The beloved retro Olympus PEN isn't dead! Interview hints that OM System "plans to launch a new PEN series"

If there’s an Olympus (now OM System) camera that I see photographers longing for, it’s the compact and retro PEN series. But an OM System executive just dropped a major hint that the company plans to launch a new PEN camera under the OM System name.

Spanish photo publication Photolari interviewed two OM System executives at the CP+ show – Senior Vice President Tazuhiro Togashi and Director of Product Planning Hiroki Koyama – and recently shared the full transcript. Among the topics discussed is the highly requested PEN series – and the interview seems to confirm that an OM System PEN is in the works.

During the interview, the executives indicated that OM System does have the licensing rights for the Olympus PEN series and plans to launch a new PEN camera (translated by Google): “We can't give a specific date, but we have plans to launch a new PEN series under the OM System brand.”

The popular PEN series still exists as the Olympus PEN E-P7, but the E-P7 is only available in select markets in Asia and Europe. The E-P7 was one of the first launches after the transition from Olympus to OM System. But despite the camera approaching its fifth birthday, it still pops up on best-seller lists in Japan.

The Photolari interview echoes what OM System executives told me last summer when I met with several OM System reps at the BILD Expo. At the time, OM System told me, “The PEN series remains as an important part of our portfolio, and we are actively exploring the possibility of a PEN model.”

While we’ve known for some time that OM System hasn’t forgotten about the PEN, “we have plans to launch” sounds like a much stronger confirmation than “actively exploring the possibility.”

OM System couldn’t share specifics before an official launch, including a date, so it’s possible fans of the series may still have a long wait ahead for a new PEN. Of course, plans don’t always translate into official launches either, and like the E-P7, it's possible the camera could be limited to only certain regions.

Launching an updated PEN makes sense in today’s market. Both retro cameras and compact cameras are trending. The PEN is a mirrorless camera, not a compact camera, but the bodies are known for their small size. Twist a pancake lens on the front, and the PEN E-P7 would feel a lot like a compact camera.

Perhaps a better question is what changes photographers may expect to see in a PEN series revival. OM System has said before that it is exploring a new sensor, but the company has stuck with a 20MP Micro Four Thirds since 2016, and says that the resolution allows for the high-speed performance and computational photography that the brand is focused on.

While it’s unclear when a new PEN series camera would arrive or what specs the camera would carry, it seems clear that the series is popular enough that OM System seems keen on continuing the lineup.

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