ON TRIAL – OM SYSTEM OM-1
OM SYSTEM OM-1
Making the most of the benefits of the Micro Four Thirds sensor size is the key to the future for OM System, the new branding for Olympus. Adopting the iconic OM-1 model number for the first System camera looks like a very positive start… as does the camera itself.
Goodbye, Olympus; hello, OM System. The new era starts with a camera wearing the iconic OM-1 model number and, 50 years on, OM Digital Solutions is no doubt hoping it can repeat the phenomenal success of the original.
The original OM System gave Olympus its strongest showing in the professional camera market. While the original OM-1 35mm SLR wasn’t primarily designed as a professional camera, it provided the foundation for a line of models culminating in the OM-3 and OM-4 series, both widely used by working photographers. The 35mm OM System attracted a veritable who’s who of
‘big name’ photographers – among them David Bailey, Patrick Litchfield, Uwe Ommer, Terence Donovan, Ernst Haas, Eric Hosking (best known for his stunning images of birds) and Don McCullin (who participated in early testing of OM-1 prototypes). It was the camera system of choice for National Geographic’s photographers and there were plenty of celebrity users too, including F1 champion James Hunt, mountaineer Chris Bonnington and decathlete Daley Thompson.
Following the sale of Olympus’s camera business, the new entity – OM Digital Solutions – has now adopted ‘OM System’ as a brand and, for its first model, revived the iconic OM-1 model number. Of course, you will have already noticed that the digital OM-1 is also badged 'Olympus', which is a oneoff dispensation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original’s launch at the 1972 Photokina. So, quite neatly, this camera is both the first and the last, and clearly there’s quite a lot riding on it for OM Digital Solutions. The previous OM-D system’s flagship – the E-M1X – did enough to attract some professional users and was way ahead of either the Canon EOS R3 or Nikon Z 9 in a number of areas. Yet it remains massively underrated, so OMDS must be hoping for better things as it kicks of the new era of OM System (take two).
While the E-M1X isn’t a small camera, especially for the Micro Four Thirds format, the much more compact and lighter weight OM-1 revisits the advantages of the smaller sensor, particularly in terms of enabling much smaller telephoto lenses for enhanced mobility in the field.
“Small is not a compromise,” runs the promo for the new OM-1. “It is an advantage. Big doesn’t mean pro, big means bulky. Out in the wild bulky can mean sacrificing on the experience.
And your frame can only be as full as the experience [which, you’ll agree, is a pretty clever line]. And, out there, small is a big thing.”
If you’re getting the idea that OM Digital Solutions is specifically targeting the outdoor, adventure, action, nature and wildlife photography markets with the new OM-1, you’re spot on. Also faster (significantly so), better featured and even more rugged than the E-M1X, the OM-1 is all about resetting the balance between performance and mobility so, again to quote from the promo, “..you can now have it all”. In fact, there isn’t a comparable combo of size and speed or, for that matter, pricing, and OM System draws further ahead when you take into account the longer focal length M.Zuiko Digital lenses like the ED 300mm f/4.0 PRO (effectively 600mm) and the ED 100400mm f/5.0-6.3 IS (a 200-800mm you
can comfortably shoot with handheld).
Closing The Gap
For the first time in a long time, there’s a significant update to a Micro Fours Thirds sensor which, of course, can’t change its size, but adopting the stacked BSI arrangement that’s now becoming common in larger formats can deliver other key performance benefits; most notably a faster readout speed, an improved dynamic range and lower noise levels. Announced a bit later, the Panasonic Lumix GH6 also introduces a new generation M43 sensor that also delivers significant performance enhancements.
The sensor in the OM-1 also has a revised architecture on its receiving surface to deliver a new autofocusing system called Cross Quad Pixel
AF. Under each pixel point are four photodiodes rather than one which collectively – by comparisons between each’s read-out – can determine depth and hence distance, enabling phasedifference detection measurements to be made across the entire frame. The increase to the dynamic range – by a claimed one stop – and the reduction in noise are important to help counter the common criticisms of the M43 sensor versus anything bigger, as both will contribute to improvements in high ISO performance. Consequently, the native sensitivity range is extended to ISO 25,600 and you can push on by two stops to ISO 51,200 and 102,400 – very much new territory for an M43 camera.
