Olympus Was Beautiful After All - 29th Sep and 14th Oct 2012

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Cosmos at Showa Memorial Park, Captured with the E-5

While organizing some old photographs recently, I came across a series of cosmos images I had taken at Showa Kinen Park on October 14, 2012. The camera was an Olympus E-5 paired with the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD II. Looking back now, the E-5 would become Olympus's final DSLR.

These photographs are now fourteen years old. Since then, I have spent much of my time shooting with Nikon cameras, and it has been quite a while since I parted with my Olympus equipment. Yet when I looked at these images again, I found myself thinking, "Olympus really was a wonderful camera system."

The soft pink tones of the cosmos flowers appear natural and delicate, yet they leave a strong impression. The images are not flashy or overly dramatic. Instead, they seem to capture the gentle texture of the petals and even the atmosphere surrounding the flowers.

Back then, the Four Thirds system was often criticized when compared with full-frame cameras. High ISO performance and continuous shooting speed were common points of discussion, and sensor scores from organizations such as DXO were far behind those of competing brands. Nevertheless, Olympus possessed a charm that could never be measured by numbers alone.
It was the joy of taking photographs.

The pleasure of enjoying beautiful colors.
And above all, the satisfaction of revisiting the images years later.
The E-5, in particular, offered something more. It had a unique sense of transparency and clarity that is difficult to describe but easy to recognize when you see it.

Looking again at these cosmos photographs, I can still feel that unmistakable Olympus character. The images continue to speak for themselves, even after all these years.

Of course, modern cameras are objectively superior in many ways. Resolution, autofocus performance, and high ISO capabilities have all advanced tremendously. There is no denying that. And yet, whenever I look at these photographs, a thought quietly comes back to me:
"Maybe I should never have sold my E-5 and 50-200mm II."

Cameras evolve with time. Technology moves forward, and new models inevitably replace old ones. But the value of a camera that has captured truly special memories never fades.
As I looked through these cosmos photographs once again, that was the thought that stayed with me.

Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.5 / 1/640s / +0.7


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.4 / 1/250s / 0.0


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.4 / 1/320s / 0.0


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.4 / 1/250s / 0.0


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.4 / 1/250s / 0.0


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.4 / 1/400s / 0.0


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.4 / 1/400s / 0.0


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.4 / 1/400s / 0.0


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.5 / 1/400s / 0.0


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.5 / 1/320s / +0.7


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 SWD / ISO100 / f3.4 / 1/320s / +0.7


Olympus E5 / Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm F2,0 SWD / ISO100 / f2.9 / 1/1250s / 0.0


    Camera : Olympusg E-5 at DPREVIEW
                    Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm F2.0 SWD at DPREVIEW    


         
    English   Japanese

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Location: 日本、〒190-0014 東京都立川市緑町３１７３ 国営昭和記念公園

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