I recently wrote a review of the new OM-3 camera and said I would write more about its technical aspects. Here is a deeper dive into what it can do because there is so much more to it than its sleek body.
I never read other camera reviews before writing, as I do not want to be influenced by them. Nevertheless, although I have had a copy of the OM System OM-3 camera loaned to me since before its official release, I wanted to look up its vital statistics. In my search engine results, I couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming positivity in the titles of other reviews. They had been as impressed as I was.
Who Will Be An OM-3 User?
The first thing you should realize about the OM System OM-3 is that it is primarily an enthusiast’s camera and not aimed at professionals; the OM-1 Mark II is aimed squarely at that market. No, this is a camera that inherits many of the advanced functions of the OM-1 but adds features that professionals don’t want or need while making compromises in areas that are not essential for someone not earning their living from photography. For example, there is only one card slot, which allows for slimmer lines. It also has advanced in-camera image rendering capabilities that a professional is less likely to use.
As Alex Cooke's recent excellent article reported, OM System is leading in innovative technology. The OM-3 makes the most of the advances in existing OM System cameras and, particularly in one area, builds upon them. All contemporary OM System cameras deliver a wider range of unique, advanced technologies in a smaller package than you’ll find with a 35mm full frame camera. That includes a diverse collection of computational functions unknown in other brands. Furthermore, recent technological advancements have brought about huge improvements in speed, image quality, and performance that outstrip its direct competitors when comparing similarly priced models. The OM-3 has retained almost all the features found in the current flagship OM-1 model.
Apart from the robust magnesium alloy body, two other features I consider essential are on the camera. Firstly, there’s the fully articulated Live View screen. Secondly, it has two adjustment dials on top of the camera.
Image Quality and Speed
Historically, larger sensor cameras made a difference to ordinary photography because of their larger dynamic range, which produced significantly less noise. But as sensor technology and software improved, all high-quality cameras now produce images good enough for professional photography. The OM-3 has the same sensor, buffer, and processor as the professional OM-1 and is now the cheapest camera on the market to include a stacked sensor that delivers incredible speed when focusing and recording images. Coupled with a high-speed SDXC II Class 10 card, this camera is fast.
Like the OM-1, the new OM-3’s 120 RAW frames per second (50 with continuous autofocus) is still unheard of in other brands, which can only manage that speed when shooting JPEGs. The combination of the stacked sensor, large buffer, and super-fast processor in the OM-3 enables a faster data transfer rate.
In manual mode plus shutter and aperture priority, the maximum exposure time is 60 seconds, twice as long as most cameras. With the electronic shutter, the fastest shutter speed on the OM-1 camera is 1/32,000 of a second, and 1/8,000 of a second with the mechanical shutter.
IP53 Weather Sealing
Except for Leica, none of the other major brands carry IP-rated weather sealing. Even before that was introduced, the weather sealing on old Olympus cameras was great. I dropped my old camera in a river, fished it out, dried it off, and carried on shooting. I have no qualms about shooting in the rain. For those shooting outdoors, this is a huge advantage.
Dust Reduction
In the 20-ish years I have been using Olympus and OM System cameras, I have only had to clean a sensor once. That wasn’t dust but something that splashed onto the sensor when I was changing a lens in my kitchen. The patented Hypersonic Wave method the system uses is widely accepted as the market leader in sensor dust removal.
Battery
Pleasingly, the OM-3 takes the same BLX-1 as the OM-1. This gives approximately 590 shots per charge or 1,040 shots in the camera’s quick sleep mode. The battery is charged within the camera using a USB-C cable. An external dual battery charger is also available.
Image Stabilisation
The first mirrorless camera to feature in-body image stabilization (IBIS) was the Olympus OM-D E-M5, released in 2012. This innovation has continued with the five-axis IBIS of the OM System. It allows photographers to achieve sharper images by compensating for camera shake directly within the camera's body, regardless of the lens used.
The OM-3 has up to 7.5 steps of compensation, slightly less than the OM-1. It eliminates camera shake, even at slow shutter speeds. I handheld a 45mm lens for two seconds and achieved a sharp image. Some other brands have copied this technology, but the smaller Micro Four Thirds sensors are known to have better IBIS performance than other systems because the smaller sensor makes it easier to shoot handheld in low light without raising the ISO.
Some lenses have optical stabilization as well. The IBIS in the OM-3 works in synchronization with the IBIS-equipped lenses, providing the full 7.5 steps of compensation. Also, the auto IS settings are so good that I never needed to turn it off when using a tripod.
Focusing and Subject Recognition
The quad-pixel autofocus area covers the entire sensor with 1,053 points of cross-type phase detection and 1,053 points of contrast detection AF. The rear screen can move the focusing points, with a double tap enabling and disabling that feature. Also, the autofocusing range is generous, going from -8 to 19 EV at ISO 100 using an f/1.2 lens.
