OM SYSTEM has just announced a new camera: the OM-3. Unlike the OM-1 and OM-1 Mark II, the OM-3 is a very different beast with a retro design. Even so, it’s still got a stacked sensor and shares many capabilities with the OM-I Mark II. And together with this new camera, OM SYSTEM has also announced updates to its M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8, 25mm f/1.8, and 100-400mm f/5-6.3 lenses. What an incredibly busy week in the photography world!
But what does this new camera have to offer? Well, one year before the OM-3, OM SYSTEM gave us the OM-1 Mark II, which is considered the top camera in the micro four-thirds world for wildlife and other action scenarios. Although the OM-3 shares many of the features of the OM-1 Mark II, at first glance it is quite different:
Physically, the retro OM-3 is just a bit smaller than the OM-1 Mark II, and about 100g lighter too at 496g (17.5oz) with the battery. Nevertheless, it is nearly as capable as the OM-1 Mark II, and it is one of the least expensive cameras with a stacked sensor.
It does make a few sacrifices, however. Instead of the two card slots of the OM-1 Mark II, it has one. And instead of the OM-I II’s high-resolution 5.76 million dot viewfinder, it’s got 2 million dots. Also, the physical arrangement of buttons on the back is quite different:
Notable is the lack of a joystick for autofocus point selection and the use of the more classic top-dial approach popular on retro-style cameras. Suffice it to say, this camera is basically like an OM-1 II but with a few usability changes that make it more into a stylish and capable travel-oriented camera intended for generalist shooting.
If you’re interested in this camera, you can support Photography Life by pre-ordering it at B&H photo using this link:
For reference purposes, here are the most essential specifications compared to some other cameras:
| Camera Feature | Nikon Zf | Panasonic G9 II | OM SYSTEM OM-1 II | OM SYSTEM OM-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | September 2023 | September 2023 | January 2024 | February 2025 |
| Camera Type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Sensor Type | Full-frame BSI CMOS | Micro 4/3 CMOS | Micro 4/3 CMOS | Micro 4/3 CMOS |
| Image Processor | EXPEED 7 | Venus with L2 | TruePic X | TruePic X |
| Resolution | 24.5 MP | 25.2 MP | 20.4 MP | 20.4 MP |
| Pixel Dimensions | 6048×4032 | 5776×4336 | 5184×3888 | 5184×3888 |
| Sensor Width | 35.9 mm | 17.3 mm | 17.4 mm | 17.4 mm |
| Sensor Pixel Size | 5.94 µ | 3.0 µ | 3.4 µ | 3.4 µ |
| Low Pass Filter | Yes | No | No | No |
| IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Base ISO | 100 ISO | 100 ISO | 200 ISO | 200 ISO |
| Max Native ISO | 64,000 ISO | 25,600 ISO | 25,600 ISO | 25,600 ISO |
| High-Resolution Sensor Shift | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Focus Stack Bracketing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pre-Shoot Burst Mode | Yes (JPEG only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fastest Shutter Speed | 1/8000 second | 1/32000 second | 1/32000 second | 1/32000 second |
| Longest Shutter Speed | 900 seconds | 60 seconds | 60 seconds | 60 seconds |
| Continuous Shooting (Electronic Shutter) | 14 FPS | 75 FPS | 120 FPS | 120 FPS |
| Notes for High FPS Shooting | 14 FPS figure is for .NEF files (full-res JPEG at 30 FPS) | Max FPS only with AFS | Up to 50FPS with AF and AE | Up to 50FPS with AF and AE |
| Autofocus System | Hybrid PDAF | Hybrid PDAF | PDAF | PDAF |
| Autofocus Points | 273 | 779 | 1053 | 1053 |
| Standard Flash Sync Speed | 1/200 second | 1/250 second | 1/250 second | 1/250 second |
Video Features | ||||
| Maximum Video Bit Depth (Internal) | 10 bits | 10 bits | 10 bits | 10 bits |
| 4K Maximum Framerate | 60 FPS | 120 FPS | 60 FPS | 60 FPS |
| 1080P Maximum Framerate | 120 FPS | 300 FPS | 240 FPS | 240 FPS |
| Additional Video Crop Factor | 1.5x crop at 4K 60p (4K 30p has no additional crop) | No | No | No |
| Chroma Subsampling | 4:2:0, 4:2:2 (External) | 4:2:2 | 4:2:2 | 4:2:2 |
Physical and Other Features | ||||
| Card Slots | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Slot 1 Type | SD (UHS-II) | SD (UHS-II) | SD (UHS-II) | SD (UHS-II) |
| Slot 2 Type | Micro SD (UHS-I) | SD (UHS-II) | SD (UHS-II) | N/A |
| Rear LCD Size (Diagonal) | 3.2 in | 3.0 in | 3 in | 3 in |
| Rear LCD Resolution | 2,100,000 dots | 1,840,000 dots | 1,620,000 dots | 1,620,000 dots |