The faster sensor read-out and processor allows the OM-1 to step up to faster frame rates for video recording, so it can deliver 4K DCI or UHD at 50/60p and Full HD at up to 200/240p. The full rundown of the camera’s video capabilities is covered in the Making Movies panel.
It’s not all that surprising that OMDS has stuck with the same effective pixel count – as we’ve noted on many occasions, this is probably the sweet spot for an M43 sensor in terms of balancing resolution and the signal-tonoise ratio. And, again, it boils down to just how much resolution do you really need? If you do want more, there’s the multi-shot High-Res Shot mode that uses pixel-shifting to quadruple the resolution – now with both RAW and JPEG capture – when the camera is mounted on a tripod, and delivers 50MP when shooting handheld. Eight shifted frames are captured in rapid succession, then combined in-camera with the resulting image also exhibiting a two-stop reduction in noise. Obviously being able to use High-Res Shot handheld greatly enhances its useability in the field, and this is made possible
by both the sophistication of the
Quite neatly, this camera is both the first and the last, and clearly there’s quite a lot riding on it for OM Digital Solutions.
OM-1’s in-body image stabilisation and its increased processing power. It’s also now much easier to access, assigned by default to the video recording button just behind the shutter release.
Multi Talented
The various in-camera multishot compositing modes are now bundled together under the title of ‘Computational Photography’ and have their own menu page.
‘Live ND’ was introduced with the E-M1X and carried over into the E-M1 III, but here it gets an additional ND64 setting that represents a sixstop reduction in exposure. However, unlike a conventional neutral density filter, Live ND allows you to effectively reduce the exposure without needing to use a tripod… and you don’t have to use small apertures either. It works by capturing a progressively greater number of short exposures – depending on the Live ND setting – which has the
effect of creating motion blur normally produced by a single long exposure. Because image stabilisation is, again, operating continuously (and each of the multiple exposures is short), you can still shoot handheld… even when the ‘effective’ exposure time equates to one second.
Also included under the Computational Photography banner are focus stacking – again with the final image processed in-camera – a selection of HDR modes and a multiple exposure facility (well, it’s actually only for making double exposures). Focus stacking can be set for up to 15 frames, with focus step ranging from one to
10. There are two auto HDR modes capturing four frames to give either
'high contrast' or 'super-high contrast' effects – or it can be set manually to make +/-2.0 EV adjustments over three, five or seven frames or +/-3.0 EV variations over three or five frames. You end up with a composited JPEG or a set of RAW files to deal with later.
The Live Composite function isn’t included on this menu page – at least it’s still in the same menu – and can run for up to six hours (as on the E-M1 III). Live Composite has been on every Olympus camera since the E-M10 but, if you’re unfamiliar with it, it combines a reference background exposure with subsequent multiple exposures that only add bright light sources (such as stars), thereby avoiding any overexposure. Usefully, it can be monitored in real time on the rear display or EVF; likewise also with the various Live Bulb/Time shooting modes. However, the big update with the OM-1 is that image stabilisation is now available with Live Composite, so you can also use it when shooting handheld.
The OM-1’s IBIS is again based on a super-responsive gyroscopic sensor – as introduced on the E-M1X – but is a smaller module yet again, and also faster. It operates over five axes with up to seven stops of correction for camera shake, but this increases to eight stops when lens-based optical image stabilisation is on the job to assist with yaw and pitch… which OMDS calls Sync IS. It works with any M.Zuiko Digital lens that has optical image stabilisation, but there’s currently only four of them – the 12-100mm f/4.0, the 100-400mm f/5.06.3, the 300mm f/4.0 and the monster 150-400mm f/4.5 with the built-in 1.25x teleconverter that gives you an effective 375-1000mm of focal range.
Fast Acting
A big role in the OM-1’s capabilities – including its speed and faster compositing of the multi-image captures – is played by the new TruePic X processor. OMDS says it’s three times faster than the previous TruePic IX and this translates into a much, much quicker camera than either the E-M1X or the E-M1 III.
The headline spec here is 50fps continuous shooting at full resolution with either maximum quality JPEGs or 14-bit RAW files, and with continuous adjustment of both the autofocusing and exposure. The stacked sensor allows for a blackout free viewfinder too. This is very impressive, but the caveat is that the AF adjustment at 50fps is currently only supported by six lenses, although this does include a couple of older models, such as the original 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO zoom and a couple of the telephotos that sports and wildlife photographers are likely to have or want.
