Having fun with the original Olympus EM1

Last Update:- 9th June 2025

Given social media statements and a general focus on sensor size, one would question my enthusiasm for an M43 camera released in 2013. The Olympus E-M1, which remains a remarkable camera in 2025, highlights this distinction. While preparing this article, the E-M1 reminded me why Olympus cameras became so popular. By adopting a philosophy that diverged from the trend of prioritizing the sensor, Olympus acknowledged that all sensors are subject to optical and technical limitations. This mindset enabled Olympus to develop more innovative solutions by effectively addressing and leveraging these inherent sensor limitations and qualities (strengths and weaknesses).

This article discusses these technical versus optical limitations.

Image noise illustrates the significance of acknowledging the distinction between the sensor's optical and technical attributes. Social media experts often advocate for FF cameras as a quick remedy for noise. Olympus opted to create more efficient solutions because they recognized that all sensors have a noise floor. For example, I rarely use third-party AI noise filters for my Olympus RAW files because knowledge combined with the standard and AI noise options of Olympus are good enough.

In-body image stabilization (IBIS) validates how Olympus became a market leader in navigating the technical challenges associated with image sensors. For instance, photographers can achieve up to a 2-stop noise improvement with IBIS and the depth-of-field advantage of M43 cameras. This simply means a more saturated sensor and higher signal-to-noise ratio. Computational features offer similar benefits. Old-school options, like using a tripod in select applications, let us position the camera more accurately and/or increase the reflected light captured by the sensor.

These basics are a significant benefit when working with older cameras like the Olympus E-M1, as the older sensor of the E-M1 does produce more visible image noise than the newer sensors of the OM-1 and E-M1 III. I used the camera's "Low" Noise Filter option for all the photos in this article.

The OM System OM-3 with the M.Zuiko 40-150mm f4-5.6 lens.

This article merely touches on the creative potential photographers enjoy with an Olympus E-M1. It is remarkable that an M43 camera from 2013 delivers such beautiful results at the current secondhand prices. Notably, many may not know that the Olympus E-M1 received its final firmware update in 2019 and already offered computational features in 2013. I will outline some features that could enhance your macro photography, as well as the photography style showcased in this article.

The following features are unique to the Olympus E-M1:

• Top-down EVF option - this is unique to Olympus M43 cameras with an accessory port.
• The macro arm LEDs (MAL-1) is unique to Olympus cameras with an accessory port.
• The Photo Story feature of the Olympus E-M1. See the final two photo examples.

Features common to most Olympus M43 cameras:

• ART filters
• Color Creator
• 2X Digital Zoom
• Color profiles (Adjust color function)
• Black and White or Monochrome options
• Focus Stacking with the E-M1, Photoshop, or Workspace
• LIVE Composite (Painting with light)
• LIVE Time
• Flash remote control (RC)
• Live View Boost
• S-OVF
• Exposure Shift
• Selective AE and AF options
• 2 second timer
• Video

Olympus designed Workspace and the enhanced RAW format as unique enablers for Olympus M43 photographers. They encourage more image and creative control by letting photographers tweak their camera settings when converting Olympus RAW files or editing JPEGs on personal computers. Older cameras like the Olympus E-M1 and E-M5 II share a unique advantage when shifting from a sensor size focus to a more hands-on or practical approach to digital photography.

It's not the camera or the lens telling the story...

Last Update: 31st May 2026

As the years pass by like chapters in one's book of life, I find myself reflecting more on the paths I chose in life. In my youth, I consciously opted to turn away from the idea of a rainbow nation. Twice the Lord granted me the incredible opportunity to work overseas. Consequently, my children spent a significant portion of their formative years in the majestic landscapes of Switzerland. Now, as my wife and I approach the twilight of our lives, we look forward to drawing nearer to our children, who have embraced their new Swiss identities, becoming more Swiss than South African.

Taken with my 8MP Konica Minolta Dimage A2. A lovely scene at the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

As I paged through my image collection, the warm melodies of CDs I'd crafted from my cherished LPs filled the air. The music, rich with that classic vinyl essence, resonated beautifully through my Ken Ishiwata Marantz CD player. I couldn’t help but wonder how much joy these timeless LPs would bring me today. What a stark contrast to the moment I decided to part with my entire vinyl collection. Little did I know just how dearly I would come to miss those beloved melodies.

As I flipped through my images, a wave of emotion washed over me, harmonizing with the gentle tunes emanating from my "vinyl" collection. Each image has its own story, transforming moments into memories. This journey of revisiting our photo collection felt like a unique moment with each photo, whether it was taken with my Pentax SLR or one of my digital cameras. What a captivating journey that intertwined my past and present, with a delightful symphony of sight and sound, until...

