It’s not even a month since I expressed my 5 wishes for an OM System camera in 2024, and the OM-1 Mark II has already been unveiled. The OM-1 Mark II replaces the OM-1 with the same sensor and processor. Only the main memory has been increased, which has made some new features possible. However, I don’t want to go into the details of the new features here, as you can find them on many different websites. Nor do I want to write about quality or handling, as I have not yet held the camera. Instead, I want to look back and see which of my wishes have been fulfilled.
Ergonomics of the OM-1 Mark II
I have nothing to criticize about my OM-1; the OM-1 Mark II has not been given a new body. Let’s be honest, this is certainly also due to the development costs, which can be considerably reduced if the housing is not customised. Nevertheless, I believe that no customization would have been necessary. Only small things have been adapted, such as the control dials for adjusting the aperture and exposure time. In addition, it is now possible to move the menu button from the left-hand side to the button for deleting images. This makes it easier to operate the OM-1 Mark II with one hand.
The Sensor
The situation has remained the same. As I wrote in my article a month ago, I didn’t see any need to adapt it here either. There are still some disappointed people. I have discussed in detail why I don’t need a new sensor. The real reason for OM Digitalsolutions is probably that they have ordered a certain number of sensors. OM Digitalsolution must first sell this quantity before installing a new sensor.
The image stabilisation
Although OM-1’s image stabilization was the market leader, and I believe no improvement was necessary, it has been improved again. Whether this improvement can be felt in practice or whether this is just a marketing figure is something I cannot and do not want to judge here. The fact is that OM Digitalsolutions is still the market leader here and has the technology under control.
Combination of different functions
Unfortunately, no new features were introduced here. A Live ND filter with 7 f-stops (made possible by more working memory). However, this still cannot be combined with Live Composite. It is also not possible to combine HDR with HighRes mode. You can argue that the camera has 14-bit color depth in HighRes mode. However, this is nowhere near what I need for panorama photography. The new grey gradient filter can’t be combined with the HighRes mode.
Autofocus of the OM-1 Mark II
The autofocus system is probably the biggest change in the OM-1 Mark II compared to the OM-1. This was indeed one of the biggest weaknesses of the OM-1. Has OM Digitalsolutions done itself a favor with this? At first glance, certainly. The camera is now more competitive and will survive better in the market. However, due to the few hardware changes, it is incomprehensible to owners of an OM-1 that the functionality has not been upgraded. OM Digitalsolutions is thus alienating many loyal customers. The future will show what effect this decision will have. The outcry on social media is huge, to say the least.
Conclusion
Even though I see many of my wishes fulfilled, I will not buy the OM-1 Mark II. The price is far too high to justify the gradual improvements over the OM-1. Besides, I personally get on very well with the camera. That’s why I’ll sit back and wait to see what OMDS can achieve. However, if you still own an E-M1 Mark II or even an older camera, it’s a good time to consider upgrading it.
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