- About System’s OM-5 II is a modest upgrade of OM-5
- Available in three colorways, including a true beige with limited edition
- Price only is price 1,099 (US / Australia Pricing TBC)
I’m a fan of about System’s Micro Four Thirds cameras. They are compact, travel -friendly, compatible with a large selection of excellent lenses, deliver incredible image stabilization for light handheld recording, plus their calculation photography modes are addictive fun.
About -system cameras hit the brand on many fronts. But what they also hit, it seems is a ceiling. Case-The New OM-System OM-5 II. It comes two and a half to three years after OM-5, but you wouldn’t know it is so little to distinguish between the two cameras.
It’s no bad thing in itself, we still evaluate OM-5 as a top travel camera. But where Panasonic adds meaningful improvements to its Micro Four Thirds cameras, especially for video recording in Lumix GH7 and Lumix G9 II, in OM-5 II we get USB-C charging, some video color profiles and a dismissive menu. It’s just about that.
I can’t say I’m surprised. Ever since about Digital Solutions acquired Olympus, the most notable updates we’ve seen in new cameras are about system rebranding. However, I was still hoping for something bigger in OM-5 II. If whether the system invested correctly in the Micro Four Thirds system, there has been enough time since the acquisition that it has begun to introduce new technology.
Instead, what we get is the same 20MP MFT sensor with 5-axis image stabilization, a modest 1.04 m-prick touch screen and driving the mill 2.36m-dot EVF, albeit packed in a retro and robust body. OM-5 II still looks that part and I’m a fan of true beige for limited edition-it looks fabulous.
At least the legendary Olympus -Brand has not been killed completely and continues to live on under a new name because I still think there is a place for such cameras.
Micro Four Thirds cameras, especially the inherited Olympus Design Ethos, hit a certain quality / laptop’s sweet spot. I just wish if the system gave fans a little more to be excited to move on.
Can we ever expect meaningful upgrades again?
The glass -elected types of types have preached a downfall and gloom to Mirco four -thirds for some time now.
‘The system is not dead,’ comes the answer from fans who love what the camera system represents; Excellent build quality, a wide range of optics for specialized interests such as wildlife, bird breeding and more, all in a light system that weighs a fraction of full frame.
But the fact is still more specific to whether about the system rather than Panasonic – we have not seen any decent updates to its new cameras for years.
If the about the system really invested in future MFT cameras, I think we would have started to see it this year. Earlier this year, it launched the OM-3-the first in a series with a slightly different retro styling. It was a joy to shoot with, but not because of great technological improvements, but because Micro Four Thirds remains a really fun and versatile system to shoot with.
I’m glad MFT is here to stay for another couple of years until the next update cycle lands. At that time, however, I am a little worried that we discover that the system has sung its last song, only to live through its fans.
Do you love Micro Four Thirds Photography? What do you think of its future? Tell me that in the comments below.