I took these with my Pentax SLR. A modified Thorens on the left and my own design and built on the right.

My wife and I shared a passion for photography, resulting in a vast trove of film negatives and prints. About 8 years ago, I purchased a scanner to breathe new life into our analog collection. The journey of scanning and editing our negatives unfolded in a way that was worlds apart from the familiar territory of digital photo editing. To my surprise, my knowledge and experience with Olympus , along with my expertise in using Workspace, greatly improved my analog image processing.

I took this image with my Pentax SLR and edited the scanned negative in Photoshop.

I took this picture with my Canon 350D. My wife and I grew up in the outskirts of the lovely city of Pretoria. 

My wife and I are devoted Christians. We married 40 years ago in Pretoria and raised two children.

I took this image with my Pentax SLR. Durban was always a popular and safe holiday destination.

Shortly prior to leaving South Africa for the first time.

I took this image with my Canon 350D. In 2000, we made the decision to return to South Africa.

I took this image with my Pentax SLR and edited the scanned negative in Photoshop.

I took this image with my Konica Minolta A2. We were happy seeing our relatives again. This is the Hartbeedpoortdam area.

I took this image with my Canon 350D in the Hartbeespoortdam area.

I took this image with my Canon 350D in the Hartbeespoortdam area.

I took these images with my trusty Pentax SLR. These were son and dad boat projects.

My wife took this image with her analog Olympus Mju.

I took this image with my Pentax SLR. My father and mother with 3 children (families) and 5 grandchildren.

Out of a family of thirteen, four members will remain in South Africa. Through hard work, we have excellent educational backgrounds, talent, and experience, all motivated by a commitment to invest in our country and contribute to the development and the well-being of all its citizens. However, we have been confronted with the difficult choice of embracing a new culture in pursuit of a safe future for our children. Despite the challenges, our love for Africa and its people never changed.

Lüderitzbucht, Namibia. I cannot help to think we have such awesome digital cameras today...

I took this image with my Pentax SLR. My grandparents immigrated from Germany to South West Africa (Namibia today).

It’s hard to imagine a South African family that hasn’t lost loved ones to violence or faced the trauma of horrific incidents like sexual abuse, carjackings, or home invasions. As the country marks 31 years since apartheid, it finds itself on the brink of an economic collapse while being hampered by 145 discriminatory laws preventing minorities from partaking in the country's job market. The grim reality of violent farm attacks continues to linger in the shadows, often downplayed and misreported as mere theft, yet the pain and suffering of farmers resonate tragically throughout our farmlands.

One left South Africa, and the other family became another statistic of "theft."

We never intended to leave South Africa for a second time, but life took an unexpected turn when I received an offer from Switzerland. One evening, as I was reflecting on our future, an unimaginable tragedy unfolded nearby. Three girls were left in the care of their grandmother when their parents returned from work. Tragically, with the parents being tied down in the garage, the grandmother was powerless to intervene while the three innocent girls suffered a horrific ordeal inside the home. It was in that moment, as I looked into the eyes of a girl who had endured such tragic suffering, that I realized it was time to seek a new beginning for my family. The journey away was not one of choice but rather a response to the painful injustices that plagued our beloved country for 31 years.

In the heart of the Oval Office, a spark of hope flickered to life as the President of the United States greeted the President of South Africa and his entourage. However, that glimmer quickly faded as the world’s media unleashed a troubling spectacle casting doubt on the foundations of an independent media. Our prayers are with fellow South Africans during this tumultuous time, as many struggle to comprehend the far-reaching consequences of this most recent journalistic catastrophe.

Our son and his family live in Switzerland, while our daughter returned to South Africa. Like many South Africans, she and her husband pursued opportunities abroad, leveraging their qualifications to build a new life in Australia. South Africa had a recorded population of 17M in 1981, and by 1994, a remarkable 95M participated in the country's inaugural free and fair elections.

Julius Malema chanting, kill the boer, kill the farmer. Source video (Newsline SA)

In a realm where tales of anguish fade into silence, the true extent of the oppression directed at cultural communities remains elusive. South Africans navigate through unthinkable suffering, a reality marked by relentless brutality and violence, compounded by the disintegration of families. All of this unfolds beneath the watchful eye of an independent global media. Yet, in our current climate of doubt and skepticism, one might be tempted to downplay these horrors as mere petty theft or dismiss them as just another conspiracy woven into the fabric of religious and family values.

