​In 1972 Olympus released the OM-1. It earned high praise as the smallest and lightest SLR camera of its time and included numerous innovations in its build and design. Fifty years later the OM-1 is back. The name may be the same, but after that the differences are innumerable. It still bears the Olympus name, but the new OM-1 is also branded with the OM System logo. It is the first camera released by OM Digital Solutions.
 
I had the opportunity to shoot with the OM-1 prior to its release date. In using the camera there have been some real “wow” moments – things that excited me, and a few things where the camera didn’t quite hit the mark. Keep in mind that this isn’t a formal review, but rather my impressions of how the OM-1 stacks up, especially when compared to previous models like the E-M1 Mark III and the E-M1X.

Design
Being a long time Olympus shooter there is a real comfort to the camera. It has the same feel and handling as its immediate predecessor, the OM-D E-M1 Mark III (I have to admit I won’t miss typing out that rather long name). After a quick once over, I gave the camera a more thorough inspection and quickly discovered some subtle design changes.
 
The OM-1 is just slightly larger and heavier than the E-M1 Mark III, and I mean slightly. The OM-1 is 19g heavier than its predecessor. That’s about the weight of 4 sheets of letter-sized paper. Not a significant difference at all. One of the more important changes is the design of the control dials and the shutter release. With the Mark III, the front and rear control dials are seated at the top of the body with the shutter release being in the centre of the front dial. On the OM-1 the dials are now seated within the housing with only a portion of each dial protruding. The shutter release is now on its own just above the front dial. This is the same design as the E-M1X. The mode dial and on/off switch are positioned in the same places as previous models with only slight changes to their appearance.
 
Buttons, switches and dials all feel rugged, which is exactly what I would expect. In using the OM-1 it feels even more solidly built than the E-M1 Mark III, and that was a pretty tough camera.

​As for the buttons on the rear of the camera there is now a dedicated AF-ON button for those who use back-button focusing. All of the other buttons are in the same location as on the Mark III, but I did notice that they are slightly smaller. The joystick that I love on the E-M1 Mark III and the E-M1X is on the new OM-1, but is also a bit smaller. Under normal usage these smaller buttons aren’t an issue at all, but when you spend about 5 months of the year wearing winter gloves like I do it can make the camera a bit more challenging to operate. That said, since I’ve never found photography gloves that can handle -30°C I usually end up taking my thicker gloves off for a few seconds while I make setting changes. As such, the smaller buttons haven’t made a significant difference in my shooting situations.
 
In speaking with an OM System rep, I was informed that having smaller buttons allowed for even greater weather sealing. I didn’t think that Olympus could improve on their weather-sealed body, but they did! The OM-1 is rated at IP-53. This is a higher rating than the IPX1 on the Mark III. It is considered even more dust-proof, splash-proof and freeze-proof. I can definitely attest to how freeze-proof it is. I’ve had it out for hours in extremely cold conditions and it doesn’t skip a beat. It lasted longer than I did.

​The first real concern that anyone planning on upgrading to the OM-1 might have is the fact that it uses a different battery. Yes, I groaned, too. But, in using the new BLX-1 battery, which is slightly larger than the older batteries, I was impressed with how long it lasted. I only have one battery at present and I haven’t come close to draining it while out shooting in the cold. During one particularly frosty night at -28°C, I was out for 3 hours of shooting and the battery was still at 72%. The battery is rated at 520 shots, compared with 420 for the E-M1 Mark III. These might be the official ratings but I’ve already had a couple of shooting sessions where I’ve put over a thousand images on a card and still had plenty of battery life left. The camera comes with a USB cable for charging, and is fully functional during the process. This is a welcome change since you can be powering up in the field and still have full use of the camera.
 
The OM-1 also has a new battery grip available. The HLD-10 will hold one extra battery and has the joystick, AF-ON, ISO and exposure compensation buttons, along with the control dials and shutter release. I find this particularly useful when photographing wildlife.
 
First Shots
 
Alright! The battery is charged, the memory cards are formatted. It’s time to start shooting. For my first test I decided to go to a small range light about 30 minutes from where I live. I was hoping for a colourful sunset, but instead I got clear skies. Well, so be it. I just wanted to see what this camera could do.
 
