At the beginning of the year, I used the OM System Olympus OM-1 Micro Four Thirds camera, the last camera to brandish the Olympus name, and as such this camera is already part of history. Not only that, but it’s also using the OM-1 name from the film SLR from the 70s.

OM Digital Solutions, the company who were setup following the sale of the imaging (and audio) division created the OM System and threw everything possible at the new OM-1. Designed as a “wow” camera, it certainly lived up to that promise for many (but not all).

Of course, there will always be those who demand a full-frame sensor, but then, in the same sentence complain about the size and weight of the camera and lenses.

If you want a truly smaller camera system, then you have to go for a smaller sensor, and that’s where the Micro Four Thirds system comes in. Unfortunately, we can’t ignore the laws of physics, and a larger sensor will require a larger camera body, and larger lenses.

With one sensor size, all the lenses are designed to be “just right”. You get a range of compact lenses, and a huge choice of Micro Four Thirds lenses, as literally the first mirrorless camera system, which has been going since 2008. (Which in digital camera years is like an eternity).

So, all that put to one side, the OM-1 offers an ultra-fast stacked BSI CMOS sensor, allowing for frame rates up to 120fps for stills photography, 4K video recording, and an IP53 weather-rating.

Computational photography features include LiveND, Hi-res multi-shot in-camera (for up to 80MP images), Focus stacking, plus the impressive live bulb / live composite and live time modes that let you see your exposure develop as you’re taking it. This is a real game changer if you’re interested in night photography, and for astrophotography you have Starry Sky AF.

Auto-focus offers AI subject detection gives you the choice of motorsports (cars, motorcycles), airplanes (including helicopters), trains (of all types), birds, and animals – specifically cats and dogs. Plus, you get some impressively high-speed shooting which includes continuous AF at up to 50fps (with the right lenses), or 120fps with fixed AF. The menus are finally improved, and there’s a high-resolution electronic viewfinder, with 5.76m dots.

But look beyond the technical prowess of this camera, and simply look at it as one of the most rugged or weather-sealed cameras available, thanks to an IP53 rating, with one of the biggest lens ranges available, and you have a camera that I’d happily take with me knowing I have everything I need from a camera.

Anything that makes it easier for me to take a camera with me when I’m travelling or out on a day trip is going to be the camera I choose to take with me.

Using the OM System OM-5, photo: Jeremy Waller

Using the OM System OM-5, photo: Jeremy Waller

And this is where the OM System OM-5 comes in, if you don’t need the ultra-high-speed from the OM-1, and want an even smaller camera system, then the OM-5 also offers a weather sealed camera body. You’ll also appreciate the lower price, along with computational photography features that are (mostly) unknown outside the world of Olympus/OM-System cameras, including LiveND, high-res multi-shot, live-time modes, Starry Sky AF, and more.

The OM-5 also makes for a great 4K video camera, with unlimited video recording, and some of the best in-body image stabilisation out there. With a fully articulated screen, and red record outline, this could make for a great vlogging camera, particularly if you want something that will cope with the wet and grey weather we have in winter months.

In fact, the OM System OM-5 is one of the cheapest weather-sealed cameras available.

And sure, it may not have the newer sensor from the OM-1, but it still delivers the same beautiful colour reproduction, and excellent JPEG output, we’ve come to love on Olympus/OM System cameras.

If you’re not a fan of Olympus or OM System, then you can also choose a Panasonic Lumix G camera, giving you even more choice of cameras, all capable of taking advantage of the huge range of Micro Four Thirds lenses.


Read the full OM System OM-1 review.
Read the full OM System OM-5 review.


Find the best Olympus cameras available


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


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