At the beginning of 2016 I decided to create a year long project recording occasional images using my 13-year-old Olympus E-1. For many years it has seldom been used so I thought it would be good fun to introduce it to the modern world and see how it stands up to today’s technology. The only lens I now have is the original Four Thirds Zuiko 50mm f2 macro, which has always been my favourite, hence the reason I still own it.

The object of the project was not to use the E-1 solely throughout 2016, but for it to accompany my other gear on many shoots to simply record a few frames from its perspective. To add to the excitement, all images have been accrued throughout the year and not processed or viewed until now. The resulting anticipation was reminiscent of my film days, albeit over a much longer time frame.

Here is a representative sample of the hundreds of images gathered, and proof that the latest greatest technology is not always necessary. I did not think I would still be using this camera all these years on, so credit must go to Olympus’ design team for producing such a stalwart. It’s a shame that the styling of the E-1 was never taken up in later modules. It is also a shame that the Kodak sensor is a thing of the past. Things have to progress but there was so much DNA that was lost in succeeding models which could have been continued. So I am left wondering if the old girl will be functioning in another 16 years.