Even though Instagram no longer influences photography, social media is still playing a crucial role in driving photography's direction. Previously, we had celebrities bring back the public's passion for film photography using compact film cameras. Lately, social media influencers have used old digital cameras as if they are the most magical tool to document their life. As a result, cameras like Fujifilm X100V have become the hottest cake in the photography world, and Fujifilm hasn't been able to keep them in stock. It is almost impossible to get a new one, and the old one could fetch double the price. If you think that's ridiculous, and it is, the camera is now three years old since it was first released. It is uncommon for electronic devices to see a price hike after years of release. Usually, the price would drop after a year or two because photographers move on to the next shiny tool. In recent years, camera companies no longer release new cameras on tight schedules due to the pandemic and the dismissal of photography trends. For example, Fujifilm, Leica, and Ricoh have yet to announce many updated versions of their popular cameras. 

Since most young people on social media are going retro and love using old, dated cameras, I decided to dig out my Olympus EM5 II from my drawer. This camera may not be vintage, but it has been eight years since I bought it. The reason I decided to look into my Olympus camera again was that I vaguely remembered it has some art filters built into the camera, which could produce images that resemble what influencers tend to love. Surprisingly, after sitting in my drawer for an extended period, the camera still works like a charm! After charging the batteries, it was ready!

The first art filter I tried was the Grainy Film art filter. I will admit, when I first bought the camera, I never tried those art filters. However, time flies, and things have changed. People love sharing photos without needing too much editing, but they still want the images to look well-crafted and stylized. So when I explored the art filter feature, I was amazed at how much you can do within the camera. First, I didn't realize you could add a film-style frame to the pictures you take. And then, you can also add a vignette, apply black and white filters, and make it a toned image, all within the camera. Besides black and white, the camera also comes with other art filters like cross process. If you are more of a traditional photographer like me, you can also set it to keep a raw file of the image you took so that you can edit the picture later if you decide the art filter doesn't suit your preference. 

For now, I will stick to the Grainy Film art filter and take snapshots of my daily life. I enjoyed that more than I expected. The SOOC images are more exciting and beautiful than I thought. In addition, the experience of shooting with the Olympus art filter is unrestricted and fun, which is excellent because I barely have any time to edit images. When social media influencers are tired of the restriction of a fixed lens camera, will the art filter inside the Olympus cameras be the next trendy feature that attracts their attention?

Cameras mentioned: