Olympus's higher-spec manual half-frame Pen — 32mm f/1.9 F.Zuiko, selenium meter, 1962.
The Olympus Pen D was a half-frame viewfinder camera from Olympus, launched in 1962 as the higher-specification model in the Pen line that Yoshihisa Maitani originated in 1959. Positioned above the automatic Pen EE models, the D added a faster lens and a selenium light meter while keeping the pocketable body that defined the range, and it remains a favourite among users of the manual Pen cameras.
Being half-frame, it records two 18x24mm frames within each 24x36mm span of standard 35mm film, so a 36-exposure roll yields around 72 pictures. It uses a fixed 32mm f/1.9 F.Zuiko lens focused by zone scale, with a leaf shutter and manual aperture and shutter control. A selenium-cell meter, which needs no battery, gives an exposure reading the photographer transfers to the lens; the meter cell sits around the lens on the front. The bright-line finder frames the upright half-frame image and the lens is not interchangeable.
The fast f/1.9 lens makes the Pen D usable in dim light for street and travel work, and the compact, all-manual body appeals to photographers who prefer to set exposure and zone focus themselves. The high frame count per roll suits documentary shooting where film economy matters, and the quiet leaf shutter is discreet for candid work.
When buying, the most common fault is the selenium meter: these cells lose sensitivity or die with decades of light exposure, so test the needle responds and reads plausibly, and note that a dead cell cannot be recharged. Also check the leaf shutter fires at all speeds, look through the lens for haze and fungus, confirm the aperture blades are clean and dry, and inspect the light seals and finder for deterioration.