During this first outing I had absolutely no information on the inner workings of the camera, but being a former science teacher, I was happy to engage in some self-discovery. My first discovery was the new EVF. And it’s awesome! As much as possible I prefer to compose my images using the electronic viewfinder rather than relying on the LCD. The OM-1 is outfitted with a stunning new EVF – a 5.760K dot OLED. This is more than twice the resolution of the E-M1 Mark III and the E-M1X. It provides a noticeably cleaner and more realistic image for composing and reviewing your shots. The layout is also different than the E-M1 Mark III. The main settings are lined up underneath the image, rather than being superimposed on top of the scene you are shooting. The histogram is now in the top left of the viewfinder while the levels are centered in the image. As with previous models, the Info button allows you to cycle through 4 familiar viewing options; image only, main settings, settings + histogram, settings + levels.
 
The rear 3” LCD also provides greater resolution – 1.620K dots vs. 1.040K. The layout is slightly different than the EVF, but provides the same key information.

​For my first shot I tried a hand-held focus bracketed image of the range light with the sun shining through some ice. My next discovery was the processing speed. The focus stacking process was fast. Much faster than previous models. But more on that later.

​The Inner Workings
 
When I uploaded my first set of images and had a closer look I was truly impressed with the image quality. The photos were incredibly sharp, with excellent colour tonality. There was practically no noise, even in those photos shot during the blue hour at moderate ISOs. Then I looked at the size of the image and realized that it was 20 MP. This was a disappointment. I want to emphasize one word in that sentence – was. After spending a few more days shooting with the OM-1 and getting some of the specs for the camera I am no longer disappointed. This is a completely new sensor with some incredible processing power behind it. I also had to remind myself that I’ve been regularly printing images for clients up to 36” x 48” and even larger at times. I had no doubt that I could easily print these first few photos with stunning results.
 
Let’s take a look at what’s inside the new OM-1.
 
Sensor – The OM-1 has a new 20 MP Cross Quad Pixel AF Stacked BSI CMOS Sensor – now there’s a mouthful. As a back-side illuminated sensor it provides much better noise handling – 2 stops better noise performance than the E-M1 Mark III and 1 stop of improved dynamic range. As such, the OM-1 also has a greater ISO range – 200 to 25 600 with an extended range to 102 400.
 
Processor – The OM-1 is equipped with the new TruePic X processor. The speed of the processor is quite impressive. Olympus has been a leader in computational photography, but that has always required processing the image after the shot was taken. In testing out focus stacking, LiveND and the high res feature the processing speed is considerably faster than the E-M1 Mark III. For example, in one side-by-side comparison the E-M1 Mark III took 20 seconds to process the high resolution image. The OM-1 had it processed in only 5 seconds – 4 times faster! There have been many times where I wouldn’t use high res during a sunset because of this wait time. The light was changing too quickly. That certainly isn’t going to be as big an issue with the OM-1.
 
Auto-focusing – The new sensor and processor also translates into much improved auto-focusing. The cross quad pixel AF now means there is 100% AF coverage in the frame with a total of 1053 phase detection cross AF points. That’s right, over 1000 focus points covering the entire frame! Auto-focusing is faster and more accurate, but with so many focus points it is important to select the best option for the subject in question. The focus patterns are similar to what Olympus shooters will be used to, except that now the single point is much smaller. But even that “single point” actually has 4 focus point within it. Users can also create several custom focus patterns.

​Waiter, Could I Have Another Menu Please!
 
Speaking of facelifts, the OM-1 has a new menu system. Yay!  The new menu is quite slick and far more intuitive. At first glance it may appear that the designers just switched from a vertical to a horizontal orientation of menu items and added a splash of colour. But it definitely goes deeper than that. Many items have moved to areas of the menu that make far more sense. For example, Camera 2 is now dedicated solely to computational photography.
 
