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 $499.99): Like the 17mm, this lens gains the “splash-proof” rating.
In particular, the new 100-400mm f/5-6.3 looks like a very nice lens, offering an affordable option for wildlife photographers who use the micro four-thirds system.
So, what do you think of these recent releases by OM SYSTEM? Let me know in the comments!
My Om4 Ti is still alive
In my opinion this is just an easy way for OM Systems too reuse some parts.
But is there really an audience for an expensive „OM-1“ disguised in a retro look, which also has some disadvantages?
I would have loved a photocentric M43 alternativ to the X-T5. With great build quality, nice EVF and more „normal“ sensor
and speed (1250-1500$).
I think there probably is, but I may be mistaken. But it is listed as a bit cheaper than the OM-1 II, and with the inevitable discount it might end up being around $1600 on sale. That’s not a bad price for a stacked-sensor camera.
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.
I’ll explain. Zf full-frame camera.
But she doesn’t shoot without a lens.
Now let’s take my usage scenario. I have a Z35 f/1.4. In order for me to get the appropriate blur level from 4/3, I need to buy a 17 f/0.7 lens. Attention question. How much will it cost and what will its weight and size be? That’s right, it will be a large, heavy and extremely expensive lens.
But I can give an even more catastrophic example of Z 40 f./2. The version for 4/3 should be 20 f/1. Once again, it will be a large, heavy, and expensive lens.
And the weight of the entire set will be significantly more than the set for a full frame.
I’ll keep quiet about all sorts of Z 50 f/1.2S. A 4/3 lens with a similar picture quality of 25 f/0.6 is difficult for me to imagine.
So, comparing the weight of a full-frame camera and 4/3 without taking into account the usage scenario is a meaningless task.
About computing capabilities. It’s a crutch. When I had the Z5 after the D800 and I wanted more resolution. I’ve been dabbling with resolution enhancement technologies by adding a series of frames. And received an increase in resolution and/or an increase in exposure time. Moreover, I can control this process, and even on the Z5, I received 75-85 megapixel files after cropping.
But then I bought Z7 and ND filters and stopped suffering from bullshit)
Bottom line. If OM released a small and lightweight retro-style camera for the price of the Z5 and a viewfinder like the Z7, then maybe I bought this camera.
Small, light, and there are the crutches of computational photography. A great option for family photography and walking.
And yes. The functionality and technical characteristics of the Zf are much closer to the ideal retro camera. Although it’s ideal, it would be ideal if they released a version with a 45-megapixel matrix and a normal memory card.
The OM computational features are powerful tools. The built in ND filters in particular, in combination with amazing IS, make one heck of a combination for slowing down water, hand held. In situations where placing a tripod is really difficult, handholding an OM-1 allows for beautiful compositions that would otherwise be difficult to impossible to achieve, and those 0.5-0.75 second exposures are tack sharp.
That is a good point. The IS is quite amazing indeed!
After I posted my comment, a thought occurred to me. The OM-3 IS plus those OM-3 Art Filter dials plus a fast prime lens could make for quite a night street photography setup. I really am curious to see the types of images that come from people who buy this new camera. To see how they put its features to use.
M43 has two catastrophic weaknesses. I’ve owned them.
One is for birds in flight or other fast action with telephotos where you’ll need to crank up shutter speed, often to 1/4000th for BIF, that cranks up ISO and in the sunrise and sunset lighting conditions that means the M43 is in ISO ranges that destroys detail in the images because they cannot match APS-C or Full frame for ISO performance.
The other is with lenses with wide apertures. You’ll pay a lot more with M43 and then the lenses become larger which negates weight savings. Just start comparing a Zf and 40 f2, 28 2.8, 26 2.8 to the equivalent lens you would need to match that depth of field on an OM-3. Cost and weight increase. Plus you need the most expensive large aperture lenses to be get similar ISO quality to what a Zf can do with smaller apertures due to the small sensor. And once you get into things like F/1 or f/1.2 and 1.4 M43 has no alternatives.
M43 used to have a huge IBIS/Sync advantage but that’s gone, the other brands now have 8.5 stop in body IBIS and VR which syncs as well in the lenses.
Too much focus on shallow depth of field. Also way too many examples of fine BIF shots made using M43 over the years …. skill issue for you sir.