Detailed Examination of Olympus OM System OM-1 Digital Camera

The OM System OM-1 Mark II, released in 2025, has quickly become a standout camera in the Micro Four Thirds category, offering a blend of speed, performance, and versatility that appeals to photographers seeking a compact yet powerful camera system.

At its heart lies a 20MP Live MOS sensor, powered by the advanced TruePic X processor. This combination enables up to 50fps burst shooting with continuous autofocus (C-AF) and 1053 cross-type AF points, making it an ideal choice for fast action and wildlife photography. The camera also boasts extensive weather sealing (IP63 rating) and excellent in-body image stabilization, ensuring durability and reliability in various shooting conditions.

Autofocus performance and low-light sensitivity are noted to be excellent, with the camera capable of focusing accurately down to -8 EVF at f1.2. The OM-1 Mark II also delivers pleasing colour reproduction and noise processing, even at higher ISOs (up to 4000 ISO JPEGS look clean). However, it is worth noting that while the manual white balance capability is improved, it may not completely remove the blue cast at depth, so video lights like the Kraken 6000 are recommended for underwater photography.

When compared to other established mirrorless camera makers like Sony and Canon, the OM-1 Mark II excels in portability and ruggedness due to its smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor format. It may have a lower megapixel count relative to many full-frame offerings from Sony and Canon, but it compensates with speed, autofocus sophistication, and excellent computational photography features, making it a competitive choice, especially in fields like wildlife, sports, and travel photography.

In the realm of underwater photography, the OM System OM-1 is well supported by high-quality third-party underwater housings such as the Ikelite OM 1 and Nauticam OM1 housings. These housings are designed to maintain the camera’s ruggedness and accessibility underwater, with Nauticam and Ikelite being industry leaders known for their precision engineering and user-friendly designs tailored for the OM-1. These housings enable photographers to fully leverage the camera’s fast autofocus, high burst rates, effective image stabilization, and excellent image quality underwater.

The OM System OM-1 also performs well in video capture, with the 4K/60p video mode offering uncropped footage. The camera works well with high-quality glass from Olympus, such as the Olympus 60mm macro and the Olympus 7-14mm wide lens. For macro shooting, the Olympus 60mm macro lens is the best option for shooting macro with the OM System OM-1, delivering sharp 1:1 macro images. For wide-angle shooting, the Olympus 7-14mm Pro lens and the Panasonic 7-14mm are suitable choices, with the Olympus offering slightly better image quality but at a higher price.

The OM System OM-1 also boasts a 5.76M dot OLED viewfinder with a 120 fps refresh rate and a refresh delay of just 5ms, ensuring smooth and responsive live view during shooting. The camera features a standard Micro 4/3 lens mount, allowing it to use all Olympus 4/3 lenses and third-party lenses like Panasonic. The OM System OM-1 comes with a new battery, the BLX-1, that allows you to get a solid 90 minutes of video and around 520 shots per charge.

In conclusion, the OM System OM-1 Mark II coupled with Ikelite or Nauticam housings provides an outstanding solution for underwater photographers seeking a powerful, fast, and reliable Micro Four Thirds camera system. Its performance rivals many higher-end full-frame cameras in speed and autofocus but benefits from a more compact and rugged design, making it a preferred choice for underwater and action photography.

In the bustling field of photography, the OM System OM-1 Mark II, unveiled in 2025, has emerged as a top contender in the Micro Four Thirds category, renowned for its blend of speed, performance, and versatility.
This camera's core lies in a 20MP Live MOS sensor, fueled by the advanced TruePic X processor, enabling up to 50fps burst shooting with continuous autofocus (C-AF) and 1053 cross-type AF points.
The OM-1 Mark II's autofocus performance and low-light sensitivity are lauded, with the ability to focus accurately down to -8 EVF at f1.2.
The camera's color reproduction and noise processing are admirable, even at higher ISOs (up to 4000), but it's suggested to use video lights like the Kraken 6000 to mitigate potential blue casts during underwater photography.
Compared to established mirrorless brands like Sony and Canon, the OM-1 Mark II stands out for its portability and ruggedness due to its smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor format.
While it may have a lower megapixel count compared to many full-frame offerings, it makes up for it with speed, autofocus sophistication, and impressive computational photography features, making it competitive, particularly in fields like wildlife, sports, and travel photography.
For underwater photography enthusiasts, the OM System OM-1 is well-suited with top-tier third-party underwater housings such as Ikelite OM 1 and Nauticam OM1 housings.
These housings are designed to preserve the camera’s ruggedness and accessibility underwater, with Nauticam and Ikelite being industry leaders known for their precision engineering and user-friendly designs tailored for the OM-1.
These housings enable photographers to fully capitalize on the camera's fast autofocus, high burst rates, effective image stabilization, and excellent image quality underwater.
In video capture, the 4K/60p mode offers uncropped footage, and the camera works well with high-quality glass from Olympus, such as the Olympus 60mm macro and the Olympus 7-14mm wide lens.
For macro shooting, the Olympus 60mm macro lens is the best choice for shooting macro with the OM System OM-1, delivering sharp 1:1 macro images, while for wide-angle shooting, the Olympus 7-14mm Pro lens and the Panasonic 7-14mm offer suitable choices, with the Olympus offering slightly better image quality but at a higher price.