My 10 Years with Olympus Cameras

I met the first Olympus mirrorless camera in San Francisco during a private press meeting. It was just over a decade ago.

I remember being ushered into a room by a company representative, offered a refreshment, then seated in front of a table that had a cloth-covered object on top. Beneath the cloth was an Olympus E-P1, their first Micro Four Thirds camera.

I could tell, even before the unveiling, that they were so proud of their creation. And when I held it in my hands, I understood why. The E-P1 was beautiful.

Even though I was a journalist, it was hard for me to contain my enthusiasm when I wrote about this camera. My first real test of it was on a press junket to New York City. A dozen of us were briefed on the technical aspects of the new system and each was given a kit to shoot with in the city.

The E-P1 featured a retro design harkening back to the heyday of film cameras. Its specs were modest, but certainly adequate. But beyond that, it had this alluring aura that encouraged me to take it everywhere and shoot pictures of anything. It became my constant photo companion.

Over the next 10 years I’ve owned many Olympus mirrorless cameras and dozens of lenses. They have traveled with me through out the U.S., to Europe, Asia and Central America.