OM Systems OM-5. Ho hum.....

Despite my recent (and not so recent) plethora of posts on the Sony a-mount, I am still an Olympus micro four thirds shooter. My camera is the venerable Olympus E-M1, with a couple of Panasonic kit lenses. So I am, to a certain extent, invested in the Olympus micro four thirds eco-system (although for how much longer I'm not too sure).

Earlier this year, OM System - Olympus' new owners - introduced their flagship model, the OM-1. There was, of course, much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the internet trolls who hated on the camera. But honestly, I thought it was a pretty solid release and a worthy successor to the E-M1 line. I wrote about it in a blogpost here.

Now, towards the end of 2022, OM System have introduced their second camera to the fold - the OM-5 (surprise, surprise).

Unlike the OM-1, which still bares the Olympus name on the front, the OM-5 is the first to be branded with OM System. And fair enough too.

But apart from this visual clue as to change of ownership, what else have OM System done to the existing E-M5 Mk3 that it replaces in the lineup?

Well, not much - at all - if we are being brutally honest.

Other than the name-change, the OM-5 and E-M5 Mk3 bodies are exactly the same. Nothing has changed. Same design and button layout, same sensor, same AF system. Same battery. Same accessories. Same-old same-old. It even has the old menu system and doesn't benefit from the upgraded menu that appeared in the OM-1. Bugger!

Ok, perhaps I'm being a little disingenuous (maybe)? It does have a new image processor - the same one as in the E-M1 Mk3, which allows for some extra computational power not before seen in the E-M5s. This includes Starry Sky AF, hand-held hi-res shooting and built-in 4 stop Live ND (the E-M1 Mk3 with the same processor can do 5 stops).

The OM-5 also has better weather resistance than the E-M5 Mk3 - with the same IP53 rating as the OM-1, as well as slightly better (as in 15% better) image stabilisation. But really, for the OM-5's target market, the weather sealing and image stabilisation was perfectly adequate as it was. Still, a little better is preferable I guess?

In a nutshell, the new OM-5 is an E-M5 Mk3 with Starry Sky AF, hand-held hi-res mode and a 4-stop Live ND. Yawn...

Unfortunately it could have been (and I would argue should have been) so much more! Where's the upgraded menu system already incorporated into the OM-1? It would have been such a simple thing to implement. Why not dual card slots (finally) in a 5 series camera? Or a joystick controller on the rear of the camera? Do something to make it look like you tried to give us a different camera!

But no. It really does feel (and look) like OM System really couldn't be bothered. Which is sad. And a little worrying.

Look, I appreciate that this has felt like a bit of a dump on OM System. And maybe it is? But I don't do it simply to be mean. I'm rooting for them. Really, I am. And I thought that their OM-1 was an excellent introduction - I really did. The OM-5 though.... not so much.

If this is your first ever OM System (Olympus) micro four thirds camera, then you'll absolutely love it! And please don't get me wrong, it will be a great camera. But if you were looking to upgrade from the E-M5 Mk3, then the OM-5 isn't the camera for you. A lightly used OM-1 would be a far better upgrade path. Or even a new E-M1 Mk3. That would be where I would put my money.