In summary
The OM System OM-3 combines popular features of the PEN-F and OM-1 II in a smaller, lighter form factor than the OM-1 II but with the same IP53-rated weather resistance.
Overall, we found the OM-3 very pleasant to use and especially good for street shooting since it’s small, light and quiet, which means it’s less conspicuous than most other cameras.
The general improvements to handling, stabilisation and processing speeds are definitely worthwhile so we’re confident it will meet the expectations of the many Olympus aficionados who have been awaiting it.
Full review
Note: click here to see updated OM-3 review with our full range of resolution, timing and video tests.
We received a pre-production OM-3 camera body in early January 2025, a month ahead of its official launch. This has enabled us to produce a detailed ‘First Look’ at the latest M4/3 format interchangeable-lens camera. It’s the first general-purpose, interchangeable-lens camera released by OM Digital Solutions since the OM-1 II was launched just over a year ago. Targeted mainly at outdoor photographers, the OM-3 is positioned between the OM-1 and OM-5 product lines and offers a combination of the sophisticated image processing features of the OM-1 II with the accessible controls of the rangefinder-styled PEN-F.
Angled view of the new OM-3 camera fitted with the compact M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.8 lens. (Source: OM Digital Solutions.)
According to the company, the new camera has been designed around four core concepts: Creativity, Computational Photography, High Image Quality and Reliability. Tools associated with the first three concepts have been made easier to access through the addition of direct manual controls with most of them providing a range of manual adjustments.
As in other OM-System cameras, reliability is ensured by the implementation of IP53-rated weather resistance in the fully-metal camera body. The OM-3 camera is scheduled for release on Monday, 17 February at an RRP of AU$3,199 for the body alone or $3,799 for the camera body plus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4.0 PRO kit lens.
What’s New?
The Creative Dial, a feature first introduced with the PEN-F, returns with the OM-3, giving users access to four, customisable film-style colour simulations and four monochrome simulations in addition to the existing Art Filters. The four colour profiles – Standard (natural), Chrome (rich), Vivid (saturation boosted) and Chrome Film Soft Tone – are designed to emulate the look and feel of well-known film styles.
Front view of the camera body with the new Creative Dial outlined in red. (Source: OM Digital Solutions.)
Monochrome filters take the options a step further, offering Standard, Classic Film B&W, Classic Film IR (infrared) and Classic Film Low Contrast choices plus extended control with colour filters and seven customisable adjustments with additional tonal and grain effect adjustments. The Profile Control menu also provides adjustments for colour saturation (filters in monochrome modes), highlight/shadow balancing, shading effects, sharpness and contrast – and these settings are stored until you choose to reset them.
The top panel of the OM-3 showing the new dial control for switching between the Still, Video and Slow & Quick Motion recording modes, outlined in red. (Source: OM Digital Solutions.)
A new dial control has been added to the top panel (shown above) to allow quick and easy switching between the Stills, Video and Slow & Quick Motion recording modes. This feature also preserves your existing settings across all capture modes, providing consistency for all recordings.
The red arrow shows the new Computational Photography (CP) button at the top of the rear panel. (Source: OM Digital Solutions.)
OM System’s renowned computational features have been made more accessible through a new Computational Photography (CP) button, which sits just below the main camera dials. It provides one-touch access to functions that include Live ND, Live GND, High Res Shot, HDR, Focus Stacking and multiple Exposure functions.
For the Live ND and Live GND filters, users can choose from three ND levels (from ND2 to ND8) and select whether the edge of the filter is Soft, Medium or Hard. The angle of the graduated ND filter can be customised by rotating the front control dial, while its position on the frame is set with the up/down arrow pad controls.
In this mode, the flash is disables, ISO sensitivity maxes out at 3200 (1600 with Auto ISO). The maximum shutter setting is 1/16000 second with the ND2 setting but lower when ND4 is set.
The High Res Shot setting is identical to the OM-1 II’s. As in the OM-1 II, both Handheld and Tripod High Res Shot modes are provided, enabling users to capture 80MP or 50MP images with significantly reduced noise. In the Tripod High Res Shot, the sensor is shifted in half-pixel increments, reducing noise to half of what you’d see in a standard 25MP photo.
Users can also choose between 12-bit and 14-bit RAW in the High Res Shot modes, depending on the end use for the image and available storage space. Interestingly, this choice is not available when simply setting the camera to record ORF.RAW files.
The Focus Stacking sub-menu lets you set the number of shots in the sequence (up to 15), the differential between shots (wide to narrow in 10 steps) and the time allowed between shots for the flash to recharge, assuming you’re using flash. Thanks to the efficiency of the sensor-shift system, it’s possible to use this setting with the camera hand-held – provided the ambient lighting is bright enough and you can hold the camera steady while the frames are captured.
In the Focus Stacking mode, the camera can internally stack up to 15 photos to deliver a seamless final image, which is recorded in the ORI.RAW format. For more extensive projects, the Focus Bracketing mode can be used to capture up to 999 shots for stacking later in an image editor.
The Live Composite mode is largely unchanged from the OM-1 II, and records a sequence of frames across a period of time. It is used mainly to record light trails but can also be used in daylight in certain situations. Two options are provided: the ‘normal’ HDR1 and HDR2, which the company describes as ‘painting-like’.
The OM-3’s autofocusing system boasts 1053 points with full-frame coverage and includes AI Subject Detection AF, which provides reliable tracking of humans, birds, animals, trains, cars and airplanes. It can detect and track humans, even in crowded scenes, and the focus will stay locked on the subject regardless of the surrounding distractions.
Weighing less than 500 grams with the battery, the OM-3 is 25% smaller in volume compared to the OM-1 II, while maintaining a durable, full-metal body and an IP53 weather resistance rating. The BLX-1 battery supports the capture of up to 500 RAW photos with a single charge and is rechargeable via its USB-C port.
Build and Ergonomics
Physically, the new camera’s body features the SLR-like styling of the OM-5 but includes some of the external controls used on the smaller, rangefinder-style PEN cameras (which aren’t currently sold in Australia). Unlike both those cameras it has a flat front panel with no grip moulding although there’s a generous thumb rest on the rear panel.
Build quality is up to this manufacturer’s normal high standards and the camera has a quality feel and well-implemented IP53 standard weatherproof sealing. This means protection against the entry of dust and water sprayed from an angle of up to 60 degrees from the vertical.
This diagram shows the weatherproof sealing in the OM-3 camera and how it integrates with lenses with similar sealing. (Source: OM Digital Solutions.)
Combined with the camera’s stacked BIS Live MOS Quad pixel sensor, the OM-3’s tried-and-proven TruePix X processor enables sensor-shift stabilisation of up to 7.5 stops with SYNC-IS capable lenses. Like the OM-1 II, the OM-3 is capable of 120 fps sequential shooting in S-AF mode, while in C-AF mode, the camera can track subjects at up to 50 fps, ensuring precise focus on fast-moving objects.
The new Creative Dial (derived from the PEN-F and described in the What’s New? section above) is located quite low down on the front panel on the right-hand side of the lens mount below the OM-3 brand label. It’s easy to reach with the fingers of your right hand when you’re holding the camera and when you don’t want to use it you can rest your ring finger against it to compensate for the lack of a grip.
The top panel mode dial has been relocated to the right of the EVF moulding while a drive/sequential shooting/self-timer/HDR button has been installed in front of the LV button on top of the power on/off lever switch. The thumb rest on the rear panel (shown below) has a new ISO button on top of it and an exposure compensation button has been added in front of the movie button.
The rear panel of the OM-3 showing the revised control layout and the articulating monitor screen reversed for easy viewing. (Source: OM Digital Solutions.)
