Used Olympus PEN EE-3

Condition & contents

At a glance: Olympus PEN EE-3 - half-frame 35mm compact giving around 72 shots per roll, no battery needed.

About this camera

The Olympus PEN EE-3 is a half-frame 35mm compact from Olympus's long-running PEN family - it exposes two images on each frame of standard 35mm film, so a 36-exposure roll yields around 72 pictures. Selenium-cell automatic exposure with a fixed-focus D.Zuiko lens makes it a genuine point-and-shoot.

Build & handling

Works with

• Standard 35mm (135) film, ISO 25-400
• 43mm filters and hoods on most examples

Best for

An appealing entry into film for anyone who wants low running costs - doubling the frames per roll halves your film and developing cost per shot. The selenium meter needs no battery, which is a real advantage for a camera of this age. Half-frame negatives are smaller, so grain is more visible and big enlargements are less forgiving than full-frame 35mm.

Frequently asked questions

What does half-frame actually mean?

The camera exposes a vertical frame half the width of a normal 35mm negative, so you get roughly twice as many photos per roll - about 72 from a 36-exposure film. Labs can process the film normally, though some will scan half-frame pairs as a single image unless you ask.

Does it need a battery?

No. Exposure is controlled by a selenium cell that generates its own current from light. Worth checking the meter still responds, as selenium cells lose sensitivity with age.