With the introduction of the OM-3 Astro camera, OM System is now reaching for the stars. So why does it still feel, for some people, it’s never taken off?
Back when photo events were fun, one of the former Olympus UK’s inspired marketing wheezes was to bring along massage chairs and masseurs to The Photography Show.
The conceit was that, at that point, most visiting photographer were carrying around heavy DSLRs and lenses – so might have aching backs, or, at the very least, sore necks. While they were being caressed or pummelled, what should be placed in their eyeline but the latest light-bodied, smaller format Olympus mirrorless.
The message was clear – avoid backache, go mirrorless. And specifically, Olympus mirrorless.
Since 2021, the Olympus camera division is now OM Digital Solutions, and its product offering has been similarly rechristened. If its mirrorless range wasn’t already overlooked – and in my opinion underrated – when it was still Olympus, with its Century-long history, now as the less publicly-recognisable ‘OM System’ it certainly feels so.
Convenience without compromise
I’ve previously written about how we can all get too hung up on sensor sizes and pixel counts, as if that will make us better photographers – when it won’t.
Equally, the reason why most photographers will have given the now OM System a swerve, is because its Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds sensors and lens mounts are smaller than the larger APS-C and full frame chips and optics utilised by most competing brands.
Even day-one Four Thirds sensor adoptee Panasonic has mostly shifted focus to full frame models offering four times the sensor surface area, since joining Leica and Sigma as an L-Mount Alliance member in 2018.
With most folks swayed by the adage ‘bigger is better’ when it comes to sensors and glass, the OM System has unfairly suffered. And I’ve always felt that that’s a shame. Its lighter weight bodies and more compact lenses are not only practical, but in comparison with larger sensor incorporating rivals I’m hard pressed to spot any inferiority in performance, unless I’m pushing ISO levels. It boils down to me getting the best image quality for the size.
That’s why one of its cameras is my regular go-to for everyday photography, as something I feel can deliver on those occasions when I want to do more than just take a snapshot, while being able to achieve a better result than said snapshot.
OM System is additionally rare among photographic brands in introducing features that cater to niche audiences and pursuits, such as astrophotographers via the OM-3 Astro model, which includes novice-aiding Starry Sky AF mode, which as an amateur stargazer, I’ve found useful on previous models.
And, as I write this, OM Digital Solutions has announced another company – China’s Shenzhen Sonida Digital Technology – has joined the Micro Four Thirds system standard to develop compliant products. Support now totals 63 companies.
So, I’m obviously not the only one feeling that OM System is something of an over-looked gem – and there’s life, and potential, in the old dog yet.
Related reading
- Forget ISO, here’s why noise doesn’t really matter anymore
- Have we already reached ‘peak camera’ technology?
- Why I love these gorgeous, but criminally under-rated Sigma lenses
- How to make sure you never lose your photos again (backup, backup, backup)
The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Amateur Photographer magazine or Kelsey Media Limited. If you have an opinion you’d like to share on this topic, or any other photography related subject, email: ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk
