaign makes it clear that the new Micro Four Thirds camera will be modeled on the PEN series, as far as its outer appearance is concerned.

Website: Olympus Teaser Campaign

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