Navigating the menu has also changed. After pressing the Menu button, the front dial is used to move between menu headings while the rear dial is used to navigate from page to page within a heading. The arrow pad is used to move to individual menu items on a page and then, to activate that item, the OK button is pressed. Navigation is quite intuitive except for the fact that my muscle memory was getting in the way. In previous iterations the right arrow key was pressed to enter a menu item. Now it is just the OK button that is used to dive deeper, which makes perfect sense. It took a few days to get used to it, but I have to admit that it is far nicer layout than on older models.

​Another nice feature in the OM-1 is that specific menu options can be directly accessed from various function buttons. For example, since I regularly use Focus Stacking I reprogrammed the AEL for that feature. Pressing that button will turn the feature on and off, but holding the button down for about 2 seconds gets you right into the Focus Stacking menu so you can quickly make changes. This is a great change.

Another feature that I really like is that the menu now shows up within the viewfinder. As someone who needs reading glasses (man, it sucks to get older) I appreciate that I can quickly make setting changes without having to take my eye away from the EVF. This option was available on the E-M1 Mark III, but not without some effort. Now it is the default setting. 
 
Computational Photography
 
I recall when Live Composite was first introduced on the E-M1. I thought it was a gimmick and would have very little practical use. Boy, was I wrong. Olympus has been a pioneer of computational photography, allowing us to see the world in ways that other cameras just can’t. Several improvements have been made to these features.
 
LiveND – The LiveND feature has been extended to 6 stops (ND64) from the original 5 stops on the E-M1 Mark III.
 
Live Composite – The Live Comp feature can now be used hand-held. I’m not about to try this for hour-long star trail shots, but capturing fireworks, lightning, or traffic trails should be quite possible without a tripod. More importantly for me is that the ISO range has been extended to 6400 compared to an upper limit of 1600 with previous models.
 
Focus Stacking/Bracketing – No changes have been made to focus stacking or bracketing. The upper limit is still 15 and 999 shots respectively. Although not directly related to the feature, the fact that the AF points have 100% coverage will make this feature easier to use under many circumstances.
 
High Resolution Shooting – Accessing the high res feature has been made a lot easier. When shooting stills the video record button has now been mapped to enable high res photography. As a landscape photographer I appreciate how quickly I can get in and out of this mode. Some additional controls have also been added. The hand-held high res shots can now be recorded at 25 or 50MP + RAW. Tripod high res shots remain at 80MP, but the option to shoot at 25 or 50MP as well is now available. One great addition is that a delay option has be added. In handheld shooting you can program a wait time of 1/8s, 1/4s, 1/2s or 1s. In tripod mode the delay can go all the up to 30s. As well, to quickly switch from hand-held to tripod mode press the record button and turn one of the control dials. The high res menu pops up and you can make quick changes to your settings.
 
Regardless of the feature, the one improvement that applies to all of them is processing speed. For example, OM System states that the processing speed for high res shooting is 2.5x faster than the E-M1 Mark III, but based on my experience I’ve found it to be even faster than that.

​Subject Detection
 
One of the features that I was most eagerly waiting for in the OM-1 would be to see if intelligent subject detection would be added. I’d come to rely on the bird detection and tracking on the E-M1X, so I was pleased to see that this feature has now been included in the OM-1. But wait, there’s more! Along with trains, planes and automobiles (man, I miss John Candy) and birds, there is now animal detection, specifically cats and dogs. As someone who occasionally photographs wildlife, I was hoping for animal detection that would include a wider range of critters, but I have it on good authority that it works incredibly well on foxes, wolves and even elk.
 
During my trial run with the new camera I’ve had very few opportunities to shoot wildlife. I was able to capture a few birds (it worked incredibly well – even better than the E-M1X), but what really impressed me was when I tested it out on my husky. His name is Squish, and man, can he run fast! I had him run from about 100m away and I just kept my finger on the shutter as he raced towards me. Without exaggeration almost 100% of the shots were tack sharp. I used both the mechanical and electronic shutter and got equally good results. You may be thinking, “but, it’s only a dog”. Well, if any other animal comes charging towards me at that speed, I’m dropping the camera and running for safety! Now, I can’t wait to use it with fox kits in the spring.

​Final Thoughts and Images
 
The OM-1 now takes its place as the flagship camera for the new company. My personal history with photography goes almost as far back as the original OM-1. In 1976, when I was just 12 years old, I purchased the OM-1n and have been shooting with Olympus ever since.
 