If you’re happy with the AF/AE locked to the first frame, then you can shoot at up 120fps but, again, there’s a caveat in that the buffer calls time at 92 frames (either fine-quality JPEGs or RAWs). Realistically though, you’d have to think that 50fps is going to be fast enough cover a lot of high-speed subjects, in which case the burst length is nearly 170 frames with JPEG/large/ fine capture. As on all the previous OM-D models, there is a higher-quality ‘superfine’ setting for JPEGs that doesn’t affect the shooting speed, but
The headline spec here is 50fps continuous shooting at full resolution and with continuous adjustment of both the autofocusing and exposure.
will reduce the burst lengths.
Of course, the rapid-fire speeds are made possible by using the electronic shutter, as is the ‘Pro Capture’ pre-release buffering that's now available in three modes – up to 20fps, up to 50fps and up to 120fps. The maximum number of frames captured at pre-release – i.e. at the moment the shutter release button is pressed to its halfway position – is increased to 70 and this is a rolling sequence that continues until shutter release. You can, in fact, specify any number of frames from one up to 70 for pre-capture buffering. In both the 20fps and 50fps modes, continuous AF/AE adjustment is performed too.
The TruePic X processor also works its magic with the new Cross Quad Pixel AF system. The four-photodiode groupings at each pixel point serve as X-shaped detectors so they can measure in both the horizontal and vertical planes and, as noted earlier, this is performed across the entire frame. There are 1,053 selectable points with a bunch of area modes, either preset or customisable.
The former comprise, in diminishing size: All, Large, Medium, Cross, Small and Single. You can create up to four of your own AF area settings that can be any size you like, either square or rectangular, plus you can adjust the number of active points to vary the selectivity. You can then select which area modes you want to be available on-demand when you’re shooting – all of them (including your custom settings) or just one or two for quicker switching between them.
Olympus pioneered ‘Intelligent Subject Detection AF’ on the E-M1X (it isn’t available on the E-M1 III) and it’s been upgraded here to include modes for cats and dogs. These join those for motorsport (which includes both cars and motorcycles), aircraft, trains and birds (the latter added to the E-M1X later via firmware upgrade). It’s worth pointing out here that it’s subject-recognition algorithms that are driving these modes and they actually don’t use the autofocusing system… or at least not the distance determining part of it. Pixel-by-pixel processing is determining what’s the specified subject and what’s not. It’s for this reason
that eye/face detection tracking for human subjects is something different and, on the OM-1, it’s controlled by a new algorithm that allows for a smaller target area and more erratic movements, aided again by faster processing of the subject distance data.
Low-light sensitivity now extends down to EV -5.5 at ISO 100 and f/2.8, and down to EV -8.0 if you happen to have the 17mm, 25mm or 45mm f/1.2-speed PRO series primes. There’s also the ‘Starry Sky AF’ mode that was introduced on the E-M1 III and uses a dedicated control algorithm so it can accurately autofocus on extremely small points of light. There’s the choice of Speed Priority or Accuracy Priority, and the mode is activated by pressing the AF-On button. Once focus is achieved (which can take a few seconds with Accuracy Priority), it will stay locked on until you either switch off the function or the camera.
While the OM-1’s new AF system provides even more reasons why you’re unlikely to need manual focusing, but if you do, the assists are a magnified image (up to 14x) and/or a focus peaking display that can be set to red, yellow, black or white, and at low, normal or high intensity. There’s also a Focus Indicator display which shows the direction – and the amount – of rotation of the focusing collar required to achieve focus.
Working The Light
The OM-1’s exposure control system carries on largely unchanged from the OM-D series cameras and is based on the 324-zone Digital ESP metering being used in all the current models. The alternatives to the multi-zone metering are centre-weighted average and spot measurements, the latter with the added choice of a bias for either highlights or shadows. Incidentally, Olympus first introduced this feature on the 35mm OM-4 in 1983.
The standard PASM exposure control modes are supplemented by an AE lock (now with its own dedicated button for easier on/off toggling), up to +/-5.0 EV of compensation and auto bracketing that can be applied over sequences of two, three or five frames with adjustments of up to +/-1.0 EV, or over seven frames with a variation of up to +/-0.7 EV.
The auto bracketing modes now also get their own menu page and, in addition to exposure, are for flash, sensitivity, white balance and focus. Focus bracketing can be programmed for sequences of up to 999 shots, with 10 focus adjustment steps from narrow to wide. Unlike with the focus stacking functions, these frames have to be combined post-camera.
