Peter Cripps

Authors note 23 January 2026. This was the first ever entry I made into my photography blog. I’ve returned to it today to update it and ensure the links are still valid. Some were not and had no replacement so I have removed those. Olympus themselves have changed ownership and the new company is OM System.

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I don’t normally bleat on much about cameras. I agree with what Don McCullin once said “I only use a camera like I use a toothbrush. It does the job”. However I have been seduced and captivated by what is to become my new mistress. I have fallen in love with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 which I  received last week. I met the Big Dog at Focus on Imaging (now The Photography Show) at the beginning of March who was demoing the camera and I was smitten as soon as I picked it up.

I have been dabbling with the micro four thirds system for a while now having bought a Panasonic GF1 a couple of years ago. This is a great carry anywhere camera, especially when matched with the 20mm f/1.7 lens. The OM-D E-M5 takes the four thirds system to a new level however. It really is everything I have been looking for in a camera. It’s small and light, but is built very robustly. It produces fantastic quality images, even at fairly high ISO settings, which is pretty amazing given it’s a 4/3 sensor. Finally, the range of micro four third (MFT) lenses is now growing and they are of excellent quality. If this proves to be the camera I hope it is I shall be moving to this as my main camera and finally ditching my heavy old Canon gear. Watch this space!