OM System OM-1 Camera & Two New High Performance Lenses Announced - Last Camera To Feature 'Olympus' Branding

This is one of those key moments, when one fine name seamlessly transforms into another, whilst at the same time respectfully acknowledging a long and illustrious path.

Fifty years ago, an historic moment arrived when Olympus launched a complete, new and vast camera system, the OM system, led by the impressively compact, beautiful Olympus OM-1 SLR. Photographers were blown away by the new, diminutive SLR with its tiny lenses and amazing quality. Professional photographers jumped on board and advertising was led by a bevvy of famous names.

As an acknowledgement of the past, the new OM System OM-1 retains the Olympus name but going forward, this will be the last camera model to do so after it was announced that 'OM Digital Solutions' would be the new company name given to the Olympus Imaging division by JIP last year. It's a quiet, respectful nod to the past Olympus fans will appreciate. 

However, this is no retro design but a totally new, reworked camera body that promises to take the performance of MFT format to new levels; not just a step change but a major advance in technological achievement. The objective is to retain the compact advantages of the MFT format whilst challenging on an equal footing the performance of full-frame. The areas being particularly looked at are noise levels, durability, ISO range and the inclusion of some special features such as in-camera focus stacking. IP53 dust and water sealing adds a new level of protection to the new camera body, fully realised when utilised with one of the new IP53 sealed lenses.

The name 'OM Systems' also appears for the first time on two new high-performance lenses, the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO II and the M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4 PRO, two lenses that pave the way to the future. From here onwards all new products will be labelled OM Systems.

The Olympus OM-1 will be priced at £2000 body-only and comes with a 5-year warranty on pre-orders. 

Olympus OM-1 Main Features

• IS (Image Stabilisation) up to 8 stops
• 20MP Stacked BSI Live MOS sensor
• Mechanical shutter 60s – 1/8000s
• Electronic shutter 60s – 1/32000s
• AF range -5.5EV to +19EV
• Metering range -2EV to +20EV
• In-camera focus stacking (3 to 999 shots)
• In-camera HDR
• OLED EVF
• Video M-PEG 4, AVC, H.264
• Video HEVC, H.265
• High reliability
• ND64 inbuilt
• ISO 80-102,400
• Shutter rated for 400,000 exposures
• Operation -10C to +40C
• Flash synch 1/250s
• Wireless LAN Built-in (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac)
• Bluetooth built-in (Ver 4.2 Low Energy)
• Moisture resistance IP53 standard
• 599g with battery and 1 card
• Battery BLX-1 Li-ion
• 2 SD card slots
• Battery life Std mode: 520 shots, Quick Sleep mode: 1100 shots
• Battery life movie: 90 minutes
• Art filters: Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Colour, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Cross Process, Gentle Sepia, Dramatic Tone, Key Line, Water Colour, Vintage, Partial Colour (18 colour selectable), Bleach Bypass, Instant Film
• High Res Shot: 25MP, 50MP or 80MP

OM System OM-1 Photos of Equipment

New Lenses From Olympus 

The name OM Systems makes its first appearance on the two new high-performance lenses, the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO II (updates the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO), priced at £899 and the M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4 PRO, priced at £799.

Both these lenses share the same IP53 rating for water and dust resistance as the camera body, and also ensure that the IS system of the OM-1 body can deliver the full 8 stops advantage.

OM System M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO II Photos of Equipment

Some special functions of the Olympus OM-1 are dependent on the compatibility of the lenses, and the focus stacking feature, for example, needs one of the following optics:

• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 8-25mm F4.0 PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-45mm F4 PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm F2.8 PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 30mm F3.5 Macro
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm F2.8 Macro
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 1.4x Teleconverter MC-14
• M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 2x Teleconverter MC-20

OM System M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4 PRO Photos of Equipment