Olympus's last manual Pen D — half-frame, 32mm f/1.9 F.Zuiko, CdS meter, 1965.
The Olympus Pen D3 was a half-frame viewfinder camera made by Olympus, introduced in 1965 as the last of the Pen D series within the manual line of the Pen family originated by Yoshihisa Maitani in 1959. It refined the earlier D and D2 while keeping the fast lens and pocket-sized metal body, and it is the least common of the three D-series cameras, giving it a following among collectors.
As a half-frame camera it records two 18x24mm frames in each standard 24x36mm portion of 35mm film, producing about 72 exposures from a 36-shot roll. The fixed lens is a 32mm f/1.9 F.Zuiko focused by zone scale, paired with a leaf shutter and full manual control of aperture and shutter. The D3 carries a CdS meter, which needs a battery, in place of the earlier selenium cell, and the reading is transferred to the lens by hand. The bright-line finder frames the vertical half-frame image and the lens does not interchange.
With its f/1.9 lens and discreet leaf shutter the D3 handles low light and candid street or travel shooting well, while the manual controls suit a photographer who prefers to set exposure and zone focus themselves. The high frame count is convenient for documentary and everyday use, and the small body is easy to carry all day.
When buying, note the D3's meter is CdS and battery-powered rather than selenium, so check the meter responds with a fresh cell and inspect the battery compartment for corrosion; the original mercury-cell voltage should be considered when interpreting readings. Also test the leaf shutter across all speeds, examine the lens for haze and fungus, confirm the aperture is clean, and check the light seals and finder for age deterioration.