OM System OM-1 Mark II

James Artaius finds the OM-1 Mark II has features that you wish your camera did

- James Artaius

The OM System OM-1 Mark II has a lot to live up to. The original OM-1 was universally considered a success a rare example of the industry giving love not only to a Micro Four Thirds camera but also to OM Digital Solutions as a company in its first true post-Olympus product.

While the OM-1 Mark II is similar to its predecessor in many ways, it can’t be denied that it now features some significant improvements – and also that there is no other camera that can do what it does. For instance, its signature feature, the Live GND filter – a brilliant software-powered graduated ND filter – is single-handedly enough to transform the way that you shoot landscape photos. It is probably the coolest camera feature I’ve ever used – a software-driven feature that gives you an in-camera neutral density filter (up to seven stops on the OM-1 Mark II) without the need for a physical filter on your lens. Powering Live GND is increased onboard RAM in the OM-1 Mark II, which also provides the muscle for any number of new features. It’s just one of the many reasons why this camera is much more than simply an OM-1 with a firmware update.

The in-body image stabilisation, for example, now delivers an industry-best 8.5 stops of compensation – all thanks to the increased algorithmic power made available by the increased memory. And while it’s admittedly hard to discern the half-stop difference between the eight stops offered by the OM-1 (using Sync-IS lenses), I shot extensively at 1200mm EFL with the new M.Zuiko 150600mm lens – and it was absolutely rocksolid for stills and video alike. Everything I asked of this camera, it knocked out of the park. The autofocus is now better too, with the significantly improved subject tracking allowing me to keep up with birds in flight at a much-improved rate. There is also the introduction of AI Detection AF for humans.