The fully-articulated 3-inch monitor has a resolution of 1,620,000 dots, which is slightly higher than the OM-5’s but the OLED EVF’s resolution is the same, at 2,360,000 dots. Autofocusing technology is essentially the same as in the OM-1 Mark II with a hybrid cross-type system that uses 1,053 points each for phase- and contrast-detection. Subject detection is also essentially the same, with selectable recognition for human, dogs, cats, birds, vehicles (cars – including formula and rally racing cars), motorcycles, aircraft and helicopters and all kinds of trains.
A dedicated button on the rear panel provides direct access to computational functions like the High Res Shot and Pro-Capture modes, which were pioneered by Olympus back in 2016 in the OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, as well as the more recent Live ND (Neutral Density filter) and Live GND and Focus Stacking modes. The OM-3 also supports the ‘traditional’ HDR and multiple exposure settings, including Live Composite (another Olympus ‘first’).
Like the OM-1 Mark II, the OM-3 can support sequential shooting at up to 120 fps in S-AF mode and is able to track moving subjects at up to 50 fps in C-AF mode. Up to 7.5 EV steps of camera shake compensation is available with SYNC IS-compatible lenses.
In common with most current OM System cameras, the OM-3 lacks a built-in flash, but comes with a hot-shoe plus the standard, relatively weak FL-LM3 flashgun. Fortunately, the hot shoe above the EVF can accept more powerful flashguns and the camera supports a maximum synch speed of 1/250 second with the mechanical shutter or 1/50 second with the electronic shutter with ISO settings to 6400, dropping to 1/20 second for higher sensitivity values.
A tally lamp on the front panel, indicated by the red arrow and located just above the lens release button glows red when the camera is recording video. (Source: OM Digital Solutions.)
Most controls are in familiar positions and the camera’s menu structure follows previous protocols, so users of older models will feel at home when using the new camera. One new feature for vloggers is the tally lamp on the front panel, which shines to indicate video is being recorded.
Vloggers may also benefit from the articulated LCD touchscreen monitor on the rear panel, which is the same as on the E-M1 II. So is the supplied BLX-1 rechargeable battery, which is CIPA rated for approximately 310 shots/charge.
Like most modern cameras, the OM-3 isn’t supplied with a dedicated charger, but an optional BCX-1 charger is available that accepts two batteries for simultaneous charging. The camera supports USB battery recharging.
This illustration shows the OM-3 being recharged via USB from a portable power source. (Source: OM Digital Solutions.)
Two lift-up flaps are located on the left hand side panel, the upper one covering the microphone jack and remote control cable terminal, while the lower one protects the type D HDMI and Micro-USB (2.0) terminals.
The built-in Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n) is unchanged but the new camera includes low-energy Bluetooth (Ver 4.2), which can connect the camera to a smartphone via the Olympus Image Share app. This lets users transfer images to the smart device and use the device to operate the camera remotely.
Playback functions are essentially the same as with previous models and owners can download the standard OM Systems software and user manuals from the Support pages of the company’s website.
Sensor and Image Processing
The sensor in the new camera is the same 17.4 x 13.0 mm Stacked BSI Live MOS chip as the OM-1-II uses, which contains 22.9 million photosites and delivers a resolution of 20.4 megapixels effective. Colour filtration is determined from its overlaid Quad Pixel Bayer pattern and the sensor is paired with the same TruePic X Dual Quad Core processor as in the OM-1-II.
Little has changed with respect to Image resolution. Sensor resolution remains at 20.4 megapixels (effective) from a CMOS chip with 22.9 million photosites. Four JPEG resolution and settings are accessible via the resolution icon on the first page of the menu: L-SF, L-F, L-N and M1-N, plus a raw file option. Additional settings for M2, S1 and S2 sizes and compression are accessed via the Detailed Settings tab below it.
There’s no option for selecting the bit depth for ORF.RAW files or saving uncompressed raw files. However, in the High Res Shot modes you can record composited images as raw files with 12-bit or 14-bit depth.
The Handheld High Res Shot mode lets you choose between 50M (8160 x 6120 pixels) and 25M (5760 x 4320 pixels) for JPEGs but raw files are always recorded at 8160 x 61200 pixels. Resolution of raw files is higher in the Tripod High Res Shot mode with a maximum of 80 megapixels (10368 x 7776) as the default, while JPEG options increase to include 10368 x 7776 pixels as well as 50 megapixels and 25 megapixels.
Video
Video capabilities are effectively identical to the OM-1 II’s and include support for recording 4K footage at 4096 x 2160 and 3840 x 2160 pixels with frame rates of 30/25/24p and 60/50p plus Long GOP compression as well as HD 1920 x 1080-pixel footage at 30/25/24p and 60/50p with ALL-I compression. Vertical video capture is available for posting to social media platforms and similar applications. A 1.4x digital teleconverter function is also provided in movie mode.
The OM-3’s Slow Motion recording mode can record video at up to 120 fps in Full HD or 60 fps in 4K resolution, while the Quick Motion mode can record at speeds as low as 1 fps for dynamic time compression. It also offers OM-Log400 and HLG modes as well as flat colour plus two new creative video modes: OM Cinema 1 and OM Cinema 2. The former increases contrast a little, while the latter records a softer, more faded appearance for a ‘gentle cinematic feel’, to quote the official sales presentation.
Standard video features like time coding (3 options), zebra patterns (2 selectable levels), focus peaking (4 colours) and added digital stabilisation are also provided. Users can opt to display grid lines, a centre-of-frame marker and a red frame during recording to assist with framing footage.
Live view output via HDMI is also available for videographers who use external monitors and users can ‘trim’ the beginnings and/or ends of clips vias in-camera editing. Single frames can also be copied and saved from 4K movie files.
Performance
We carried out some preliminary tests on the OM-3 with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO and M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO lenses, which we have reviewed previously. Because the camera we received was pre-release sample, we are unable to justify releasing any results from our testing. We’re hoping to get a production standard camera so we can publish our normal test results.
Out of interest, we also carried out our regular tests of ISO sensitivity, autofocusing and video performance. These assessments will be updated when we receive a production standard camera.
Overall, we found the OM-3 very pleasant to use and especially good for street shooting since it’s small, light and quiet, which means it’s less conspicuous than most other cameras. We didn’t evaluate some of the ‘creative’ features that we thought would be of minimal interest to serious stills photographers, although they might appeal to members of the blogging or vlogging communities.
However, the OM-3 is on the pricey side for an M4/3 camera and, despite the more accessible controls, it will probably be a little too complex for snapshooters to fully master. For more serious enthusiasts, the general improvements to handling, stabilisation and processing speeds are definitely worthwhile so we’re confident it will meet the expectations of the many Olympus aficionados who have been awaiting it.
SPECS
Image sensor: 17.4 x 13.0 mm Stacked BSI Live MOS sensor with 22.9 million photosites (20.4 megapixels effective); Quad Pixel Bayer Pattern
