OM System OM-3 + 12-45mm F4 PRO Kit

OM System OM-3 + 12-45mm F4 PRO Kit

This new OM-3 camera has been called a retro version, but that's only partly true. The body is stylishly silver with a black textured grip in the style of the film era, and the mechanical quality is really high, with buttons and adjustment dials made of metal to last from adventure to adventure.

This package includes the weather-protected OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO lens!

But on the other hand, there is a lot of familiarity with the camera, meaning the location of the buttons and using the camera is just as smooth as on modern bodies. And what's great is that the camera's image quality and performance are identical to the OM-1 Mark II model! So now you don't have to choose between style and efficiency, you get both.

• 20MP so-called Quad pixel sensor, maximum ISO 25600
• IP53 weather protection: splash, dust and frost resistant construction
• Creative Dial control and film-like color profiles
• AI-taught autofocus with multi-object detection
• Starry Sky AF autofocus for stargazing
• Compact but mechanically very high-quality body
• Weight with battery less than 500g
• Live ND and Live GND ND filter simulation modes
• 50MP High Res images shot handheld in 14bit raw - more tonal information
• Pro Capture predictive shooting mode, take up to 70 photos in advance
• Blackout free - viewfinder image always visible even with slower bursts
• 50FPS continuous shooting with continuous focus, 120 frames per second with single focus
• Up to 7.5 f-stop effective sensor-shift image stabilization
• 4K 60P video recording, 8 or 10bit recording, vertical videos and FullHD 240FPS slow-motion videos
• New OM Cinema Mode for video shooting

Who is the OM System OM-3 for?

If the OM-1 Mark II was a camera suitable for fast-paced nature photography and capturing unique situations, the OM-3 is aimed at a slightly more urban environment, i.e. city adventures, content production but without forgetting nature. The camera's image quality and weather protection are at the level of the OM-1 II, so this is a compact and lightweight body that is perfect for anything but good weather.

Nature is often at its best when the light comes from a lower, softer angle and there may be an atmospheric element in the air, such as snowfall or fog. The OM-3 camera is promised to have a robust IP53 standard weather protection, meaning it can withstand water even under pressure, or in Finnish, rain. You must use the same level of weather-protected lens 12-45mm F4 Pro or the renewed 17mm and 25mm lenses.

Ultra-fast stacked sensor and autofocus

The camera's 20-megapixel image sensor uses the same so-called Stacked structure as the top models Canon EOS R3 and Sony A1. This enables very fast continuous shooting and good video capabilities. With continuous focus, continuous shooting is 50 frames per second and with single focus, 120 frames per second.

The OM-3 includes a Pro Capture shooting mode. This mode allows continuous shooting with continuous focus at 50 frames per second (a favorite feature for nature and sports photographers!) This means that the camera takes pictures continuously even when the shutter is pressed halfway and automatically saves, for example, 50 frames before and 50 frames after the shutter is pressed. This allows you to time a skateboard trick or a swimming jump into a lake just right! Now Pro capture also works at slower settings, meaning that if the movement is not happening at a fraction of a second, the number of frames remains better controlled.

The autofocus is AI-trained, meaning it recognizes objects and starts tracking quickly. Supported object types include birds, trains, cars, airplanes, helicopters, and a wide variety of animals, as well as human face recognition.

Powerful image stabilization and High Res shooting mode

The OM System OM-3 features a highly effective image stabilizer, now providing up to 7.5 stops of image stabilization when using a compatible stabilized lens. With an unstabilized lens, the maximum effect is 6.5 stops in the center and 5.5 stops at the edges of the image. This allows for handheld shooting in low light conditions and handheld shooting with long telephoto lenses.

In addition, the stabilizer is used in High Res shooting mode, where the camera takes multiple images by moving the image sensor slightly between shots, and from this amount of data, a 50-megapixel image is compiled when shooting handheld and an 80-megapixel image file when shooting from a tripod.

This feature is especially amazing when shooting handheld, combining the speed of the sensor and continuous shooting, but by activating the feature, the OM-3 captures detailed landscapes. The image is now also a 14-bit raw image, making it suitable for even the most demanding photographer.

