Rugged new OM System camera and lenses are on the way – but meaningful upgrades are needed to restore my faith in the fading brand
OM System’s CEO says new outdoor gear is coming soon in 2025, and that the brand will double down on outdoors focus.
OM System set to add new camera to its lineup
Compact, single-focal-length lenses with splash & dust-proof performance also on the way
Mid-range telephoto zoom lens could be added to lens roadmap by end of 2025
OM System’s Representative Director and CEO, Shigemi Sugimoto, has penned an official letter saying new camera and lenses are coming soon in 2025, and that the brand will double down on its outdoors focus. That’s exciting news for OM System (Olympus) fans, but I’m tempering any enthusiasm with weary caution.
Four years since it acquired Olympus and inherited a legendary portfolio of small, lightweight and rugged camera gear, we haven’t seen much in the way of upgrades or innovation for the micro fours thirds system lineup.
One by one, OM System has launched new versions of existing Olympus cameras and lenses, only for the most notable change in new models to be an OM System rebrand. The OM-1 II refreshed the OM-1, which was the final camera with the Olympus name, and delivered a neat new graduated ND filter effect, but otherwise the cameras are practically the same.
Olympus cameras, which pack a micro four thirds sensor, were already very good. But if the system is to live on, OM System must start finding ways to deliver meaningful improvements in future gear – that’s certainly my hope for the next camera that’s apparently coming soon.
Might we see an OM-5 successor in 2025? (Image credit: Future)
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:
“Shortly, we plan to add a new camera to our lineup and bright, compact single-focal-length lenses with splash & dust-proof performance. All created to meet the challenges of harsh outdoor environments to ensure that you enjoy not only landscape photography in the great outdoors, but also authentic photos of life every day. Additionally, we are continuing to work hard to bring to market the long-awaited mid-range telephoto zoom lens on our lens roadmap by the end of this year.”
So that’s one new camera, multiple small prime lenses, plus a mid-range telephoto zoom lens.
The camera-loving part of me hopes for something totally new in OM System’s next camera. It’ll obviously be an extremely rugged camera – OM System is one of the only brands to list the official IP rating in its camera specs, and outdoorsy gear is part of the system’s DNA, whereas other brands are entirely vague on the matter. But which new camera can we expect exactly?
Given the clear focus on gear for the harsh outdoors, the most likely candidates are an OM System OM-5 II or an OM System OM-1X. The former would update our favorite travel camera, the OM-5, which at the least should be replaced because it features the older micro USB port as opposed to the now-industry standard USB-C charging port.
The OM-D E-M1X is one of the few Olympus cameras to be rebranded as OM System. That points to an update of the hefty flagship camera for sports and wildlife. (Image credit: Future)
As for a potential OM-1X, it would be a new version of the most obvious camera from the Olympus micro four thirds line up yet to be rebranded as OM System – the OM-D E-M1X. The E-M1X was the flagship model for sports and wildlife that consequently felt big, expensive and surplus once the OM-1 hit the market with much of the same tech in a smaller and cheaper package.
Will we see killer new features and upgrades in either of those potential new cameras? I hope that my gut instinct is proven wrong, and we do indeed see something exciting that positions OM System alongside the best once more. Better yet, how about an entirely new camera that would win over Olympus (OM System) fans, like a retro Pen-F successor, or an affordable entry-level mirrorless camera? Those would hit the spot in 2025.
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