At the time of this writing I’d been using the new OM-1 for about 3 weeks. It has truly rekindled my love for the craft. The camera does not make the photographer, but let’s face it, like with almost all creative pursuits, the better the tools, the better the results. And this camera has given me fantastic results. From the incredible image quality, to the new EVF; from the lightning fast AF, to the increased processing speed, the OM-1 has exceeded my expectations.

As a photographer who primarily shoots landscapes I am often focused on the 'big picture'. Normally, I want the viewer to see the subject for what it literally is, a mountain scene, an autumn forest, or waves crashing on a rocky shoreline. My job is to present that scene in an artistically pleasing way using various compositional strategies. There are times however, when a small piece of that landscape catches my eye and I try to present it in a more abstract, rather than literal, way. 

 What is a Natural Abstract?
By its strictest definition abstract art "does not depict objects in the natural world, but instead uses colour and form in a non-representational way." Well, as a nature photographer that definition is a bit rigid. It can be rather difficult to photograph objects in the natural world and have them completely lose all of their literal references. Even an abstract image involving a tree will likely still be recognizable as having been photographed using that tree. The challenge in abstract photography is to move from the literal presentation of the subjects in your image (trees, rocks, waves, etc.) to creating images that are more impressionistic. 
There are also degrees of abstraction. Some of the images in this article are more abstract than others. There are no strict rules. The goal is not to create a purely abstract image, but to create an aesthetically pleasing photograph that allows for greater interpretation by the viewer. It's about trying to see the real world in new and interesting ways. 

"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."
                               John Muir, Scottish American Naturalist
​
I'm not big into quoting other authors or famous folk, but when I first read this on a bumper sticker (yes, that's right, a bumper sticker), it struck a chord. I spent my childhood, and much of my adult years, getting lost (figuratively speaking) in the forests around which I lived. Exploring my surroundings has always been a way to let go of the stresses of my daily life and find solace in the beauty of Mother Nature. Photography has become a natural extension of that desire to explore. When it comes to photographing the forest it does come with its challenges however, but those are outweighed by the countless opportunities. 

Disclosure: I am an Olympus Visionary and as such, receive compensation from Olympus America. However, no compensation was paid for this review. I endorse their products because I truly believe in the quality of their gear. ​

I'm an extreme photographer.
Let me explain that statement before you get the wrong idea. When it comes to focal lengths, I like to work at the extremes - either ultra-wide, for my landscape shooting, or super telephoto for wildlife. Recently, Olympus released two amazing long lenses, so the telephoto range is nicely covered with a number of options. That wasn't the case when it came to ultra-wide choices. The release of the M.Zuiko 8-25mm F4 PRO changes that. 
Up to now, if you wanted to capture 'the big picture' you had two lenses to choose from, the M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO or the 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO. Both of these lenses are in my kit and have served me well. The release of the new 8-25mm F4 PRO now adds another ultra-wide option. 

I like old windows. You know the type; the grid-style with several lites often found in historic colonial homes. They have character. Some time ago I picked one up at my local landfill. It was in excellent condition and I was looking forward to using it as a frame for one of my prints. Not quite ready for it, I put it in my garage, and there it sat and sat and...  Every time I looked at it I thought, "Oh yeah, I've got to do something with that window." But soon, another idea for its use crept into my head... 
For those of us who live indoors (and I'm guessing that includes you), our windows provide one of our main views of the outside world. I wanted to create a concept shot with a window floating in the air through which we could view the world beyond. Now, this could be done by simply creating a composite image - photograph the window against a plain background and, using some Photoshop trickery, superimpose it over your scene. Well, that seemed too easy. I wanted the window to actually be 'floating' in the air. Unfortunately, my "use the force" skills are rather poor, so I would have to come up with a way of suspending the window in an outdoor scene. And, given my love of astro-landscape photography, I wanted this project to involve the night sky. 

