It has recently been reported that OM System will announce a new camera in the second half of this year, with no suggestion of what it might be.
As an OM / Olympus user for the past decade, I know the product lineup pretty well – and I think, by playing a fun game of bingo, we can whittle down the options and work out what the camera will be.
So, here are the cameras that OM / Olympus has made in the mirrorless era along with whether or not we are likely to see a successor, starting at the top of the tree and working our way down…
OM System OM-1
The company's flagship camera, we've just seen the launch of the OM System OM-1 Mark II – which obviously replaced the OM System OM-1 and the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III before it.
With the latest model literally releasing this year, we definitely won't be seeing another one any time soon.
Olympus OM-D E-M1X
An E-M1X Mark II is definitely a potential candidate, but in my opinion an extremely unlikely one. The Olympus OM-D E-M1X was a bold experiment; while the whole concept of Micro Four Thirds cameras was to provide powerful bodies that are as compact as possible, Olympus knew that a large portion of its customer base were wildlife photographers who worked in the field using big unwieldy lenses.
Thus, it developed the E-M1X: a pro DSLR-sized camera with a huge body, huge battery capacity, and an extra processor powering algorithmic AI autofocus to provide an option for rugged outdoor shooting.
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A member of the E-M1 family, it was positioned as the co-flagship – but the camera was never really embraced by the community. So, while I'd love to see a souped-up OM-1, I feel that this is a long shot at best.
OM System OM-5
Another viable option, but it would be a curious one. The OM System OM-5 was launched in late 2022, so obviously the release window would marry up, and bringing out an OM-5 Mark II this year would match the two-year cycle established by the OM-1 Mark II.
Here, however, it just wouldn't make sense to me. The new OM-1 was criticized (somewhat unfairly, I argued in my review) for offering little in the way of new features over its predecessor. However, there is also a suspicion among the community that a large reason for refreshing the OM-1 series was because the original still bore the Olympus branding – and it was believed that the license to use that branding only lasted 24 months, hence the release of a replacement with the OM System logo.
That isn't the case with the OM-5, which had the OM branding from day one. Given that the OM-1 Mark II didn't really provide a generational specs leap, and since the OM-5 sits below it in the lineup, it's not like OM can realistically add something like a new 30MP sensor without cannibalizing its flagship. Unless, of course, the company restructures its family more in line with other manufacturers – where the flagship camera offers speed, and the next camera down offers resolution.
Could the OM-5 Mark II be this year's camera? Yes it could. But as we've seen with the backlash to the OM-1 Mark II, unless it ups the ante in some way (namely with new hardware, like a higher resolution sensor, rather than computationally) I don't think the public will be happy.
Olympus PEN-F
Olympus and OM have teased this one for years – namely because it's become a cult classic camera (and my personal favorite Olympus camera ever). However, when it launched in 2016, the Olympus PEN-F was a prestige camera that never generated the sales required to be considered a business success.
Ask any Olympus or Micro Four Thirds user and they will almost certainly say they'd love to see a successor. And even as recently as this year, OM teased (or at least, appeased) journalists with allusions to a PEN-F Mark II being under consideration.
Will we actually see it, though? I think it makes a lot of sense. In a world where pretty prestige compact cameras like the Fujifilm X100VI and Leica Q3 are literally the hottest models in the industry, this seems like such an obvious launch to me. However, with OM System being a fledgling company looking to release the most bankable products possible (not the ones proven to have a historically poor ROI) this doesn't seem likely to me.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV
A perennially popular camera, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV has a terrible name – but it's one of the best beginner cameras available, and is perfect for street and travel photography, so an OM System OM-10 it makes all the sense in the world.
The E-M10 Mark IV was launched in 2020, so is theoretically well overdue a replacement – however, the old Olympus product hierarchy had already lost all meaning by 2020, let alone 2024.
You see, the E-M1 (now OM-1) was the flagship, the E-M5 (now OM-5) was for enthusiasts, and the E-M10 was for beginners. But by 2020, they all had largely indistinguishable 20MP sensors, in-body image stabilization and other core features. Yes, there were distinguishing features (the E-M10 lacked phase detect AF, dual card slots and a fully articulating screen) but not really enough to make three cameras feel sufficiently distinct.
Certainly, an OM-10 today would just be a downgraded OM-5 – and I really don't think the market is looking for an even less powerful 20MP beginner camera. In terms of realising the brand's original product lineup, though, an OM-10 would make by far the most sense.
Olympus PEN E-P7
My current daily driver, I love this camera with all my heart and soul. Portable, powerful, pretty – it's everything I could ask for in a camera that travels everywhere with me. So I definitely want an PEN E-P8!
In some ways, it makes sense. The Olympus PEN E-P7 was the first camera released under the new OM ownership in 2021, though it was clearly a product developed by the previous administration. In a lot of ways it was an E-M10 Mark IV combined with the PEN series, making it an attractive beginner- and blogger-friendly camera.
However, PEN cameras – specifically the smaller E-P and E-PL series – never sold well in the US, even though they were always gigantic sellers in Asia (indeed, the E-P7 continues to top Japanese sales charts to this day). Thus, this camera was never released in America.
An OM executive recently made some noncommital remarks about the PEN line, in the context of OM's rebranding as an outdoor landscape and wildlife photography company. If the PEN line is indeed to be resurrected, as OM insisted it would be from the day it bought the company, then the E-P8 would be the perfect camera to start with – but I just can't see OM making another product that it doesn't sell in the US.
Olympus PEN E-PL10
While I love the E-PL cameras (I still use an IR-modified E-PL8), I think this line is toast – I just can't see there being a PEN E-PL 11.
The E-PL series was Olympus' most basic category of camera. While the E-M10 was aimed at beginners, the E-PL was aimed at non-core camera users – a stylish camera for the fashion-conscious. Fashion bloggers, for example, were a key audience… and of course, also an audience that in 2024 is perfectly happy using a camera phone.
Launched in 2019, the 16MP E-PL10 was essentially the same as 2018's E-PL9 which was essentially the same as 2016's E-PL8… all based off the same core technology in the E-M10, just with fewer features.
Like a potential OM-10, it's really hard for me to see a place in the market for a basic camera stripped down to this degree. A 16MP sensor isn't going to fly in 2024, so the only option is to put in a 20MP sensor – but then this camera can't do anything but be compared, likely unfavorably, with the OM-5 and OM-1.
OM System Tough TG-7
Since the OM System Tough TG-7 was only released last year, again, it's too soon to see a replacement.
Certainly the line could do with some new tricks, given how similar the new model is to the Olympus Tough TG-6, but we're going to have to wait a little while longer to see a Tough TG-8.
Bingo?
So, the only cameras left after our game of bingo – meaning the cameras that could possibly see a successor at the end of the year – are as follows:
Olympus OM-D E-M1X
OM System OM-5
Olympus PEN-F
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV
Olympus PEN E-P7
Where would I put my money? An E-M1X Mark II or PEN-F Mark II would astonish me. And an OM-10 or PEN E-P8 would make sense logically, but not business-wise. I would be disappointed if it's an OM-5 Mark II, but not altogether surprised – it's the one that makes the most sense, given OM System's track record.
The best prediction I can give is that it's going to be a silver camera. I hope it's a silver PEN, but I suspect it'll be a silver OM. Let's see if I'm right, come the end of the year…
Take a look at the best Olympus / OM System cameras, along with the best Olympus / OM System lenses to pair with them. And don't forget that you can use the best Micro Four Thirds lenses from other manufacturers, too!