Image processor: TruePic X Dual Quad Core Processor
Lens mount: Micro Four Thirds
Focal length crop factor: 2x
Image formats: Stills: JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.31), ORF.RAW (12-bit lossless compression), RAW+JPEG; Movies: MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/ H.264 and HEVC/H.265 10-bit video)
Audio: Wave Format (Stereo linear PCM/16-bit, Sampling frequency 48kHz)
Image Sizes: Stills: 5184 x 3888 to 1024 x 768 pixels; Handheld High Res Shot: Max. 8160 x 610 JPEG (50M) or ORF.RAW (12-bit/14-bit); JPEG (25M) 5760 x 4320
Movies: 4K (4096 x 2160 and 3840 x 2160) at 30/25/24p and 60/50p with Long GOP compression; 1920 x 1080 at 30/25/24p and 60/50p with ALL-I compression; Quick and Slow movie settings available
Aspect ratios: 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1
Image Stabilisation: Built-in 5-axis sensor-shift IS, up to 7.5 EV shake correction with Sync IS in stabilised lenses
Dust removal: Supersonic Wave Filter
Shutter (speed range): Focal plane mechanical shutter; CIPA rated for 400,000 cycles (60-1/8000 seconds plus Live Bulb, Live Time and Live Composite; Electronic shutter: 60 to 1/32,000 second in silent shutter mode
Exposure Compensation: +/-5 EV in 1/3, ½ or 1EV steps (+/-3 EV in Live View)
Exposure bracketing: 3 or 5 frames (0.3/0.7/1.0EV steps selectable), 7 frames (0.3/0.7EV steps selectable)
Other bracketing options: ISO, WB, flash, Art Filters, focus (3 to 99 frames with 1-10 steps selectable); Focus Stacking supported
Self-timer: 2 or 12 seconds delay plus Custom settings
Multiple exposures: Yes, 2 frames composited
Interval recording: Yes, for time-lapse movies at 3840 x 2160 (4K) / 5fps, 10fps, 15fps, 30fps, 1920 x 1080 (FHD) / 5fps, 10fps, 15fps, 30fps or 1280 x 720 (HD) / 5fps, 10fps, 15fps, 30fps
Focus system: High-speed imager AF (phase detection/ contrast detection) with 1053 points and full frame coverage
AF selection: All target, Single target (1 point), Small target (9 points), Cross target (39 points), Middle target (63 points), Large target (165 points), Custom target (AF area and its increment steps selectable); up to 4 custom target settings can be saved
Focus modes: Single AF (S-AF), Single AF (S-AF+MF), Continuous AF (C-AF), Continuous AF (C-AF+MF), Manual Focus (MF), AF tracking (C-AF + TR), AF tracking (C-AF + TR+MF), Preset MF, Starry sky AF (S-AF), Starry sky AF (S-AF+MF); 5 steps of AF sensitivity adjustments, face & eye detection; AI detection AF for Formula cars, rally cars, motorcycles / Aircraft, helicopters / Bullet trains, standard trains, steam locomotives / birds / dogs, cats
Exposure metering: Digital ESP 324-area multi-pattern system with Multiple, Centre-weighted average and spot metering patterns plus spot metering with highlight/shadow control; range -2 EV to +20 EV
Shooting modes: Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual Exposure, Bulb, Custom (x5)
Colour Profiles: Standard (Natural), Chrome Film Rich colour, Chrome Film Vivid, Chrome Film Soft tone (front dial); Saturation of 12 colours can be adjusted in 11 steps (+/-5 steps) and settings can be stored individually to any of 4 COLOUR Custom profiles.
Monochrome Profiles: Colour filter effects: None/8 colours (Red, Orange, Yellow, Yellow-Green, Green, Cyan, Blue, Magenta) with 3 steps of adjustment; Shading effect: 11 steps (-5 ~ +5); Film grain effect: Off/Low/Med/High; Monochrome colour: Normal, Sepia, Blue, Purple, Green. Settings can be stored individually to any of 4 MONO Custom profiles.
