- Official teaser for an OM System mirrorless camera gives us glimpses of a new retro design
- It includes a color profile dial on its front
- Launch date is set for February 6
We knew an OM System camera was on its way soon following an official letter in January for the year ahead from the brand’s Representative Director and CEO, Shigemi Sugimoto. Now a teaser on OM System’s Youtube channel (see below) has revealed the exact launch date, together with glimpses of what looks like a retro beauty.
Renderings give us the form factor we can expect – it’s similar to existing models like the OM System OM-5, with a raised bump that’s clearly a viewfinder, but seemingly without a hand grip. It’s potentially doubling down on a retro design, like we get with the Olympus Pen F.
The clearest tease of what is to come is at the start of the video when a color mode dial is revealed on the camera’s faux leather finish, with Color, Mono and Art settings clearly visible. Quick access to a Mono profile like in the Nikon Zf is welcome, but we don’t know if OM System is expanding its selection of color profiles to emulate the success of Fujifilm’s Film Simulations and Panasonic’s Real Time LUTs – time will tell.
And it turns out that we won’t have to wait long to find out more – the next OM System camera is set for a global announcement on February 6.
How different will this OM System camera be?
I responded to OM System’s suggestion of an upcoming new camera earlier this month with caution. Since it acquired Olympus four years ago, there’s been little by way of new camera tech, just a refresh of existing models with new branding. That could be about to change in this next model.
The teaser gives us a limited glimpse of the new OM System camera’s design, and there are subtle differences compared to what we’ve seen before. A seemingly OM-5 / Pen F hybrid by design, the camera that’s rumored to be called an OM-3 appears to the most exciting camera from OM System yet, in that it’s finally something new.
We don’t know any tech specs yet, though; whether this is a beginner mirrorless camera or something pricier; whether it features an existing sensor or a new one; or if there’s a new processor and features.
I’m really hoping for more than just design tweaks, because I think a more powerful retro camera with a next-gen processor for OM System could rival the likes of Fujifilm in 2025. This first teaser of the upcoming camera has certainly got me interested – it looks stunning.
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