The OM-1’s mechanical shutter has a speed range of 60-1/8000 second, with flash sync up 1/250 second. It’s rated at up to 400,000 cycles. The electronic shutter has a speed range of 60-1/32,000 second, with the faster shutter read-out allowing for flash sync up to 1/100 second (at up to ISO 12,800, 1/50 second from ISO 16,000 upwards). The hybrid electronic first curtain shutter has a top speed of
1/320 second. Sticking with tradition, the OM-1 retains a PC flash terminal.
The white balance control options comprise two auto modes (the second being the Keep Warm Colour variation), seven lighting type presets (including one for shooting underwater) and provisions for storing up to four custom measurements. All have fine-tuning, which is now set using the conventional colour square rather than the individual slider-type controls used on the OM-D cameras. Manual colour temperatures can be selected over a range of 2,000 to 14,000 Kelvin.
The in-camera processing options for JPEGs are pretty much carried over lock, stock and barrel from the E-M1 III. There are eight Picture Mode presets and 16 Art Filter special effects which, if you count all the possible variations, expands the latter’s list to 31. To this you can also add the Colour Creator function, and then you can have everything included in an Art Filter bracketing sequence, giving a total of 40 different versions of an image. The Colour Creator function is quick way of adjusting hue and/or saturation.
The normal anti-flicker detection and correction capability is now supplemented by a Flicker Scan function designed for shooting under high-frequency LED lighting
(now increasingly common in indoor sports venues). After determining the switching frequency of the lighting, the camera will adjust the shutter speed slightly to avoid banding in the image. The various other corrective measures are carried over from the previous higher-end OM-D cameras, and comprise Shading Compensation
to reduce vignetting, noise reduction for both high ISO settings and long exposures, Keystone Compensation to provide in-camera perspective control (in both the vertical and horizontal planes) and Fisheye Compensation that offers three settings for correcting extreme distortion when shooting with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO lens. At the other end of the focal length scale, when making long exposures and/or using telephoto lenses, there’s an Anti Shock mode that switches the camera to the electronic first curtain shutter operation and allows for a delay time to be set (between 1/8 second and 30 seconds) so all physical vibrations to die away before the exposure commences.
In The Hand
In terms of both size and styling, the OM-1 is similar to the E-M1 III, but it’s actually an all-new design with a grippier handgrip and a smoother, shallower EVF housing. The bulkier grip means that the OM-1 doesn’t look quite as appealing as the OM-D cameras, but it's form versus functionality right? And you’d still have to say it’s still a goodlooking camera.
The basic control layout is similar to the E-M1 III, but the front and rear input wheels are now more conventionally recessed within the grip, so the shutter release button is now on its own. A large – and lockable – main mode is retained as is the dual-key selector on the other side of the EVF. This provides direct access to the drive modes, selftimer settings, flash modes, AF modes and metering patterns. Located atop the grip are dedicated buttons for setting exposure compensation and ISO while, in photo mode, the video start/stop button defaults to engaging High-Res Shot capture – an indication that OMDS sees this facility being much more widely used in the field so you can now very easily switch it on and off. Having these key controls immediately to hand is a big plus when you need to change settings on the fly.
The rear control panel is largely unchanged from the E-M1 III, so it retains the joystick-type Multi-Selector and the four-way Arrow Pad which,
The AI-based object-recognition tracking was a revelation when we first experienced it and it’s still remarkable just how reliable it is.
For the first time in a long time, there's a significant update to the Micro Four Thirds sensor.
along with the input wheels, perform various navigational duties in different combinations. As noted earlier, the AE lock and AF lock are now separate buttons and, in fact, the latter becomes the much more useful AF-On control, so you can choose to activate autofocusing from here rather than always using the shutter release.
