I owned this camera during my “early days,” when I didn’t bother with raw files because the jpgs it produced were. . .not bad. Besides, I was pretty frightened by postprocessing, which was something (I thought) jpgs didn’t need, not when the Olympus EM1 did most of the work for me.

I loved that camera and loved anything that fell out of it, even if it just a jpg. Especially when it was just a jpg — the Olympus color science is quite remarkable. Plus, the EM1 was light, easy to handle, and had IBIS to die for. Robin Wong, an Olympus ambassador at the time, was my constant YouTube companion, showing me the capabilities of Olympus and explaining how M4/3 got such a bad rap.

I believed every word he said. And now that I have a little more experience with the Big Three, I still believe every word he said!

Those early days were full of innocent fun. If it stayed still, I shot it. I couldn’t tell if the exposure was off or if a stick was in the way or how to avoid a butt shot — I shot it anyway. I was in awe of these expensive tools that produced such wonder, and I was thrilled when my photos resulted in a decent and recognizable subject.

These really aren’t bad photos! But I wanted to improve, so I joined a Meet-Up group. . .which is where *real* photographers gathered once a month and scoffed at my efforts. They were firm believers in the unwarranted but shameful reputation of micro 4/3 and advised that I upgrade immediately to something else.

So I did.

Seriously thinking about getting re-acquainted with the Olympus, this time an EM5 paired with the 100-400 lens. Imagine what they can do! now that I know their capabilities.