OM System built the 2026 PEN as a small travel camera, 344 g body only. The best way to set it up is around its colour profiles and the computational modes that stand in for a bag of filters and a tripod.
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Quick answer
| Situation | Mode | Aperture | Shutter | ISO | AF mode | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday & travel | A | f/4-f/5.6 | Auto | ISO Auto (Upper limit 6400) | S-AF, All targets | Single |
| People & pets | A | Widest your lens allows | 1/250s or faster | 200-1600 | C-AF, Subject Detection: Human or Dogs & Cats | Single |
| Moments that happen fast | S | f/2.8-f/5.6 | 1/1000s or faster | ISO Auto | S-AF, Middle target | Pro Capture H (ProCapH) |
| Landscapes (handheld) | A | f/5.6 | As metered | 200 | S-AF, Single target | Single; High Res Shot On (Handheld) for detail |
| Night sky (tripod) | M | Widest your lens allows | 10-20s | 1600-3200 | Starry Sky AF | Self-timer 2 sec |
| Setting | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AF Mode | S-AF for still subjects; C-AF or C-AF+TR (tracking) for moving ones; Starry Sky AF for stars | Starry Sky AF works only in stills and with Single, Middle or Large targets. |
| AF Target Mode | All for snapshots; Middle or Large for moving subjects; Single or Single-S for precise focus | All uses all 121 targets for stills. |
| Subject Detection | Human for people; Dogs & Cats for pets; Off for landscapes | Stills only. Video uses Face & Eye Detection instead. |
| Starry Sky AF Setting | AF Priority: Accuracy on a tripod; Speed handheld | Not available with Pro Capture, Subject Detection or lenses slower than f/5.6. |
| Setting | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Movie Quality | 4K at 24p, 25p or 30p; C4K at 24p for a cinema frame; FHD up to 60p for smooth motion | 4K and C4K record L-GOP H.264. S&Q mode captures Full HD at up to 120 fps for slow motion. |
| Movie Picture Mode | OM-Cinema1 or OM-Cinema2 for a finished look; OM-Log400 if you'll grade | With OM-Log400 and OM-Cinema the lowest manual ISO is 400. |
| Shutter speed | 1/50s at 24p/25p, 1/60s at 30p | About double the frame rate keeps natural motion blur. |
| Movie Image Stabilizer | M-IS1 (electronic plus sensor) handheld; M-IS2 (sensor only) when you don't want the crop of electronic stabilisation |
Colour: set the Profile Control Switch once
The switch on the front picks Color Profile Control (COLOR1–4) or Monochrome Profile Control (MONO1–4). COLOR1 Film Rich Color and MONO1 Film B&W are good starting points. Profiles only apply to the JPEG, so the camera saves RAW+JPEG when you shoot RAW.
Best for: Travel photos ready to share from the camera
Waterfalls and rivers: Live ND, no filter
Live ND Shooting simulates an ND filter from ND2 to ND16 (4 stops) in S or M mode, so you can blur moving water without carrying glass filters.
Best for: Rivers, waterfalls, moving crowds
Detail: handheld High Res Shot
High Res Shot On (Handheld) records a 50MP RAW; On (Tripod) records 80MP. Use it on still scenes: architecture, landscapes, signs, menus on a wall.
Best for: Cityscapes, landscapes, prints
Fast moments: Pro Capture
Pro Capture H shoots at up to 30 fps with focus and exposure fixed at the first frame, and keeps up to 12 frames from before you fully press the shutter. Pro Capture (ProCap) is 8 fps with autofocus on every frame.
Best for: Pigeons taking off, splashes, street moments
Night: Live Composite and Starry Sky AF
Live Composite (mode dial B) adds only the new bright light to each frame, for light trails and star trails you watch build on the screen. Starry Sky AF focuses on stars automatically.
Best for: Light trails, star trails, fireworks
ISO: stay at 200 when you can
OM System says ISO 200 gives a good balance of noise and dynamic range, and that L64 and L100 reduce dynamic range. Keep ISO Auto's upper limit at 6400 for everyday use.
Best for: Clean files from a small sensor
C1 and C2 on the mode dial each hold a stills setup and a movie setup. Save one with Custom Mode, then C1 or C2, Assign, Set.
C1: Street & travel
A mode, f/5.6, ISO Auto (upper limit 6400), S-AF with All targets, Silent Sequential, COLOR1 profile.
C2: Night
M mode, widest aperture, 15s, ISO 1600, Starry Sky AF, Self-timer 2 sec, S-IS Off on a tripod.
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