I Keep Coming Back To Olympus PEN E-P5, The Little Sexy Beast

I have a few Olympus cameras at the moment. The old and dying OM-D E-M5, which I have retired from active duty, the two E-M1 (original) bodies strictly for paid assignment and serious work, and an E-M10 Mark II which currently had a faulty screen (due to a nasty fall during a demonstration in one of my workshops). Oh and also an E-P5 which has stayed with me and strangely, of all my flirtations with different cameras over the year (there were Fuji X100, Sony RX100 series, Panasonic GM1, Panasonic LX100, etc) the one that I ended up keeping was the E-P5.

Image was shot with the humble Motorola G5S Plus smartphone. Not too shabby for a budget friendly smartphone camera, eh?

The E-P5 lacked a built in EVF, which I believe, otherwise would have made it a perfect street photography camera. The add on EVF unit made the shape look a little strange, and obviously compromised the overall sexiness of the PEN camera. That aside, the E-P5 had everything that I needed for street shooting: blazing fast AF, 5-Axis IS, tilt screen (with touch AF and shutter), and the 16MP image was good enough under favorable lighting conditions, which I normally shoot in. Why even bother shooting if the light is not good?

I don't really mind if my camera is fugly when I am shooting professionally and need to get the shots done. I prioritize function over aesthetics in circumstances that I need to deliver shots to clients.

However, for personal projects and surely the essential shutter therapy sessions, I want a gorgeous looking camera body that seductively flirts with me every time I look at it. Not brand-bashing or being biased here, just my plain honest opinion, Sony and Panasonic cameras do not have these qualities. I have used many Panasonic and Sony cameras and as functional and high performing as they can be, they never had that "sexy look" or inspiration to pick up now and go out to shoot. Fujifilm nailed this aspect flawlessly. I honestly bought the first X100 just for the looks alone, not so much for the poor sluggish unreliable AF and the mediocre 35mm lens.

Small camera is the way to go for street shooting. I cannot imagine myself shooting with a huge sized camera that look like as if missiles can be launched from the lens opening. Pick something small and beautiful!

Advantage of using a small camera? I can it in a tiny bag, which is so easy to carry around. 

I can fully understand the obsession to get that highest megapixel count, or fastest burst rate, or best high ISO performance. However you are going to use the camera every single day, you are holding it in your hands, you are looking at it all the time. If the camera does not have the shape and design that you like, how can you be using it passionately? Design can inspire confidence, and I sure hope camera manufacturers pay more attention in making beautiful looking products.

 Do you think cameras should be beautiful? Share your thoughts!