- OM System has said that a new camera will arrive “shortly”
- A now-deleted OM System post hinted at a retro model
- Rumors suggest an entirely new series for OM System, but details are scarce
OM System looks set to have a banner year if rumors, as well as words straight from the horse’s mouth, are anything to go by. This is great news for fans who have been patiently waiting for something truly new since OM System acquired Olympus and its camera portfolio four years ago.
We first reported on a 2025 letter from OM System Representative Director and CEO Shigemi Sugimoto, who says a new compact single focal length camera and lenses will arrive “shortly.”
We speculate that the new camera could probably be the successor to the popular OM-5, our favorite travel camera, and would probably be called the OM-5 II. Given a recent history of modest updates, we’ve had a hard time getting too excited about upcoming OM System models, but new rumors could change all that.
Following that letter, a since-deleted post on OM System Malaysia’s Facebook account, which remains on Reddit, shows an image of an old Olympus camera next to the year 1972, with a disguised reflection, and 2025, as well as the slogan “Relive the past , believe.” the future’.
Enthusiasts will know that the camera image in the post is the 1972 Olympus OM-1, an analogue 35mm camera that has since been reinvented in digital form; Its most current version is the OM-1 II.
If the OM-1 is already being talked about, what can we expect to be the possible next vintage-inspired digital model? 43Rumors believes it has the answer from a “new source” and that the new camera will be called OM-3. If true, it would be a completely new model and could be a compelling alternative to the Fujifilm X100VI. Let’s take a closer look at why…
How new will the new be?
The Olympus OM-3, which is presumably the inspiration for a potential digital OM-3, was first produced in 1983. The professional analog camera with a metal body and mechanical shutter was an updated version of the original OM-1, with a quite similar appearance. design. So how will a digital OM-3 be different?
The current line of OM System digital cameras is led by the flagship OM-1 series models, then there’s the OM-5 series for enthusiasts and an OM-10 series for beginners, all of which feature a micro four-thirds sensor ( MFT) and lens mount. . A new OM-3 series suggests something between professional and enthusiast-level models: you’d expect excellent build quality and a slightly reduced feature set compared to the OM-1.
Price-wise, that means something roughly halfway between $1200/£1000 (the OM5) and $2200/£2100 (the OM-1), so maybe around $1700/£1600. That faces an OM-3 contender with cameras like the very popular and perpetually overdue Fujifilm X100VI compact camera.
But will the new OM system camera be just another micro four-thirds mount interchangeable lens camera but at a different price, or something a little more exciting? In today’s market, a fixed-lens compact camera with a retro design makes more sense (Fujifilm has enjoyed great success with its retro
I could really get behind a retro OM System camera with a micro four thirds sensor and fixed lens, in a similar mold to the X100VI. It could be smaller than the X100VI and include an optimized version of a lens like the small Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8. That’s the camera you need in 2025, and if it’s closer to the $1,400/£1,250 mark, then the OM System could really be a winner. I think it’s even more likely that it will be an interchangeable lens camera, and if that’s the case, OM System will miss a huge opportunity.
