OM SYSTEM has just announced their latest ultra-compact, lightweight mirrorless camera. Made for all adventurers, creators, and explorers, this tough-yet-intelligent body promises to be an ideal companion whether you’re hiking, globe-trotting, or going deep for a documentary shoot. Photography and videography aren’t about numbers on a page—no moment on this earth may ever be truly experienced more than once, but the camera is a way to fight the pull of time, to capture just enough of the essence of the experiences you know (or don’t know) are special.
The OM-5 Mark II will be available with black, silver, or a limited edition “sand beige” trim later this month. The black and silver models will also be available in kits with either the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12–45mm f/4 PRO or the M.Zuiko Digital 14–150mm f/4–5.6 II lens. Get yours before the end of July, and OM SYSTEM will extend your warranty for two additional years at no charge! You can order online right now or visit any of our local outposts to place your order and chat with like-minded folks about the joy of imaging.
Since the 2022 release of the OM-5, OM SYSTEM has gathered feedback from real-world creators and has made targeted improvements to make sure the OM-5 Mark II is just as much a robust, trustworthy tool for outdoor creators as the previous iteration. They’ve focused on handling, computational creative tools, and overall improved performance.
The sizzle
As camera bodies get more capable and software gets more clever, more and more techniques that would have required extensive post-processing (if they were possible at all) can now be handled in-camera, wherever you are.
The new “CP” button—that’s “computational photography”—offers instant access to several of these.
- Live ND: Simulate an ND filter up to ND16 for smooth motion effects without carrying a physical filter. Serpentine rivers, silky trees, and more!
- HighRes Shot: Combine multiple photos, slightly shifted by the internal stabilization mechanism, to output 50-80 MP photos, even handheld.
- Focus Stacking: Create stunning product photography, or simply extend your depth of field as needed in a wide-aperture situation.
- Multiple Exposure: As my wife is extremely partial to multiple exposure photography, I always love to see this feature included. There’s just something different about the experience of doing the composite on-site rather than layering arbitrary photos on the computer!
- HDR: One of the earliest breakthroughs in digital imaging, HDR can overcome some of the most challenging lighting puzzles (or produce hyper-real alien landscapes, if you’d like).
But that’s not all! There are more flashy features churning in the brain of the OM-5 Mark II…
- Live Composite: Taking long-exposure photos with a real-time preview alone is a game changer, let alone with intelligent dynamic range adjustment to allow light trail painting without overexposure. Fireworks, star trails, and more—they’ve never looked better!
- Night Vision mode: Paired with Starry Sky AF and Handheld Assist, this mode makes astrophotography more accessible and fun, even without a tripod.
- Pro Capture: Start buffering burst images with half-press of shutter so you never miss THE shot… well, almost never. The OM-5 Mark II is capable of up to 30 fps continuous shooting.
- Supersonic Wave Filter: The SSWF Dust Reduction System vibrates 30,000 times per second to keep dust off the sensor, even when changing lenses outdoors.
All that and an IP53-certified body (dust-proof, splash-proof, freeze-proof to -10°C—same as the flagship OM-1). May I interest you in some fearless photography?
The meat
Let’s step back a bit and take a look at the basics. The OM-5 Mark II‘s 20.4 MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds TruePix IX processor run the show, capturing and cooking all images and video—up to C4K 24p—with natural gradations, minimally noisy. New OM-Cinema video profiles make cinematic footage a snap in-camera (a nebulous description, but you know it when you see it). 121 cross-type PDAF points cover the sensor and guide speedy and accurate autofocus, and the 5-axis Sync IS is capable of reducing shake up to 7.5 stops (6.5 stops using IBIS only).
On the handling side of things, OM SYSTEM has extended the body’s grip to offer a more secure point of contact and refreshed the menu system with the same one used in the OM-1. Monitoring is done with a 2.36 million dot EVF and 3″ vari-angle touchscreen LCD; a USB-C port enables on-the-go charging and webcam/live-stream usage.
The body, including battery and memory card, weighs only 14.75 ounces, and the streamlined top plate is easy to clean when things get a little too adventurous. So, I ask again—are you ready for fearless photography?
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