Ricoh introduced the 10MP GR Digital II in 2007

Last Updates: 27th May 2025

Imagine having an invitation to a photo walk featuring older digital cameras. While briefly reviewing feedback and comments from relevant reviews and forums, what would your expectations be for an 18-year-old 10MP compact camera? For example, do you think the images captured with the Ricoh are still relevant in 2025? I've added some JPEGs taken with the Ricoh further down. Some were slightly edited in Photoshop, and some are RAW files converted using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). Is it possible that the Ricoh GR Digital II will continue as a competent and flexible performer in 2025?

The following compact cameras would be great for a photo walk:

- Olympus XZ-1

- Pentax QS

- Canon Powershot G11

- Panasonic LX-7

- Sigma DP2S

- Olympus E-400

- Olympus E-PL9

TIP: See this article for more information about the technique I use to capture the image below.

GR Digital II JPEG @ ISO100, f4.0, and 1/1050. The lighting was perfect, and the Richoh seems to have a unique gamma (tone) curve.

The Ricoh GR Digital II is an exciting camera that stood out in the 10MP camera category. The listed compacts in this article had larger and more expensive sensors. Apart from the Pentax QS having a BSI sensor, the XZ-1 and G11 have CCD sensors, and the LX-7 has a CMOS sensor. It is often suggested that older CCD sensors produce more vibrant Kodak colors. However, I contend that this is largely due to manufacturers’ choosing an analog aesthetic rather than pre-empting a modern digital photography look in 2007. This is evident in the unique Kodak color images produced by the Ricoh GR.

The Olympus E-400 and Sigma DP2S differ in their design and features. The Sigma DP2S is renowned for its unique 14MP Foveon X3 sensor, delivering great color reproduction and detail. In contrast, the E-400 has a 4/3 CCD sensor, while the DP2S features a APS-C sensor. Notably, earlier Olympus E-Series DSLRs were recognized for their use of CCD type Kodak sensors; however, the E-400 literature does not explicitly reference a Kodak CCD sensor. Personally, I favor the Olympus E-450, with its 10MP CMOS sensor, as it's quick and reproduces a similar Kodak color palette as older CCD models.

I converted the Ricoh GR Digital II raw files in Photoshop with the Adobe Raw Converter (ACR).

Will I use the Ricoh GR Digital II in 2025? The Ricoh is a notably refined and agile camera, with great image colors. Although I would recommend it to others, I do not plan to keep it for my own use. I lean more towards the Olympus XZ-1/2 or the Stylus S1. Additionally, I love to create a color profile for my Olympus cameras that would mimic the "Kodak" look of the Ricoh GR Digital II images.

Olympus E-M10 IV with the amazing M.Zuiko 75mm, f1.8 lens. I converted these Enhanced Raw Files in Workspace.

Major camera manufacturers seem to have lost sight of what most hobby photographers want. It has been suggested that the emergence of mobile phone cameras is contributing to a decline in overly specified camera models, particularly as the demand for extravagant video specifications and larger sensors never existed. Cameras such as the E-PL9, E-P7, and E-M10 IV continue to offer exceptional value when paired with the M.Zuiko 75mm f1.8, 12mm f2.0, 17mm f1.8, 25mm f1.8, and 12-45mm f4.0 pro lens. Any used E-M5 III, E-M10 IV, E-P7, and E-PL9 with two of these lenses will outperform mobile phones in terms of having fun doing photography, versatility, life cycle, and value.

The beta version of my Ricoh GR color profile shows great potential. My initial impression is that this profile exhibits a more refined and nuanced quality compared to some of the other profiles I did. Its application also differs from the color profiles on this page. To create this profile, I incorporated features exclusive to Workspace. My intention was to ensure compatibility with all Olympus cameras. Consequently, the process involves first converting the enhanced raw file within Workspace, saving it as a 16-bit TIFF file, and then applying the profile to the converted TIFF file. This method represents a distinct approach, offering numerous advantages in the realm of layered processing.

Ricoh GR Digital II color profile with Soft Focus ART filter.

A collection of Ricoh GR Digital II photos

I did not use the Ricoh GR Digital II noise filter. Those using Fujifilm, Olympus, and compact cameras often develop a preference for the film-like noise of modern crop sensor cameras. What drives this sentiment for "smaller" sensor cameras? It could be that those photographers who prefer crop sensor cameras have come to terms with the image sensor's technical limitations. This may shed light on why full-frame photographers rely on DxO, Topaz, and Adobe AI noise reduction software. How many full-frame photographers were told that their cameras have no technical limitations? It is regrettable to witness this degree of inaccurate marketing information in the present day.

See this article for more on the technical limitations of digital cameras.

Examples of my new Ricoh GR Digital II color profile