A few years ago I picked up the original Prvke 21 pack and fell in love with it, so when WANDRD reached out to me to see if I would be interested in receiving their latest version for free, I jumped at the chance. I've been a fan of the original for some time and there was no expectation of a review, nor did any money change hands. That said, it's been on my mind for some time to share my impressions, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity. I love this bag, but I will also be honest about its short-comings. 

Disclosure: I am an Olympus Visionary and as such, receive compensation from Olympus America. However, no compensation was paid for this review. I endorse their products because I truly believe in the quality of their gear. ​

When Olympus sent me the E-M5 Mark III and the 12-45mm f/4 I was certainly pleased to get this new camera and lens. But to be honest, I was rather hesitant to shoot with them. After all, I was very happy with the E-M1 Mark III and 12-100mm combination that I'd been using for quite some time. What could this new combination offer me that I wasn't already getting from their pro-level body and my workhorse lens?
After about 3 months with it on my shelf I finally decided it was time to 'kick the tires' and see what it could deliver. It was also the start of the pandemic and I needed a creative boost, since travel was out of the question, and many of my local attractions were also shut down. So, on a rather grey March morning I grabbed an umbrella, a tripod, and the E-M5 Mark III and the 12-45mm lens and headed down to the still-frozen bay near where I live, to see what I could create. 
I set the camera up on the tripod, fairly low to the ice, engaged the time-lapse feature and began moving the umbrella around and tossing it up in the air (I'm sure that I looked like a complete fool!). This craziness lasted about 10 minutes, and after a bit of editing finally lead to this image...

This was my first creation with the 5iii and 12-45. I was pleased with the results, however a bit more time would pass before I was convinced that this pairing would truly meet my needs. But, more on that later. Now it's time for some introductions. 

​A few years ago, my wife and I went on a fall driving tour through part of Northern Ontario. After a great day of shooting we stopped at a beautiful lakeside restaurant, walked in, were seated by the waitress, and each handed a menu. After a cursory look at the offerings I glanced out the restaurant window and saw a photo opportunity that I just couldn't pass up. I put the menu down, told my wife to order something for me, and rushed out of the restaurant. (I'm certain that the waitress thought we'd had a fight.) 
I grabbed my camera gear out of the car and quickly headed down to the shoreline. After a few setting changes, and some work with composition, I clicked the shutter release and got this shot...

I liked the shot, so ​I packed the gear back into the car and headed into the restaurant where a wonderful pickerel dinner was waiting for me with a nice glass of wine. 

Disclosure: I am an Olympus Visionary and as such, receive compensation from Olympus America. Although compensation was paid for this review, I endorse their products because I truly believe in the quality of their gear

Okay, let's cut to the chase. This lens rocks! It really does.

I've shot with practically every lens made by Olympus for the micro 4/3s system and each one is built to very high standards. But the m.Zuiko ED 150-400mm f/4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO (now, there's a mouthful) stands out amongst these. I'll get to why in a moment, but just a reminder  that this isn't a formal review. These are my first impressions based on 5 days of shooting with the lens. When Olympus offered to send me a pre-production copy I was quite hesitant. We were heading into wintery weather, most of the migratory birds in my area had long gone, and finding other wildlife would be a real challenge. Plus, I would have the only one in North America (oh, the pressure!) In the end however, I'm so glad that I accepted the invite because this lens is exceptional!

"Hi Peter,
I’m reaching out about an opportunity to be one of the first people to shoot with the new telephoto lens that’s coming out very soon."

This was the start of an e-mail that I received from Olympus asking if I would be interested in testing out the new 100-400mm lens. Needless to say I was very interested! The timeline would be tight, but they could ship the lens 'overnight' and I would have it in a couple of days (overnight shipping is never 'overnight' when you live in northern Ontario). The problem was that I was heading to our cottage the next morning for a 10-day visit. Located on a very small island in a wilderness park, our cottage has been in the family for over 90 years. This was going to be my annual 'maintenance' trip - anything that old needs some regular TLC. I would have to rely on my wife to bring in the lens on the following weekend. This would give me only one full day to try out the lens in this beautiful spot before I had to head back home. Just one day to get some high quality shots? Oh, the pressure! Deep breath... I can do that!

"You bet", was my response. "I would love to try out the new lens!"