The customisable ‘Fn lever’ is retained and has two positions for switching the exposure setting operations of the front and rear input wheels, but there are other options too, and they can be varied according to whether the OM-1 is in the photo or video modes. A long list of other controls are customisable, including the four quadrants of the Arrow Pad and most of the function buttons, each assignable from a very long list of functions. The good news is that it’s now very much easier, thanks to an all-new menu system that’s a vast improvement on what we had to endure before. Everything is better… the graphics, the groupings (now properly colour coded) and the ease of navigation that you can do by chapter, page or line. Everything is now arranged horizontally rather than vertically, so it’s all much more logical both visually and in practice… which essentially now follows the click-right routine of chapter> page> function> sub menu> settings. Hallelujah! It’s certainly enhanced the camera’s operational efficiencies, and there’s still the Super Control Panels if you want to get somewhere even faster. As before, this can be as a standalone display on the monitor or superimposed over the live view image (monitor or EVF), and covers everything you’re likely to need to access when shooting. It’s included in the touchscreen implementation, but the main menu system continues to be only navigable using the external controls. The other touchscreen operations include focusing point/zone selection – with or without automatic shutter release – and a touchpad facility (which Olympus calls the “AF Targeting Pad”) for use with the EVF. It’s also available in review/replay for functions such as browsing and zooming.
The OM-1 has a new EVF with OMDS finally adopting an OLED panel now that they can be made to refresh at a fast enough rate – here at 120fps – to allow for blackout free viewing at the fastest shooting speeds. The resolution is 5.76 million dots and the 0.83x magnification (35mm equivalent, and the same as the E-M1X) makes it nice and airy for an M43 camera’s finder. This is down to the optics, and the eyepiece lens has an anti-fogging coating. The display is adjustable for both brightness and colour balance, and there’s a choice of three displays styles – two of which essentially replicate the read-outs of a film-era viewfinder (one looking very like the OM-4 with its white-on-blue display) and one that duplicates the monitor’s layout. As before, there’s a Simulated OVF mode that extends the dynamic range to replicate the look of an optical finder, and doesn’t adjust to represent any image-related settings. The old Live View Boost mode has been renamed ‘Night Vision’, but still does essentially the same thing – brightening the live view image so that you can see what’s going on even in close-to-total darkness.
The OM-1’s rear screen remains the same size as those on the E-M1X and E-M1 III, but the resolution increases to 1.62 million dots. It’s fully articulated and the display is, again, adjustable for brightness and colour balance.
The body is a one-piece magnesium alloy casting with upgraded weather protection to the IP53 standard, which is actually quantifiable rather than just a vague claim about sealing points.
The body is also insulated to allow operation in subzero temperatures down to -10º Celsius. Leica’s SL2 meets the IP54 standard, which means it has the same level of protection against the intrusion of dust (that’s what the
‘5’ means), but has slightly superior waterproofing. Nevertheless, to obtain its level ‘3’ certification here, the OM-1 had to prove it could withstand at least three minutes with water being sprayed on it continuously at a 60º angle. You probably wouldn’t want to get that wet.
Better weather protection is the reason for the Mark II 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO standard zoom – it’s unchanged optically except for upgrade to ZERO multi-coating – and an f/4.0-speed 40-150mm telezoom, both of which are also sealed to the IP53 standard.
The OM-1 is powered by a new battery – the 2,280mAh BLX-1 is good for around 520 shots per charge – and allows for both in-camera charging and powering via USB-C. There’s also a new battery grip designated HLD-10 that adds a second battery to the camera and is again sealed to the IP53 standard.
In addition to USB, the OM-1’s interfaces comprise micro HDMI (Type D), a 2.5mm connector for wired remote controllers, a stereo audio input (with switchable plug-in power) and a stereo audio output for connecting headphones. As noted earlier, it also retains a PC flash terminal to supplement the hotshoe. The wireless connections are Wi-Fi at 2.4GHz and Bluetooth LE, with the OM Image Share smartphone app also allowing for remote camera control.
Speed And Performance
Loaded with a Panasonic 64GB SDXC UHS-II V90 speed memory card and using the standard silent sequential shooting mode (i.e. using the electronic shutter), the OM-1 captured a burst of 207 JPEG/large/fine frames in 10.315 seconds. That's a burst speed of 20.06fps. This is bang on the money as far as speed is concerned and exceeds OMDS's claims for the burst length by a considerable amount, as the specs say 116 frames is your limit. The average file size was 9.5MB. Switching to the 50fps ‘SH2’ high-speed mode, a short sharp burst of 92 frames was all over in 1.837 seconds. The card’s write speed is critical here, with anything slower than 250 MB/second likely to become a bottleneck. The camera can go on shooting at 50fps while the buffer is emptying – obviously only for much shorter sequences – so you’ll likely want the delay between bursts to be as brief as possible.
