OM is (re)born: OM Digital Solutions announces OM-1 and new PRO lenses

Fifty years after the release of the Olympus OM-1 at Photokina, 1972, OM Digital Solutions is proudly presenting the OM System OM-1 to the world—a new digital flagship.

BONUS PRE-ORDER OFFER
Customers who order the OM System OM-1 prior to March 3rd will receive a FREE extra battery and warranty extension (for a total of 3 years of basic coverage). Don’t miss out!

This nod to the roots of the OM System is perfect, given their firm commitment to both honoring and advancing the technology and spirit of innovation established by Olympus and Yoshihisa Maitani. The cycle must repeat! The lenses released by OM Digital Solutions have been very well received (the M. Zuiko ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO lens as well as the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8–25mm f/4.0 PRO lens, under the Olympus brand), and we have been eagerly awaiting the first new OM System camera body.

The OM-1, along with two brand new M.Zuiko Digital ED PRO lenses and several key accessories, will be available for purchase in March 2022. Click here or check in with your favorite Mike’s Camera location for pre-order availability.

Now, let’s take a look at what the folks at OM Digital Solutions have created!

A compact flagship with real impact

There are many elements that make up a great imaging system. In addition to superb optics, you have to be confident in the suitability of the camera for your purposes, including not only the quality of the sensor but also the technology backing it up—stabilization, a powerful processor doing robust in-camera optimization, intuitive controls, and so on—and a body to house it all that is both rugged enough for your purposes and comfortable enough to carry for as long as you might need to do so.

The OM System OM-1 promises to fulfill each of these criteria quite comfortably.

OM Digital Solutions noted back in an October 2021 teaser that their focus would be on “computational photography,” which is a phrase that really captures the spirit of digital imaging. If you’re not taking advantage of the fact that your camera is also a handheld computer, then you are certainly missing out! Some of the computational features featured in the OM-1 are focus-stacking (!), live composite, live ND, HDR, and handheld high-res (producing up to 80 MP images). Formation of these complex images in the viewfinder is the next level of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) and can be quite astonishing to see in action.

The newly developed TruePix™ X processor also enables less flashy but no-less-impressive features like the OM-1‘s versatile autofocus system. Using 1,053 cross-type phase-/contrast-detection autofocus points, the OM-1 is capable of automatically detecting and tracking cars, motorcycles, aircraft, helicopters, trains, birds, dogs, cats, and—of course—people.

The OM-1‘s processing power and tracking capability are not only useful for videography; it’s also a rapid-fire machine capable of up to 10 still images per second using the mechanical shutter or up to a mind-melting 120 fps using the silent shutter (some flash/lens/shutter speed restrictions apply to the ultra high speed rates). “Pro Capture” mode actually begins recording at 120 fps at a half shutter press so your camera can react to action captures more quickly than you yourself can.

Product images

The OM-1 will be available as a standalone body or in a kit with the new M.Zuiko Digital ED 12–40mm f/2.8 PRO II (see below). Both configurations will include an FL-LM3 flash unit. The HLD-10 battery grip and RM-WR1 remote will also be available in March as complementary purchases. Remember to watch our website or check in with your favorite Mike’s Camera location for pre-order availability!

New lenses to match!