OM System is again disappointing with his latest Micro Four Dirds Mirrorless camera, the OM-5 II Welke is about it for the future of the system?
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- OM-5 II of OM System is a modest upgrade of the OM-5
- Available in three colors, including a Limited Edition Sand Beige
- Only the price of the body is £ 1,099 (prices of US / Australia TB)
I am a fan of the Micro Four Thirds cameras from System. They are compact, travel-friendly, compatible with a huge range of excellent lenses, provide incredible image stabilization for simple handheld recordings, plus their computational photography modes are addictive fun.
The goal touch on many fronts on many fronts. But whatever they have touched, it seems, is a ceiling. An example the new OM-1 II system. It comes two and a half to three years after the OM-5But you wouldn’t know – there is so little to distinguish between the two cameras.
That is not a bad thing, we still judge the OM-5 as a Top travel camera. But Panasonic adds meaningful improvements to his micro four thirds of cameras, especially for video recording in the Lumix GH7 And Lumix G9 IIIn the OM-5 II we get USB-C charges, a few video color profiles and a re-engaged menu. That is just now.
I can’t say I’m surprised. Since Digital Solutions has taken over Olympus, the most striking updates we have seen in new cameras have seen System Rebranding. However, I still hoped for something bigger in the OM-5 II. If the OM system invested well in the Micro Four Thirds system, there has been enough time since the acquisition to introduce new technology.
Instead, what we get the same 20MP MFT sensor with 5-axle image stabilization, a modest 1.04 m-dot touchscreen and run of the mill 2.36m-dot EVF, albeit packaged in a retro and robust body. The OM-5 II still looks, and I am a fan of the Limited Edition Sand Beige-it looks fantastic.
The legendary Olympus brand is at least not completely killed and remains lying under a new name, because I still believe that there is a place for such cameras.
Micro Four Thirds cameras, in particular the inherited Olympus design ethos, affect a certain quality / portability Sweet Spot. I just wanted System fans a little more to be enthusiastic about the future.
Can we ever expect meaningful upgrades again?
The Glass Half Lege species have now had a rise and gloom for Mirco Four Thirds for some time.
“The system is not dead,” comes the reaction of fans who love what the camera system represents; Superb Build Quality, a wide range of optics for specialized interests such as wildlife, birds and more, all in a lightweight system that weighs a fraction of full frame.
But the fact remains, perhaps more specifically for System instead of Panasonic – we have not seen decent updates for his new cameras for years.
If OM system indeed invested in future MFT cameras, I think we would have seen it this year. Earlier in the year it launched the OM-3 – The first in a series with a slightly different retro styling. It was a pleasure to photograph, but not because of large technological improvements, but because Micro Fourders remains a really fun and versatile system to photograph with.
I am happy that MFT is here to stay a few more years until the next update cycle lands. At that moment, however, I am somewhat worried that we discover that the system has sung its last song, to live alone by his fans.
Do you love Micro Four Thirds photography? What do you think of the future? Let me know in the comments below.
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