Picture modes: i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monochrome, Custom, Underwater, Colour Creator, Art Filters
Art Filter modes: i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone, Custom, Under Water, Art Filters, Color Creator and Profile Control selectable
Other in-camera functions: Live Composite, HDR (2 settings), Keystone Compensation, Fisheye Compensation (3 styles), Live ND, Live ND64, High Res Shot (Handheld and Tripod modes), One Push Tele-converter (2x magnification)
Movie functions: Flat, OM-Log400, HLG Picture Modes, Time code (Rec run / free run, drop frame / non-drop frame), focus peaking, zebra pattern; C4K ProRes RAW movie support
Colour space options: sRGB and Adobe RGB
ISO range: Auto, ISO 200 to 25600 plus extensions to ISO 80, ISO 100 and ISO 102400
White balance: AWB, AWBc, AWBw, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Flash, White Set (x 4), Colour temperature setting (x 4)
Flash: External flashguns only; compatible with all OM SYSTEM / Olympus Flashes
Flash modes: Fill-in, Flash Off, Slow sync., Manual (1/1 (FULL) ~ 1/64) – only with FL-LM3
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- 3EV in 1/3, ½ and 1EV steps
Sequence shooting: Max. 120 frames/sec. in silent mode with electronic shutter; Anti-shock sequential shooting at approx 10 fps with selectable 1-10 fps; Silent sequential shooting at up to 120 fps with selectable 5, 10, 15, 20 fps with blackout or 60, 100, 120 fps without blackout (slower shutter speeds and flash cannot be used); ProCapture burst shooting supported
Buffer capacity: Max. 169 Large/Fine JPEGs, 139 RAW files at 10 fps
Storage Media: Single slot for SD, SDHC, SDXC cards (UHS-I / UHS-II UHS Speed Class 3 standard compatible)
Viewfinder: Eye-level OLED EVF with 2,360,000 dots, 100% FOV, 4:3 aspect ratio,1.48~1.65x magnification, approx. 21 mm eye relief, -4 to +2 dpt adjustments, 6 grid overlay options, 2-axis level gauge, adaptive brightness technology plus +/-7 levels of brightness and colour temperature adjustments
LCD monitor: 3-inch vari-angle monitor with 1,620,000 dots, 3:2 aspect ratio, electrostatic touch controls, +/-7 levels of brightness and colour temperature adjustments
Weather sealing: to IP53 IEC Standard specification (with IP53 lens; when used with an IPX1 lens, performance becomes IPX1.)
Interface terminals: USB-Type C, micro HDMI (Type D), hot shoe, sync terminal, 3.5 mm stereo mini jacks for microphone and headphones, 2.5mm remote control jack
Wi-Fi function: Built-in Wi-Fi; Bluetooth v4.2 (Bluetooth Low Energy)
Power supply: BLX-1 rechargeable Li-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx.500 shots/charge; up to1100 shots with Quick Sleep mode; 90 minutes of movie recording; PD support for direct USB charging
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 139.3 x 88.9 x 45.8 mm (excluding protrusions)
Weight: Approx. 496 grams with battery and card
RRP: AU$3,199 (body only); $3,799 (with 12-45mm kit lens)
Distributor: OM Digital Solutions Australia Pty Ltd
SAMPLES
60 second exposure at ISO 100, 27mm focal length, f/2.8.
20 second exposure at ISO 800, 27mm focal length, f/5.
15 second exposure at ISO 1600; 27mm focal length, f/6.3.
10 second exposure at ISO 3200; 27mm focal length, f/7.1.
8 second exposure at ISO 6400; 27mm focal length, f/9.
4 second exposure at ISO 12800; 27mm focal length, f/9.
2 second exposure at ISO 25600; 27mm focal length, f/8.
2 second exposure at ISO 51200; 27mm focal length, f/11.
1 second exposure at ISO 102400; 27mm focal length, f/11.
Close-up; ISO 200; 31mm focal length, 1/30 second at f/4.
Close-up with in-camera focus stacking (captured as an ORI.RAW file); ISO 200; 31mm focal length, 1/30 second at f/4.
Close-up; ISO 200; 100mm focal length, 1/400 second at f/4.
Close-up with focus stacking of four frames in Photoshop; 100mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/4.
Close-up at 100mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/7.1.
No filter, 100mm focal length, ISO 360, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
GND filter at ND8 with Soft edge and no angular adjustment; 100mm focal length, ISO 140, 1/250 second at f/6.3.
GND filter at ND4 with Soft edge, angled to cover top right corner; 100mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/6.3.
100mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
50mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/160 second at f/7.1.
54mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/320 second at f/10.
50mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/320 second at f/11.
34mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/8 second at f/4.
80mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/50 second at f/4.5.
16mm focal length. ISO 200, 1/100 second at f/7.1.
86mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/50 second at f/5.
15mm focal length. ISO 800, 1/100 second at f/6.3.
100mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/200 second at f/4.
80mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/160 second at f/8.
23mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/50 second at f/5.6.
66mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/80 second at f/4.
35mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/8.
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