Gradual Live ND - sliding ND filters directly on the camera

OM System has been a pioneer in in-camera features, or so-called computational photography. This means that things that would normally require a computer and special software or image processing can be done directly in the camera.

In addition to a ND filter, the camera can simulate a half-ND filter with the Gradual Live ND feature, meaning if you want to darken just the sky, you can do it just like with the sliding ND filters intended for landscape photography. Now this happens directly in the camera, controlled by the touchscreen, meaning you no longer need large and expensive plate filters.

Gradual Live ND enabled

The technique works with all lenses, I choose the filter efficiency, the gradient, the filtering point and direction and the image file is ready! The maximum filter efficiency is ND64, which means this effect cannot be done as effectively and well in post-processing. For example, the details and color of a very bright sky and a darker landscape can now be balanced really quickly - without having to carry a bulky filter battery.

In demanding landscape photography, the use of filters has been the so-called secret weapon of many professionals, and it's great that you can try this out and use it directly in the camera.

The OM-3 has a convenient selection button on the front of the camera that allows you to select tone settings and activate these computational tools.

There are also other computational features included:

• Macro image stacking, now possible with 15 images
• Focus bracketing (up to 999 shots)
• Live composite is great for night photography, so you can see how the image is exposed second by second
• Starry Sky AF - autofocus for starry sky photography

OM System OM-3 for videographers

• 4K 60P video recording
• FullHD 120P slow motion videos
• OMLog 400 wide gamut shooting and HLD HDR video shooting
• 10bit recording
• New OM Cinema shooting mode includes new color profiles
• Vertical video for social media
• Works conveniently as a webcam with a USB cable

The OM-3 is well suited for indoor producers, meaning if you need high-quality video in addition to stills, you only need one camera body. 4K video is now possible at 60P. Thermal management is in order, meaning you can shoot the entire battery, i.e. about 90 minutes, or with an external power source.

By lowering the resolution to FullHD, 240FPS slow-motion videos are also possible. The camera naturally has a microphone and headphone jack for recording and monitoring audio.

The video mode can be conveniently selected with a single selector switch, and there is also an S&Q mode where you can get cinematic slow motion or a speed-up video that truncates a longer time period into a short video.

The choice of the style conscious

The old saying goes that the best camera is the one you have with you. Another similar rule could be that the camera you use the most is the one that is fun to use and inspires you to shoot. The OM-3 could very well be just that body, as its traditional, uncluttered shape, stylish appearance and cutting-edge technology make it tempting to take the camera with you - even if it's every day.

Weather protection is the previously mentioned IP53 level, which is a real rarity!

Specifications:

• Compatibility: Micro Four Thirds (M43) lenses
• In-cell image stabilization
  Maximum power without stabilizer lens: 6.5 f-stops in the center of the image, 5.5 at the edges
  Maximum power with compatible stabilizer lens: 7.5 f-stops in the center of the image and 6.5 at the edges
• Image sensor 20MP Stacked BSI Live MOS MFT, Quad Pixel
• Sensitivity: ISO 200 - 102400
• Focus points: 1053 phase-detection AF points
• Shutter speeds: 60 - 1/8000 s (with electronic shutter 1/32000 s)
  
• Flash sync: 1/250 s
• Continuous shooting: 50 fps (with autofocus), 120FPS without intermediate focus / with mechanical shutter 10 fps
• video recording: 4K 4096 x 2160 4K 60P, FullHD 240FPS, 8 and 10bit recording, H.265 and H.264 compression
• 4K Raw video recording to an external recorder
• Electronic OLED viewfinder, resolution 2.036M dots
• 7.6cm articulated touchscreen, 1.62M dots resolution
• SDXC UHS-II memory card slot
• 3.5mm microphone jack and headphone jack
• Micro HDMI, USB Type-C (USB PD charging)
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• Size: 139.3 x 88.9 x 45.8mm
• Weight: 496g (with battery)
  
  

The sales package includes:

• OM SYSTEM OM-3 Mirrorless Camera Body
• OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 PRO lens
• CB-USB13 USB Cable
• Shoulder Strap
• OM SYSTEM BLX-1 Lithium-Ion Battery (7.2V, 2280mAh) battery