Subject recognition is becoming more common in high-end cameras. The latest models will recognize and lock focus on people, motorsports, airplanes, trains, birds, and cats and dogs. I find the cats and dogs setting works for most mammals. Enabling the eye detection frame allows you to see the exact point of focus (the eye or the cockpit) that the camera has selected.
Movie Recording
The OM-3 has introduced some new features that you won’t find in other models that make video recording much easier. On top of the OM-Log400 and RAW profiles for capturing 10-bit H.265 video, it has a switch for changing to high-speed recording, producing slow-motion movies and time-lapse videos.
Computational Photography
OM System cameras have a unique set of features that set them apart from others. Some of these have existed for years, while others are new to the game. The following are what you will find in the OM-3.
Live Time
This function allows you to watch long exposures gradually develop in real time on the Live View screen. You can also watch the histogram gradually move to the right during the exposure. I find this invaluable when shooting long exposures.
Live Composite
Live Composite Mode takes an initial photograph and then only adds new light to it. It’s a superb way of taking the guesswork out of light painting and creating star trails. Please see the following video demonstrating how it works:
High-Resolution Shot
The OM System (under the old Olympus name) was the first to use the same sensor-shift technology usually employed for IBIS to take a series of photos and composite them into a single high-resolution frame of up to 80 megapixels.
Live ND and Live GND
Instead of carrying neutral density (ND) filters, Live ND produces the same results electronically. With the OM-1 Mark II, this is up to ND128, or seven exposure value (EV) steps of ND filter. Similarly, Live GND applies a fully adjustable graduated neutral density filter to the scene with up to 3 EV steps.
Focus Stacking
Many cameras have focus bracketing, but OM System cameras allow these to be stacked into a single frame, saving you the time and hassle of doing that in software. It will manage up to 99 bracketed shots with ten levels of step size.
HDR
Likewise, most cameras will automatically bracket exposures. With the OM-3, you can automatically merge these images into a single high-dynamic-range image that shows details in the deepest shadows and the brightest highlights.
Multiple Exposure, Art Filters, and the OM-3’s Creative Dial
The camera allows you to shoot double exposures and then further overlay these in-camera. The OM System has also inherited a huge range of artistic creative filters that emulate the look of film cameras from years past. These include Bleach Bypass, Cross Process, Diorama, Dramatic Tone, Gentle Sepia, Grainy Film, Instant Film, Key Line, Light Tone, Pale & Light Color, Partial Color (with 18 colors available), Pin Hole, Pop Art, Soft Focus, Vintage, and Watercolor.
The new OM-3 also has a creative dial that allows one to change the color and monochrome profiles. These are fully adjustable, so you can create thousands of different presets to find a signature look for your images. Furthermore, you can share your profiles with other OM-3 cameras.
Pro Capture
This feature is starting to be copied by other manufacturers in their high-end models. It lets the camera buffer images while the shutter is half-pressed. It will then store the most recent of those onto your memory card when you fully press the shutter button. This works up to 120 RAW frames per second. For wildlife photographers anticipating action, this means never missing a shot because of reaction time.
What I Liked and What Can Be Improved Next Time
What I Liked
- The camera looks great.
- Robustly made and IP53 weather sealing.
- Very fast and accurate focusing.
- Exceptionally fast image writing speeds.
- A wide selection of advanced features allows the photographer to push their photography to its limits.
- Five custom modes that can be named.
- Advanced video functions.
- Thousands of color and monochrome options.
- Cinematic video presets with slow-motion and time-lapse options.
What Could Be Improved Next Time
- A bundled battery charger option.
- The shutter life is estimated at 100,000 actuations. At 1.9 cents per photo, this is fairly standard for mid-range mirrorless cameras and should be sufficient for most enthusiast photographers, but some other models in the same price bracket have a longer lifespan.
- As sensor technology continues to improve, we will probably see higher-resolution Micro Four Thirds cameras in the future. However, whether this is necessary is another matter entirely.
In Conclusion
OM System cameras have been aimed at a particular market for the last few years. The OM-1 Mark II and its predecessors greatly appeal to wildlife, landscape, and macro photographers because of their size, portability, computational features, and exceptional weatherproofing. The even smaller and lighter OM-5 grabs the attention of backpackers, canoeists, climbers, and lifestyle photographers. Judging by my Instagram feed, it also attracts those who scrabble around on the forest floor to look for minibeasts and mushrooms.
Meanwhile, the new OM-3 has many of the same features as the OM-1 but seems to be aimed at creative photographers and those for whom style is important. Again, it is compact, weather-sealed, and lightweight. With its metal body, it is robust enough for adventuring.
Full specifications, available bundles, and current prices are visible on the B&H website.
I know it is well build and has a lot of features but I think it is quite expensive , you can get a Panasonic s5II (x) or a Nikon Z6II for the same price. It depends on your priorities but if this was my budget for a camera, I would think twice before choosing the om-3