Anyone have an Olympus Pen FT? I'm a first time user and have a question.

[LambentTyto]

So I finally got some film for this little guy. I also have a battery that's working pretty well. Now, when I close the camera and wind/hit the shutter button, it takes what looks like 5-6 shutter releases before the needle is pointing toward the dot for the film counter "1" and that seems like a lot to me. Does anyone have a PEN FT they have some experience with? I'm just trying ti figure out how many dry releases I should do before I'm going to hit my first frame.

Thanks.

 

[Kino]

So I finally got some film for this little guy. I also have a battery that's working pretty well. Now, when I close the camera and wind/hit the shutter button, it takes what looks like 5-6 shutter releases before the needle is pointing toward the dot for the film counter "1" and that seems like a lot to me. Does anyone have a PEN FT they have some experience with? I'm just trying ti figure out how many dry releases I should do before I'm going to hit my first frame.

Thanks.

The Pen FT is a half-frame camera, so it takes twice the strokes to get beyond the fogged leader.

A "normal" 35mm frame is 8 perfs; the 1/2 is 4 perfs like a motion picture frame.

 

[AgX]

Or with other words:
the number of strokes is related to the number of frames. Typically with any format type of camera it is 1 stroke per 1 frame. The length of the film to be advanced typically is the same for any type 135 film camera. Thus with a type 135 camera for narrower frame the number of initial strokes has to be greater.

 

[ic-racer]

Since it "Counts by fours" I'd guess that there would be 4 cocks of the lever between "S" and "1"; the same as between "1" and the next number "4", but this is just a guess.

 

[Les Sarile]

If you carefully install the film in total darkness/changing bag, you won't need to.

 

[AgX]

In case a camera model is very liberate in using the leader, here a way to not use more than essential :

 

[removed account4]

Great camera ! Yeah takes a few releases but that’s OK.
you have more exposures than all the suckers that have 36 .
Have fun .
I love mine !
- jak