OLYMPUS OM-1

A computational camera with the first Cross Quad Pixel AF system

- James Artaius

www.olympus-global.com £1,999/$2,199 (body only)

The Olympus OM-1 is the camera that Olympus loyalists have been waiting for – and in two very distinct and opposite ways. At one end of the spectrum, the Olympus OM-1 is the firm's latest flagship camera, replacing both the OM-D E-M1X (2019) and OM-D E-M1 Mark III (2020).

At the other end, it's also the last camera that will ever bear the Olympus brand name; following the purchase of the Olympus imaging division by OM Digital Solutions, all future cameras released will carry the OM System' branding instead.

Thus, it marks the end of an era in one sense, and the beginning of an era in another. So, does the OM-1 have what it takes to rank among the best Micro Four Thirds cameras on the market today?

It's packed with computational photography features that are a cut above anything from any other camera manufacturer, and offers them in an ultra-compact body, but the sensor may remain a point of contention for those who place a premium on outright resolution. Let's see how it all adds up...

Key features

The Olympus OM-1 packs absolutely ferocious firepower into its compact body. At its heart is an all-new stacked, backside illuminated 20.4MP image sensor, with super-fast readout speeds capable of up to 120fps, blackout-free burst shooting in S-AF, and up to 50fps bursts in C-AF.

Answering the critics of the Micro Four Thirds standard, OM Digital promises that it delivers "35mm equivalent sensor performance" with an increased sensitivity of up to ISO102,400, boasting two stops of increased noise performance and one stop of increased dynamic range over the previous flagship camera. This low-light performance extends to the AF system, which can focus down to -8EV.