| Articulating LCD | Fully Articulating | Fully Articulating | Fully Articulating | Fully Articulating |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF | EVF | EVF | EVF |
| Viewfinder Magnification | 0.8 x | 0.8 x | 0.83 x | 0.8 x |
| Viewfinder Resolution | 3,690,000 dots | 3,860,000 dots | 5,760,000 dots | 2,036,000 dots |
| Viewfinder Coverage | 100 % | 100 % | 100 % | 100 % |
| Headphone Jack | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone Jack | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Flash | No | No | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WiFi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Type | EN-EL15c | DMW-BLK22 | BLX-1 | BLX-1 |
| Battery Life (Viewfinder) | 360 frames | 390 frames | 500 frames | 590 frames |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Weight (Body Only w/ Battery + Card) | 710 g | 575 g | 599 g | 496 g |
| Dimensions (LxHxD) | 144 x 103 x 59 mm (5.7 x 4.1 x 2.3″)1 | 134.3 x 102.3 x 90.1 mm (5.3 x 4 x 3.5″) | 134.8 x 91.6 x 72.7 mm (5.3 x 3.6 x 2.9″) | 139.3 x 88.9 x 45.8 mm (5.5 x 3.5 x 1.8″) |
| MSRP | $2000 | $1,898 | $2400 | $2000 |
| 1The Nikon Zf’s official dimensions do not include the depth of the protruding viewfinder. To match the typical standards today, 10mm were added to the Zf’s depth measurement in this table. | ||||
Lenses
In addition to the OM-3, OM SYSTEM has announced a few small updates to three of its lenses:
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS II (Pre-order at $1499): This lens gains improved image stabilization along with the ability to sync image stabilization with IBIS, offering a claimed 7-stop performance. It also gains improved IPX1 weather-sealing.
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8 II (Pre-order at $549.99): This lens gains a “splash-proof” IPX1 rating, which is a lower-tier weather-sealing compared to the most rugged lenses. It also gains OM SYSTEM’s ZERO lens coating.
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital 25mm f/1.8 II (Pre-order at $499.99): Like the 17mm, this lens gains the “splash-proof” rating.
In particular, the new 100-400mm f/5-6.3 looks like a very nice lens, offering an affordable option for wildlife photographers who use the micro four-thirds system.
So, what do you think of these recent releases by OM SYSTEM? Let me know in the comments!
As for me, just another 2k mft
Hey PL, minor correction for the spec table: the OM-1 II has a 0.83x FF-equivalent EVF, not a 0.61x EVF (per the manufacturer, it’s 1.65x, but that includes the crop factor).
Yes, true! I forgot to put that correction there! Thank you.
The retro design makes it inconvenient to use large and heavy lenses for shooting things that require a fast multi-layer matrix with.
The outdated viewfinder with critically low magnification is poor for a camera with such a price.
Its dimensions offset the advantage of 4/3 systems – small size.
But the biggest problem of this camera is the presence of Zf.
Dmirty, I would argue that the 214 gram difference between the Zf and the OM-3 is absolutely an advantage for the OM-3 over the Zf. It’s also about 35% smaller by volume. Neither of those is insignificant. I agree with you that I would much rather have an OM-1 for the sort of shooting that generally benefits from a stacked sensor, though. The viewfinder on the OM-3 is disappointingly small and low-res.
That said, there are absolutely computational photography benefits to the stacked sensor that the Zf can’t access, like handheld high-res, handheld GND filter simulation and handheld focus stacking. There are also tiny lenses like the 25mm and 17mm that aren’t available in Nikon (even though they have some great small lenses as well, like the 26mm and the “muffins”).
I think for slow street shooting, there’s little advantage to an OM-3 over a Zf, but if you want to use it for that as well as wildlife or other high speed photography, the OM-3 is a significantly more capable camera than the Zf. 50 fps in RAW with C-AF is something not even the Z9 can touch.
Perhaps the biggest competitor for the OM-3 is the X-T5. Both are retro-styled cameras that can shoot pretty quickly in RAW. The X-T5 has a much better viewfinder, dual card slots, and a bigger, higher-resolution sensor. The OM-3 is much faster with (presumably, based on the OM-1) better autofocus.