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- The OM system is set to add a new camera to its lineup
- Compact lenses, single focal length, with splash and dust proof performance even on the road
- Mid-range telephoto zoom lens could be added to lens lineup by late 2025
The Representative Director and CEO of OM System, Shigemi Sugimoto, has wrote an official letter saying that the new camera and lenses are coming soon in 2025, and that the brand will double its focus outdoors. This is exciting news for OM System (Olympus) fans, but I temper any enthusiasm with weary caution.
Four years since acquiring Olympus and inheriting a legendary portfolio of small, light and rugged camera gear, we haven’t seen much in the way of updates or innovation for the third-party micro fours system line.
One by one, OM System launched new versions of existing Olympus cameras and lenses, only for the most notable change in the new models to be an OM System rebrand. U The OM-1 II refreshed the OM-1, which was the last camera with the Olympus name, and provided a new graduated ND filter effect, but otherwise the cameras are virtually the same.
Olympus cameras, which contained a four-thirds micro sensor, were already very good. But if the system is to live, the OM System must begin to find ways to provide significant improvements in future equipment – this is certainly my hope for the next camera that is apparently coming soon.
What can we expect from OM System in 2025?
For transparency, here are the relevant words of Shigemi Sugimoto in the post on the OM System website, dated 6 Jan 2025:
“In a short time, we plan to add a new camera to our line and bright, compact single focal length lenses with splash and dust proof performance. All created to meet the challenges of harsh outdoor environments to ensure that you enjoy not only outdoor photography, but also authentic everyday photos. We continue to work hard to bring to the market the long-awaited mid-range telephoto lens to our roadmap at the end of this year.”
So that’s a new camera, several small prime lenses, plus a mid-range telephoto zoom lens.
The camera-loving part of me is hoping for something completely new in OM System’s next camera. It will obviously be an extremely rugged camera – OM System is one of the only brands to list the official IP rating in their camera specifications, and outdoor gear is part of the system’s DNA, while the other brands are completely vague on the matter. But what new camera can we expect exactly?
Given the clear focus on outdoor equipment, the most likely candidates are an OM System OM-5 II or an OM System OM-1X. The first update our favorite travel camerau OM-5which at least needs to be replaced because it features the old micro USB port as opposed to the industry standard USB-C charging port.
As for a potential OM-1X, it would be a new version of the most obvious camera from the Olympus micro four-thirds line that should be renamed as the OM System – the OM-D E-M1X. The E-M1X was the flagship model for sports and wildlife so it felt big, expensive and surplus once the OM-1 hit the market with much of the same technology in a more compact package. small and cheaper.
Will we see killer new features and updates in any of these potential new cameras? I hope my gut instinct is proven wrong, and we actually see something exciting that puts the OM System alongside the best once again. Better still, how about a completely new camera that would win Olympus fans (OM System), like a back Pen-F successor, or an affordable entry-level mirrorless camera? Those would take place in 2025.
