And I admittedly feel a bit of separation anxiety.

I upgraded today from my Olympus E-P1 to the far more convenient E-P3. It’s everything the E-P1 was, plus all that it should have been, including such basics as an orange focus assist light and a built in flash, and such advanced features as the ability to support an electronic viewfinder and a swappable hand grip. It will make my shooting life faster and easier, and I’m excited about the countless brain cells that will be saved going forward.

Perhaps best of all, I got the near-new body with a gorgeous leather case for $425 via Craigslist — significantly cheaper than retail, and even undercutting the current average on Ebay, if you count shipping.

And yet, I’m feeling a little bittersweet about it. Not because of the idea of using the E-P3, but because of the idea of retiring my E-P1. I got the E-P1 two winters ago, also used (far more used, in fact), and have grown as an amateur wannabe-photographer significantly through that time. Though I never used every feature of the camera, what I did use has become programmed reflex in my mind and hands. I just know what to do with the camera, and I know what it will give me in return, and that level of comfort is surprisingly profound. In the few dozen minutes I’ve spent so far with the E-P3, I feel like I’m using someone else’s machine; the shot I took of it above using the E-P1 (with my workhorse Panasonic 20mm f1.7) felt like returning home after a tiring business trip.

More than that, the E-P1 has gone places, and recorded some of my fianceé’s and my most important moments: my fianceé’s mom visiting, friend’s weddings, Christmases, Thanksgivings, hiking trips, a vacation in Thailand, our cats… Thinking back, I don’t wish I had an E-P3, or any other “better” camera, that whole time. I’m thankful I had my E-P1 in my hands, the most trustworthy camera I’ve used yet. While the comfort level issue with the E-P3 is probably just a matter of software, and will be learned, I won’t soon forget all the moments the E-P1 has captured.

For sure, this sentimentality for a piece of consumer electronics is a decidedly First World Problem, and you won’t catch me whining after this about the E-P3. I will eventually be far faster at the E-P3 than I ever could have been with the E-P1, and taking much better photos. I’ve been pining for a replacement to the E-P1 for maybe half a year now, since probably just before the E-P3 launched. I use an array of manual lenses, and it’s annoying to use the rear LCD on the E-P1 to manually focus. The E-P3 can take a viewfinder that makes that process much easier, and it even boasts so high resolution of a rear LCD that I can nail focus easily without magnification. The E-P1 lacks a focus assist lamp, making autofocusing in low light challenging. The E-P3 not only has the assist lamp, but also a built-in flash.

But despite my pining, and near-daily browsing of new micro 4/3rds developments, I never anticipated missing the E-P1. I never feel that way about electronics. I guess sometimes photography isn’t just about the photos.

Thanks for the thousands of shots, Olympus E-P1.