Kit #8: Rock-Solid Stability
Total cost: £3,827
Camera: OM System OM-1 (£1,979)
For the absolute best that Micro Four Thirds has to offer, you can’t go wrong with the OM System OM-1. The first camera from the new OM System brand, following the sale of the Olympus imaging brand, this camera came with a heavy burden of expectation. It had a lot to prove, and it proved it.
Travel photographers have a lot to love here. The weather-proofing is IP53-rated, making the OM-1 one of the hardiest mirrorless cameras you can buy. Furthermore, its in-body stabilisation is freakishly good, enabling handheld shooting at ridiculously slow shutter speeds. This is not only great for low light, but also powers other clever computational features like the high-res multi-shot mode, which stitches together several images to create 50MP images handheld, or 80MP ones with the camera mounted on a tripod.
This is a camera that benefits from high-quality, weather-sealed lenses, and we’ve picked two for this top-end MFT kit. With the future looking bright for OM System, it’s a fantastic system for travel photographers to invest in.
Lens: M.Zuiko ED 12-100mm F4 PRO (£1,199)
The ‘PRO’ designation attached to both of the lenses in this kit is the Olympus signifier of top-line lenses, as befitting a stellar camera like the OM-1. This means you’re guaranteed hardy weather-sealing, meaning the kit can be used in all conditions, and also signifies the lens is packing top-end internal optics. As such, the M.Zuiko ED 12-100mm delivers much, much better image quality and sharpness than you might expect from an 8.3x superzoom (which goes some way to explaining that price tag). The stabilisation too is near-magical, making it a perfect complement to the OM-1.
Lens: M.Zuiko ED 20mm F1.4 PRO (£649)
Delivering a street-friendly equivalent focal length of 40mm, the M.Zuiko ED 20mm F1.4 PRO is a lens branded by OM System rather than Olympus. The f/1.4 maximum aperture means it sits in a lovely sweet spot between the ultra-expensive f/1.2 lenses and the cheap-and-cheerful f/1.8 lenses. Having this wide aperture at your disposal is excellent for keeping your set-up nice and versatile in all conditions.