The AI-based object-recognition tracking was a revelation when we first experienced it with the E-M1X, and with the OM-1 it’s been expanded to include more subjects… but it’s still remarkable just how reliable it is regardless of the subject’s size or the way that it’s moving. It grabs onto a subject virtually instantaneously – even one that’s closing rapidly on the camera – and then simply doesn’t let go. It’s noticeably faster than the E-M1X – OMDS says by a factor of three – with new algorithms apparently further improving the accuracy. Lowlight performance also gets a boost, although it’s probably more realistic to look at the -5.5 EV minimum at f/2.8. Eye/face detection for humans is also driven by a new algorithm to assist faster acquisition and for more reliable tracking including if the subject momentarily looks away. Additionally, of course, this tracking is now possible across the entire frame.
While the effective pixel count might be the same as that of the E-M1X and E-M1 III, the image quality is significantly better in terms of the dynamic range and the reduction in noise at the higher ISO settings. In terms of the latter, it’s obviously not going to match the best full-frame performers, but the OM-1’s new sensor has closed the gap and the native ISO range of 200 to 25,600 is useable, with colour saturation and definition holding up well beyond ISO 6400… which is something we haven’t really seen before on a M43 camera. Even the one-stop push to ISO 51,200 looks pretty good and would allow for significant enlargement before any softening of the finer details was noticeable. The increased dynamic range also enhances the flexibility of the RAW files, giving plenty of scope for post-camera exposure adjustments for highlights and shadows without compromising image quality. However, it’s likely most sports, action and adventure photographers are going to want as much JPEG quality as they can get, and the OM-1 certainly delivers here too. Detailing and definition are discernibly better than before and it’s particularly evident in tight patterns and textures which are very crisply rendered. To be frank, it’s very unlikely you’ll look at the OM-1’s best-quality JPEGs and complain that the resolution
is ‘only’ 20MP. The camera delivers smoother tonal gradations and very pleasing colour reproduction with the Natural Picture Mode.
For landscape work – and maybe even wildlife if the subject stays still long enough – the improved High Res Shot function is an option for bigger image files, with even finer detailing, smoother tonality and, as noted earlier, with reduced noise as a byproduct. Faster processing – now down to around five seconds – also makes it more convenient.
The Verdict
The new OM-1 is a very important camera for a number of reasons. Firstly, it needs to prove that OM Digital Solutions is still really the old innovative Olympus on the inside, but is also capable of staying competitive in a market that’s really hotted up of late. Next, it needs to make a very bold statement about the validity of the M43 size sensor and the distinct benefits that it delivers… at a time when full frame is making a lot of the running. And, finally, it needs to start building more market share for OMDS, or at least help improve profitability.
The good news is that it’s capable of meeting all these challenges, even if the third objective is certainly the biggest. It probably helps here that the OM-1 is still badged ‘Olympus’, which provides a tangible link to the new era of OM System. That said, this is a very fine camera regardless of the name on the front and it’s arguably fine enough to attract newcomers to the system. It’s small without being too small, and it’s as tough as any of the pro-level fullframe cameras. The ergonomics are excellent and is now complimented by a redesigned menu system that delivers significantly enhanced efficiencies. The stacked sensor delivers significant imaging performance benefits – especially at higher ISOs – so it brings the size-related advantages into sharper focus. The new AF system is easily up there with the best in terms of its overall capabilities and you can shoot at 120fps at 20 megapixels, while the Nikon Z 9 – the only other mirrorless camera that can keep up this speed – knocks the resolution back to 11.4MP. The only downside is that the OM-1 really needs a bigger buffer memory to make better use of 50 and 120fps shooting speeds… the Pro Capture function is the saviour here, otherwise you simply wouldn’t be able to react quickly enough.
On balance though, the OM-1 is otherwise very hard to fault now that the IQ has been given a boost via the new sensor, the AF is even more capable, it’s tougher than previously, and the menus enhance the operational efficiencies. Like the camera that inspired the model number, it just feels so right in the hand from the moment you first pick it up and, while it’s not as petite as the E-M5 or E-M10 series OM-D cameras, it’s addictively easy to carry around and supremely comfortable to use. Our test camera came with the new 40-150mm f/4.0 PRO telezoom, which we had to keep reminding ourselves is equivalent to 80-300mm because it’s just so compact and lightweight, so M43 is arguably more about the system than an individual camera. But the cameras are the cornerstones, and with the new OM-1, OM System has established a very firm foundation for the future indeed.